Desire the Helpful Gift

Bottom line

We all need to use our gifts, in unity, to accomplish the mission God has given us.

Opening Line

What makes something a gift? More importantly, what are the qualities of a good gift?

Introduction

Up on the stage I have three items. I received all three of these things on the same day around the same occasion. They were all given to me, but for three very different reasons, and I want you to see what makes it a good gift or not.

On February 21, 2016, I became an ordained minister in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. It is highest credential anyone can attain with the PAOC. It was a big deal. Michelle and I were pastoring in Medicine Hat at the time, the Superintendent of the District came down and held a special service. We were given a commission, prayed for by the church and district leadership. It really was a big deal.

After the service, I received these three items. The first is this certificate. It confirms that I am officially ordained by the PAOC, signed by Ken Solbrekken and David Wells, the District and General Superintendents. This certificate was given to me to mark my achievement, but I had to earn it. I had to read books, attend classes, and serve for so many years in order to even be considered for ordination. After finishing all the work and experience, I was also interviewed to see if I was suitable for ordination. I earned this, which doesn’t really make it a gift.

The second thing I received was this shepherd’s staff. It may seem like an ordinary old shepherd staff, but it was actually made by a professional, made to my size, and has this plate on it that commemorates my ordination. It serves as a constant reminder that I am a shepherd to the church above all else. However, outside of being used to for the occasional object lesson and the odd conversation piece, it really serves no purpose. Just a visual reminder of what I am called to.

The third thing I received was this Bible. I know, I know, I have lots of Bibles, but none like this one. See this is the only Bible with my name engraved on it, given to me by the Bible Society of Canada. The next number of months, this is the Bible I would do my personal study, I would preach from this Bible. It is wide margin so I have made all kinds of notes in it. See this was also a gift, given by a group I didn’t even know existed prior to receiving this, but it was a gift that served a purpose. It is the reminder that the Word is where everything starts and ends. It is the final authority. Every sermon I preach, every Bible Study I lead, it all starts here.

Of these three things, only two of them really are gifts, but I would say the one that serves an actual purpose is the better gift.

Main Point

I with these three things because we are looking at chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, and it is the chapter that is famously known for one of the Apostle Paul’s list of spiritual gifts. It is also known for his discourse about how the church is meant to function like a body, which we will get to in a moment.

But when it comes to spiritual gifts, it is so important that we have these three examples of gifts in front of us. See many people look at the gifts of the Spirit like this certificate. If you are holy enough, if you are good enough, if your spiritual enough, you can achieve a spiritual gift. But if you have to earn it, its not really a gift, is it?

Another common outlook at spiritual gifts is like this shepherd’s staff. There was that one time you used this gift, or experienced something like a spiritual gift, and you hold onto that reminder as a great spiritual achievement. You have checked off the box on your Good Christian score card. But if you’re honest, you haven’t really used that gift in a long time, and it is really just a conversation piece that you come back to on occasion.

Why it matters

See what Paul is going to show us in this chapter is that the gifts of the Spirit are meant to be like this Bible. God gives you the gift to help you in the ministry you are called to. As we study, I want to bring to light some of the word choice usage that is used in the NLT, because I think the way it is translated here is really helpful. My hope is that by the end of the morning, you will have a deep appreciation for the spiritual gifts, and in fact have a new motivation to discover what your gift is and put it to use.

So with that, let’s dive in. We are in 1 Cor 12, starting at verse 1.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:1–3 NLT

Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

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One of the interesting things in this opening is that line, “I don’t want you misunderstand.” Paul says this in five different spots in his letters, and all five are the most debated, most questioned aspects of faith since the birth of the church. One of those highly questioned topics is around the idea of spiritual gifts.

There is one other thing to clear up. In Paul’s time, there was a hesitancy to practice certain gifts, especially the gift of tongues. We are going to get into the gift of tongues more in chapter 14, but quickly the gift of tongues is the ability to speak in a heavenly language. The concern in Paul’s time, because no one could understand what was being said, was that someone might inadvertently curse Jesus without knowing it. So Paul wants to reassure the church in Corinth and let them know that anyone empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, and using the gifts of God, could not possibly curse Jesus. You can’t even declare Jesus as Lord without the help of the Holy Spirit, how could you ever curse Jesus by that same spirit.

Just wanted to clarify what Paul was trying to say there.

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 NLT

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

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This is really the summary of the whole chapter. Paul wants to remind the church that even though there are a variety of gifts and ministries at work within a church, it is the same Spirit that empowers them all, they all serve the same Lord, and it is God that is doing the work in each of us.

This is important for the Corinthians and for the church of the 21st century. In a world so divided, it is easy to allow silly things to divide us within the church. One gift is not greater then another; no ministry can really function without the other. Paul is making the point, and going to reenforce the point, that you don’t have to be the same to be unified. It is God at work in each of us, and it is his Spirit that enables each of us to do what we do. Just because the way that God in us is different doesn’t mean anyone is lesser or greater.

1 Corinthians 12:7–11 NLT

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

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They say that if you want someone to remember something, you have to remind them of it 7 times before it sticks. In these 5 verses, Paul refers to the Spirit 7 times as the one who gives each person their unique gift. Remember, Paul is writing to a church at a time of many idols, and it would have been easy to mistakenly think that different gifts came from different places. Such is not the case in the church.

But what is the purpose of the gift? Each of us is given a gift so that we can help each other. I don’t think there’s a limit on how many gifts a person can have, and I don’t think that every gift is permanent. I believe there are times someone might have a gift for a season because they are given the chance to serve in a special way for a time. The gifts are given to help one another.

I do think it is important to know what spiritual gifts God has given, especially as we have the Ministry Expo. So on each table, and on the app, there is a list of spiritual gifts. I would invite you to take one of those lists and go through prayerfully and see what gift you may have. But you are not allowed to be distracted by them right now, because I want to make an important point about spiritual gifts before you leave this morning.

For those that were hoping I was going to unpack each gift a little bit, I will unpack a few of them when we get to chapter 14, but I think the desriptions in lists will help. If you have questions, during the discussion time bring it up at your table, and if you can’t come to a consensus, wave me over.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13 NLT

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

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Again, Paul addresses another area of potential division, reminding the church that it doesn’t matter where you started, you are all now part of the body of Christ through baptism, and now share in the one Spirit that empowers us all.

1 Corinthians 12:14–21 NLT

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

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I want you to take a moment to appreciate what Paul is saying. Could you imagine life if you had hands where your feet currently are? Could you imagine life if you had a second set of eyes where your ears currently are? Now I know that every mom in here has eyes in the back of their head but that’s different. Life only works because each part of our body is uniquely shaped and formed to serve a purpose. No one part could perform the tasks that certain parts were designed to do.

And that’s the point. Each of you has a gift, and though you may think it is a minor gift, it really isn’t. In fact, we cannot all do the same job, because then other jobs wouldn’t get done. You are here for such a time as this to use your unique gifts to help the church achieve its mission of making, baptizing and teaching disciples of Jesus. Each part needs the other parts, even if it doesn’t seem like it.

1 Corinthians 12:22–26 NLT

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

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I want you to appreciate what Paul is saying, and the beauty of how God has designed our bodies. Paul starts talking about less honorable parts, what we would call our private parts. We take such extra cautions to make sure those parts are not seen that not only do we wear special clothes, aka underwear, to hide them, it is not proper for those special clothes to be seen. Meanwhile our arms and legs are out there for the world to see.

But this is the beauty of God’s design. Have you ever noticed that the parts of our body that you take extra effort to conceal, also happens to be the most vital for creating new life?

So how does that translate to the church? Well on one hand, it is not a coincidence that the messiest stories often become the most powerful testimonies. It is usually the things in our life that the world tells us to hide that actually give God the most glory. Anyone else notice that it is the testimony about the broken drug addictions that stand out? See the world says you need to hide those dark things of the past. In Christ, we bring those things to light so that darkness is defeated and Jesus is glorified. The less honorable receiving special honor.

The other way to look at it is this way. When I was preparing and reading this passage, I could only think of the muffin crew. Anyone notice on the tables that the muffin crew filled up the fastest. I think the reason is that it is the easiest to do. You don’t have to get up on stage, you don’t have to pray with anyone. You just have to bring food to the gathering to share with people. It is a small way to get involved.

But the ministry of muffins is more significant then you realize. When Alpha or the Bible Engagement Project train people to lead their groups, do you know what is one of the biggest things they emphasize? Food. Do you know why? Because food has a special ability to help us relax and connect with one another. So, even though for you it might just be muffins, the food you bring on a Sunday could be have just as much of an impact on someone becoming a disciple as the songs that are sang and the word that is preached. I’m not exaggerating. I honestly believe that. There are no small ministries here. Every one is signficant and special in its own way.

Paul goes on to repeat the importance that each of us has a unique gift that helps the church, but I want to jump down to the last verse of the chapter to close.

1 Corinthians 12:31 NLT

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

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You should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. Most translations say the greater gifts. I think greater gifts creates an understanding in our minds that there is a heirarchy of gifts, and typically the gifts that are the most visible are usually considered the greater ones.

But the NLT gives a more helpful understanding. Desire the most helpful gifts. Well, depending on your personality or the calling on your life, the most helpful gift will have a different meaning to each of us. For me, the gift of knowledge, the gift of wisdom, the gift of leadership, each of these are the greater gifts because they are the most helpful for the role I’m in. But for Jaime, who heads up the muffin crew, the gift of hospitality and helping others if important, especially when it comes to her work at the lodge.

Transition to Application

For you the question is, what is the most helpful gift?

Main To Do

What is going to help you serve to the best of your ability? Because whatever gift is the most helpful, that is the greater gift for you.

Why it matters

I hope that is freeing for some of you. I think many have believed that the greater gifts are prophecy, or words of knowledge, or even speaking in tongues, and when it doesn’t happen, there becomes a weight that you cannot shake. I want you to hear what I am saying. If those gifts are not helpful for where God has called you, then they are not the greater gift. What ministry is God telling you to serve in, and which gift has he given you to serve in that capacity? Which gift could you start asking for help take your service to the next level?

Closing Line

Earnestly desire the most helpful gift, because the Spirit gives each one a gift to help each other.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

What steps can you take to discover your spiritual gift and use it for God's mission?

How can understanding the purpose of spiritual gifts help you in your daily life?

What are some specific ways you can use your unique gifts to serve in the church?

What are some practical examples of using your gifts to help others in your community?

How can you support friends or family members in discovering their spiritual gifts?