Your Gift From God

Posted byroxwolframPosted inUncategorized
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July 16, 2023

This week we read 1 Corinthians 12-16 and 2 Corinthians 1 through 3. We are going to talk about 1 Corinthians 12 for our study.

Remember that Paul was writing to the Corinthians because there were problems with Christian conduct within the church. There was also confusion about different aspects of living, such as marriage and divorce, food sacrificed to idols, immorality, and spiritual gifts. The focus of chapter 12 was a person’s spiritual gifts, and it indicates the people of Corinth were abusing the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts were important, and Paul wanted to ensure these gifts were better understood and used properly. 1 Corinthians 12:1 says, “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.”

What are spiritual gifts?

  1. They are not a natural ability. Natural ability is something we are born with and can do well or easily.
  2. They are a gift given to the Christ follower by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4 says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.”
  3. They are given to every Christ follower, not just some. 1Corinthians 12:7 says, “Now to each one…”
  4. They are a manifestation of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given…” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a manifestation is “a perceptible, outward, or visible expression.” Thus, a manifestation of the Spirit is something a person will have that is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit.
  5. They are helpful and benefit others. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “Now to each one the manifestation is given for the common good.”
  6. There is more than one gift, and different for each person. 1 Corinthians 12:8 gives a list of eight of the gifts. “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.” Other areas of the Bible lists more. There are about 20 altogether. Here is the list from 1 Corinthians 12:8:
    1. A message of wisdom
    1. A message of knowledge
    1. Faith
    1. Gifts of healing
    1. Miraculous powers
    1. Prophecy
    1. Distinguishing between spirits
    1. Speaking in different kinds of tongues
    1. Interpretation of tongues

Gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:27-38. This says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.”

  • Apostles
    • Prophet
    • Teacher
    • Miracles
    • Gifts of healing
    • Helps
    • Administration
    • Speaking in different kinds of tongues

Gifts listed in 1 Peter 4:10-11. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. “

  • Speaking gifts
    • Serving gifts

Gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

  • Prophecy
    • Serving
    • Teaching
    • Encouragement
    • Giving
    • Leading
    • Mercy

Gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11-13, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

  1. Apostles
    1. Prophecy
    1. Evangelists
    1. Pastors
    1. Teachers
  • They are given by the Holy Spirit as he determines or intended. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

What is important to remember about spiritual gifts?

  1. We are all to use our gifts in order that the whole church function well. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 shows an analogy of the human body to the church body. Each part works separately but serve an important function to keep the body running smoothly. “12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

  • We need to use our spiritual gifts in love. 1 Corinthians 13 is the “love” chapter. It gives a wonderful description of how love is shown and is read a lot at weddings. However, it comes right after 1 Corinthians 12 and is Paul telling the Corinthians that they should use their spiritual gifts in a loving way. He says that we can be great at speaking in tongues, prophecy, or giving, but if I do it without loving people, it does not matter. Here is chapter 13: “If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Let’s summarize. Once someone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit gives that person a supernatural gift to use that will help the body of Christ. That gift is specific to the person. We are to use that gift or gifts in a loving way.

Question: Do you know the gift or gifts you have been given? Are you using it to help the body of Christ? Are you using it in love?

Next week we will read 2 Corinthians 4-12 and Galations 1-3. Have a blessed week!

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