Unity and Diversity: Embracing Spiritual Gifts in the Church

Now here in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 Paul is bringing up the issue of what many people call spiritual gifts uh particular gifts or Graces given by the Holy Spirit poured out upon his people given for the benefit of all and if you notice this list that we read through that Paul described many of these gifts they have a miraculous character to them many of the gifts do uh a gift of Prophecy to be able to uh say a word that's from God sometimes predicting the future something uh Supernatural in knowledge Supernatural in wisdom working of Miracles Gifts of healings. [00:01:13]

Calvary Chapel churches are often respected for their biblical balance when it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their church and their place I should say in church life a lot of people uh I think get off on one end or another Extremes in the gifts of the Spirit some people believe that God no longer gives miraculous gifts to the church and while we certainly believe that he does other people believe that those miraculous gifts should be made the centerpiece of church life and calary Chapel churches believe that the gifts are for today but they're not to be the centerpiece of the church the word of God is to be the centerpiece of the church. [00:03:34]

The Bible never splits them up into categories like that the Bible always freely intermixes the gifts and so I'm just trying to say that if you want to section off one set of gifts given by God and say they're no longer given by God today you're the one doing the sectioning God hasn't done it you're applying an artificial division upon the scriptures so more accurately the question would be are all of the gifts of the Spirit for today are some of them no longer being given by God after all the teachers who go out and teach that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are not being given today they believe that they have the gift of teaching and so they believe that some of the gifts are being given. [00:06:21]

The natural consistent testimony of the New Testament is that the miraculous gifts described in the New Testament have not been retracted no one with a fresh reading of the scriptures could ever come to such an understanding I'm convinced of it I'm convinced that you couldn't just put a Bible in front of somebody have them read through it and say oh no we know that's not for today again because there's no expiration date there's no time limit you have to read that into the text there's absolutely no indication in the New Testament that these miraculous gifts would die out when the apostles died out there's no distinction made between sign gifts or miraculous gifts and other gifts in the New Testament they always come as a package. [00:11:00]

The primary reason for the miraculous gifts are to bless the body of Christ now can I just ask you a simple question does body of Christ need blessing today absolutely it does I don't think it's any diminished from it was in the days of the Apostles if the need is still there the gift is still there friends. [00:10:43]

The body cannot work properly if all our hands or if all our eyes the body must have different parts or gifts or it would not work effectively together oh friends we're not here listen we're not here like some corny diversity training thing where you know you just learn to teach how to tolerate diversity or this that forget it it's nothing to be tolerated it's nothing to just be accepted in the church friends it's essential why why now you may be resenting it me say why God make me a foot and them a hand it's the hands that got all the action or or the eyes yeah that's where the glamour is I'm just an ear what good am I for you know nobody I I never get to face the action the ears say I'm always on the side it's the eyes they got the glamour spot. [00:30:05]

The parts of the body work together the eyes and the ears do not only serve themselves they serve the whole body the hand hands just don't feed themselves they feed the whole body the hands defend the whole body the heart doesn't just Supply blood for itself it pumps it out to the whole body now sometimes there is a part of our body which only serves itself it doesn't do anything for any other part of the body it doesn't contribute it only takes and it only cares about feeding and growing itself do you know what we call that part of our body cancer friends don't be a cancer in the body of Christ God wants you and has placed you to be a blessing to other people. [00:36:41]

Now you are the body of Christ and members individually and God is appointed these in the church first apostles second prophets third teachers after that Miracles then Gifts of healings helps administrations variety of tongues are all Apostles are all prophets are all teachers are all workers of Miracles do all have gifts of healings do all speak with tongues do all interpret but earnestly desire the best gifts and yet I show you a more excellent way Paul is summing up his previous point he says listen you're the body of Christ you're a body together but you're each members individually you each have your own function your own Niche your own gifts your own capabilities. [00:38:31]

The best gifts it's not wrong to seek God for gifts but what are the best gifts well I know what the best gifts are the best gifts are the ones that make me look the most spiritual right Lord don't give me the gift that helps that could be sweeping the parking lot Lord give me the gift of Miracles that's what I want God no that's not the best gift do you know what the best gift is I believe that the best gift is the one that's needed at the time isn't that the best gift whatever the Holy Spirit wants to do and that's the heart you should have friends don't be afraid of what God can do in you or through you by the power of the Holy Spirit just make yourself available say Lord I want the best gifts if there's a need here tonight that you want to meet through me naturally or supernaturally Here I Am Lord. [00:49:02]

The more excellent way it's a way of living that doesn't focus on the gifts it focuses on love and isn't this where many Christians get lost they get excited about the supernatural work of God and then they start to focus upon it friends God doesn't want your focus there he wants it to be on him and on his love do you know what the gifts are they're merely ways that we can can express and receive love from God and love to one another you know what the gifts are they're containers and what's in the container is what's important not the containers themselves. [00:50:28]

The Bible says that when the Antichrist this great political and social and economic ruler that the Bible says is coming in the very last days the Bible says that when he arises to power he will do so using lying signs and wonders friends it's a wrong way to think to think that the miraculous or the supernatural always authenticates the truth and I would say it goes against what the Bible reveals the primary purpose of Miracles were you know when Jesus went around doing miracles do you think it was to prove who he was now he allowed the Miracles to Bear witness of himself he says that specifically but I don't think that was the primary reason if the primary reason was to prove who he was listen Jesus I would have done better than healing a few blind people and lepers you know go to Rome right go to the media capital of the world and do them in front of the movers and shakers not in obscure Galilean Villages get it straight Jesus no do you know the the primary reason why Jesus did miracles to show the love of God to needy people. [00:15:11]

The history of Christianity also demonstrates Beyond any doubt that the gifts of the Spirit did not pass away when the apostles died um I've read the writings of the early church fathers and I I've read their comments relevant to this point they talk about miraculous gifts in their own day they do plain and simple that's all there is to it and some people you know just miss this point let me read to you a quote from a from a fellow who believes this very strongly and uh he wrote in a book that he wrote called the charismatics and this is a quote from his book he says by the second century the apostles were gone and things were changed Alva mlan said when the church appears in the 2 Century the situation as regards the miraculous is so changed that we seem to be in another world the apostolic age was unique and it ended history says it Jesus say says it theology says it and the New Testament itself attest of the fact well I mean we could talk a lot about what the Bible says and we already have about this issue but friends uh my education is as uh as in history and in historical studies and I can just tell you flat out if you just look for the historical evidence I don't know what this guy's talking about because you have writers from the second and third and fourth Century attesting to the presence of miraculous gifts in the church in their day. [00:19:44]