Discovering God's Will week 4
Introduction
Learning to Love Week 1
Learning to Love Week 2
Learning to Love Week 3
Learning to Love Week 4
Learning to Love Week 5
Learning to Love Week 6
Learning to Love Week 7
Discovering God's Will Week 1
Discovering God's Will Week 2
Discovering God's Will week 3
Discovering God's Will week 4
Discovering God's Will week 5
Discovering God's Will week 6
Discovering God's Will Week 7
Time for a Checkup week 1
Time For a Checkup week 2
Time For a Checkup week 3
Time For a Checkup - week 4
Time For a Checkup week 5
Developing Our Gifts 
1 Corinthians 12:4-31
 
In last weeks session, we focused on the topic of spiritual gifts and talked about discovering our own gifts.  Today we will explore the subject further as we discuss how the gifts can and should be used to serve God.
 
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4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.     7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 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. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.          12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.       14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?     20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.     21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.    27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.        28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
1 Corinthians 12:4-31  NIV

In chapters 12 - 14 of 1 Corinthians, Paul is dealing with the third and final issue of the worship experience of the Corinthian church: abuse of the gift of tongues <languages>. His emphasis here is on the variety of gifts given by the Spirit, in contrast to the Corinthians' preoccupation with one particular gift. 
Paul is telling the Corinthians, and us, that EVERY gift comes from the same Spirit.  Again he uses the illustration of the body.  The foot can not say "Because I am not a hand I'm not part of the body."  Sounds sort of silly, now doesn't it?  Yet, as members of the body of Christ, we can not say "Because I am not a Missionary, I'm not part of Christ's body."  Or "Because I'm not a Deacon or a teacher,  I'm not important."    In the same way, the hand can not say to the eye "I don't need you!"  or the head say to the foot "I don't need you!"  As Christians, we can not say to a fellow Christan "I don't need you!"    On the contrary, we all need each other.  As a matter of fact, when considering the human body, God has made the seemingly weakest, at least the less glamorous, parts the most necessary.  Paul tells us to desire the greater gifts.  In chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, he goes on the explain that the greatest gift of all is love. 
 
When you think about spiritual gifts and consider the special place you have in the body of Christ, and how you can use your gifts to best serve the body, you need to thank God for the special place He has given you (even if it does not seem very important or glamorous), and ask Him to help you to use your spiritual gifts with wisdom, love and humility.

THINK ABOUT IT:
 
When have you been part of a team where everyone worked together as a unit for the common good?
 
What happens in the human body when one organ takes over, or one organ malfunctions?  How does this illustration apply to the use of gifts in the church?
 
How does thes passage affect what you think about your place in the body of Christ, and your need for others?
 
How do you (or could you) use your gifts within the church, Christ's body?  What holds you back from using yur gifts more fully?
 
 

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