Know: Contrast the fruit of the Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit. Analyze the difference between the two, and discover the Holy Spirit’s divine purpose for spiritual gifts.
Feel: Appreciate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and foster a desire to use his or her God-given gifts to build up the body of Christ, and reach out in service to others.
Do: Be sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit in the impartation of spiritual gifts, and choose to use these gifts to glorify God.
Learning Outline:
Know: Understanding the Gifts of the Spirit
A How do we define the gifts of the Spirit? What is a spiritual gift?
B Who determines who receives each gift?
C What is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit?
Feel: Understanding Our Individual Gifts
A Why is it so easy to overlook the spiritual gifts God gives to us?
B When we feel envious of other multigifted people, what does this really say about our attitude toward God?
Do: Understanding the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts
A What is the purpose of the gifts that the Holy Spirit imparts?
B How do the gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to relate positively to other church members?
C What function do spiritual gifts have in building up the body of Christ and ministering in the community?
Summary: When we respond positively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to know Christ intimately, the Holy Spirit imparts gifts, or divinely endowed capacities, to each one of us, as He wills, in order to build up the body of Christ, to serve the community at large, and to glorify God.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to each believer to build up Christ’s church and to accomplish Christ’s mission in the community. Our Lord has not given us a task without equipping us for that task. He has not given us a mission without giving us the necessary gifts to fulfill the mission. The gifts of the Spirit are given to each believer in order that he or she may fulfill a role as a member of the body of Christ in glorifying God through ministry in the body.
Just for Teachers: This week’s lesson reveals one of the most powerful principles in the entire Bible for growing healthy churches. God has given every member gifts for ministry in the church and in the community. He or she may not realize what those gifts are, but the Holy Spirit has imparted them. When we recognize the gifts that God has given us and use them to His glory, the church functions as a healthy body.
Encourage your class members to pray that God will help them recognize their gifts, and guide them in using these gifts to advance His kingdom. Share the thought that the same Holy Spirit that imparts the gifts will reveal to each one of us which gifts He has imparted and how to best use them in Christ’s service. When we are sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit and are completely committed to Christ and His work, the Spirit will guide us in discerning our gifts, and teach us how to best use them to glorify God.
Opening Discussion: Let’s read together the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:27, 28 and Romans 12:6–8. If you could choose to have any one of these gifts, which one would you choose? Why would you choose that particular gift? What makes that gift desirable to you?
Can you remember a special birthday or Christmas as a child when you wanted something badly but were disappointed when you did not get it? This disappointment happened to a little girl who prayed for an elephant. She longed for a baby elephant as a pet. There was nothing she wanted more than a real elephant. Do you think her parents bought her a baby elephant to keep in the backyard? Certainly not! They were much wiser than this little girl. There are times when we pray for our “elephants,” but God is much wiser than we are and imparts the gifts to us that He best knows we will use to glorify His name in service for Him.
Questions for Discussion:
Why do you think the Holy Spirit chooses the gifts for each believer and does not encourage us to pray for a specific gift?
What gifts are we encouraged to seek? (See 1 Cor. 12:30, 31.)
What is the difference between a spiritual gift and a natural talent?
Why is the topic of spiritual gifts so encouraging?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Each of God’s gifts is given to us out of the abundance of His grace and love. It is because He loves His church so deeply that He imparts to us gifts to build up His church. Although each Christian cannot do everything, each one of us can do something for Christ. Each one has been given gifts for service.
Although these gifts vary, they all are necessary for a healthy, functioning church. There are no superior and inferior gifts. The gift of helps is just as important to the church as the gift of healing. The gift of hospitality is just as important as the gift of proclamation. The gift of generosity is just as important as the gift of administration. Can you imagine a church without those who had the gift of helps, the gift of hospitality, or the gift of generosity? It certainly would be a cold, self-centered, inward-focused group of people. Every gift is essential. As the apostle Paul so aptly puts it, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. . . . Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1 Cor. 12:18, 22, NKJV). Help your class to understand that each member is necessary, each one has been given gifts by God, and each one is called by God to use those gifts, whether they are large or small, for the advancement of His kingdom.
Bible Commentary
I. The Holy Spirit Imparts Spiritual Gifts for Service (Review 1 Corinthians 12:11 with the class.)
The Corinthian church was fraught with serious spiritual problems. There was jealousy, envy, and strife among the members (1 Cor. 3:3, 4). Immorality crept into the church (1 Cor. 5:1). Some members even threatened to take others to the civil courts to solve their problems (1 Cor. 6:1). There were arguments over eating meat that had been offered to idols, an abuse of the Lord’s Supper, and a misuse of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 8, 11, 14). The church at Corinth was divided, filled with conflict, and threatened with a schism.
It is in this context that the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes to them about spiritual gifts as a unifying force. He outlines three key points about spiritual gifts in the life and ministry of the church:
A sovereign God gives the gifts as He chooses. We do not choose which gifts we receive. He chooses which gifts He gives.
Every believer receives at least one specific gift imparted by the Holy Spirit.
The function of all of the gifts is to glorify God by building up the church, unifying the body of Christ, and reaching out in mission to the community.
It is the same Holy Spirit who imparts each gift to believers. Paul makes this point too plain to be misunderstood. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11, NKJV). Ellen G. White adds, “To every person is committed some peculiar gift or talent which is to be used to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 618. Each one of us has been given a particular gift by Christ to be used in His service. No one is left out. Every gift is necessary in order to build God’s kingdom and advance His cause.
Consider This: What is the function of spiritual gifts? How do the gifts serve as a unifying force in the church?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Just for Teachers: Guide your class in a practical discussion on how to discover their gifts and how to use them in Christ’s service. Point out that the same Holy Spirit who has imparted gifts will reveal those gifts. Here are a few steps to help your class discover the gifts God has given:
Commit your life to Christ, and thank Him for the gifts of the Spirit He has given you.
Ask Him to reveal those gifts.
Analyze the areas of witness and service you feel God is calling you to and then get involved in service.
Remember that our gifts do not come developed fully. The more we use the gifts that God has given, the more they will grow, and the more efficient we will become in using them.
Look for some affirmation from other members of the body of Christ that God has gifted you in particular areas.
Thought Questions:
When we commit our lives to Jesus and are baptized, He promises to send His Spirit to strengthen us in order that we may face the temptations of Satan and to impart spiritual gifts for service. Why is it that, at times, we fail to recognize our gifts?
How can we know which gifts God has given us?
Application Questions:
How can we help one another to discover our spiritual gifts?
What gifts do other class members have? Consider your Sabbath School class. Invite members to name some of the gifts they see in other members of the class.
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: As we discover the gifts that God has given us, and use them to build up His church and to witness in the community, we will find joy in service. Spiritual satisfaction occurs when we use the gifts we have been given in order to bless others. We take no glory for these gifts, because we know that they are gifts given by a loving Lord to advance His cause.
Activities:
What gifts has God given you, and how can you more effectively use those gifts in service.
Think of some creative project for your Sabbath School class that uniquely uses the gifts of each member. How can you collectively use your gifts for the cause of Christ?
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Key Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Summary: When we respond positively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to know Christ intimately, the Holy Spirit imparts gifts, or divinely endowed capacities, to each one of us, as He wills, in order to build up the body of Christ, to serve the community at large, and to glorify God.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to each believer to build up Christ’s church and to accomplish Christ’s mission in the community. Our Lord has not given us a task without equipping us for that task. He has not given us a mission without giving us the necessary gifts to fulfill the mission. The gifts of the Spirit are given to each believer in order that he or she may fulfill a role as a member of the body of Christ in glorifying God through ministry in the body.
Just for Teachers: This week’s lesson reveals one of the most powerful principles in the entire Bible for growing healthy churches. God has given every member gifts for ministry in the church and in the community. He or she may not realize what those gifts are, but the Holy Spirit has imparted them. When we recognize the gifts that God has given us and use them to His glory, the church functions as a healthy body.
Encourage your class members to pray that God will help them recognize their gifts, and guide them in using these gifts to advance His kingdom. Share the thought that the same Holy Spirit that imparts the gifts will reveal to each one of us which gifts He has imparted and how to best use them in Christ’s service. When we are sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit and are completely committed to Christ and His work, the Spirit will guide us in discerning our gifts, and teach us how to best use them to glorify God.
Opening Discussion: Let’s read together the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:27, 28 and Romans 12:6–8. If you could choose to have any one of these gifts, which one would you choose? Why would you choose that particular gift? What makes that gift desirable to you?
Can you remember a special birthday or Christmas as a child when you wanted something badly but were disappointed when you did not get it? This disappointment happened to a little girl who prayed for an elephant. She longed for a baby elephant as a pet. There was nothing she wanted more than a real elephant. Do you think her parents bought her a baby elephant to keep in the backyard? Certainly not! They were much wiser than this little girl. There are times when we pray for our “elephants,” but God is much wiser than we are and imparts the gifts to us that He best knows we will use to glorify His name in service for Him.
Questions for Discussion:
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Each of God’s gifts is given to us out of the abundance of His grace and love. It is because He loves His church so deeply that He imparts to us gifts to build up His church. Although each Christian cannot do everything, each one of us can do something for Christ. Each one has been given gifts for service.
Although these gifts vary, they all are necessary for a healthy, functioning church. There are no superior and inferior gifts. The gift of helps is just as important to the church as the gift of healing. The gift of hospitality is just as important as the gift of proclamation. The gift of generosity is just as important as the gift of administration. Can you imagine a church without those who had the gift of helps, the gift of hospitality, or the gift of generosity? It certainly would be a cold, self-centered, inward-focused group of people. Every gift is essential. As the apostle Paul so aptly puts it, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. . . . Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1 Cor. 12:18, 22, NKJV). Help your class to understand that each member is necessary, each one has been given gifts by God, and each one is called by God to use those gifts, whether they are large or small, for the advancement of His kingdom.
Bible Commentary
The Corinthian church was fraught with serious spiritual problems. There was jealousy, envy, and strife among the members (1 Cor. 3:3, 4). Immorality crept into the church (1 Cor. 5:1). Some members even threatened to take others to the civil courts to solve their problems (1 Cor. 6:1). There were arguments over eating meat that had been offered to idols, an abuse of the Lord’s Supper, and a misuse of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 8, 11, 14). The church at Corinth was divided, filled with conflict, and threatened with a schism.
It is in this context that the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes to them about spiritual gifts as a unifying force. He outlines three key points about spiritual gifts in the life and ministry of the church:
It is the same Holy Spirit who imparts each gift to believers. Paul makes this point too plain to be misunderstood. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11, NKJV). Ellen G. White adds, “To every person is committed some peculiar gift or talent which is to be used to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 618. Each one of us has been given a particular gift by Christ to be used in His service. No one is left out. Every gift is necessary in order to build God’s kingdom and advance His cause.
Consider This: What is the function of spiritual gifts? How do the gifts serve as a unifying force in the church?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Just for Teachers: Guide your class in a practical discussion on how to discover their gifts and how to use them in Christ’s service. Point out that the same Holy Spirit who has imparted gifts will reveal those gifts. Here are a few steps to help your class discover the gifts God has given:
Thought Questions:
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: As we discover the gifts that God has given us, and use them to build up His church and to witness in the community, we will find joy in service. Spiritual satisfaction occurs when we use the gifts we have been given in order to bless others. We take no glory for these gifts, because we know that they are gifts given by a loving Lord to advance His cause.
Activities: