Making Full Use of the Gifts God Has Given
Pastor Tan Thai · Nov 3, 2013
This sermon presents the Holy Spirit's purpose in distributing spiritual gifts to every believer for the building up of the body of Christ. Every Christian is called to discover, develop, and use their gifts for the common good of the church, not for personal recognition.
This sermon, delivered on Sunday, November 3, 2013, is grounded in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 and emphasizes that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to every believer for two primary purposes: to unite believers for the glory of God, and to equip each person to accomplish the shared work of the church. Although the gifts are diverse and varied, they all originate from one Spirit, one Lord, and one God.
The sermon provides practical guidance on how to identify one's spiritual gifts — not through signs, miracles, or dreams, but through four practical means: studying Scripture to understand what God teaches about gifts, praying and asking God to reveal one's gifts, understanding one's own abilities and desires, and volunteering to try various forms of ministry to discover what is most fruitful and fitting. The preacher also encourages believers to seek the counsel of spiritually mature Christians for confirmation.
The sermon surveys the spiritual gifts listed across four key New Testament passages — Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 — and organizes them into two broad categories: sharing the Word of God and serving the work of God. The preacher also distinguishes between a spiritual gift and an official ministry role, citing examples such as David who had the gift of prophecy but was not a prophet by office, and Steven Kunkle, an insurance salesman with an exceptional gift for teaching who did not serve as a pastor.
The sermon concludes with a warning that talent or gifting exercised in pride or misused for wrong purposes is no longer functioning as a true spiritual gift — God may withdraw such capacity and use others instead. The proper measure of a gift's effectiveness is not comparison between individuals, but rather the transformation of believers' lives and the growth of the fruit of the Spirit within each local church. Finally, 1 Corinthians 13 is cited as a reminder that love is the more excellent way above all spiritual gifts.