Unity Gained from Proper Use of Spiritual Gifts
Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12
What are Spiritual gifts?
A Spiritual gift is the God-given ability to serve Him in the command that He has given to us.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Spiritual gifts are given to the saints of God for the purpose that the whole Church might be built up and increased and grow to maturity.
It is the Holy Spirit who decides what gifts are best for us and best for the Church.
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
The Holy Spirit He is God with equal standing in the Trinity of God.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods but one God in three persons. The Triune God!
We may be born with natural talents, some of which are passed down from our parents, but Spiritual gifts have their origin with the Holy Spirit.
Some of these gifts are even called "grace" gifts, a gift of God's "grace".
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.
Our lesson begins with verse 12, but let's see verses 4 and 11 before we begin.
*****1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
The Apostle Paul is addressing these issues because of the controversies raging in this church in Corinth over so many things, and now, Spiritual gifts.
Paul said that there should be no pride, no controversy, and no division over Spiritual gifts because these gifts are decided by the Holy Spirit.
God had given many Spiritual gifts to the saints in Corinth so they could minister to the pagan citizens of Corinth, but this church could not minister the Gospel because of the many divisions inside the church.
The Lord Jesus Christ identifies His saints with Himself.
**The life we now live belongs to our Savior: Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
**We have put on the New Man: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
**The Church is now the Body of Jesus Christ: Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
When we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we were baptized in water as a symbol of our relationship with Christ.
We know from Scripture that we are now home to the Holy Spirit, so we are now baptized by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
**The Holy will convict, chastise, and strengthen us until we are a useful member of the Body of Christ. Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
It does not matter what our background in life had been; we are all treated the same by the Holy Spirit, but this does not mean we will all have the same gifts to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are all united in One Body of Christ.
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We should understand that the Holy Spirit is in fact, the "Living Water" of God
There is only one Church, one Body of Christ.
*****1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Some who are less gifted feel like they are unimportant to the cause of Christ.
Some who are more gifted feel like they are God's gift to the Church.
These are untrue things!
Every child of God has the same importance if we remain in the will of God!
The "Body of Christ" is not one member but all its members working in one cause.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The unity of the Christian Church is most important because we seek one common life, and it is eternal life.
It is the Life of Jesus Christ that supplies nourishment to the Body of Christ, and if one part falls away, then the Body of Christ loses its strength.
Why is the Church failing today because much of the Church has abandoned the nourishment that can come only from Jesus Christ!
1) Each member is necessary.
2) Each member has an essential function in the Church. The Church cannot function if the members do not function according to the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit.
3) Each member is placed in the Body of Christ according to the will of God. God does not just set prominent members in the Church; God sets all members in the Church.
4) Each member is distinct.
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
We must try to make the best use of the gifts God has given to us!
*****1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
We must not envy those we think have more important gifts.
Those who seem to be more gifted must not look down on those who seem to have less gifts.
In fact, the less gifted members are more necessary to the Church!
That worker who is never seen by the crowd is much more essential to decisions for Jesus Christ than the evangelist who is at the center of view.
In fact, the prayer warrior who can reach Heaven may be the most essential member in the Church, even more than that great preacher behind that pulpit.
Charles Spurgeon had a hundred and twenty praying for him in a room right under his pulpit, and he gave the credit for his great sermons to them.
The point is that no believer or group of believers is to look down on the less gifted members in the Church, who are actually the backbone of the Church.
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
*****1Co 12:21 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.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 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.
What we consider great or small is never the same as how Jehovah sees things.
To God, only one thing is important, and it is that we faithfully fulfill the order He has given to us, His will for us.
God does not reward the size of the gift but the faithfulness to use that gift.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
In the human body, we have things like the heart, the kidneys, the lungs, and other organs. Though we cannot see them, they are of crucial importance to the body.
In the Body of Christ, it is exactly like that.
All the work that is to be done for the Lord Jesus Christ must be bathed in prayer. Therefore, the greatest gift may be that prayer warrior, but every member has their importance to the plan of God.
Even those sitting in the pews each have their particular importance as prayer warriors, and workers who take God's message out into the world.
We are to support one another as we love each other. Support can mean many things besides money. Sometimes a good compliment goes a long way if it is done in love.
We must take our place with the gift God has given to us and pay attention to where we can be of the most profit to others.
Love is the greatest power in the Church, and many times it is shown the most by the faithful women of the Church.
We are all to complement one another for the Church to reach those that God intends to be reached!
*****1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
“Comely” means handsome, suitable, graceful, but just a little less than beautiful.
It can also mean well-formed, honorable, and noble.
We must understand that there is a difference between the Christian Doctrine of unity and equality, and the world's doctrine of one standard for all.
In the Church, there is a place for the rich and the poor, the great and the small, the high and the low, the greatly gifted and those whose gift is unnoticeable to others, and no class of Christians is above the others or lower than the others in the Church.
We sometimes forget that it is the Lord Jesus who is building the Church for Our Heavenly Father.
With the Holy Spirit in the lead, the Church will be at peace with each other and the Church will be strong in the world.
A Church at peace and full of love will be full of members who have the same care for one another.
Act_4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:
This should describe the Church that the Lord Jesus is building during the Church Age, while realizing that the Kingdom of God is very near.
When one member is suffering, then all the Church should be suffering with them.
When one member is rejoicing, every member should be rejoicing with them.
Not one member is more important than another in the eyes of God, and we must use this as the Lord's design for the Church.
*****1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ!
Every believer has their own place in the Body of Christ!
It is a supreme privilege to be known as a child of God!
1) God has set Apostles in the Church if we understand that the modern apostle is an ambassador for Christ.
As ambassadors for Christ, we belong to Christ. We are commissioned by Jesus Christ.
We possess the authority and the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Just as every apostle, each ambassador is chosen by Jesus Christ.
There are no true Apostles today who saw the Lord Jesus when He was alive.
No one today possesses many of the gifts given to those Apostles.
Still, as ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts that are needed and that we can use for the good of the Church and the glory of God.
2) Second, God has set prophets in the Church, but those prophets are our preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, and do not use the name prophet anymore because we have the complete Word of God which the Holy Spirit uses to give that man of God the message God wants us to have on that particular day.
I'm sure God still speaks to those He has called, but there is no new prophecy to be given that we do not already have in the Scriptures.
3) God has set teachers in the Church, and each teacher is to use the existing Scriptures to teach as the truth of God and not deviate from those Scriptures.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
4) It is only God who can perform miracles today, and much of it is because of prayer, but we also know we are surrounded by Angels, and we may not know until we get to Heaven the things God has saved us from and the miracles that have kept us going. Even when the Apostles performed miracles, it was through the power of God, not a power they had themselves. They also had the Holy Spirit living within them.
5) The gift of healing is no longer given to men but comes according to prayer and the will of God.
Jas 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
6) The gift of helps belongs to those who are always ready to jump in to help others who are in need. Some believers are always ready to lend a helping hand, and every Christian should have a part of this gift because it is a sign of love.
7) The gift of tongues is looked upon differently in many denominations, but the Bible is specific that the word tongues means languages and known languages.
Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
They never spoke in an unknown language. This was never a foundational gift to the Church.
Tongues were actually a sign of unbelief!
1Co 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
1Co 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
What we should understand is that the Holy Spirit will give us what we need to remain in the will of God and be useful to the glory of the Church and the glory of God.
There is a reason the Holy Spirit gives such gifts to believers: Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
We are to take the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Glory of God and not any glory for ourselves!
Amen
