What Are Spiritual Gifts?

INTRODUCTION

Good morning and welcome again to First Christian Church. We are so glad that you are with us today as we gather to worship Jesus. We pick up our series today in 1 Corinthians 12, and we will start in verse 1.

We just celebrated the 4th of July this week. This is a holiday that celebrates the freedom we have as a nation. When I think of the 4th, I think about fireworks. I love fireworks. When I was a kid, we would normally be at my grandparents and load up on a bunch of fireworks and spend the night launching them. I even had cousins who would spend thousands on them and have an impressive show.

But no matter how much we spent, those fireworks we bought don’t compare to a large, professional, well-produced fireworks show. Maybe you’ve been to one of those big celebrations before. The fireworks light up the night sky, and you cannot help but be in awe of that controlled explosion.

We have a love for the spectacular. We want to see the most impressive fireworks. My little box of bottle rockets can’t compare. There is something about the impressive that draws us in. But when we think about it, something being impressive or spectacular doesn’t always mean it is the best.

In today’s passage in 1 Corinthians, we are going to be talking about the dangers of seeking the spectacular over God. We will be particularly focused on spiritual gifts and gaining a better understanding of what they are. Would you join me in prayer this morning?

PRAY

The Confusion of the Gifts

Let’s start today by reading this passage from Paul:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11.

Paul picks up in the letter by telling the church that he does not want them to be uninformed of the spiritual gifts. Their confusion stemmed from their experience of “supernatural” events they would have partaken in to worship false gods. At the different temples in the areas of ancient Rome, you would have the opportunity to come together with other worshippers in what can be described as orgies. They would ‘worship’ through this group sexual experience that was an attempt at peace or happiness. It is the same pursuit that drives false religions today to seek inner peace or nirvana.

Through these experiences, where there was almost certainly demonic activity involved even if it was dressed as Athena or Zeus, they encountered the idea of spiritual experiences. Paul is confirming that in their pagan practices, you would have been led to these mute idols, these statues that were nothing more than stone or wood.

Now these new believers would be experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and see the work of the Spirit in the life of Paul, and you can imagine there was likely confusion. Just as a reminder, let’s look back at Acts two as it describes the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early Church:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Acts 2:1–13.

Jesus promised His followers that after He returned to heaven, the comforter, the Holy Spirit, would come. Here in Acts 2, we have the recording of that happening for those first members of the Church. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, which is the same for us if we know Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells us, and in this instance they began to speak in different languages.

It was the festival of Pentecost, the city would have been full of people from out of town, and in their own language, they now heard the gospel being presented. It was a spiritual jumpstart for the church.

If you jump down to chapter 3 of Acts, you can read about the beggar who is healed by Peter. The Spirit was working in supernatural ways through the apostles to give confirmation to the Gospel.

Now, take the way that the Spirit was moving and add in the spiritual experiences that the people at Corinth had experienced and we have the right ingredients for confusion of the gifts.

Test of the Spirit

If the Corinthian church had seen demonic activity disguised as spiritual gifts and was now seeing the actual work of the Spirit, how could they distinguish between the two? Who are they to believe? What if something visually looks spectacular but doesn’t necessarily sound correct? What are we to do?

Paul lays out this test for them, and for us, to use when it comes to the words that are spoken by others. In verse 3 he tells us that no one that is speaking from the Spirit of God will say that Jesus is accursed, and no one will say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. The first way to not be uninformed is to understand this distinction between the words. What are they saying? Does it line up with the word of God?

This is not just a 1st-century church problem. We are to use that same test even today. There are a million people on TV, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or even the radio who will speak on spiritual things. It may even sound good and they may have a long list of credentials that make them seem to be the expert, but if their words do not line up with what scripture says, it is not from God. We are to discern what we hear and test to see that it is from God before we blindly believe it. And I am encouraging, really telling you, that I expect you to hold me to that same standard.

It also means that what looks outwardly spectacular doesn’t mean it is biblical. We are not to give weight and importance to something because it looks like it is more spiritual. The Corinthians were falling into this trap that outward signs, things like speaking in tongues or healing were the only gifts. But we know from what we read in this chapter and others in the New Testament that there is a much bigger list of spiritual gifts.

What are the gifts?

Paul does a wonderful job of first helping us to understand that there are a variety of gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit, Lord, and God. The gifts come from God to the believer through the Holy Spirit and His indwelling us. He gives us a list of gifts, and while there are quite a few given it is not an exhaustive list. This passage, along with Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, will give us a broader spectrum of the spiritual gifts.

This list in chapter 12 gives us the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discernment, tongues, and interpreting tongues. It is important to note that Paul is not using this letter to give a deep theological on the individual gifts, though we will see that he explains some, but is getting at the heart of the issue in the church. All of the gifts that the Spirit gives to the believers are from God. And because they come from God, they are to be used to edify the church and glorify God. These gifts are not just for the believer to brag, to allow his or her head to get puffed up because they have a different gift than another.

God wants people to have wisdom and knowledge of His word. To be able to speak and teach the world about Him. The spiritual gifts allow us to be empowered to do the task that we have been called to. The diverse list of gifts shows the diversity of the body of Christ. Jump down to what Paul says at the end of chapter 12:

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 12:27–31.

We all are gifted differently. Paul is worried because the Corinthian church has relied greatly on the gift of tongues without any interpretation. Without that interpretation, there is no edifying of the body, only confusion.

Today, I want us to see the importance of spiritual gifts, that we all have been gifted with something by the Holy Spirit, and that we are to use our gifts.

How Do We Use Our Gifts

Spiritual gifts exist for the benefit of the body of Christ. They are to encourage, not confuse. They are not for the believer to become arrogant. They are for the church. The gift of tongues and healing was given to the apostles and the early church as confirmation of what God was doing, not to bring about some kind of earthly gain for them.

As we think about our gifts and how to use them I want to preface it with this. In many churches today, the gift of tongues is held up as some gold standard for believers. There are churches that believe that unless you have spoken in tongues you do not have the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, these verses in 1 Corinthians would disprove that immediately. I, and this church, believe that gifts like tongues and healing are not seen today in the way that they are described in the New Testament.

Acts gave us the example of the gift of tongues for the gospel to be shared in the language of the listener. Healing was seen as a confirmation of the work of the apostles, a stamp of approval in a sense. Do we believe that God still heals? Yes! But we do not see an apostle on earth that can heal simply through touch. Do I believe that in a moment God will give you the right words to say to share the gospel with someone? Yes! But what we see of the gift of tongues today does not line up with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:

If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

1 Corinthians 14:27–33.

What we see Paul describe is orderly, purposeful, and edifying. What I see today in many churches is not that. This is a gift that can be controlled, and not put to use when needed.

This does not mean that we reject the supernatural. We do not want to swing the pendulumn too far in the opposite direction that we miss what God might do in the lives of people. What we are to do is test what we see by what scripture says. We have an eye for what looks spectacular, but that does not always mean it is biblical. On the other side of that coin, we should be aware that God can still heal, do miracles, and inspire someone to be able to speak a language unknown to them, should He choose to do so.

We also know that the enemy is working his hardest to undermine and counterfeit the work of God. He wants to see the kingdom of God be stopped, which we know is a futile effort. Counterfeiting is rare when the church is being persecuted, but when the Gospel is being proclaimed, lives are being changed, and the enemy is losing ground, he will stop at nothing to fight back. This is why the discernment we talked about at the beginning is so vital to us. Even though discernment is listed as a gift, we know we all should practice it, but some will have a discernment superpower as it is.

If you know what your gifts are, maybe you took a spiritual gift test at some point, then you have an understanding of how to use it. Maybe you never have. I would encourage you, if you don’t know what your gifts are, to take time this week to pray both through this list and the lists in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. As you pray and seek God in this, know that whatever gift God has placed in your life, he has put it there for it to be used.

So if you do know your spiritual gift, how are you practicing it? How are you using it? Have you been using it? Do you have a gift that you have put on the shelf, but now you know it is time to get back in the game? In the Christian walk, we are all starters; no one gets to ride the bench. We all are going to have dirty uniforms from putting in work.

Maybe this morning you have been listening to this talk about gifts and the spirit and you don’t know what to make of it. Maybe it all feels confusing. I want to end with this reminder: the gifts are for believers. It is only after you have come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you have repented and believed in Him, that the Holy Spirit resides in you. Have you made that decision? Why not make today the day that you turn from sin and turn to Jesus?