First Things First: Christ at the Center of Every Gift

 

First Things First: Christ at the Center of Every Gift

Spiritual gifts can be exciting. We may admire someone who can preach with power, teach with clarity, sing beautifully, encourage others, organize effectively, or minister compassionately. Yet when Paul begins his discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, he does not begin with the gifts themselves. He begins with Jesus.

That is important because it is possible to become so interested in what God gives us that we lose sight of the One who gives it. We can become fascinated with our abilities, our ministry, our position, or even our usefulness to the church while forgetting that every gift is ultimately intended to point people to Christ.

Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:1–31 gives us three foundational truths about spiritual gifts and Christian service.

1. First Things First.

Whatever our gifts or ministry, we are called to focus on Jesus as our Savior, Healer, and, ultimately, as the One who equips us for service to help others (1 Cor. 12:1–3).

Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians about their former lives when they were led toward mute idols. They had experienced spiritual influences before becoming followers of Christ, but Paul wanted them to understand that genuine spiritual life is centered on Jesus. The decisive question is not simply, What spiritual gift do I have? The deeper question is, What is my relationship with Jesus?

That principle is just as important for us today.

We can become fascinated with spiritual gifts, ministries, positions, talents, and accomplishments. Someone may be a gifted speaker, but eloquence is not the same thing as spiritual maturity. Someone may have an extraordinary ability to lead, but leadership ability by itself does not guarantee Christlike character. Someone may be gifted in music, teaching, administration, evangelism, or encouragement, but the gift must never become more important than the Giver.

Jesus must come first.

This is especially important because ministry can gradually become about us rather than Christ. We may begin serving because we love Jesus, but eventually find ourselves wondering whether people appreciate us, whether our ministry is successful, or whether others recognize our contribution. When that happens, our attention has shifted.

Paul's message is essentially: Before we ask what God has given us to do, we must remember what God has done for us in Christ.

Jesus is our Savior before He is our Master of ministry. He is the One who rescues us, restores us, heals us, and calls us into service. Our ministry is not an attempt to earn God's favor. It is a response to the grace we have already received.

This also protects us from comparing ourselves with others. If Christ is at the center, we do not have to wish for somebody else's gift. We can simply ask, Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory?

The church does not need us to become someone else. It needs us to become faithful with what Christ has entrusted to us.

The gift is never the goal. Jesus is the goal.

When Jesus remains first, our gifts find their proper purpose. We serve not to draw attention to ourselves but to draw attention to Him.

2. One Spirit, Many Gifts.

Paul reminds his readers of the fact that all the gifts ultimately have the same origin, for it is God Himself who empowers His church with these gifts to bless and reach the world (1 Cor. 12:4–11).

Paul now turns directly to the variety of spiritual gifts. There are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working, but behind all of them is the same God.

This is a powerful antidote to division.

The Corinthians had a problem that can easily appear in churches today: people were placing value on certain gifts while looking down upon others. Some gifts appeared more impressive than others. Some forms of ministry attracted more attention. The result was competition rather than cooperation.

Paul reminds them that diversity does not mean inferiority.

The same Spirit gives different gifts to different people according to His will. That means we should not expect everyone in the church to serve in exactly the same way.

Imagine a church where everyone wanted to preach but nobody wanted to listen. Everyone wanted to lead but nobody wanted to serve. Everyone wanted to be seen but nobody wanted to work behind the scenes. Such a church would quickly become dysfunctional.

God intentionally gives different gifts because the needs of His people and the mission of the church are diverse.

Some people are gifted to teach. Others encourage. Some organize. Others show mercy. Some communicate publicly, while others minister quietly to individuals. Some are natural leaders. Others are exceptional servants who may never stand on a platform but whose faithfulness makes countless ministries possible.

None of these gifts is accidental.

Paul says that the Spirit distributes gifts "as He wills." That means our spiritual gifts are not trophies we have earned. They are gracious gifts entrusted to us for a purpose.

Therefore, there is no room for boasting.

If God has given us a particular ability, we should be grateful rather than proud. And if God has given someone else a gift that we do not possess, we should be grateful for that as well.

A healthy church does not ask, "Whose gift is more important?"

It asks, "How can all of our gifts work together to accomplish God's mission?"

The answer is found in the source of the gifts. There is one Spirit. There is one Lord. There is one God who works through all.

That should produce humility in the gifted, appreciation for others, and cooperation throughout the body of Christ.

God does not give spiritual gifts so that we can build our own platforms. He gives gifts so that His people can build one another up and reach the world.

3. One Body, Many Parts.

Paul introduces the metaphor of the body to illustrate the diversity of the gifts within the church and challenges his readers to keep looking at the big picture (1 Cor. 12:12–31).

Paul's illustration of the human body is one of the clearest pictures of Christian unity in Scripture.

The body has many parts. The eye is not the hand. The ear is not the foot. The heart is not the lungs. Each part has a different function, yet all are necessary for the health of the whole body.

Paul applies that picture to the church.

The church is not supposed to be a collection of identical people doing identical things. It is a body made up of different members who have different responsibilities but belong to one another because they belong to Christ.

This challenges two opposite attitudes.

The first is inferiority.

A person may look at another member of the church and think, "I'm not as gifted as that person, so I don't really matter." But Paul specifically challenges this thinking. The foot cannot say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body." The fact that a person has a different function does not make that person less valuable.

A quiet ministry is still ministry.

A person who visits the sick, prepares food for someone who is struggling, prays faithfully, encourages a discouraged church member, welcomes a visitor, teaches children, cleans a room, operates equipment, or quietly gives financial support may never receive public recognition. But heaven sees the value of faithful service.

The second attitude is superiority.

A person may think, "Because I have an important gift, I don't need anyone else." Paul says that is equally wrong. The eye cannot tell the hand, "I don't need you." Every part of the body needs the others.

That means Christian ministry is never supposed to be a competition.

We need one another.

The gifted preacher needs the faithful prayer warrior. The teacher needs the encourager. The leader needs the servant. The public ministry needs the people who work quietly behind the scenes. The person who appears strong may need the ministry of someone whose gift is compassion.

Paul takes this even further by saying that when one member suffers, all suffer, and when one member is honored, all rejoice.

That is what genuine Christian community looks like.

If someone is hurting, we do not say, "That's their problem."

If someone succeeds, we do not become jealous.

If someone receives recognition, we do not feel threatened.

If someone struggles, we move toward them.

If someone rejoices, we rejoice with them.

The body of Christ becomes strongest when its members stop asking, "How important am I?" and start asking, "How can I help the whole body?"

This is why Paul ends this section by encouraging believers to earnestly desire the greater gifts and then points toward "a more excellent way"—the way of love.

That connection is essential. Spiritual gifts without love can become sources of pride, division, and competition. But gifts exercised in love become instruments through which Christ ministers to His people.

We should therefore ask ourselves:

What has God entrusted to me?

Who can I bless with it?

How can I use it without seeking recognition?

Whose gift do I need to appreciate more?

And perhaps most importantly:

Am I using my gift to build the body of Christ or to build myself?

God has not called us to be the whole body. He has called us to faithfully be the part He has made us to be.

Summary

First Corinthians 12 teaches us that spiritual gifts must always be understood in the context of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church. First, Jesus must remain first—our gifts and ministries are meaningful only when they flow from a relationship with Him. Second, one Spirit gives many gifts—our differences are not reasons for competition but opportunities for cooperation and service. Third, one body has many parts—every member of the church has value, and no Christian is completely independent of others. When we put Christ first, appreciate the Spirit's diverse gifts, and recognize our need for one another, our gifts can become powerful instruments for blessing others and advancing God's mission.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts You have given Your people. Help us never to become so focused on our gifts that we forget the Giver. Keep Jesus at the center of everything we do. Teach us to recognize that every good gift comes from You and that each gift has a purpose in Your church.

Give us humility when You entrust us with abilities that others recognize, and give us contentment when our gifts are less visible. Keep us from jealousy, pride, comparison, and competition. Instead, teach us to appreciate the gifts of others and to rejoice when they are blessed and used by You.

Lord, show us how You want us to serve. Help us faithfully use what You have entrusted to us—not for personal recognition, but to strengthen Your church, encourage those who are hurting, and help others come to know Jesus.

Make us truly one body with many parts, working together in love. When one member suffers, teach us to care. When one rejoices, teach us to rejoice. When someone needs help, give us willing hearts to serve.

Above all, let everything we do point people back to Jesus. May our gifts never become the center. May Christ always be the center.

In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.

More on Lesson 6:  Spiritual Gifts  

3rd Quarter Sabbath School: 1st and 2nd Corinthians