Spiritual Gifts
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
One Body, Many Parts
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
My Understanding: Spiritual gifts are not something we are born with, i.e. they are to be distinguished from natural gifts and talents. We are all born with a propensity toward particular likes and dislikes, and natural abilities and talents, such as one person excels in math or science while another may be gifted in writing or in the ability to retain knowledge of facts. Some of us may sing or have the natural ability to learn a musical instrument or a foreign language. Others can draw or build while others, still, have a talent for fixing things. These are natural abilities and talents with which we are born or with which we have the potential to develop. All people, whether Christian or not, are born with natural bents toward something, with natural abilities, and/or with natural gifts and talents.
Spiritual gifts, nonetheless, are given by the Holy Spirit of God to those who are in Christ Jesus, through faith, and by God’s grace. They are given to us for “the common good,” i.e. they are to be used to benefit others. These are supernatural gifts, in contrast to our natural talents and gifts with which we are born. And, they display themselves in supernatural ways, i.e. the Holy Spirit within us gives us a supernatural ability to do something that we, in our natural selves, do not have that ability to do, and this is to show that this is from God and not from ourselves. So, these gifts are not dependent upon our natural abilities.
In other words, God may take someone who is shy and who stutters and make that person a great evangelist. God may take someone who has never written music before and give that person the ability to write music and lyrics as a way to share the gospel. He may give another the ability to have great wisdom beyond his or her years, or the gift to have knowledge that he or she did not naturally attain. He may give another great faith, and another the ability to understand and to share the truths of his word in very practical ways that can be applied to our daily lives. These gifts are also not something that we can choose to do in our natural selves. The Holy Spirit gives them to us as He determines, and they are completely dependent on God, who may call us to do something completely different than we would have ever imagined or dreamed that we would ever do.
These spiritual gifts, again, are given to us for “the common good,” i.e. to benefit others. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, form one body – the body of Christ. We don’t all have the same gifts and abilities, both naturally and supernaturally. We have each been given an assignment by God and a particular role or part in the body that we are to fill. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, not only do we enter into a vital and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but by our supernatural heart transformation by the Spirit of God within us (our spiritual baptism into God’s family), we enter into His body and are thus united by faith with others who have also accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
I believe, as we spend time with the Lord Jesus, in developing our relationship with him and in walking in obedience to him that he will reveal to us the spiritual gifts he has given to us as well as the specific assignments he has for us as his servants. He wants us to be “fruit bearing” disciples in many ways. We certainly bear fruit each day that reveals that we are the Lord’s disciples, or not, just by how we act, speak, and think, as well as by our heart attitudes, which come out through our words and body language. Not one of us is perfect. God has given these gifts to clay vessels. We are still in flesh bodies. Yet, we are to daily be taking up our cross and following Christ Jesus, our Lord, desiring to obey him. We must realize that, in everything we do or say, we are showing whether or not we are truly followers of Jesus Christ. So, this is one way in which we bear fruit.
Another way in which we bear fruit is by using the spiritual gifts God has placed within each of us for the common good and by fulfilling the assignments given us by God via his working within us and out through us. We are not to desire to be particular parts (roles) within the body just because we like those particular roles, i.e. because they are the parts that get the most honor, or the least amount of flak. Some parts are more naturally treated with honor and respect while other parts may be disregarded and perhaps even disdained. We are to eagerly desire the greater gifts, which are usually the ones that get the most flak. Yet, it is still the Holy Spirit who determines which gifts we are given.
Not only should we not seek gifts for the honor we might receive from them, but we should also not shy away from the gifts God has placed within us just because those particular gifts are less honorable in man’s eyes. In other words, we should not feel as though we are insignificant just because we may be a thumb or a big toe. If you have ever had a part of your body injured to where it did not function, you would realize ever so quickly how much you used that part of your body and didn’t even realize it until you didn’t have it. God made our human body parts to be interdependent, and he has made his spiritual body the same way. We need each other. So, don’t let Satan get you trapped by man’s thinking and by man’s evaluations of who is important and who is not. Be who God created you to be!
Sadly, I must say here that there is a catch to all this, but not one God did not know about and that he has not made a way for us, too. We may be in a right relationship with God and eager to follow our Lord wherever he leads us. We may know what gifts and assignments he has given to us, yet the body of Christ, his church, may see us as insignificant or as a sore thumb sticking out and thus a part they want to get rid of. Though they probably would never say the words, “I don’t need you,” yet many local congregations and church leaders reject parts of the body of Christ because they don’t fit in with their human vision of what they think their congregation (body) should look like. So, those bodies end up with missing parts and with a lopsided body, because all the parts are not being permitted to function as God intended them to function within the body. Sadly, this kind of attitude is being taught to many pastors via human philosophy and reasoning and thus they reject the teachings of God’s word on this subject.
Yet, we must not be discouraged and think that God has forgotten about us or that man has some kind of power to limit our usefulness within the body of Christ. None of this catches God by surprise. He has a plan for our lives that cannot be thwarted by man. In vv. 24-25 we learn that God is the one who has combined the members of the body together and that he has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body. What I believe this is saying is that, even though man may slight us and may reject us as parts of the body because they don’t like our particular part and thus we lack honor, God will honor us by providing a way that we can be useful parts of his body so that there is no division in his body, i.e. that there are no parts cast aside. So, if you have been rejected within the body and have been dishonored and cast aside because of your obedience to Jesus Christ, know that God will not abandon you. He still has a plan and a purpose for your life and he still has an assignment for you as his servant, so just seek his face and ask him to reveal to you what he has for you and then obey him.
Remain in Him / An Original Work / September 23, 2011
Based off of John 15:1-17
VOICE ONE:
Walk with Jesus.
He’s your Savior.
He invites you;
Be His servant.
Obey His word.
Do what He says.
Sit at His feet.
Worship your Lord.
Call Him master.
Obey Him now.
Turn from your sins.
On your knees bow.
He’ll restore you,
If you ask Him;
Forsake your ways;
Your cross bearing;
Follow Jesus.
Follow Jesus
Where He leads you.
Abide with Him;
His words in you.
Remain in Him,
Bearing His fruit.
God will hear you
Because He cares.
Be His foll’wers.
Stay in His love.
Peace He’ll give you
From up above.
Love your neighbors,
Enemies, too.
You’ll be God’s friend.
He won’t leave you.
He appoints you.
VOICE TWO:
Walk in fellowship with
Jesus, Savior and friend.
He’s invited you to
Be His servant again.
Obey all His commands,
And do all that He says.
Sit at His feet each day.
Worship Him for always.
Call Him master and King.
Obey Him in all things.
Turn from all of your sins.
Live in vict’ry again.
He’ll restore you today,
If you call Him and pray;
Forsake all of your ways;
Take up your cross today;
Follow Him for always.
Follow Jesus your friend
Where He leads you today.
Abide always in Him.
Let His words dwell within.
If you remain in Him,
Bearing fruit from within,
God will answer your prayers,
Because for you He cares.
Be His followers now.
Remain in Jesus’ love.
You will know peace within;
Comes from heaven above.
Love your neighbors and friends,
And your enemies, too.
God will call you His friend.
He will ne’er forsake you.
He has appointed you.
Song lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/remain-in-him
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMnxopsr1Nw
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