1 Corinthians 12:1–6 (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.
Friends this is very important. Really, this is critical to our understanding of church – and God. Before we even get into the topic of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to every believer, we need to look closely at the emphasis the Apostle Paul places on the gifts.
Now, he addresses everyone, he wants everyone’s attention – he is getting ready to speak to all the troops (that’s us). “Attention everyone, I know you have questions about the special abilities (gifts) that we have all been given to make the church work and for us to understand God the way He wants to be understood. So, let me explain.”
I can hear how important this is to him. He intimates that this is so important, I do not want one person to misunderstand what you must know about the gifts.
So, this clearly begs the question, “Are you misunderstanding the special abilities that only the Holy Spirit gives?”
Misunderstanding can come in several forms.
Some may not believe there is a place for the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our day. Paul would consider that a misunderstanding.
Some may not know what the gifts are. Paul would also consider that a misunderstanding.
Some may not know what the purpose of the gifts are. Paul would consider that a misunderstanding too.
Clearly, whatever misunderstanding that existed for the people at Corinth, Paul wanted to clear things up…and so do I.
I would imagine that there was a part of the church there in Corinth that was eager. A part that was unsure about the gifts and a part that was dead set against the gifts…kind of like the church at large is today. So I think that his message is right on point for us today.
He clearly wants everyone to have understanding, so let’s wade into the waters a bit.
2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 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.
Paul begins by taking the people back to the basics of our faith. If you are a believer in Jesus it is because the Holy Spirit was leading you to Jesus. And if you confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, it is because the Holy Spirit is leading you to say that.
People do not praise and worship Jesus unless the Holy Spirit leads them. Nor do people curse Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit. If there is ministry to be done and you do it, it will be Holy Spirit led. Now, there is counterfeit ministry that can be done and that is what the Judgment seat of Christ will sift. No time to get into that today, suffice-to-say, if it is real then it is Holy Spirit led. Word to the wise, make sure you are doing things for God for the right reasons.
What Paul is communicating to his listeners is authentic ministry is Holy Spirit led. The Holy Spirit determines what the shape of ministry will look like. Paul gives to his listener the constructs of the ministry that the Holy Spirit leads.
Here is what He says…
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
In the Greek the translation for the words “spiritual gifts” that Paul uses is charisma. It means a miraculous gift. And the translation for Spirit is obviously referring to the Holy Spirit. So, verse four is clearly referring to the set of gifts that come from the Holy Spirit and are miraculous and I believe, available to every single believer, given the situation that they are in.
Verse five is different.
5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.
Paul uses the word service and Lord. The word for service means what it says, this set of gifts are to serve and support the day-to-day operating of the church. And it is the Lord who gives them. This word for Lord (kyrios) means Master. That’s Jesus! He is our Master and Lord and He became that when He rose from the dead conquering our sin. So, these are gifts distributed to the church by Jesus.
Verse six is different than verses four and five.
6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
The word “works” in the Greek mean implementation. This is very interesting to me because it points directly at the purpose of the five gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. The gifts mentioned there are specific in their scope. They equip the saints for the work of ministry. These special gifts given by the Father though the Holy Spirit, are designed by God to implement the necessary segments or dimensions of Jesus right into the church.
The three different sets of gifts are different in their purpose.
Think of it this way, three sets of gifts given to the church, one set from the Father, one from the Son, Jesus Christ and one set from the Holy Spirit. Each with a different purpose. Paul wants the listener to distinguish between them, that is why instead of clumping them all together he specifically designates them in three categories and coming from separate parts of the triune God. They are unified and different at the same time.
In the devotionals to follow, we will dig into the purpose of each set of gifts and look at how they are distributed. I think that as we delve deeper you will see that there is a lot to know and understand. It’s important because, Paul says so. So, let’s trek further and see what the Holy Spirit reveals to us all.
Father in heaven, thank You that every good and perfect gift is from above, the upper realm where You are. Thank You for giving to us supernatural ways to touch this world. It is such a blessing to have the reassurance from You that Your power changes this world. We are indeed blessed to be Your kids. Thank You Jesus for making all of the gifts of the Father real through Your great sacrifice on the cross. We love You dearly and are excited to see You soon.
Blessings,
Pastor D
