The Building Plan: The Tools

Spiritual Gifts: Review

Leadership Gifts (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Apostleship

Prophecy

Evangelism

Shepherding

Teaching

Spiritual Gift Tool Boxes (I Peter 4:6-11)

Prayer/Worship

Hospitality/Mercy

Administration/Governance

Speaking

Serving

Ministries within the church (Romans 12:3-8)

Prophecy

Service

Teaching

Exhortation

Giving

Leading

Mercy

I Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1 HCSB

Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.

It’s interesting to note that each text that deals with spiritual gifts have some kind of exhortation or warning or admonition connected to it.

The word for unaware is actually to be ignorant or to err from lack of understanding and discernment. To be unacquainted with things pertaining to the Holy Spirit.

It’s as if God knows how misunderstood and misused Spiritual Gifts are going to be, and so He’s wanting to make sure we understand and have the right attitude about them.

In much of my church experience people shy away from talking about spiritual gifts or the practice of them because they don’t understand them, or have had a bad experience with them, as a result people dig their heels in and deviate from the whole truth of Scripture.

I heard a quote from a friend a long time ago that has helped me immensely with this and many other issues. He said, “There is a ditch on each side of every issue. The goal is to walk down the middle of the path and not stray off into the ditch.”

I see the mystery of the free will of man and the Sovereignty of God in this category.

I see the mystery of the God/man dynamic of Jesus in this category as well.

In regards to spiritual gifts, I usually see this played out in one of two ways. Here are the 2 ditches:

Embrace it all, but with no heed to the cautions and warnings given in the Bible.

Deny it all and quench the Holy Spirit.

Beware The Ditches

Ditch 1: Embracing Everything Without Heeding the Cautions Given in Scripture or Discernment in the Use of

The danger of this is it can lead into the New Age spiritism and the occult.

There’s this mysterious power that is tantalizing.

And Satan can mimic the moving of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 24:24 NASB95

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

Acts 16:16–18 NASB95

It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.

1 Corinthians 12:2 “You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.”

We see this happening with the Corinthian Church. The Corinthians were deeply influenced by pagan worship practices and Roman culture. The phrase carries the weight of you were and continue to be led by mute idols

The problem is that just like they had been under the control of demons before their conversion, they continue to be influenced by their former ways.

That included many spiritual gifts that were mimicked by demons.

Ecstatic and mantic speeches

Prophecy, secret knowledge or wisdom by the oracle at Delphi

Contact with the spirit world through divination

Things now associated with the occult

The debate in the church in Corinth, especially over tongues, was: How is the phenomena of the Holy Spirit different from that of the paganistic and demonic practices they were already familiar with?

Ditch 2: Denying Some of Any of the Spiritual Gifts.

The danger is that you end up with a form of godliness, but deny its power.

2 Timothy 3:5 NASB95

holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

You start to lean on your own efforts for ministry and sanctification rather than relying on the Holy Spirit

Galatians 3:3 NASB95

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Both Ditches: The Greater Danger

Mark 3:28–30 NASB95

“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

They were saying Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Satan.

In this context, blasphemy is attributing to Satan the work of God. But it works the other way as well, attributing to God the work of Satan. That’s what the antichrist will do in the Tribulation period.

So, we could rephrase this issue in another way.

Those who hang out in the ditch of cessationism could be guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because they would claim that Satan is doing the miraculous signs and wonders and not God, because those gifts have ceased.

Those who hang out in the other ditch of everything goes are in danger of blaspheming by attributing things that could be of Satan to God’s moving.

So Paul spends three chapters dealing with this issue and begins it by saying:

1 Corinthians 12:1 HCSB

Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.

Summary of Chapter 12:4-30

The Holy Spirit gives you your tools (vs 4)

Jesus gives you the sphere of influence where you are to use your tools (vs 5)

After our faithfulness in doing so, we leave the results up to God. (vs 6)

Everyone has at least one gift (vs 7, 11)

Nobody has all the gifts (vs. 12-21)

No room for gift envy (vs 15-16)

No room for gift minimization (vs 15-16)

No room for gift arrogance (vs 21)

God has placed the gifts in the body for a reason (vs. 18-28, 31)

All the gifts are necessary (vs 22)

All the gifts are to be used in a complementary manner (vs 22-24)

All the gifts are to be held in honor, with the “lesser” and “weaker” gifts given more abundant honor. (vs 24)

All is done for edification, unity, and care of the body (vs 25-27)

However, there are some gifts that are higher in rank and greater than others (vs 28, 31)

first apostles

second prophets

third teachers

works of power

gifts of healing

helps

administrations

kinds of tongues

There is no single gift that everyone has received (vs 29-30)

Tools for the Toolbox (12:8-10, 28; 13:1-3; 14:6)

Wisdom -

It would be receiving a word from God that would throw light upon a situation. It is very practical and deals with the APPLICATION of the Word. For example, while praying for someone, God lays some very specific things on your heart to share with this person, whether you know their situation or not.

Knowledge -

The faculty of unfolding and expounding theoretically the deeper knowledge or fundamental principles of the Christian religion. This gift deals more with the issue of INTERPRETATION of the Word. For example, while praying for someone, God reveals some specific things about what’s going on in their lives and what they mean. It could occur when the Spirit would give knowledge, understanding, insight, that might be described as intuition. Knowledge and wisdom often go together and the subtle difference is this: God through knowledge interprets a dream, vision, or life circumstance, and then through wisdom explains what to do with that knowledge.

Faith -

Believing who God is and what He can do. It is the ability to believe God beyond regular faith. It is the ability to discern with extraordinary confidence the will and purpose of God for His work.

Gifts of Healing -

Abilities to provide the means of various healings in His divine providence, whether they be with or without medicine, through various ways and timing.

Effecting of Miracles-

an action that cannot be explained by natural means. An act of God intended as evidence of His power and purpose.

Prophecy –

in addition to prophecy noted above, as a “special gift”, could refer to when someone is praying over you and they sense a strong inclination from God that God is preparing you for a specific ministry, or taking you in a specific direction or sensing a declaration of victory or healing from God over a specific area of someone's life. Also tied closely to knowledge and wisdom.

Distinguishing of Spirits-

It is the special ability to know with assurance whether certain behaviors, words, or motives purported to be of God is in reality divine, human, or satanic. It can include deliverance from Satanic influences, whether it be demonic oppression or possession.

Various Kinds of Tongues-

A supernatural ability to speak a language without it having been learned or heard before. When plural means known dialects which were not learned by the individual concerned. When singular it means an unknown tongue or often called “prayer” language.

Tongues of Men and Angels -

This would be known languages of mankind, which is what was given at Pentecost, and then an unknown language of angels, which some call a heavenly language.

2 Corinthians 12:4 NASB95

was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Interpretation of Tongues-

explanation of tongues spoken.

APPLICATION:

Pray for God to reveal to you what your tools are and what your tool box is.

Ask God to give you opportunities to use your tools

Ask God to show you what ministry you could begin to use your tools in.

If you feel God prompting you in a certain direction and you’re not sure what to do next, come talk to me or one of the elders and we can pray with you and give you direction.

God wants to use you, the church needs you, and the Holy Spirit has equipped you to serve His people. Embrace His giftings and bless others for His glory.

Closing Song: