1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NLT)
Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So 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. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He 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. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
For fear of getting bogged down in the “one” verses of Ephesians, we’ll move on to week five of the Back to the Basics series. (If you’d like more of the “one” verse discussion, let’s meet for coffee). Mostly review, John did mention one thing we have yet to elaborate on- passion. Yes, we touched on passion when it came to being as passionate about Jesus as we are about our favorite team or TV program or fitness regimen. This passion, however, deals with our spiritual gifts.
Anyone who completed those “Spiritual Gift” surveys the Pastor passed out realized something fairly quickly: your spiritual gifts are something you’re already passionate about. Most times anyway. For example, my wife Elizabeth tested extremely high in the giving category. One of her many passions (besides me of course) is giving to anyone who needs anything. Her time, money, talents, possessions, and dozens of other things. It's something I fell in love with her for and has always been a part of who she is. It's something she loves doing and is passionate about! God planted the gift in her and she waters it. And that is what the spiritual gifts are all about. A God-given gift intended for us to use to further His kingdom.
What I witness in my wife is similar for those of you who took the time to fill out the survey. God created each of us differently. Uniquely. Creative and diverse. These little variations set us apart from others. Some use such gifts and passions for selfish reasons; we, as believers, are called to use ours to help the entire body. To strengthen and encourage. And if we all (imagine that!) heed the Pastor’s challenge, the church’s vision, and God’s call and exercised these gifts, imagine the change that could take place not only among the Refugees, but in the entire community.
