More Gifts

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

MORE GIFTS

1 Cor 12:27-31

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And now I will show you the most excellent way.

NIV

As we had already concluded, that within the context of this whole letter and the fact that we are all part of the body of Christ and that each member has a function, this relates to the gifts of the Spirit and which gift He manifests in whoever He determines, and when He decides to manifest it. None of these gifts are up to us or relate to our abilities, knowledge, education, or training. There has been a school of thought contrary to this, in that they say our natural abilities are God-given and thus He designed each of us with certain gifts from birth. When we examine these scriptures, especially when it is totally within the determination of the Spirit, or as He decides, we have to come to the conclusion that theory about us being born with God-given talents, or gifts, is false as it relates to the gifts of the Spirit. However, it may be true that we are born with certain tendencies toward a particular interest, but both our genetics and environment growing up play a great role as to who we are and who become as adults, and what field of interest we participate in. Still, this is not to say that God does not direct our paths, however, it is most likely we would have to want to walk that path, asking or seeking the leading of the Spirit into all truth. It is doubtful that an atheist or agnostic would be seeking the path of God or are under his choice of path. Therefore having God direct our paths looks as though that only applies to believers. Nevertheless, after all that, we come to more gifts and a better understanding that each member, each believer has some gift that plays a specific role in the body. God is the one who appoints who he will to be an apostle. We need to first garner the truth of what it is to be appointed as an apostle. The Greek word carries the meaning of being an ambassador of the gospel, a delegate as one sent forth with orders. Certainly, it is specially applied to the twelve that Jesus chose, but that does not mean they were or are the only persons whom God has appointed as His ambassadors. Paul calls himself an apostle of Christ, and he was not one of the twelve, although as some would believe, that term is reserved for only those who personally saw Jesus. Because Jesus appeared to Paul, then he would fit that description. Yet, in this context, it appears some others could be apostles, or people selected by God to go forth, to be sent as His ambassadors of the gospel. This may well fit those who have been called into the mission field, as they certainly are ambassadors of the Gospel, and they have been sent. This may also apply to someone within the church, a person selected by God to be his ambassador in a lost world. When we think of the duties of ambassadors, we know they only speak for their sovereign, they do not speak on their own, but only with the authority of their sovereign. This may well fit many more people than we know, so that they may be other apostles within the church because this is one of the gifts of the Spirit.