“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. . . . The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:1,12)
The Bible describes a weird and wonderful thing that happens to every single person who puts his or her trust in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin. And, honestly, way too many of us are ignorant about it. Paul called this thing “spiritual gifts.” It’s the idea that we’re each given the supernatural ability — through the power of God’s Holy Spirit with us — to do certain things unnaturally well for a specific purpose.
Three major passages describe some of these gifts. Some churches teach that all the gifts are still “active” today; others say some of the sign gifts were needed only while the church was being established. What we’re going to focus on this week is not the what or how of spiritual gifts, but the why. What’s the point of this crazy power God hands out to His people through His Spirit?
Paul’s metaphor: a human body. The church — all of us who say Jesus is Lord of all — is often called “Christ’s body” in the New Testament. Like a human body, Paul writes, we’ve got lots of parts. That is, we’re all parts of His body. In other words, I’m a toe; you’re an eyelash, etc.
See, I told you this was going to be a weird and wonderful idea.
Think: What are some ways in which the church operates like a body?
Pray: Ask God to help you get a better understanding for why he gave you a spiritual gift.
Do: Speed drill: List as many body parts as you can think of in 3 minutes. Go.