Spiritual Gifts – It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
Pastor Tan Thai · Oct 1, 2013
This sermon teaches that spiritual gifts are given to all believers not for personal enjoyment but to serve and build up the Body of Christ. The pastor emphasizes that gifts must be developed through trials and used to strengthen and mature fellow believers in the church.
The sermon opens with the familiar image of receiving gifts, distinguishing between two types: gifts for personal enjoyment and gifts for service. From this, the pastor introduces the central theme: spiritual gifts are given to every believer without exception, but their purpose is not personal use—they are given for the common benefit of the Church. Four key passages on spiritual gifts are cited: Romans 12:3–8, 1 Corinthians 12:1–11, Ephesians 4:11–13, and 1 Peter 4:10–11.
The pastor points out that before listing any gifts, Scripture consistently warns against pride and calls believers to unity within the Body of Christ. He uses the painful image of children quarreling over Christmas gifts to illustrate the sad reality in many churches where believers use their gifts to criticize and tear down rather than build up. Two concrete goals are presented: sharing gifts to strengthen one another (Romans 1:11–12), and helping every person mature in Christ until they reach the full measure of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13).
The sermon then addresses the necessity of practicing and developing spiritual gifts, rather than expecting them to work automatically like instant noodles. The pastor uses the image of the desert to teach that gifts are often granted after a person has passed through seasons of trial and silence, which deepen their self-knowledge and their relationship with God. Examples given include Moses (40 years in the wilderness), David (nearly 15 years as a fugitive), the twelve apostles, and Paul—all trained in obscurity before being powerfully used by God.
In the closing section, the pastor draws on the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30) to emphasize that unused gifts become worthless. He also references biblical figures such as Thomas, Job, David, and Solomon, noting that they are remembered not for what they received but for what they left behind. The sermon concludes with a call for every believer to shift focus from receiving gifts to considering what legacy they will leave for the Church and for the world.