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The Apostle Paul commenced his letter to the Christians in Corinth on the practical aspects of the Christian life with matters covering morality, marriage, consumption of food, propriety in worship to spiritual gifts.  In 1 Cor. 10, Paul wrote about Israel’s history and warned the Corinthians not to be ignorant but to remember and learn from Israel’s past.  From the time of Moses, God was not pleased with the Israelites and these things in the past “occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things”.  About spiritual gifts, Paul wrote: “brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant”.  Their ignorance may lead them into actions or inaction which may displease the Lord.  Today, the question we pose ourselves is this: “Are we also ignorant?  Are we ignorant about spiritual gifts?”  By the power of the Holy Spirit we honour the Lordship of Christ when we have the full riches of complete understanding and are not “influenced and led astray” especially in this matter of spiritual gifts.

What might we be ignorant of?  What are some of these misconceptions or doubts? Some of them are:

1. We don’t believe that each of us have a gift or a number of spiritual gifts.
2. We don’t know and we don’t seek to know what our gifts are.
3. Some have the tendency to just equate gifts with natural abilities.
4. Some believe that all Christians must have a certain gift.
5. Some view one’s gift as a means of self-expression and personal fulfilment.

Paul detailed the variety of gifts that God has given and will give to His children.  There are gifts of wisdom and knowledge to the spectacular gifts of healing and miracles.  There are gifts of service to gifts of teaching and prophecy.   Repeatedly Paul stressed on these two phrases “different kinds” and “same Spirit”.  This repetition must convince us to recognize the importance he attached on the plurality of gifts for building up the whole Body of Christ.  Yet the singular empowering comes from the Holy Spirit and assuredly not by our own effort, intellect and natural abilities.  Spiritual gifts are given for the sole purpose of building up the church which is the community of believers.  In this matter of spiritual gifts we do well to remember this over-riding principle of believers’ freedom.  Paul encouraged us to strive for the believers’ freedom, not our freedom but our brother’s freedom, that “nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” (1 Cor. 10:24).  Therefore, as we seek to use our God-given spiritual gifts, we do it for the glory of God and the good of others.