Spirit

BACK TO THE BASICS: THE HOLY SPIRIT

Week 4 —

Gifted for a Purpose

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For 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 ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Thesis: The Holy Spirit gives every believer a spiritual gift to serve others and strengthen the church.

Metaphor: A Toolbox

Bottom Line: God didn’t just save you—He gifted you to serve.

START

Let me start with a question:

What are you good at?

Some of you could probably answer immediately.

You can sing.

You can play an instrument.

You’re good at sports.

You’re creative.

You can draw.

You’re good with technology.

You’re funny.

You’re a good listener.

You’re naturally a leader.

But here’s another question:

What has God gifted you to do?

Because being talented and being spiritually gifted are connected sometimes, but they aren’t exactly the same thing.

A talent is a natural ability.

A spiritual gift is a grace God gives through the Holy Spirit that enables you to serve others and strengthen the body of Christ.

And that’s important because sometimes we think spiritual gifts only belong to certain people.

We think the pastor is gifted.

The preacher is gifted.

The worship leader is gifted.

The person who can sing is gifted.

The person who can pray for 15 minutes without stopping is really gifted!

But Paul says:

No.

If you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit has given you something too.

You may not know what it is yet.

You may still be developing it.

You may not have a microphone.

You may never stand on a stage.

But you have been gifted.

And 1 Corinthians 12 helps us understand why.

THE BACKGROUND

Before we read the passage, we need to understand what’s happening in Corinth.

The Corinthian church was incredibly gifted.

Paul actually tells them earlier in the letter that they were not lacking in spiritual gifts.

Their problem wasn’t that they didn’t have gifts.

Their problem was that they didn’t know how to handle their gifts.

There was division in the church.

There was pride.

There was competition.

Some people apparently thought certain gifts made them more spiritual or more important than other people.

So when Paul gets to chapter 12, he has to teach them:

Spiritual gifts aren’t about showing everybody how special you are.

They’re about serving.

That’s why Paul begins talking about diversity.

Look at verses 4–6.

I. DIFFERENT GIFTS — SAME SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 12:4–6

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit…”

Notice the word Paul keeps repeating:

Different.

Different gifts.

Different ministries.

Different activities.

But the same God working through all of them.

That’s important.

Because God never intended for everybody in the church to be the same.

Think about our toolbox.

Imagine I gave you a toolbox.

You open it…

Hammer.

Another hammer.

Another hammer.

Another hammer.

Twenty-seven hammers.

That’s not a very good toolbox!

Because eventually you’re going to encounter something that requires a screwdriver.

Or a wrench.

Or some pliers.

Different jobs require different tools.

And God says:

That’s how I designed My church.

Everybody isn’t supposed to preach.

Everybody isn’t supposed to sing.

Everybody isn’t supposed to lead.

Some people teach.

Some encourage.

Some lead.

Some give.

Some serve.

Some show mercy.

Some have unusual faith.

Paul’s point is:

Different doesn’t mean deficient.

Just because somebody is gifted differently from you doesn’t mean they’re more important than you.

And just because your gift isn’t public doesn’t mean your gift isn’t powerful.

Let’s Make This Practical

This is especially important as a teenager because this is the stage of life where comparison can become dangerous.

You see somebody else’s followers.

Somebody else’s clothes.

Somebody else’s grades.

Somebody else’s athletic ability.

Somebody else’s popularity.

And even at church:

“I can’t sing like them.”

“I can’t pray like them.”

“I can’t speak like them.”

“I’m not outgoing like them.”

But what if God never called you to be them?

What if God intentionally made you different because He has a different assignment for your life?

Ask Yourself

Where am I comparing myself to somebody God never called me to be?

Because you cannot discover your gift while you’re obsessed with somebody else’s.

Different gifts. Same Spirit.

II. GIVEN TO EVERYBODY — FOR THE GOOD OF EVERYBODY

1 Corinthians 12:7

Now Paul gives us one of the most important verses in this entire discussion.

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

There are two phrases I want you to notice.

“To each one…”

That means every believer matters.

Paul doesn’t say:

“To each pastor…”

“To each adult…”

“To each preacher…”

“To each person over 18…”

He says:

“To each one.”

That includes teenagers.

You don’t have to wait until you’re grown for God to use you.

You don’t have to wait until you’re a pastor.

You don’t have to wait until you know the entire Bible.

If you’ve trusted Christ, God can use you right now.

But then Paul tells us why the gift was given.

“For the common good.”

That’s huge.

Your spiritual gift isn’t primarily for you.

God gives it to you so somebody else can benefit from it.

If God gives you encouragement, somebody needs encouragement.

If God gives you leadership, somebody needs direction.

If God gives you mercy, somebody needs compassion.

If God gives you teaching, somebody needs truth explained.

If God gives you service, there’s a need somewhere that you can meet.

Your gift is God’s grace to you that becomes God’s blessing through you.

Here’s the Problem

Sometimes we turn gifts into trophies.

“Look what I can do.”

“Look how well I sing.”

“Look how well I preach.”

“Look how many people follow me.”

But gifts weren’t given for attention.

They were given for assignment.

God didn’t gift you so everybody could notice you.

God gifted you so you could serve somebody.

Teen Application

Maybe you’re thinking:

“Okay, but what can I actually do?”

You can notice the student who always sits alone.

You can encourage the friend who’s struggling.

You can serve without somebody begging you.

You can pray for people.

You can help younger children.

You can invite somebody to church.

You can use your creativity for ministry.

You can lead when everybody else is following the wrong crowd.

You can use your voice to build people instead of tearing people down.

Don’t underestimate what God can do through you because of your age.

Question

Here’s a question that can help you start identifying your gift:

“How does God consistently use me to help other people?”

Pay attention to that.

Because your gift often becomes clearer through serving, not simply through taking a test.

III. CHOSEN BY THE SPIRIT — FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 12:8–11

Now Paul starts naming different gifts.

Wisdom.

Knowledge.

Faith.

Healing.

Miracles.

Prophecy.

Discernment.

Tongues.

Interpretation.

And there are other gift lists elsewhere in the New Testament.

But don’t miss verse 11:

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

Who decides?

The Holy Spirit.

That’s important.

Because if the Holy Spirit chose my gift…

I don’t have to be jealous of yours.

And if the Holy Spirit chose your gift…

You don’t have to look down on mine.

Back to the Toolbox

The hammer doesn’t look at the screwdriver and say:

“I wish I was you.”

That would be ridiculous.

The hammer has an assignment.

The screwdriver has an assignment.

The wrench has an assignment.

And the person holding the toolbox knows which tool is needed for which job.

That’s the Holy Spirit.

He knows why He gifted you the way He did.

Maybe you don’t understand it yet.

Maybe your gift isn’t fully developed yet.

Maybe God is still revealing how He wants to use you.

That’s okay.

Your responsibility isn’t to choose somebody else’s gift.

Your responsibility is to steward yours.

So What Do I Do?

Here’s what I want you to remember:

DISCOVER IT.

Ask God:

“Holy Spirit, how have You gifted me?”

Look at what Scripture says about spiritual gifts.

Ask mature Christians who know you well:

“Where do you see God using me?”

Then…

DEVELOP IT.

Being gifted doesn’t mean you don’t need growth.

If you’re gifted to teach—study.

If you’re gifted to lead—learn leadership.

If you’re gifted musically—practice.

If you’re gifted to encourage—learn how to listen.

A gift is not an excuse to stop growing.

And finally…

DEPLOY IT.

Use it!

Don’t spend your entire life preparing to serve God.

Serve God.

You don’t have to wait until you’re 30.

God can use you at 13.

God can use you at 15.

God can use you at 17.

God can use you right now.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE GIFTS

One important thing before we finish:

1 Corinthians 12 isn’t the only place the Bible discusses spiritual gifts.

You also see gifts discussed in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4.

Across those passages you’ll see things like:

Teaching — helping people understand God’s truth.

Serving — seeing needs and meeting them.

Encouragement — strengthening people who need hope.

Giving — generously using your resources to help others.

Leadership — helping people move toward God’s purposes.

Mercy — showing compassion toward hurting people.

Faith — unusually strong confidence in God’s ability and promises.

And 1 Corinthians 12 includes manifestations such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation.

Christians sometimes disagree about how some of these gifts function today.

But here’s what Christians should agree about:

The gifts belong to God.

The gifts are empowered by the Spirit.

The gifts are given for the good of the church.

And Jesus—not the gifted person—gets the glory.

FINISH

Let’s go back to our toolbox.

Imagine every tool saying:

“I’m not important.”

So the hammer doesn’t show up.

The screwdriver doesn’t show up.

The wrench doesn’t show up.

The pliers don’t show up.

You’ve still got a toolbox…

But nothing is getting fixed.

And I wonder how often that happens in church.

We have teenagers saying:

“They don’t need me.”

Yes, we do.

“I’m too young.”

No, you’re not.

“I’m not a preacher.”

You don’t have to be.

“I’m not as gifted as somebody else.”

You’re not supposed to be somebody else.

The question isn’t:

“Am I as gifted as them?”

The question is:

“Am I using what God gave me?”

Because according to Paul, if you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit has given you something that can strengthen somebody else.

So this week I want you to ask three questions:

1. What has God gifted me to do?

2. Who can I serve with what God has given me?

3. What am I doing to develop that gift?

And remember:

Discover it.

Develop it.

Deploy it.

Because…

GOD DIDN’T JUST SAVE YOU — HE GIFTED YOU TO SERVE.

Closing Prayer

God, thank You for saving us and giving us Your Holy Spirit. Thank You that You have made each of us different and that every person has a purpose in Your body. Help us stop comparing ourselves to other people. Show us how You have gifted us. Give us opportunities to develop those gifts and the courage to use them to serve others. Most importantly, help us remember that whatever You do through us is ultimately for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.