1 Corinthians 12:4-11 by Micah Kilgore

[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; [5] and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; [6] and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. [7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Reflection

As I was preparing to preach this text (actually 12:1-11) my mind was captivated by the idea of speaking in tongues.  Is it still a gift available to us today?  Is it a “gift” that some people abuse for their fame?  Naturally I decided to start a Facebook thread for opinions.  I expected that I would get an argument, although I asked for the comments to be nice and discussion based.  However, across the board the responses were either to the point (still a gift, etc.) or reminded me that we should not attempt to decide for God what gifts He provides, and pointed me to v. 7.  Instead of “arguing” or debating our opinions on what gifts God wants His people to have, shouldn’t we focus instead on what we understand from the text?  He gave us ALL gifts as He saw fit, to be used for His glory and His honor, and the common good of His church.  Before you decide to ignore this question and get ready to argue your position, ask yourself these questions.  Do I use the gifts that God so graciously gave to me for His glory?  If you can answer yes, ask Him how you can continue to do so.  If you answered no, will you start using your gifts to God?

Prayer

Lord help me today to use the gifts you provided me with for the common good of your church locally or across the world.