God’s Special Gifts

St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

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1 Corinthians 12:1-11

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The Work of the Spirit

After meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, St. Paul realized that he was not alone. He realized that the Spirit was with him. At that time, he knew well about the law but he didn't really know about the Spirit. He was foreign to the world of the Spirit. The whole world of the Spirit opened up for him. It was the Spirit who opened his eyes and when his eyes were open, he was able to see who Jesus really was.

That's why he said in his epistle to Corinthians,

no one can say Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

Believing in Jesus Christ, knowing Jesus, and understanding him – they are all the work of the Spirit. On our own, we cannot know Jesus. We cannot know God. Unless God reveals himself to us through the Spirit. In that sense what our brain can do is limited in terms of knowing God. Knowing Jesus is not cerebral activity. Knowing Jesus is not an intellectual process. It is totally a different process.

The Spirit is with us. The Spirit is given to us. The Spirit guides us to go beyond our personal limitations. The Spirit gives us more understanding than what we can acquire through our intellectual process. The Spirit opens our eyes so that we can see beyond our mundane daily living. The Spirit gives us deeper understanding of our reality. The Spirit helps us to understand the meaning and purpose of our daily living. With the Spirit, we can see amazing things in life. With the Spirit, life becomes interesting. Never boring and dull.

The Spirit empowers us so that we can handle challenges that are beyond our ability. The Spirit gives us hope in hopeless situations. The Spirit gives us new strength when there is no power left in us. With the Spirit, we will soar like an eagle. The Spirit brings miracles and wonders. Life is full of wonders and amazement when the Spirit is with us.

The Spirit brings healing in our body, in our mind, and in our soul. When the Spirit is with us, our body finds its restoration and equilibrium. Our body becomes alive. When the Spirit is with us, our mind finds peace and calmness. Our mind finds quiet confidence. When the Spirit is with us, our soul becomes free from bondage. Our soul flies with freedom. That is what the Spirit does.

The Gifts of God

St. Paul called these things the gifts of God. I think he named it very well. The gifts of God. The Spirit brings God's special gifts to us. These gifts make our life beautiful.

There are many different boxes of gifts and one person does not possess them all. The Spirit distributes these different gifts to different people accordingly. But together we have them all. So in the community as a whole, we have all the gifts of the Spirit.

When we look at each person, each person is so unique. They all have very unique gifts. We should respect and honour each person's uniqueness. When we start seeing how the gifts of the Spirt work in each person in a unique way, we can respect and honour each person's unique existence. Each gift is beautiful and precious.

St. Paul lists some of those gifts.

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Beautiful gifts!

But these are not an exhaustive list of gifts of the Spirit. St. Paul talks about different gifts in other letters. There are many, many different gifts. Gift of empathy, gift of hospitality, gift of generosity, gift of leadership, gift of organization, gift of sharp insights, gift of encouragement, gift of sharing the good news, gift of prayer, gift of music and praise, gift of giving inspiration. I am saying all these different gifts because I see them in all of you. These are the gifts I see in my own congregation.

Individually I do not have them all. But together as a community, we have them all.

The key is we have to use these gifts for each other.

That's why St. Paul said,

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

Each gift is given for the common good.

We cannot be selfish about our gifts. We have to share our gifts for each other. Then we can benefit each other. We can edify each other through our gifts. But in return, we become edified through their gifts.

You may not have a gift of healing but others who have the gift of healing can bring healing to you. You may not have a gift of encouragement but others who have the gift of encouragement can comfort you and give encouragement. You may not have a gift of knowledge but others who have a gift of knowledge and insight can open your eyes.

So when we start sharing our gifts willingly for the common good, this community will become blessed to see the manifestations of all these gifts. In that way, we can go beyond ourselves. I cannot do it alone. But together we can do it.

Sharing Gifts

Then let us think about what we can do concretely.

First, we all need to be filled with the Spirit. How can we be filled with the Spirit? Simple! Ask! Simply ask God to give you the Spirit.

That was what Jesus said.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13)

Secondly, after you ask for being filled with the Spirit, you have to explore your unique gifts. Ask yourself. What are you good at? What do you feel compelled to do? What are you passionate about? What stands out in your life?

Believe that you are a very unique person. God made it that way. You are beautiful and precious as you are. Seeing who you are, the Spirit gave you specific and unique gifts to you. Find that. God knows you more than you know yourself. So he put certain gifts in you. Find that. It's like a treasure hunt.

How many gifts you have is not what's important. It is not about the quantity. The important thing is to find your own unique gift. Finding that unique gift is to find your own unique life. It can be a long process too It is all right. Don't arbitrarily choose what you see on the surface. Let the Spirit guide you and show you.

So ask to be filled with the Spirit. Then find your unique gift the Spirt gave you. Finally, once you find your own unique gift, use it for the common good. Don't keep it to yourself. Use it for others. If you use them, your gifts become sharpened. When you start using your gifts for others, you will find meaning and purpose in life. At times, yes, you will find it burdensome to live out your gifts but as a whole you will find deep joy in living out your gifts.

That is how we live an authentic life. That is how we think critically about our life.

When we start using our gifts for each other, this community will enjoy the gifts of God abundantly.

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