Introduction: The British author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the
Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, was a devout Christian who wanted his books to awaken
people to the biblical struggle between good and evil. Tolkien also humbly believed
that all his creativity was a "supreme gift" which came straight from
God. While he was working as a university professor, Tolkien had the following
experience, which was the beginning of The Hobbit and then eventually The Lord
of the Rings:
"I was doing the dull work of
correcting exam papers when I came upon a blank page someone had turned in—a
boon to all exam makers. I turned it over and wrote on the back, "In a
hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" [that sentence would become the
first line for The Hobbit]. I'd never even heard of a hobbit or used the word
before. Said Tolkien"[1]
That divine inspiration of Tolkien
on that dull morning had to be from God. We know its outcome. Through his
writings, he helped lead his friend and an atheist, C.S. Lewis, to Christ. The
rest is history; these two literary giants have influenced so many people
worldwide.
Here is one example of someone
exercising his God-given extraordinary ability. God gives such exceptional
capabilities to some people, but to all of us, He gives a unique ability or
gift that would benefit us and others. How many successful people these days
attribute their success to God? In our passage, the Apostle Paul highlights
such God-given special abilities and their intended purpose. They are referred
to as Spiritual Gifts.
It appears that the Corinthian
believers were ignorant of the source and the intended use of Spiritual gifts. Not only the Corinthian Church but many Christians in the
21st century misunderstand these gifts. I want to clear such
misconceptions first and lay a foundation for understanding Spiritual Gifts. I Corinthians 12:1-7
Vs. 1, "Now, dear brothers and
sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives
us. I don't want you to misunderstand this." Paul was addressing here a
question of the Corinthian believers regarding the special abilities the Spirit
gives us. We don't know the exact question, but reading the rest of the passage
gives us a clue that it was about discernment.
They wanted to know whether a
specific manifestation was from the Holy Spirit or an evil Spirit. They needed
discernment. Don't we all need discernment? Especially when we are making
decisions about life or death. Don't we want to know whether we are being led
by the Holy Spirit or led astray by evil spirits? Did you know discernment is a
gift from God?
Vs.2 "You know that when you
were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless
idols." Many Corinthians were pagans before they followed Christ. They
were, worshipping idols and were being led astray by evil spirits. Some were
being carried away by those evil spirits yet claimed to be prophesying in the
Spirit.
I. How do we discern the Holy Spirit from
Evil spirits?
Vs.3, "So I want you to know
that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say
Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit." Paul gives them a
clue on how to find out whether or not someone was speaking by the Holy Spirit.
What a person believes and says about Jesus Christ is proof of whether he
speaks from the Holy Spirit.
If the speaker affirms the Lordship
of Jesus, it is from the Holy Spirit. Satan always attacks the person of Jesus,
whereas the Holy Spirit affirms Jesus' Lordship. John
16: 13-15, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all
truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard…He will
bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to
the Father is mine; this is why I said,
"The Spirit will tell you
whatever he receives from me." Even today, if we want to discern whether a
specific manifestation is from the Holy Spirit, observe who is it glorifying,
Jesus Christ or someone else?
II. Who is the giver of the spiritual
gifts, and what is the intended purpose?
After clarifying their
misunderstanding, he explains the giver and the intent of the giver of
Spiritual Gifts. Vs. 4-6, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts,
but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are
different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in
different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us."
There is so much packed in these
three verses. Paul referred "to different kinds of spiritual gifts,
telling us that there is more than one gift. How many? We will look at it
later. He also referred to "different kinds of service." Indicating
that there are varieties of services, and these gifts help us serve one another
and the cause of Christ in our communities.
He also shows us the interaction of
the Triune God in administering these gifts. In Vs. 4 we see, "The Holy
Spirit." In Vs. 5, "The Lord Jesus." In Vs. 6, "God the
Father." The Greek grammar in verse six points to God the Father.
Therefore, it is better not to call these gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are
spiritual gifts given as much by Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy
Spirit. A point of observation, in verse 1, the word "gift" is
inserted. The translation should be: "Now concerning spiritual
matters," i.e., anything about the spiritual welfare of man.
We see this translation in Young
Literal Translation, which reads, "And concerning the spiritual things,
brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant." So, when we discuss spiritual
gifts, they must be viewed primarily as concerning spiritual welfare. It
doesn't mean that they don't have implications for our physical and emotional
wellbeing. What is a spiritual gift? A
spiritual gift? A spiritual gift is a unique ability empowered by the triune
God to accomplish a specific purpose of God in the time frame which God
permits. For example.
III. Where did Samson get his power from
to do great exploits in the OT?
Samson was born in
a crucial time of Israel's history to accomplish a divine mission of God. As he
grew up, "The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him." On three
occasions, the Spirit of the Lord powerfully came upon him, "he ripped a
lion's jaw with bare hands, killed thirty men one time and with the jawbone of
a donkey, killed, one thousand Philistines. (Judges13-16)
After some time, he falls in love
with Delilah. You know the rest of the story. The Lord leaves him for a while
by handing him over into the hands of the Philistines. One last time in a state
of blindness and utter helplessness, he cries out to the Lord to strengthen him
so that he can take vengeance on Philistines. Then Samson pushes the two center
pillars that held up the temple. The temple came down, along with Philistines,
killing everyone, including Samson.
It is said, "he killed more
people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime." Samson's
story is one example that God empowers specific individuals with unique
abilities to accomplish his purposes in that given time frame. Besides
achieving his objectives, what else has God in mind by giving spiritual gifts
to people?
Vs. 7, "A spiritual gift is
given to each of us so we can help each other." Spiritual gifts are given
not just for our benefit but to help each other to grow into the fulness of
Christ. How can we help each other in Hope Church? By serving one another. I Peter 4:10, "God has given each of you a gift from
his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."
Serving comes in different forms. To do that
effectively, God gives a variety of gifts to His people. What can we take away
from this passage? Not every manifestation is from the
Holy Spirit, and we need discernment to test the spirits. God gives different
gifts to different people, but in the end, it is God who works in and through
all of us. When we exercise our God-given spiritual gifts well, everyone
benefits both inside and outside the Church. Amen!
