The Truth About Spiritual Gifts

Don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience of going somewhere and being unsure how to fit in. Want to help but don’t know how. Feel like an unnecessary 3rd wheel. I remember arriving early at a wedding that my daughter was going to be in, and everyone around me was working at a fevered pitch doing last minute things - decorating, getting food and drinks ready for the reception. All this activity was going on around me, but I felt completely useless. I felt like I should be doing something, but I had no idea what.

I think sometimes we can feel this way in the church. We arrive and there’s people who seem really busy getting things ready. Some of us are distracted running around doing last minute things. And maybe you just end up sitting down feeling like you should be doing something, but you aren’t sure what that is.

Last week we started a new series about the empowerment that came at Pentecost. At Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the church. In the OT, this coming experience was called “the gift of the Father”. The HS is a gift that unites us with God and with each other.

But when the Spirit comes, he doesn’t come empty handed. As he fills believers he empowers them for life in the kingdom of God. He gifts them with purpose. We call these empowerments “spiritual gifts”. So, the Spirit is the gift that gives gifts to the church. This morning I want to look at three big truths about spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:1–3 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.”

Spiritual gifts are a source of confusion.

Apparently in Paul’s day there was confusion around the gifts. The fact that he didn’t want them to be uninformed indicates that they were uninformed. They were having trouble knowing how to discern the operation of the Holy Spirit from the operation of other spirits. It was true then, and it’s true now.

If I were the devil, this is what I’d do. I’m make sure to sow as much confusion and conflict around spiritual gifts as I could. I’d make sure people take sides about them and fracture their Christian fellowship. I’d make sure that people would be leery of them and try and avoid them. I’d do my best to make sure that only a few people in a church actually used their gifts, and I’d make sure that the few who do stay continually exhausted and on the verge of burnout. I’d work hard to keep 80%+ of the church on the sidelines, never sharing their faith with anyone, never inviting anyone to church, never praying for the sick, never serving in ministry, never submitting their checkbook to the Lord. If I was the devil, that’s exactly what I’d do.

Does any of that sound familiar? It seems like that is exactly his playbook. If he can keep the church confused and divided about spiritual gifts, then he can ensure a church remains weak and ineffective. It seems he sows confusion about spiritual gifts in a couple of different ways:

He makes us leery of spiritual gifts. So much of the teaching in the church around the gifts are made by people who have never experienced them. This is the kind of church I came from. Because of biases in how they read the Bible, and because of some of the excesses they saw in the church around gifts, they were leery of them. This is called cessationism, and it’s the idea that all of the spectacular, supernatural gifts of the Spirit have died out, leaving us with the safe gifts like teaching and administration and hospitality. Spirit too powerful so I’ll just leave them ability to make good casseroles...

He makes us fixated on spiritual gifts. At the other extreme are those who embrace the gifts of the Spirit, but then focus on them to an unhealthy degree. The gifts, which we will see are for building up the body of Christ, become the goal. These Christians becomes experience-chasers. I’ve known believers who, rather than commit to a church family, bounce around from church to church looking for “the next big move of the Spirit”. They seek the sensational, and they turn God’s good gifts into a form of personal entertainment. John Wimber compared these kind of Christians with people who dance around the mileage signs on the interstate...

All this matters because the fact that there is so much confusion and division regarding spiritual gifts should be a clue that there is a spiritual force that would like nothing better than to keep the church weak. Satan is perfectly happy with either extreme we can fall into, because both keep the church handicapped and ineffective. The truth is that spiritual gifts are not complicated and should not be divisive. They are God’s gift to you for your empowerment in God’s kingdom. The second big truth is that...

Spiritual gifts build up the church

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

They are gifts as opposed to something we must earn. Gifts are not given for good behavior. We don’t get them bc we are good; we get them bc God is good. Because they are gifts, they are permanent. You can ignore them, you can abuse them, like a muscle you can leave them unused until they atrophy, but you can’t lose them bc you did nothing to gain them in the first place.

There is diversity in the expression of the gifts. Lots of gifts. There are many places they can be employed. There are various activities. For instance, lets say you have the gift of hospitality. That’s one of the diverse expressions of spiritual gifts. But there is diversity even within the gift. Are you drawn more to using that gift in a church meeting, or are you more inclined to use it to host groups at home? And beyond that, even those who may be led to use the gift in a church meeting will still use it in different ways - some working behind the scenes to make people feel comfortable, others working in front as the first welcoming smile visitors see when they walk in the door.

There is unity in the purpose of the gifts. This makes sense because they are all gifts of the Triune God. As God is not divided, neither is the purpose of his gifts. What is that purpose? For the common good. To build up the body of Christ. They are not given to give you the tingles or to puff you up with self-importance or any of the other excesses the church falls into. They are given for the good of others. In the list of gifts that follows in verse 8, not a single one of those is given for personal enrichment. You may be enriched when you use them, but they are not given for that purpose. That says something about the attitude we should bring to a worship service. Am I coming primarily to receive, and am I coming to give?

This matter bc to the extent that we ignore the purpose for spiritual gifts, the church will not reach its full potential. One person, no matter how gifted, can never be everything the church needs for good health. Without everyone exercising their gifts the church will be off-balance. Illustr: body building that only wants to work on biceps or chest, their legs look like toothpicks. They appear almost deformed bc their attention to only a few muscle groups is not making for the common good of the whole body. In the church, a focus on a just few gifts OR just a few people exercising their gifts, will distort and deform it and make it somewhat ineffective for its purpose. The church needs everyone knowing their gifts and using their gifts for the common good. Which brings up the last truth about spiritual gifts...

Spiritual gifts must be exercised

1 Corinthians 12:8–11 “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”

We don’t have time to go into each of these gifts. That’s another whole sermon. Here’s what’s important:

This list isn’t exhaustive. There are other passages in the NT that list these gifts as well as others. So don’t be limited. The gifts are as imaginative as the Spirit is, yet always something that is focused on the good of others.

You should be open to any of them. Paul is speaking in the context of when the church gathers together. When he says the Spirit allots gifts “to each one individually” he most likely means that in any given gathering anyone could be filled with the Spirit to exercise one of these gifts. Yes, it is true that some people have certain roles they fulfill in the church where they exercise a certain gift consistently. But in the context of the gathered church, we should be open to anyone having a prophecy or a word of knowledge or a healing. When we open up space for you to share if God is putting something on your heart, on one hand I expect those who have a gift of prophecy to speak more often, but on the other hand I expect those who may not have that gift to still be given a word for the congregation from time to time.

You should seek spiritual gifts. If they are truly for the church to make it flourish, why wouldn’t you want more of them operating in the church? Yet, so often we don’t see the church seeking them. Why not?

You’ve had to deal with disappointment in the past. Maybe you’ve asked for a particular gift like tongues or healing but it hasn’t happened - so far. And so you’ve become discouraged and you’ve stopped seeking. Remember that the manifestation of the Spirit is the work of the Spirit - as he sees fit. You should remain in an open and seeking posture. Continue to put yourself out there as a vessel for God’s use, and when the time is right he will. The testimony of the whole Bible is that God will always use the available.

You are uncomfortable around spiritual activity. Maybe you have grown up around Pentecostal churches where you felt second-class bc you didn’t speak in tongues. Or you’ve heard supposed “prophecies” that just sound flaky. Often charismatic churches are drawn into hyper-emotionalism where they try to create an experience, and that seems very ingenuous. You’ve seen the gifts misused, and so you just stay away from them. But the proper response to the mis-use of spiritual gifts is a proper use of spiritual gifts. The answer isn’t to avoid them but to ensure that, as Paul will say a little later in the letter, “everything is done decently and in order.”

You’ve had bad teaching on the gifts in the past. If you are like me, you may have come from a tradition that teaches the Spirit doesn’t do these things any more. Which means for the hundreds of millions of charismatic believers in the world, they are either deceived - they’re just making it up - or they have a demon! That’s the only two options left. Bc of my background, I was afraid to seek spiritual gifts because for fear of being deceived. What if I get a demon instead! Jesus speaks directly to this fear in Luke 11 when he tells us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. He says that if human fathers, who in comparison to God are evil, can give good gifts to their children, how much more will your heavenly Father who is perfectly good give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Don’t be afraid to ask for God’s gifts.

So we should seek spiritual gifts, not for our own enjoyment or fulfillment, but for the sake of the church. We should be constantly asking God to pour out his Spirit on us in ways that will help grow and mature the church. When we pray Come, Holy Spirit, at the Vineyard, this is what we are asking for. However much we have, we want and need more. We are desperate for more. This is too crucial to let slide. Your spiritual health and the health of your church is utterly dependent on the gifts of the Spirit operating in a healthy way. We all have skin in this game.

And that means you are not a 3rd wheel. The very next section goes into detail about how we are one body in Christ and that each part is absolutely necessary for the body to function well. You have a part to play in the church. The way I have seen God work is that how he gifts you goes right along with your personality, your abilities, and your passions. But never for a minute doubt that you have a place in the church.

And please don’t ever belittle the gift you think you have. If it’s something God has given you, then it is needed - even if you think it’s a small thing. My little toe is relatively small compared to the rest of me, but I promise I would miss it if it was gone.

The very fact that there are spiritual gifts is evidence that God wants to empower you to join him in his mission. Why? Because there is where you will find the fulfillment and purpose we all long for. The gifts of the Spirit are gifts of love to you and the church from the Lord. He loves you that much, he trusts you that much, to give you the gift of his very self. We need not to be confused about the gifts, but to pray for their activation and their exercise for the common good.

When we look at the gift of the HS and spiritual gifts, we see a God who is a giver. Who delights to give of himself. The greatest expression of his self-giving love is found John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” In coming to earth, Jesus went to the cross to be our substitute. That means that he entered into the death that we deserve. And the resurrection proclaims that he defeated death for us and now offers us eternal life. The God who gives himself to us does not desire that we perish, but that we live in eternal relationship with him. He asks us to do two things. One, to receive his gift of forgiveness and life. To say, I believe Jesus died for me to pay the debt I owe, and I receive that gift. The second thing is that God asks you to confess that Jesus is Lord. That means bowing your heart to God and saying Lord, I give you ever part of myself. I want you to be my Lord and call the shots for my life.

Has there ever been a time when you’ve really done this? Where you have just said, God I give all of myself to you. I want you to forgive my sins. I believe Jesus died for me, and I want you to be the Lord of my life. I surrender myself fully to you. Can you think back to a moment when you are absolutely sure you’ve done this. I want to give an opportunity to those here or listening online to do this today. If today you are ready to make this commitment I want you to stand and I’d like to pray with you. If you are listening online, just reply “I’m standing”… I want to quickly just pray for you… If you have made this decision today I need you to do something about it. If you’re here please mark are a Connect Card that you’ve become a Christian and leave that in the offering box as you leave today. If you’re online, there should be a link in the notes where you can connect with us. Either way, I’ll reach out to you to talk about next steps.

Some of you may be saying, Kevin, all this talk about spiritual gifts is great. But what if I don’t know what my spiritual gifts are? Let me close with this: if you are a Christian, then God’s Spirit lives in you. And if God’s Spirit lives in you, then he has empowered you for fruitful ministry. You can go online and find a spiritual gifts test and take it. Nothing wrong with it, might be helpful in confirming your suspicions. But the most effective way to determine your gift is to simply engage in mission. I promise you that you will never know your gift sitting on the sideline. You may have the potential to be the greatest forward to ever shoot a basketball. But until you actually pick up a basketball and take a shot you’ll never know. My experience is that gifts are revealed over time through faithful service. Just do something. As you do it, the Spirit will give direction either affirming this is where you belong or leading into something different.

Before we move into observing Communion, I want to take a moment to pray for anyone here for boldness and activation… Some know what they probably have, what they are good at, but need boldness to take a risk to do it. Others really don’t have clue and need to ask God to activate their gifts so they can use them.