Think about the last time you needed someone’s help. Maybe you couldn’t reach the top shelf at a grocery store or you asked some friends to help you move. Even though it’s hard for us to admit, we all need help sometimes. The same goes for the church—we need each other.
That’s Paul’s point in chapter 12. He wants the church to realize that we all need each other. We can’t be the church by ourselves. All of us make up Jesus’s people and all of us have a purpose.
Read back through 1 Corinthians 12. Write down or underline every time Paul uses words like “same” or “one” or “all.” Why do you think Paul uses such inclusive language?
1Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3So 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.
4There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
12The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
28Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. 29Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
1 Corinthians 12 (NLT)
The church operates as one unit, and Paul wants the Corinthians to see it that way.
Glance back over the verses in 1 Cor. 12:4-7. What’s the Spirit’s purpose in giving us different gifts?
The same Spirit works through each of us in unique ways. He does it for the common good of the church. The most important thing about spiritual gifts is that they are not for us. They are for everyone else for the sake of the church.
Paul lists several types of gifts in this chapter. That list isn’t exhaustive or prescriptive. The Spirit can use us however he sees fit.
It’s tempting to wrack our brains trying to figure out what kind of gift we have from God. But as the pastor encouraged us last Sunday, it’s not something to obsess over. We should be more concerned about meeting people’s needs in the local church. Faithfulness to God expressed in serving his people is much more important than having a clear-cut list of gifts to pick from.
We also heard on Sunday about stepping in when there’s a need, even when it’s not in an area you’re necessarily gifted. Read the verse in 1 Cor. 12:26. When one member of the church has a problem, everyone suffers. We should be ready to spring to help out other Christians when we see them in need. And we should also be open when we need help from others.
Take a moment to reflect on our local church. What’s one way you could use your talents and skills in our church? Write out a prayer asking God to show you how to love the people in our church.
We’re all in this church thing together. We need each other. We need you.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
I think similar to what I said yesterday is hanging with the kids and trying to minister to them is a talent and skill I can bring to rp that God has given me.
Dear God I know sometimes I can get pretty quiet around new environments and around new people so give me the courage to meet new people and help them feel welcomed in either rp or your kingdom. Amen.
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in trying to figure out our talent or skill but like the sermon from this week stated, instead of focusing on a skill or talent, we should be focusing on serving a need within our church. Like in the Old Testament when Solomon fulfilled the desire of David to build God a home, God gave the skills and talents to the Isralites as they needed so that they could build the temple as God required. Similarly, I think if we see a need in the church and we desire to fill it, I believe that God will provide the talent and skill required in order to fill that need. Whether that comes from ourselves or others within the church, God will provide. I pray that God will show me how I can love the people in RP and I hope that I can use whatever skills and talents that God gives me to serve Him and ultimately to further His Kingdom.