SPIRITUAL GIFTS

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

  

When the Apostle Paul said, 1 Corinthians 12:1 (KJV)

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

He was addressing a church whose members:

·   Come behind in no gift[2] and yet were still

·   Ignorant concerning those gifts

We can have the gifts of the Spirit and still not be very wise about them.

Having said that I want to take you through 1 Corinthians 12 and 13.

Notice first

I. THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE ADMINISTERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (KJV)

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

I want you to see

A. That the Spirit of God gives the gifts “severally as He will.”

I don’t have to know what my spiritual gift is for the Holy Spirit to use it.

B. That the Holy Spirit administers them in us as He wills.

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

To administer something is to give it out and oversee it.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is doing it through us.

It’s not that we have to discover our gift and use it.

The Holy Spirit:

·   Gave us our gifts

·   Knows our gifts and

·   Uses our gifts in His church as He pleases.

By the way, it's gifts, not gift.

We don’t have just one spiritual gift. We have a combination of them in differing proportions.

Notice second,

II. THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS CAN CREATE DIVISION IN A CHURCH 

1 Corinthians 12:20-25 (KJV)

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

It is not the spiritual gifts that create the division. They are given by God to create unity. 

It is the: 

·   Dwelling on them, 

·   Trying to discover someone else’s gift and 

·   Deciding your gift is better than theirs

that causes division.

In other words, spiritual gifts become a divisive factor in a church whenever we try to administer them for ourselves.

I don’t need to know what your spiritual gift is and you don’t need to know mine.

I used to keep a notebook with the names of all the members of the church and those who were not members, but I wanted to become members.

I would try to determine what their spiritual gift was, and their temperament was and assign them ministries in the church based on that.

We had a member of the church in Astoria whose spiritual gift, I thought, was organization.

I asked him to organize our visitation and soul-winning ministry.

It turned out that his gift was more that of the prophet. (At least according to the concept of spiritual gifts I was taught in college.)

(

He got the thing all organized but, just before we implemented it, he came to me and asked, “What if I want to assign someone to do something and you disagree.” I told him that I am the pastor, I might know something he does not and that I am not free to tell him so we would do what I believe we should.

He got angry and caused the closest thing to a church split that I have ever seen.

·   He visited every family in the church recommending I be fired

·   He demanded to meet with the deacons and secretly recorded it to use against me and, for years,

·   He wrote nasty and hateful articles about me in the letter to the editor of the local newspaper

Not long after that, I stopped focusing on what I thought people should do for the Lord and started letting God move people where He wanted them.

I still guide some. I am responsible for the church.

But I do not try to administer the spiritual gifts anymore.

Notice

III. THERE IS SOMETHING BETTER THAN SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1 Corinthians 12:31 (KJV)

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (KJV)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (KJV)

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity is the unique love a Christian has for the church God has made him a member of.

Paul said that some of the spiritual gifts, the sign gifts like speaking in tongues and working miracles, will cease. They will stop and vanish away.

The other spiritual gifts are likened to being childish. Not that they don’t exist, but that they are no longer the focus of our lives.

There are just three things a mature Christian ought to focus on:

·   Faith

·   Hope and

·   Charity

And the greatest, the most important of these – is charity.

If you will love your church and serve God in it, the Holy Spirit will administer and use your spiritual gifts properly and well.

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