15: A Study in Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor 12 & Rom 12) + Communion

A psalm. Sing to Yahweh a new song, for he has done wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have secured his victory. Yahweh has made known his salvation; to the eyes of the nations he has revealed his righteousness. He has remembered his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to Yahweh, all the earth. Be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to Yahweh with lyre, with lyre and melodious sound. With trumpets and sound of horn, shout joyfully before the king, Yahweh. Let the sea with its fullness roar, the world and those who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the hills sing joyfully together before Yahweh, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

_____________

back to school

starting point

Every night at checkin one young 6 year old boy would come up and ask Ms. Shannon what we were doing each night. And every night he would respond saying, "I really don't know what that is, but I know it's gonna be awesome!"

I hope you and I have that same attitude this morning, but I hope you're ready to be challenged and encouraged today.

Last week we opened up 1 Cor 12 and considered the analogy of the Church being like a symphony - Many Instruments working together to play One Song.

Today we’re going to take a deeper dive in this teaching entitled...

A Study in Spiritual Gifts

Last week we noted that...

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (CSB)

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works [empowers ESV] all of them in each person.

The Greek term for gifts (charismatōn) comes from the root word charis as grace. It is also where we get the terms charisma and charismatic.

D.A. Carson notes that this Greek term could be translated as “grace gifts”, not earned, but FREE GIFTS from the Spirit of God.

We also noted that the PURPOSE of the different gifts/ministries/activities - for the common good (1 Cor 12:7) - meaning for the benefit of all [NET], or how the NLT translates: “so we can help each other”.

MacArthur writes, “Spiritual gifts...are not natural [like a natural ability or skill], but rather are supernaturally given by the Holy Spirit only and always to believers in Jesus Christ, without exception (v. 7). Spiritual gifts are special capacities bestowed on believers to equip them to minister supernaturally to others, especially to each other.”

John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 290.

Spiritual gifts aren't to elevate the individual but to encourage the Church.

Last week we also noted that these gifts are determined by the Holy Spirit, not by US (1 Cor 12:11). So, we should thank God for the gifts He has graced to others and thank God for the gifting He has graced to you.

Several important Considerations before we dig deeper:

It’s possible that there are more than 16 spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Cor 12 and Rom 12. There are a few mentioned in each writing that are different than one another. That leads some scholars to believe Paul’s list is NOT exhaustive. Further, we differentiate between SPIRITUAL GIFTS and NATURAL ABILITIES. Those will be addressed when we talk about your SHAPE (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, & Experiences) NEXT WEEK.

The Scriptures don’t clarify if all these gifts are life-time giftings and some could even be given for a specific time & place. Since the Scriptures don’t offer precise clarity on this, we cannot be rigid about it either.

We - in this study - are taking a CONTINUATION view versus a CESSATION view - that all the gifts CONTINUE versus some of the gifts CEASING.

And now, let’s dig in about the gifts that God has given for the good of God’s people.

1 Corinthians 12:8–10 (CSB)

to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues.

WISDOM (1 Cor. 12:8): Do you know a believer who speaks with the wisdom of God? This person is gifted to help others with clear, biblical advice, even when confronted with complicated problems.

KNOWLEDGE (1 Cor. 12:8): Have you ever known a Christian who is given insight into a situation that only God could give? This person is gifted to understand truth that is unknown by normal means. It’s possible that knowledge is also related to teaching (Rom 12:7) as this is knowledge intended to be shared to help others in understanding . Further, this person might be enabled to bring a word from God to another person.

FAITH (1 Cor. 12:9): Have you ever met someone who just trusts God, in a way that you wish you could? This person is enabled to trust God even when circumstances make it difficult to believe, expecting God to handle the obstacles and trust Him for what cannot yet be seen.

HEALING & MIRACLES : Have you ever met someone who prays and God heals OR someone who is enabled to cast out a demon? Those with the gift of healing are empowered to bring physical healing through prayer or touch.

Last week I mentioned how my friend Chris had a growth on his hand. A Christian brother he had just met asked to pray for him as he touched his hand, and the next day it was gone.

Those gifted with miracles are used by God to make the impossible, possible - to do what is super-natural, like casting out a demon.

I think these giftings of healing & miracles is very limited to only a few people. Every one of the televangelists I know who make claims to do this are FALSE TEACHERS who manipulate people with false claims.

BUT…I can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I believe God can still use people this way today, and I don’t see any evidence for this gift having ceased (more on that when we get to 1 Cor 13 in a couple of weeks.

PROPHECY : Have you ever been around someone who was able to speak God’s truth with boldness, even when it wasn’t popular? That’s what Old Testament prophets did. Sometimes they predicted the future, but they more often gave a word or warning to those disobedient to God OR a word of encouragement to God’s people. Paul later writes that “the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.” (1 Cor 14:3). So, those gifted with prophecy are empowered to speak truth FOR God in a persuasive & often “in your face” way to strengthen, encourage, comfort, & confront wrongs.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SPIRITS: With so many who make false claims on behalf of God, God has given some the supernatural ability to distinguish between spirits (aka discernment)- the God-given ability to discern what is truth from what is false, able to discern true teaching from false teaching, what is from God and what is counterfeit.

TONGUES is the gift of being able to 1) communicate the Gospel in a real language, previously unknown to you OR the ability to encourage the church in a foreign language when linked with someone who has the ability to INTERPRET what was said to the Church.

The need for these gifts is much less necessary today as in Paul’s day since they had very little of the New Testament and we have it all. Most scholars believe 1 Corinthians to be one of the first written letters of all the New Testament. The Corinthians likely didn’t have copies of all the Gospels & letters written by Paul, Peter, Jude, James, the author of Hebrews, and Revelation. So, the Lord could reveal His will - through TONGUES & INTERPRETATION - that we now read in the Scriptures, but which they did not yet have access to.

Paul mentions 3 more gifts in the same passage…Before we focus on those 3, let’s mention a couple of important roles Paul mentions.

1 Corinthians 12:27–28 (CSB)

Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues.

Theses 2 groups - apostles and prophets - played a prominent role in the New Testament and the Old Testament. Paul writes about just how significant these men had been:

Ephesians 2:19–20 (CSB)

So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

The position of apostle was very specific. Although some think the “gift of apostle” is pointing to missionaries - who like the apostles - take the gospel to new places, this is NOT what Paul referred to. The apostles were those who personally knew and were trained by Jesus, having seen Him raised from the dead (Acts 1:21-22).

Paul was an exception as the Lord called Paul AFTER His death, burial, resurrection, & ascension. Paul called himself “the least among the apostles” because he was not around during the ministry of Jesus and because he had previously persecuted many followers of Jesus (1 Cor 15:8-9).

Prophets had foretold about the coming of the Messiah before Jesus showed up. Further, there were prophets in the New Testament (see 1 Cor 14:29-32; Eph 3:5, 4:11) who boldly spoke by the Spirit to build upon what the apostles had first communicated.

And then there were the teachers.

TEACHING, HELPING & LEADING (1 Cor 12:27-28)

TEACHING (1 Cor 12:27; Rom 12:7): As mentioned earlier, it’s possible that 1 Cor 12:8’s use of knowledge is parallel to Paul’s use here of TEACHING. Those who are gifted with TEACHING are enabled to clearly explain, train, & challenge others with real life applications from the Bible in a way that they can understand.

HELPS/SERVICE (1 Cor 12:28; Rom 12:7): Do you know Christians who LOVE to serve and help behind the scenes but don’t want to be in the spotlight? The person with the gift of helps/service, serves with a smile without needing applause from people, like the worker ant who does the basic, important tasks (e.g. cooking, cleaning, preparing environments for events, taking care of the Church grounds, or serving other people’s basic needs).

LEADING/ADMINISTRATION (1 Cor 12:28; Rom 12:8): Do you know of anyone who is just a gifted leader - able to inspire others and lead others to get some stuff done? A leader attracts & motivates others to work together for a common purpose with a clear purpose and direction.

Further, 1 Cor 12:28 can be translated as administrating (ESV, NAS). The Greek term comes from a word referring to steering a ship or to guide. Leaders who get others to move forward need to administrate by thinking through the details to organize people, resources, & time, or finding someone to help them with that. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 465.

And then we see the similarities and a few differences in Romans 12.

Romans 12:6–8 (CSB)

According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

The gifts in BLUE have previously been mentioned in 1 Cor 12, but the gifts in YELLOW have not - with the possible parallel of teaching/knowledge.

ENCOURAGING (Rom 12:8): The term used in the CSB is “exhorting” - basically meaning to encourage or to console. The Greek term (parakaleo) refers to calling to one’s side in order to help him/her. Those gifted at ENCOURAGING are driven to build others up with words, letters, or physical touch.

GIVING (Rom 12:8): Have you ever known someone who loves to give from their own resources to help others? Those enabled with GIVING are excited to provide for the financial needs of others, and are often given many resources to help provide for others.

MERCY (Rom 12:8): Do you know anyone who cares deeply for those who are hurting; even quick to give a second chance to those who have hurt them? Those with the gift of MERCY are driven to help meet the needs of people who hurt; quick to forgive even when personally hurt.

WHAT NOW?

Work on SPIRITUAL GIFTS DISCOVERY. We have the inventory LINKED to your VISUAL NOTES, have posted the link on Facebook, and have a few paper copies available today. bit.ly/GiftDiscovery

Consider how God SHAPEd you. = Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, & Experiences. Consider taking this online SHAPE Test: www.freeshapetest.com - this test leaves out/adds some gifts not on our Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Then send this to Christy@FOM.life or Jackie@FOM.life

Plug into minisTRY (find the right fit)

- Aug 21st we will have CONNECTION SUNDAY - where you will hear about GROUPS and MINISTRIES you should consider plugging into.

Listen to your Faith Family’s Affirmation. They will help give you thumbs up on whether you are functioning within your gifting.

And just as we’ve been reminded in 1 Cor 12, Paul writes these words tied to spiritual gifts.

Romans 12:4–5 (CSB)

Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

And that sets the stage for this time the Apostle Paul refers to as...

The Lord’s Supper - a time when we participate in THANKING JESUS & EMBRACING OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS.

So, I invite you to examine your life before you partake of “The Lord’s Supper”. Ask the Lord to help you focus on thanking Him & embracing your brothers and sisters.

Let me briefly remind you who SHOULD participate and who SHOULD NOT.

Followers of Jesus.

Those claiming to follow Jesus, but not living in obedience.

Not yet followers.

PRAY [Band & Deacons come forward] & begin playing and passing out elements at completion of PRAYER.

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 (CSB)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Given thanks is a participle of the term eucharisteō, from which we get Eucharist*, meaning “thanksgiving”.

John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 272.

Can you imagine this moment, after Jesus warns that He is about to be betrayed, Jesus takes the unleavened bread - removing the yeast became imagery for removing sin.

And Jesus uses the imagery of this bread to represent what is about to happen to HIMSELF. He is about to be ripped apart - for you!

May we eat this bread, as we THANK JESUS for giving His body up for us!

1 Corinthians 11:25 (CSB)

In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant that evening…BUT they never forgot what it meant AFTER the death, burial, and resurrection of their King!

May we drink this juice, as we THANK JESUS for giving His blood - His LIFE - up for us!

There’s one more thing the disciples of Jesus should NEVER forget. Jesus didn’t just die, get buried, resurrect, and ascend to heaven. He also promised to return!

1 Corinthians 11:26 (CSB)For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Turn to some folks around you, give them a high 5 or a hug...and remind them…

Let’s LIVE like Jesus IS coming back.

discussionquestions Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? Explain your answer.

After hearing the explanation of these gifts, which one of the spiritual gifts do you think you might have? Explain your answer. Then, take a shot at guessing other people’s GIFTING who are in your group - and explain your reasoning.

Answer this question: Have you ever taken a Spiritual Gifts Test and how did it help you or confuse you? Explain your answer.

Look back to the 4 Feet2Faith challenges and share why/how all 4 can help give insight to your gifting, rather than just using a Spiritual Gifts Test.

SHAPE stands for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, & Experiences. Beyond your spiritual gift(s), what are some Abilities you have and have you every considered using them to serve Jesus? Explain your answer.

What are some Experiences (good or bad) that God has used to SHAPE you and use you? (e.g. one who has been sick can help others going through the same thing)

What other questions has this teaching or discussion prompted for us to talk about?