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1 Cor 12:1 . . . Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren
1 Cor 12:31 . . . But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
1 Cor 12:4 . . . Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1 Cor 12:.7 . . . But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1 Corinthians 12 is the Gifts of the Spirit chapter, in the first verse we are encouraged not to be ignorant about the gifts, and we need to know about them. In the last verse we are told to desire the best gifts and yet there is a more excellent way. The more Excellent way is 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter, for the gifts operate through love. They are for all, you need to care for others, the manifestation of the gifts are for the body of Christ, that the whole body may profit.
In v.1 we see that gifts is not in the original Greek manuscripts, gifts is used throughout the chapter to refer to the manifestation of the Spirit. So we see that v.1 says concerning spiritual, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
spiritual = non-carnal
Webster's dictionary "WD." spiritual = relating to the spirit
WD. carnal = relating to bodily pleasure
We are to be spiritual; we are to relate to the spirit not bodily pleasures.
1 Cor 12:8 - 12 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
charisma, = a (divine) gratuity, i.e. deliverance (from danger or passion); (spec.) a (spiritual) endowment, i.e. (subj.) religious qualification, or (obj.) miraculous faculty:--(free) gift.
WD. charisma = charm/magnetic personality
These gifts are spiritual endowments which equip us, to serve God. Spiritual gifts enable God's children to do his work. What we need to do is to learn to cooperate with the Spirit and release the anointing of the Spirit of God that is in us, we must recognize the difference between our spirit and the Holy Spirit. We must not depend on our own thoughts and activities or on our own personality.
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
The gifts vary from person to person as the Spirit wills. The Diversity of gifts should unite the church, the body of Christ, they do not cause division in the body of Christ, divisions come from those walking in the flesh, carnal. The variety of gifts is for the good of all. Christians are given gifts so they can serve each other. Anyone who uses a gift to create disunity among God's people is misguided, Diotrephes in 3 John was misguided. Gifts are for building up the entire church, not for making one person feel proud and another feel left out.
3 John 1:9,10 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
1 Cor 12:14,15 and 18 and 24,25 KJV For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
A body has many parts serving different functions. The church consists of people serving Christ in many ways according to the manifestation of the Spirit flowing through them.
1 Cor 12:5 - 7 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1 Cor 14:1 . . . Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
We are to pursue, to seek after the gifts while letting the Spirit determine the gifts we need that can be best used for the common good of the church rather than for our own personal benefit. Each gift is given as God determines. We are only instruments that God uses for His purposes. We need all the gifts in the body of Christ the church.
Rom 12:4 - 6 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
The gifts of the Spirit are divine communications transmitted from the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, the church.
| 1) Unity | 2) Love |
Power without love can be disastrous.
The gifts primarily operate in three areas.
1) Revelation
2) power
3) Inspiration
| 1) The word of wisdom | 2) The word of knowledge | 3) The discerning of spirits |
In the gifts of revelation, God reveals something from heaven to man, something revealed by the Spirit of God to man, something not naturally received.
Mat 16:17 and Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
| 1) Faith | 2) Gifts of Healing | 3) Working of Miracles |
In the gifts of power, God does something for man. He imparts His own divine energy and abilities.
Acts 19:11,12 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
| 1) Prophecy | 2) Tongues | 3) Interpretation of tongues |
In the gifts of inspiration, God brings blessing to the church by edification, exhortation and comfort.
1 Cor 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
A) The WORD OF WISDOM is when, God imparts to you wisdom "sound judgmen" as you need it.
B) The WORD OF KNOWLEDGE is the revealing of a fact which you would not naturally know.
C) The DISCERNING OF SPIRITS is the comprehension of the human spirit, discerning what some one says, if it is correct or incorrect, whether it is from their spirit or God's or the devil and such like.
D) The GIFT OF FAITH is the ability imparted to have faith for God to bring to pass a supernatural thing; God gives great faith to believe Him to acted in an extraordinary way.
E) The GIFT OF WORKING OF MIRACLES is when a person supernaturally does something by the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, that normally defies the laws of nature.
F) The GIFTS OF HEALING is when God supernaturally heals the sick.
G) The GIFT OF TONGUES is the ministry of speaking in another language which is not understood by the person giving it. In your personal private time it is praying to God and building you up, in the church it is proclaiming a message from God in another language, and needs to be interpreted.
H) The GIFT OF INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES is when, without any mental faculties operating, the message that has been given in another language is interpreted supernaturally by the Spirit working through a human vessel.
I) The GIFT OF PROPHECY is the speaking forth of the words of edification, exhortation, or comfort, supernaturally given from God without human thinking.
Often the gifts operate together; we separate them to define them. The word of knowledge may come through prophecy or tongues and interpretation or may come through a dream or an angel might deliver it.
Some times through lack of understanding, we try to operate the gifts without the Spirit. Perhaps a gift has been manifested in you're life on occasion and you think, you have that gift now and can operate it at will. When we do that we get into trouble, walking in the flesh, our own wills. When some one tries to operate the gifts apart from the Holy Spirits leading, they can open them self's to deception, they can be deceived, by their own spirit.
All the gifts are a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit of God as he wills.
Rom 12:1 - 3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
To do the will of God involves discipline; we must be a living sacrifice. This begins with a mind set of doing good rather than evil to other people no matter how they treat you. We must not, be conformed to this world, doing things the way the world does. But we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, by meditating on God's word and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth.
Rom 12:5 - 9 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Gifts differing according to the grace "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life".
We need to seek the best gifts, what is the best gift? It is the gift that is needed at the moment. God may need you to speak to some one an encouraging word, of comfort, or of exhortation, or the Lord may want you to pray in the spirit, interceded for some one. Remember God wants unity in the body he wants, us to build each other up. We where created to give God glory, he may want you to sing in the spirit, to worship him. You need to desire for God to move throw you. Be filled with the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit. Grow in Gods grace, his divine influence upon your hearts.
1 Cor 14:12 . . . Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
