Using God's Gifts As Worship (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
[Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-11]
One of the things I mention quite often is the diversity of the Body of Christ. When you walk into a church you will immediately find a wide variety of people who are very different from one another. You will find artistic types, organized types, business types, farmer types, older types, and younger types. There can be times when you begin to look around at all of the diversity and wonder, “How can we really function in unity?” We have such a wide variety of people and personality types and ideas and skills and talents that it may seem impossible for there to be unity.
In reality, the world around us tries to solve this problem by grouping people together in such a way that they are similar. The world wants to cultivate things so that we are always surrounded by people like us. So we organize everything by age group and by gender and by particular things we like. We find ourselves herding together with other people who think and act and believe the same way we do because we want to experience unity and we think this is the only way to experience that unity.
However, the Triune God shows us that there is a better way to unity. In the concept of the Trinity, we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit yet One God. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, yet, they are not separate—they are ONE. So, when the Triune God experiences perfect unity, it’s in the midst of diversity.
This truth works itself out in the midst of the Body of Christ in a similar way. Our passage says, “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.” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6, NIV). Do you see what is happening throughout this passage. It says the word “different” three times. Different. Different. Different. But then it follows the word “different” with the word “same” three times. Different. Different. Different. Same. Same. Same. It’s pointing us in the direction of understanding unity in the midst of diversity. In the way that God has created the world, “different” and “same” are not opposites—kind of. A better way to say it is: In the way God has created the world, “different” and “unity” are not opposites.
Even in this passage, we can see that this is based on the Trinity. Look at what follows the “same” in this passage. It says, “same Spirit,” “same Lord,” and “same God.” In the way that Paul uses language, the “Spirit” is referring to the Holy Spirit, “Lord” is referring to Jesus Christ, and “God” is referring to the Father. Yet, he is pointing out each person of the Trinity by pointing to their Unity. There is diversity in unity.
He is pointing this out to the people of God as well. He says, “There are different kinds of gifts…” (1 Corinthians 12:4, NIV). This is an important reminder for us. We have particular gifts but we don’t have all of the gifts. There are different kinds of gifts. It’s important to remember this because it is always tempting to think that we have the only “important” gifts or to begin thinking that everyone should have our gift. Yet, that’s not the way that God has worked things out. There are a variety of gifts. There’s diversity.
He also says, “There are different kinds of service…” (1 Corinthians 12:4, NIV). Again, it’s important for him to point this out to us because we have a tendency to think that our service is the best service. We have a tendency to put our service on a pedestal and look down on others who aren’t serving in the same way that we are. It’s possible to put someone else on a pedestal for their service—like the pastor. Yet, my service in the church isn’t a bigger deal than any of your service in the church—it’s just different. There are different kinds of service. There are many different ways to serve. None of them are “better” than the other—they are just different—and it’s important for us to remember that. There’s diversity.
Again, he says, “There are different kinds of working…” (1 Corinthians 12:5, NIV). I won’t beat this to death, but this is important for the same reason. There are different ways to work in the world. Our type of work isn’t the only type or the best type—it’s simply one way to work in the world. There’s diversity.
Yet, in the midst of that diversity there is unity. Yes, there are different gifts and different services and different workings, but there is ONE God who gives all these things and empowers us to do them. God is the one who gives each of us gifts. God is the one who gives each of us service. God is the one who gives each of us work to do in the world. The passage also says, “it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6, ESV). That means that we would have nothing and be able to accomplish nothing apart from Him. If it wasn’t for Him, we would have no gifts, no service, no work, and no power. Sound like you’re going to get anything done? Nope. Yet, because of the grace of God, we have these things and can accomplish them for His glory.
This is why all of this diversity results in unity. God is pouring out gifts upon his people, giving them work to do, and empowering that work like skilled conductor of an orchestra. You can look out at the orchestra and say, “Wow. Look at all that diversity. There are brass instruments, woodwinds, strings, and that stinkin’ percussion. How in the world can all of that diversity become unity?” Yet, the conductor steps up to his podium and begins to call in the woodwinds, then the brass, then the strings, then the percussion…and all of a sudden it makes sense. Each diverse instrument complements the other instruments so that they make a beautiful sound when they play together. And the conductor is up there making sure that each person comes in when they are supposed to and making sure there are enough instruments in each section.
That’s what God is doing in the church as He pours out gifts and empowers His people. He knows what gifts are needed in the church and he knows how much strength we need to use those gifts. Like a skilled conductor he is leading each part of the symphony, making sure that each gift is coming in at the right time, so that all of the diversity of gifts represented in the Body will function like a unity and make a beautiful noise.
This is what it means to Worship the Triune God AS a Community. It’s not enough for us to simply Worship IN Community, because God has created us so that we need to Worship AS a Community—each person using the gifts that God has given them, relying fully on His power. And when we do this, God takes all of the diversity present in this congregation, leads us to work together with our complimentary gifts, so that our congregation makes a beautiful noise in our unity.
This is also why it’s important for us to understand the gifts God has given us. It’s important because we want to make sure that we are stewarding what God has poured out on us. It’s not good if God has given you a gift for teaching, but you never use that gift and are always cleaning up around church. The opposite is also true—it’s not good if God has given you a gift for cleaning but you never use it because you are always teaching. That’s not good stewardship of the gifts God has given you. So, it’s important to take time to understand the gifts God has given you.
Paul gives us a little list in this passage. It’s in no way comprehensive—its just to whet our appetite a bit. He says, “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:8–10, NIV). This list is there for you to read through and maybe say, “Oh! I have that gift. I should be using it.” There’s another list in Romans that says, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:4–8, NIV). Again, this is not a comprehensive list, but another opportunity to possibly recognize a gift that God has given you. If you recognize a gift that God has given you, then it’s time to find a way to use that gift.
Another tool that the church has developed over the years is a Spiritual Gifts Survey. This is a short little “test” where you answer a number of questions about things you do well and don’t do well—things you like to do and don’t like to do. At the end, you tally up your scores and it will give you a list of your top 3-5 gifts. Some people hate taking these types of inventories, some find them helpful. Either way, I have printed off a number of copies of a Spiritual Gifts Inventory and placed them in the basket at the back. Feel free to take one, fill it out, and see what you might be able to learn from it about the gifts that God has given you.
Once we begin to understand the gifts that God has given us, then it’s important for us to begin developing them and using them—typically at the same time. This is why the Heidelberg Catechism says, “That each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and joyfully for the service and enrichment of the other members” (Q&A 55). It’s important for us to use our gifts for a number of reasons.
First, this is a gift that has been given to you by God for you to use—to not use the gift would be disrespectful, disobedient, and poor stewardship. Think about the parable of the talents and how harshly God judges the man who buried his talent in the ground and doesn’t use it. This is a serious deal.
Second, it’s important to use the gifts God has given you in order to learn your gifts and develop them. Many of us didn’t know that we were gifted at something until we did it the first time. On the other hand, some of us thought we were gifted at something until we did it the first time. Often, we learn our gifts by simply being active and trying things out. However, we also need to understand that we will not be good at everything the first time we do it. I cringe when I look back at some of the first sermons that I preached. Charles Spurgeon tells pastors that they should keep their old sermons in order to weep over them. It’s similar to other gifts we may have. In order to increase our ability to use that gift, we need to use it and then use it again and then use it again.
Finally, it’s important to use the gifts God has given you because the Body needs those gifts in order to function properly. God has given this congregation the diversity of gifts necessary to do the work He has called us to do. Each diverse gift is necessary for this Body to function in a beautiful unity. When people in the church bury their gifts in the dirt, and don’t use them, the Body doesn’t function efficiently or effectively. In order to this congregation to begin making the beautiful noise of a symphony, each person needs to be using their God-given gifts—we need to be Worshiping the Triune God AS a Community.
Yet, the purpose of these gifts is not ultimately about the Body of Christ—it’s about Christ himself. Jesus Christ has poured out these gifts on his people in order that we would bring praise and glory to His name. We must not use our gifts trying to make our name look great—or our church’s name look great—but use our gifts so that Christ’s name would be seen as great. We need to be using our gifts in a way that brings glory and honor and power to Jesus Christ. When we do that we will see the church strengthened and the kingdom growing.