Spiritual Gifts
12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
One Body with Many Members
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way. (ESV)
The Beginning of Knowledge
1:1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
and forsake not your mother's teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods,
we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;
hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;
they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.
The Call of Wisdom
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (ESV)
The Value of Wisdom
2:1 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.
16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. (ESV)
giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
What a shame this scripture is preached constantly but ignored as often in many of today’s churches (yes even evangelical denominations). But I thank God that our church leaders at CBC are united in one common purpose.
God thank you for CBC and its leaders, servants and fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. Please use our church to bring great honor and glory to your Holy name; we desire to disciple and produce a crop 100 fold. Let your chosen ones be used to harvest new believers and to grow and mature those already having their names written in the Book of Life.
1 Cor 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Then: Paul is instructing the body in Corinth about different jobs for each person in Christ. Everyone job and person is different but still important in God’s economy.
Always: Seek Him first and He will show you exactly where He wants you to be and the best way to live here for His own glory.
Now: As students of Jesus we all should be seeking Him first and to do the best we can with the talents He has given us. This is especially true for all the CBCers that have heard the truth proclaimed clearly! Focus on yielding to His will and seeking Him now and you will hear the words ‘well done good and faithful servant’ when the time comes. Now is the time to seek His most excellent way as our top priority! He is coming soon so don’t delay!
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
“4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Romans 12:6
“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;”
I praise God that we were all made differently with different tools that He has given us to use for the good work He has set before us.
I use to think I didn’t have anything to offer, I didn’t have an obvious talent and I wasn’t very useful to anyone. I realize now that was just a lie that the devil would love for me to believe. But the TRUTH is that God created us and we ALL have talents and skills that we can use for His works.
Maybe your gift is something you can’t recognize in yourself, but if you get busy doing the work at hand, get involved, it will be revealed to you.
I think there is something about working with the whole body that you can see how the individual parts become integral to the process. A hand by itself may not be much, but a hand with an arm with a head with a brain…becomes an amazing tool!
I too – like Glenn – am SO THANKFUL for CBC and its leaders and the church body. You are setting the RIGHT example.
AMEN!
1 Cor 12
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
It is so important that each of us be actively involved in our local church. We all have gifts, given to us by God, that we need to be using. We are not all given the same gifts, but should never feel that ours is inferior or better than another. I am so glad to be an active part of Compass Bible Church, and thankful for all of our highly committed participants.
1 Cor. 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
We need to understand the spiritual gifts and how the Holy Spirit gifted it and used it to bring glory to God. Every Christian was given a spiritual gift at their new birth by God through the Holy Spirit. Through those gifts the Holy Spirit wants to minister through you and the body. It is a spirit given ability that acts as a channel through which the spirit minister through the body.
We can’t seek certain gifts the Holy Spirit gives to him as he wills. We need to be obedient as Christians and use the gifts that God has given us through the Holy Spirit, so the church can be built for God’s glory and the work would be accomplished for the glory of God.
Lord I want to be used for your glory and may I use the gifts you have given me to your glory!
1 Corn. 12
Then:
Divisiveness still among some of the Corinthians that think they are not a part of the body of Christ because they do not have the higher gifts. God has gifted everyone to each his own gift. Partcipate in the church and it will be revealed to you where your gift is.
Always:
When God created us, (believers) we were chosen. Therefore for the body of Christ to function properly within a church, he created within us a gift unique to our being. Whether it be hospitality, communicator, laborer, poet, compassionate etc. We all contribute some where to the church. Without all of the parts working, the body would be missing a very important part, for all parts are important to each other. Serving your church is the best way to have this gift revealed to you. Matt. 20:28, Christ is the example of serving.
Now:
Lord what a blessing in so many ways to see the believers at CBC serving you. Always Lord I come with a thankful heart knowing I am in the right church forever and I am here to serve in your body, no matter where that may be. If you want me to clean toilets Lord, then I will. I am just so thankful.
right on Anne! I will clean the toilets right next to you!
Proverbs 1
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Lord, I know the only way to love and fear you, is to be in your word each and every day.
I yearn for your wisdom and pray Lord that it stays solid within my heart always.
As I read Proverbs 1:7 I am struck with the phrase “fear of the LORD”
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I don’t often think of myself as “Fearing the LORD”. I think of trying to glorify God or honor my Heavenly Father but Fearing the LORD is something I do not consciously think about. Do I FEAR the LORD? I crosschecked some scriptures this morning as I thought on this very important phrase.
Deut 5:29 Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!
This was just after Moses was given the Ten Commandments. The people were in awe and Fear of the LORD as they “heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me. all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. And they said ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.” Deut 5:23-24
They literally feared God for their lives! In a GOOD way!
Then in Jeremiah 5 I read this:
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not,
Do you no fear me? declares the LORD.
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass,
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.”
Look what the LORD says in verse 30-31 regarding those who do not Fear Him:
“An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land;
the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule at their direction;
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?”
O LORD God, to not Fear you is to not know your word, your power and what you are The LORD of LORDS, King of Kings, Holy God! I fear you LORD because I Love you LORD! Thank you LORD for guiding me through the commentaries to these verses this morning so that I can have a broader, and better understanding of what FEARING THE LORD really means! Amen
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
There is security in doing right. Just as there is insecurity when we do wrong. The Lord does not promise us a life without struggles but he will give us peace and we will be ease no matter what the circumstances when we are walking in his ways.
Proverbs speaks of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding—elsewhere the scriptures use the term Discernment—these terms are not redundant, but are all elements of how we can comprehend things about God—wisdom is in the scriptures which are the most significant visible manifestation of Christ in the church age–to know Christ is to have wisdom– Lord grant us Wisdom!
I Cor. 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Understanding that God is the giver of these gifts is the key. There is no room for pride when we recognize this. A surgeon’s tools by themselves are nothing without the surgeon’s brilliance in using them. God is our brilliant Surgeon!