Gifts That Build the Church

Pastor Derek Evans | Until The Whole World Knows Ministry

The Holy Spirit gives gifts so that the body of Christ may be strengthened. We honor the Giver when we serve one another in love, submit our ministry to biblical order, and direct the glory to Jesus Christ.

Main Scripture — 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 (KJV)

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Introduction — What Is Our Ministry Producing?

Beloved, a church can speak often about spiritual gifts and still need to learn why the Holy Spirit gives them. We may become fascinated by what happens through a person while paying too little attention to what happens to the people receiving ministry. Were they strengthened in Christ? Did they understand the truth more clearly? Were they served with dignity? Did the gathering leave them dependent upon Jesus, or impressed with a personality?

Paul addresses spiritual gifts within the life of an actual congregation. His concern reaches beyond identifying experiences. He teaches believers how to live together as the body of Christ. In chapter twelve, diversity belongs within one body. In chapter thirteen, love is indispensable. In chapter fourteen, the gathered church must be built up through ministry that is understandable and orderly. These chapters belong together. We lose their force when we pursue manifestations while neglecting their purpose.

As Pentecostal believers, we welcome the present ministry of the Holy Spirit. We pray for His gifts and expect Him to work beyond our natural ability. That expectation should make us more attentive to Scripture, more willing to serve, and more accountable in the way we minister. Let us examine the source of the gifts, the love that must govern their use, and the order through which the whole congregation can benefit.

1. Receive the Gift as a Steward, and Make Room for the Whole Body

Paul repeats a central truth in the opening passage: there are differences, yet the source is one. Different gifts do not imply competing spirits, different ministries do not require competing lords, and different operations do not establish competing gods. The congregation must learn to recognize diversity without turning it into division. We do not honor the Holy Spirit by insisting that every believer must resemble the person whose ministry we admire most. His wisdom is greater than our preferred pattern of usefulness.

Later in chapter twelve, Paul uses the human body to explain this relationship. A foot does not cease to belong because it is not a hand. An eye cannot dismiss the hand as unnecessary. These illustrations confront both inferiority and pride. One person withdraws because someone else appears more gifted. Another person assumes that the church can function without those whose service seems less visible. Both attitudes misunderstand the body. Belonging to Christ gives us a responsibility to receive one another and to serve together.

First Peter 4:10–11 (KJV):

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter's language of stewardship helps us understand our responsibility. A steward is entrusted with something to use faithfully. The gift is not a personal possession through which we establish superiority. It is an entrusted provision through which someone else can be served. The question therefore changes. Instead of asking how the gift can enlarge our reputation, we ask how its faithful use can meet a genuine need. Instead of guarding a platform as though it belonged to us, we remain available to the Lord who gives ability.

This does not mean that every practical ability should automatically be identified as one particular manifestation listed in Corinthians. Scripture describes different forms of service, and we should allow its descriptions to guide us. It does mean that visible ministry and quiet service must both remain directed toward God's glory. A congregation needs people who teach faithfully, pray earnestly, show hospitality, help those in difficulty, and exercise spiritual gifts responsibly. No one person can carry every responsibility, and no member should be despised because their contribution attracts little attention.

For leaders, this requires deliberate care. Make room for believers to learn, serve, and receive correction. Do not equate confidence with readiness or silence with uselessness. Someone may need patient instruction before serving publicly; another may be ready for a responsibility that has been overlooked. Evaluate character, understanding, and willingness to be accountable alongside any claim of gifting. A gift does not remove the need for maturity. Training is not an insult to the Holy Spirit. It is part of helping people steward what they have received.

For the believer who feels overlooked, begin with the needs that are already before you. Ask where you can help, pray for those serving around you, and receive instruction without resentment. Refuse the temptation to imitate someone else's mannerisms in order to appear anointed. The church does not need a collection of copies competing for recognition. It needs members who are faithful to Christ and attentive to one another. YOUR GIFT IS ENTRUSTED TO YOU, BUT ITS PURPOSE REACHES BEYOND YOU. When another believer is strengthened, the whole body benefits, and the glory belongs to the Lord.

2. Let Love Govern Every Expression of Spiritual Power

First Corinthians thirteen is not an interruption in Paul's teaching about spiritual gifts. It confronts the way those gifts are exercised. A person may speak impressively, understand much, or perform actions that appear sacrificial, yet lack the love that makes ministry faithful to its purpose. We should allow that warning to search us. The existence of an impressive expression does not settle every question about the heart, the method, or the effect upon others. Spiritual maturity cannot be measured only by what attracts attention.

First Corinthians 13:1–3 (KJV):

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Paul's warning is severe because the issue is serious. We can be impressed by the outward scale of an action while overlooking the absence of love. He does not tell the church to abandon the gifts. His next chapter calls believers to pursue love and desire spiritual gifts. The correction concerns the relationship between them. We must never use enthusiasm for the supernatural as permission to neglect patience, kindness, humility, or truth. The Spirit's work does not authorize us to treat people as instruments for displaying our importance.

Consider how this affects a prayer ministry. The person receiving prayer is a neighbor to be loved, not a demonstration to be managed. Listen before making assumptions. Explain what you are offering, respect consent, and avoid pressuring someone to report an experience they have not had. Never turn a person's vulnerability into material for public storytelling without their permission. A dramatic account may attract an audience, but the desire for an audience does not outweigh our responsibility to protect the dignity of the person who trusted us.

Love also governs the way we speak about healing and deliverance. We may pray boldly in the name of Jesus and expect the Holy Spirit to help. Yet we must not accuse a suffering person of lacking faith simply because their condition has not changed as we hoped. Neither should we identify an illness as demonic merely because its cause is unclear to us. Faithful ministry can include prayer, pastoral support, and appropriate professional care. We do not have to manufacture certainty in order to remain confident in the goodness and power of God.

There is also a danger on the opposite side. We may call something love when it is actually a refusal to speak truth. Biblical love does not require us to approve manipulation, excuse harmful conduct, or ignore teaching that contradicts Scripture. A loving leader can stop an inappropriate ministry practice, correct a claim, and protect the congregation. The manner of correction should be humble and fair, but the responsibility remains real. Kindness toward one person must not become neglect of those being harmed by that person's behavior.

Before you minister, examine what you are seeking. Are you willing to serve if no one praises you? Can you rejoice when another person is used? Will you accept correction without claiming that anyone who questions you is opposing God? These questions expose the practical direction of our hearts. Bring what they reveal before the Lord in repentance and prayer. Then take a concrete step: listen more carefully, speak more truthfully, share responsibility, or repair a wrong. LOVE IS NOT DECORATION AROUND THE GIFT. IT MUST GOVERN THE WAY WE USE IT. A church that values spiritual power should be equally serious about the people that power is given to serve.

3. Welcome the Spirit's Ministry Within the Order of His Word

Paul's instruction to the gathered church brings the purpose of spiritual gifts into practical focus. The congregation is to be built up. A meeting cannot be evaluated only by how intense it felt to the person speaking. We must also consider whether others could understand, learn, and receive encouragement. Spiritual freedom does not require every individual to speak whenever they wish. In the body of Christ, our freedom is exercised with concern for our brothers and sisters. Making room for others is itself an act of faithful service.

First Corinthians 14:26 (KJV):

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

First Corinthians 14:40 (KJV):

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Between these verses, Paul gives specific instructions about speaking in tongues and prophecy in the assembly. He addresses interpretation, taking turns, and the weighing of what is spoken. These are not merely administrative details added by people uncomfortable with spiritual gifts. They are apostolic instructions concerning their use. We should not claim to honor the Spirit while resisting the Scriptures that teach us how to minister. Order serves the congregation by making understanding, discernment, and shared participation possible.

This is particularly important when someone believes they have a prophetic message. The conviction that something should be shared does not remove the responsibility to submit it for evaluation. A claim to speak from God is serious. It should not be used to silence questions, control another person's decisions, or place a speaker beyond accountability. The church must weigh what is said according to Scripture. A message that contradicts the gospel cannot gain authority through emotional delivery, a spiritual title, or the confidence of the person presenting it.

There is a difference between receiving correction and being forbidden to serve forever. When a person speaks inaccurately or acts unwisely, faithful leadership should address what happened with clarity and care. Sometimes further instruction is needed. Sometimes a public correction is necessary because the error was public. Serious or repeated harm may require removing a person from a ministry responsibility. The aim is neither humiliation nor the protection of a reputation at any cost. The aim is truth, protection, repentance where needed, and the healthy life of the congregation.

Order also protects us from confusing personal urgency with divine necessity. A person can feel strongly and still wait for an appropriate moment. A leader can ask someone to pause without rejecting every spiritual gift. A believer can receive an impression and seek counsel before presenting it as a message to the entire church. These practices do not require unbelief. They express the humility of people who know that their understanding is limited and that the whole body must be considered. The Lord is not dependent upon our refusal to listen.

At the same time, orderly worship should not become an excuse for refusing all participation. Paul's instructions make space for gifts while governing their use. Churches should teach believers what to do when they believe they have something to contribute, provide trustworthy leadership, and explain how messages are weighed. Clear guidance can help sincere people serve with confidence. Silence caused by confusion about expectations is not the same as peace produced by faithful order. We should cultivate gatherings where truth is understood, people are cared for, and the Holy Spirit's ministry is welcomed.

After the gathering, look for fruit in the life of the body. Are believers learning Scripture, growing in love, and becoming better equipped to serve? Are those who receive ministry pointed toward Jesus rather than made dependent upon the next event? Are leaders willing to answer questions and correct mistakes? These are practical matters of stewardship. THE PURPOSE IS A CHURCH BUILT UP IN CHRIST. Let our desire for spiritual gifts lead us into ministry that is courageous, humble, understandable, and accountable to the Word of God.

Conclusion — Seek the Gift, Serve the Body, Glorify the Lord

Beloved, we do not have to choose between expecting the Holy Spirit to move and taking biblical instruction seriously. The Scriptures that describe His gifts also teach us to serve in love and order. Our responsibility is to receive the whole instruction, not only the portion that excites us.

Ask the Lord to make you useful to His people. Desire spiritual gifts with the purpose of strengthening others. Receive the service of believers whose contribution differs from yours. Allow love to govern your words and actions. Remain teachable when correction is needed, and refuse to use spiritual language to escape accountability.

This week, identify one actual need in your congregation and ask how you can serve. Pray for the person who carries a responsibility you rarely notice. Encourage someone learning to minister. Make room for others, and direct their confidence toward Jesus Christ. The body is strengthened when its members serve faithfully together.

THE GIFT COMES FROM GOD. THE SERVICE BLESSES HIS PEOPLE. THE GLORY BELONGS TO JESUS CHRIST.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the gifts and grace You give through the Holy Spirit. Forgive our pride, comparison, and desire for recognition. Teach us to serve as faithful stewards. Lord Jesus, remain the center of our ministry and the object of our trust. Holy Spirit, work among us in power, deepen our love, and guide us into obedience to Your Word. Give our leaders wisdom, protect those receiving ministry, and make our congregations places of truth and care. May every gift be used to strengthen Your people and glorify Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.

Pastor Derek Evans
Until The Whole World Knows Ministry

Deliverance is the children's bread, all are welcomed.

Scripture quotations: King James Version. Study 1 Corinthians 12–14 and 1 Peter 4:10–11.