Introduction to Spiritual Gifts

On Sunday (April 8, 2018) we studied 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. In this passage Paul begins with a Spiritual Test. The Corinthians were gauging their "spirituality" on what gifts (abilities) they had received from the Holy Spirit (gifts like tongues, prophecy, mercy, etc.), and this was causing divisions in the church. So Paul offers this as a basis of spirituality: if a person confesses Jesus as Lord, they are spiritual. In other words any person who makes a profession of faith regarding the Lordship of Jesus, is "spiritual" because the Spirit of God indwells them and enabled them to make such a claim.

The second point Paul made was regarding the Spiritual Source. This was verses 4-7. But before we get to verse 7, which is the thesis of the chapter - we can't bypass verses 4-6 because they provide us with a beautiful Trinitarian statement that is full of truth.

Varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit
Varieties of ministry (service), but the same Lord
Varieties of activities (works), but the same God

The Greek term translated "gifts" is charisma, which means "grace-gift." These grace-gifts are what we call Spiritual Gifts. Grace-gifts are not something to brag about (part of the Corinthians problem), but rather something to be grateful for. The point we need to remember is we did nothing to deserve the gift in the first place, so where is boasting then?

Verse 7 teaches us that when we use our spiritual gifts we reveal the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches. They are supernatural abilities, with the ultimate aim of "building up the body." This phrase doesn't show up yet, but this is what Paul is getting at when he writes that our gifts are for the "common good." This comes with a couple of implications:

1. My gift is the churches gift. It is not for self indulgence. Following the service Nathan Piper suggested another way to consider this would be that my church family has a right to my gift.
2. Gifts are never meant to promote my own status or agenda. I am an empty glove, a tool, the Holy Spirit is the hand that accomplishes all the work. 

Finally in verses 8-10 we find Paul listing a sample of the Spiritual Gifts (also see 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Romans 12, Ephesians 4), which we will discuss in detail in the coming weeks. Verse 11 offers the conclusion of this passage, by creating a bookend with verse 7. Both of these verses contain similar thoughts. Let me conclude by providing a few implications:

1. The Spirit is sovereign in distributing the gifts, therefore the recognition for the gifts belongs to Spirit.
2. No single person has all of the gifts, therefore we need each other.
3. The Spirit works in every Christian in the church, therefore no one is left with nothing to do. No member of the body is unnecessary or expendable.

In conclusion we (like the Corinthians) need to understand who we are as individuals and who we are as a group of believers - and these two things are interdependent upon each other. You cannot define yourself as an individual without including your membership with Meadowview Baptist Church. And Meadowview Baptist Church's description is not complete without describing the individual members that make it up.

I'm really looking forward to this study and as we continue forward would you join me in praying that you and the rest of our Meadowview family would come to know what it truly mean to "BELONG."