Spiritual Gifts – Many Members, One Body (1 Cor. 12:12-31)

[We apologize for the poor sound quality of this recording]

[Sung Psalm: 133]

As we saw last time, we need to remember that there is more to church life than the gifts. Paul said that there are “varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, varieties of service (or ministry) but the same Lord, varieties of activities (or workings) but the same God who empowers them.”

Think about how “gifts, services, and activities” work together: if you are a Sunday school teacher, the Lord Jesus has called you to that ministry/service; God has given you his power/energy for that work; and the Spirit has equipped you with the gifts to do it.

Or, if you have a friend in your neighborhood who is hurting: the Lord Jesus has called you to be his agent in ministering to that person; the Father has given you his power/energy for that work; and the Spirit has equipped you with the gifts to do it.

You can’t just say, “Oh, that’s not my gift!” If the Lord says “Help that person” – then he has called you to help them! Think of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Everyone agreed that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. The question was: “Who is my neighbor?”

What would have happened if the Good Samaritan had looked at the poor Jew in the ditch and said, “Oh, that’s not my gift!”?

No, the Lord Jesus has called you to love your neighbor – and God the Father has empowered you with his energy – and the Holy Spirit has graciously gifted you to accomplish his purposes!