Living in the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor 12:1-7)
The Difference: Spiritual gift verses a natural talent.
• A spiritual gift is something that I can only do with the help of the Holy Spirit.
o It’s super-natural
• A natural talent is simply the way God has created me.
o I am just really naturally good at something. Example: an athlete
Now let’s ask why Spiritual Gifts: Why are spiritual gifts so important?
The church:
1. We function as God intended the church to function
• Remember Paul is writing this letter to the church in Corinth.
o He was describing how the church should function.
2. We are attractional to a lost and dying world in the way God intended the church to be attractional.
• This is the identity God intended the world to see in the church.
o Spiritual gifts as an answer to their troubles and sufferings.
Personal identity: Why are spiritual gifts so important to me personally?
• If I don’t identify with at least one of the gifts, then I identify with a lie:
• What does it look like when I do operate in my gift? Pure Joy! I find who I am. I find my purpose
Faith and Evangelism: whys are gifts so important to faith and evangelism?
• See 1 Cor 2:4-5 Simply put, if people aren’t operating in the power of spiritual gifts then faith is rooted in men’s wisdom. Our best attempts at evangelism are based on human reason.
Verses 1-2 Paul really wants us to get this. “do not be ignorant”
• Without proper understanding we are led astray to follow other things, gods and idols.
o If I am not operating in my spiritual gifts, I am more susceptible to false gods and idolatry.
Verse 3 When we operate in spiritual gifts it creates a dependence on God.
Verse 4 The word “gift” is the Greek word Charisma where we get our English word Charismatic.
• The word Charisma is best translated as “Gift of divine grace”
o They are gifts from God, unwarranted on our part, given to us by grace through the Holy Spirit.
Verse 5 The NIV uses the word “service” some translations use “ministries.”
• In the Greek it’s the word diakonia very similar to the word deacon.
Verse 6 The NIV has the word “working” and the NASB has “effects”
• The Greek word means: “an activity that impacts or acts upon another.”
o Gifts empower ministries or service, which leads to the workings/effects.
Verse 7 Notice it says to “each one.” Everybody gets one. Everybody gets to play, not just a select few.
• Then these manifestations are for the common good of the church.
• The miraculous is not an end to itself, but to bring glory to God for the common good of the church.
