GBC Women's Ministry Night, 9/25
1 Corinthians 12-13
Imagine a world where Mozart never studied music, where Edison gave up on inventing, where Jane Austen abandoned her dream of writing novels, where Bill Gates walked away from entrepreneurship after his first failed business, or--I shudder to think--where Aaron Rodgers never touched a football. If those people had ignored the call to develop and use their natural talents, the world would have missed out on their contributions to technology, the arts, culture, and entertainment.
As Christians, God has given us so much more than mere abilities. When we received Christ and were redeemed by his blood, our bodies became God’s temple and we were filled with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in the life of every believer, making us more like Christ and equipping us to serve him. Each of us have been given spiritual gifts to use to serve the church and share the hope we have in Jesus to a dark world.
Last month, we learned that all spiritual gifts have equal value to contribute to the Kingdom of God, and that the health of the church depends on every single member using their gifts to serve their brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, we’re diving into 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 to take a closer look at the different types of spiritual gifts and how they meet the needs of the body.
Based on what we know of the context of 1 Corinthians, it seems that the church in Corinth had become somewhat divided over the subject of spiritual gifts. Members of the church were acting as though some gifts were superior to others, to the point that some in the church felt excluded or undervalued. Paul addresses this issue in chapters 12-14, giving a detailed explanation of the purpose and equal value of all spiritual gifts, and the need for every gift to be used in love. We won’t have time tonight to do a detailed exposition of all three chapters, but we’re going to read from chapters 12 and 13 together as we go, and then briefly touch on a few important points from chapter 14 along the way. We’ll start in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1:
[12:1-6]
12 Spiritual Gifts
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Paul begins this chapter by emphasizing the importance of believers understanding spiritual gifts. Specifically, he wants them to understand the source and purpose of their gifts so that they can recognize false teaching and learn to use their gifts well. He strictly warns them that those speaking in the Spirit of God will never commit blasphemy, like cursing Jesus or denying his Lordship. The Holy Spirit will never inspire a believer to add to scripture or contradict it. All true manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit will give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ to teach and encourage His Body, the Church. The Holy Spirit distributes different types of gifts to all believers, which are all equally valuable, because they find their source in the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the Same God.
[12:7-11]
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
In this section, Paul lists a variety of spiritual gifts, continuing to emphasize the equal value and honor that they have, which is rooted in their common source: the Holy Spirit. This is just one of a few different passages of scripture that list different spiritual gifts. All of these passages are slightly different, but there’s some overlap. For example, all of them mention prophecy and refer to teaching in one form or another. Beyond that, there’s a lot of variety. For this reason, it seems safe to say that none of these lists are meant to be exhaustive or complete. They’re really more of representative sample of the ways the indwelling of the Holy Spirit plays out in the life of every believer as they serve Christ. To make things a little easier, I’m going to talk about the different types of gifts in categories that help me understand how they work a little more clearly. However, if these groups aren’t helpful for you, feel free to leave them behind after we talk about them tonight.
The first group I observe is edifying gifts that serve the church with words. These are gifts like prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, teaching, discernment, and exhortation. Believers with these gifts use words to glorify God and point others to Christ. If you love writing encouraging notes or prayers that you send to friends when you know they’re struggling to find hope in God, you might have the gift of encouragement, which is sometime called exhortation. If you enjoy hosting small groups in your home or sharing Bible stories with kids in children’s ministries, you may have a teaching gift. (And don’t let the word teaching intimidate you; teaching doesn’t have to mean preparing a message to stand up and deliver in front of a bunch of people, it can just as easily look like diving into what God’s been teaching you through his Word as you enjoy coffee and conversation with a friend.) If others trust your good judgement and ability to graciously hold them accountable when they go down the wrong path, you might have the gift of discernment or wisdom.
The next group of gifts I observe is gifts that serve the church primarily through action. These are gifts like service, giving, hospitality, mercy, faith, leadership, and administration. Many of these gifts are vital, behind-the-scenes roles that may sometimes be overlooked. If you enjoy helping with setup on Sunday mornings or holding babies in the nursery, you may have the gift of service. If you have the gifts of giving or mercy, you love helping those who are struggling by being generous with money or other resources God has given you. You might enjoy participating in the church meals ministry or donating time or materials to the annual cider press event. If you have the gift of faith, you may be a prayer warrior for your friends and family, trusting that God will faithfully answer your prayers according to his perfect will. If you’re good at coordinating other people and helping them cultivate their unique gifts and abilities, you may be gifted in leadership or administration. If you love greeting at the front doors on Sunday or hosting others and making them feel welcome in your home, you probably have the gift of hospitality. All of these gifts meet important needs in the body, including tangible, physical needs, as well as intangible ones.
The last group of gifts is a lot easier to pin down. They are miraculous, so it’s pretty easy to tell when you have them. These gifts are things like healing, miracles, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues. Since it should be readily apparent to you and others if you have these gifts, I won’t give any examples, but there are a few other points that should be mentioned about them.
First, these gifts may be occasional, rather than persistent. Believers are empowered by the spirit to heal, perform a miracles, and speak or interpret tongues for specific purposes and usually for a limited amount of time. Christians who display the gift of healing will not necessarily be able to heal anyone at any time. Those with the gift of tongues will not always speak in tongues or always be able to interpret for another person. All of these gifts will come and go in accordance with God’s purposes. This is different from the way some other gifts appear to work. Gifts like mercy or faith often seem to permeate every part of a believer’s life. I’m guessing most of us could name at least one person they know who seems to display faith, mercy, generosity, or wisdom in everything they say and do. This seems to be rather different from the way miraculous gifts work.
Additionally, Romans 14 has some specific cautions for those who display the gift of speaking in tongues. While there are no limits on the use of tongues for private prayer and worship, Paul does caution that, in a public worship setting, messages in tongues should only be shared when someone is available to interpret. Paul tells us that the gift of tongues is only useful to build up the church when interpretation is available, because no one can understand the message without it. If someone feels called to share a message in tongues, they should pray for an interpreter, so that their message will be understood.
[12:12-31]
One Body with Many Members
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
These verses contain a really excellent metaphor for understanding the roles that different spiritual gifts have to play in the church. Like a body has many parts that each serve different purposes, so the body of Christ has many members whose spiritual gifts perform essential functions. The church could not serve its purpose if everyone only had the gift of teaching, or of mercy, or of helps. Every church needs members with all sorts of different gifts. Though our roles within the church are different, we are united in our goal, which is glorifying God and making Christ known in the world. Because we already spent most of our time last month discussing the unity that our spiritual gifts should promote in the church, we aren’t going to spend a lot of time there this month. Still, there are a few points I want to touch on again, briefly.
First, it is good that every believer has different gifts; God designed the church to be that way. Each gift God gives to believers serves a different purpose that is essential to the health of the church, just as each part is essential to the function of a physical body. Likewise, a healthy church needs every member to be using their individual giftings in order for the body of Christ to thrive. The church cannot truly fulfill its mission of making Christ known to the world if all gifts are not honored, and if each individual believer is not committed to using their gifts.
Second, our gifts are for building up and caring for one another, not inflating our egos by flaunting our self-perceived spiritual excellence. Our gifts should make much of Christ, and of others, and not of ourselves. We should be grieved by the struggles of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and be filled with joy, not jealousy, when we see other believers’ gifts being used well or recognized more than our own.
You’ve probably noticed that many of the spiritual gifts have quite a bit of overlap. You might not be able to decide definitively which ones you have. Do I have wisdom or discernment? Is it service or giving? Maybe all of them? I think it’s okay not to have a precise list of your gifts, at least to start. Pray that God would give you wisdom to see your gifts accurately. You can also use spiritual gift assessments and insight from other believers to help you narrow down a few gifts that may apply to you. Once you have that, you can begin praying about where and how God is calling you to use them now and in the future. The women’s ministry team is going to be sending out some resources to help you do that in the next few weeks. Then, when we meet in November, we’ll use some of our time to talk about what we’ve learned about our individual gifts, and how God is calling us to use them.
[13:1-13]
13 The Way of Love
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
As we look at chapter 13, you’ve probably heard a large portion of this passage quoted quite a bit at weddings. You may have even gotten the idea that verses 4-8 are primarily about romantic love, as though Paul went on some kind of tangent in the middle of his message about spiritual gifts. That is not the case. Certainly these verse can be applied to all types of love, but, in context, the original emphasis is on spiritual gifts. This entire chapter drives home the point that all spiritual gifts are worthless if they are not applied in love.
Without love, our words are just noise, and our generosity is worthless. Love must be a part of every expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God is most glorified when believers teach with patience and kindness, lead without envy or boastfulness, and share wisdom without arrogance or rudeness. They will give generously without insisting on their own way, show mercy without being irritable or resentful, and share knowledge truthfully, without deception. In faith, they will bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things.
This is a high calling, a seemingly impossible calling. At least, it would be, without God’s love toward us through Christ. On our own, we are hopeless to love other people as we should: purely and selflessly. In our sinfulness, we need a perfect, holy example to teach us how to truly love one another: 1 John 4:9-13, say this:
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
And verse 19:
19 We love because he first loved us.
Jesus is the manifestation of the love of God in our lives. Though we who are believers were hopelessly bogged down in our sins, we now have eternal life through Him, not because we loved God, but because He loved us first. The Holy Spirit dwells inside us, and our sanctification and spiritual gifts are a sign and a seal of our redemption. We glorify God when we use our spiritual gifts to love and serve other people. When we do that, we reveal God’s love to a hurting world by showing them Jesus. This love is not of ourselves, but is an overflow of the love God first poured on us through Christ.
Our spiritual gifts will serve the church and glorify God only when they are applied in love. Love will persist for eternity, but spiritual gifts will pass away. When Jesus returns, we won’t need special gifts to point people to Him, because He will be present with us always: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now [we] know in part; then [we] shall know fully, even as [we] have been fully known.” Doesn’t that just cut to the heart of why God gave us spiritual gifts in the first place? Through our gifts, God allows us to play a part in His plan to reveal His face to the world and bring His people to Himself. What a precious blessing, to be used by God to bring His People, to His Place, to live with and enjoy Him forever in eternity.
Tonight, and over the next few weeks, I hope you will continue to consider the ways that God has uniquely gifted you to serve him. Ask God to use His Word, your prayers, your experiences, and wise insight from the community of believers to guide you in your giftedness. Spend some time thinking and praying, and seek out insights from fellow believers who know you well, if you can.
You probably aren’t the Aaron Rodgers of whatever spiritual gifts you have. You likely won’t attain fame or fortune because of the ways you use your gifts to further God’s kingdom. But, if your gifts feel unimportant now, or you’re just plain confused about what they even are, remember that God has uniquely and purposefully created you to serve Him according to your gifts and passions, right where you are in your life today. He has prepared good works for all believers: opportunities for us to serve Him and love the people around us in a way that shows them the love of Christ. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I’m excited to see how God will use each and every one of us to glorify Himself through our service.