1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Scripture: 1 Cor. 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 

1 Cor. 12:5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;

1 Cor. 12:6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

1 Cor. 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Teaching: These verses are fairly clear, and should be taken plainly. Yet, that is not always the case. After asserting in verses 1-3 that the Spirit is the cause for any declaration of faith, Paul says in these verses that same Spirit is the cause for spiritual gifts. These gifts are not determined by us, nor do they simply magnify something we already had within us before coming to faith. The gifts vary, and each of us receives some level and form of gifting as determined by the Lord. Thus, spiritual gifting is not a competition nor is it something to incite jealousy. It is not up to us who gets what kind of gifting! Importantly, we are not to expect everyone to have the same spiritual gifting. We are not to expect everyone to serve the Lord in the same way. As Paul says in verse 6, when we see believers serving the Lord in different ways than us, we are not to be jealous or look down on them because it is the “same God who empowers them” as us. Each has been given the Spirit for the common good of the body of Christ. These are fundamental principles of spiritual gifting that Paul will come back to over and over as he discusses certain issues in Corinth. 

Takeaway: How do we know our spiritual gifting? It is not some personality quiz or in doing things we already like doing, as some like to oversimplify it to be. Consider first where faith comes from. As Paul said in verses 1-3, faith, or a true declaration that “Jesus is Lord,” comes by the Spirit. It is the Spirit moving upon our hearts that brings us to faith. By extension, it is the Spirit moving through the one who brought the message of the Gospel to us. That is how spiritual gifting works — it is not our actions or words having the eternal, spiritual effects, but rather the Spirit working through those actions or words. Thus, we do not discover our spiritual gifting by doing what we like doing or what we are already doing, but rather by observing what we do that yields the most fruit! That yields the greatest harvest! To learn this though, the old saying that “God can’t steer a stationary vehicle” holds true. You’ll only discover how the Spirit is working through you when you start serving the Lord in obedience. Start saying yes to opportunities for ministry. Then, take note of what form of your obedience yields the most fruit for the Kingdom. This may not be something you are comfortable doing — most often, it won’t be. God calls us out to serve Him not in our own strength but in His. When we serve Him reliant upon the Spirit, we see the Spirit move and we know it is Him doing the work, not ourselves. That is a true joy in behold. Look to what it is you do that yields Kingdom impact and you’ll know you’re seeing your spiritual gift.