Spiritual Gifts
So I was reading and discussing 1 Corinthians 12 with Bazz yesterday (because he’s preaching on that this Sunday in our 1 Corinthians series) and we’re talking about Spiritual gifts and what makes a Spiritual gift different from a skill or natural ability?
Then it hit me. Surely a gift is only a Spiritual gift when it used for the common good of God’s people, the church – his body (12:8). So somebody may be gifted naturally in playing piano (which ultimately is a gift from God) but is only a Spiritual gift when used in service for the common good of God’s people.
You may have thought of this before, but this is a bit of a revelation to me and it helps explain the difference between gifted non-christians and those christians who are gifted to serve the church…
Heres an example: Someone who has been gifted with wealth, which is common among both christians and non-christians (perhaps more so) is a gift from God for both, but it’s a Spiritual gift for the Christian when they use their wealth for the common good of God’s people.
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We discussed this a bit in our growth group a couple of months ago as we were looking at Ephesians. Paul touches on the gifts of God (described here as Grace but I believe in the greek it’s possibly meaning spiritual gifts as opposed to saving grace)and how we are to be using them to build up the body of Christ…
Eph 4:7-16
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b] 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
True, although the gifts here are people (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor teachers) and not the things themselves.
But it is (as you point out) for building up the church not for the benefit of professional speaking or to be famous etc.