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Reviving Your Gifts

Lastly, in this sequence of Revival Topics, looking at old topics through newer, revival lenses, we want to look at spiritual gifts. Having already looked at loving God or loving others, we want to look at spiritual gifts in such a light as well.

1-IMG_5810It might be considered odd to cover loving God and Loving others without touching the great love chapter in 1Cor 13. Well, we are finally going to hit that chapter, although this lesson isn’t directly about love, it is about spiritual gifts. For that is the context of the 1 Cor 13, chapters 12 and 14 deal with spiritual gifts, and the intro to Ch 13 references using gifts w/o love, and that is the context of this lesson. We are going to breeze through a lot of rich scripture so consider reading 1 Cor 12, 13, 14 in one sitting soon, to get the whole gist of what we are trying to share.

The goal is to awaken your mind and heart to the gifts the Holy Spirit has placed inside of you, and to place their use in the proper context. For spiritual gifts are to be used to build up, to strengthen, the church of Jesus Christ, with an emphasis using them in love!

First, it must be noticed, that the so called Love Chapter of 1 Cor 13, is surrounded by two chapters of teaching on spiritual gifts. Yet too often, we learn of love, without the immediate context of lovingly use of spiritual gifts, and we teach on gifts without the added component, no a necessary component of love added.

We won’t be spending time on the actual individual gifts mentioned in various places, but more on the purpose of gifts in general. There are many various tools to define the variety of gifts, and other tools to help you discover how the Holy Spirit has equipped you in the body of Christ.

Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12 has two main themes in it:
  • there is ONE Holy Spirit who gives gifts
  • there is ONE body of Christ, and we are His members
file0001688696959Verses 4-6 states that there are a variety of gifts, activities, and services but all are from the same God. He has coordinated the giving of gifts, and thus we should be confident that He knows how to distribute wisely these super naturally empowered gifts.
In 12-27, the body of Christ is mentioned 8 different times, emphasizing our unity with each other, in Christ. Paul transitions from describing some spiritual gifts, to likening them to part of a body. Some gifts are like hands, others like eyes or noses. But we need all parts to have a complete body, similarly in the body of Christ, none of us can go at it alone, just as a hand must be attached to an arm, or an eye must work with body to accomplish anything.
It is actually a shame when a group of believers start gathering to themselves only others who are just like them. The ruse that they are understood only by prophetic people to I only gather with the prophetic, or I just want to be around people who teach like I do. But a pile of eyes is not a body, just like a pile of mouths isn’t either. We need all parts, as arranged and gathered by the Holy Spirit, to properly function at the body of Christ. Like Paul wrote, we must never say ‘I don’t need you’, 1 Cor 12:21!
Beyond this, Paul encourages us to honor gifts (or members of the body) that don’t have any natural honor. Certain people or gifts have a natural honor, or praiseworthiness to them, like any of the speaking or miracle gifts. A prophetic word is released, or a healing takes place, and others natural praise God for what happened, but also honor the person God used. No more, or extra, honor should be given.
But there are many gifts that are used in the background. Many services rendered, administrations given, or prayer discernments offered that are never really seen by the group. Those people who take care of the infants maybe, or those who setup chairs or help with facilities, or those silently battle for a clean spiritual atmosphere. These people are naturally hidden, and not given honor, so the body must take special effort to honor them.
One shorthand we use, if a person hold a microphone, or in another way commands the attention of the room, then they don’t need any further honor or praise. It is the others using their spiritual gifts that need to be noticed and honored.

ShadowAt the end of chapter 12, Paul says it is good to desire higher gifts (v 31), and then speaks about love. But before we visit chapter 13, we want to quickly continue in chapter 14. Paul links the love chapter directly back into a discussion of spiritual gifts reminding us to pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1).

Especial prophesy. The apostle Paul spends nearly a chapter speaking on just two gifts: prophecy and speaking in tongues. In the church he was addressing, they had over emphasized speaking in tongues above the other gifts, so Paul was trying to correct that emphasis. But in doing so, he does reveal, by the Holy Spirit, that the most useful gifts for all believers to seek for, and to use is prophecy. We won’t develop that whole topic is in this articles, but it is again worth noting that a body of believers that does not allow for, and encourage, it members to prophecy is missing a key life giving activity in their gatherings.

Of Love and Spiritual Gifts

flaming-heartThere is so much that can be written regarding love, and of 1 Cor 13, the love chapter. Instead of directly expounding on the facets of love revealed in chapter 13 (there are multitude of books and articles already written on that), we want to focus on the context of this love.

Only four verses are actually dedicated to defining love, verses 4-7 (and a few words in verse 8). Both immediately before and after these verses Paul is applying the spiritual gift context to love.

Verses 1-3 dramatically state the spiritual gifts without love are worthless, and then verses 8-12 Paul notes that gifts will eventually not be needed, but love continues forever. But the main point is to infuse the need for love, when using spiritual gifts!

It is better to not use gifts, than to use them without love! That is a bold statement, but maybe there are already many symptoms of loveless gift usage already.

  • Teaching without love will lead to divisions. ‘If you don’t agree with me just leave’.
  • Prophecy without love, doesn’t sound like God talking, for He is full of love.
  • Apostles without love will cast a driving vision that burns people up, wears them out.
  • Leadership & Administration without love looks life warring factions in a church, instead of unity in  body.
  • Sacrificial giving without love is just false, financial martyrdom or control seeking.

And there are other examples besides

 

Also, not loving others who are different is a huge issue.

  • ‘Mercy ministries and giving is all that is needed, not all those tongues and prophecies!’
  • ‘Prophecy is the pinnacle, so that is all we practice here!’
  • ‘We are teaching church, we leave the service and good deeds to others.’

Not loving or seeing the need for all the members of the body. There are many formulations similar to these, and all should be shunned if we are truly trying to the One body of Church, which is given spiritual gifts by the Same Holy Spirit.

file0001588162732So in closing, we would challenge you to:
  1. Seek to know your spiritual gifts
  2. To serve well and with love in those gifts
  3. Seek out mentors who can help you reach new levels in your gifts (home groups are excellent places to practice new gifts)
  4. It is a good thing, to ask for more gifts, especially prophecy.
May the Lord show you His perfect ways, and embolden you to use the gifts he has given you, to build up the body of Christ.

 

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