 We talk a lot about spiritual gifts, but one thing we don't talk a lot about is What is the purpose of spiritual gifts in the Bible? We hear this term spiritual gifts and there are some named spiritual gifts though We should really not take the name spiritual gifts as an exhaustive list meaning that all the gifts that are named that we see in The Bible those are the only gifts that God has for us because the word issues for spiritual gifts Isn't really the word spiritual gift is the word pneumatic on which means Spiritual things or of the spirit and the point of that the reason why that's important is because it's how the spirit moves in us The Holy Spirit what he does and he gifts us according to his own will whatever it is that he wants us to do He will provide us he will indwell us and give us the ability to do what he wants us to do And we need to remember and this is the point of this video to answer the question The point the purpose of these this gifting the point of him moving in us now recall back in John 15 Jesus is getting ready to leave. He's getting ready to depart his death is at hand And he's speaking to his disciples and he's wanting them to know a few things one Importantly that they won't be by themselves and that the Holy Spirit will come now. Why is this important? Well, principally because when Jesus was there with him He would give them power or authority for the moment to do certain things now He's going to give them specifically them more power Going forward, but this also some of these things some of the things he's going to give them It's also going to relate to us one of the things that's going to happen For all believers as the Holy Spirit comes in is us testifying of him in John 15 2060 says when the helper comes whom I will send to you from the father that is the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father He will testify about me now. He's not going to testify about the Holy Spirit about himself He's not gonna speak about You being able to do things or how much power you have or what you can get as a result of tapping into the Holy Spirit No, he says you are going to testify of me and we know that's the case So when Jesus says to the disciples in Acts 1 He says that you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and then what be my witnesses the same worth issues in John 15 of testify that is what the disciples and not just the disciples But also all of us who have the Holy Spirit the identify mark of every Christian is the Holy Spirit Whoever is led by the Spirit those are the sons of God and so without the Spirit You're not something that if you are a child of God you have the Holy Spirit now the problem comes in when we Naturally as human beings. We want to do great things. We want to be great We want to be special, but that can also be a problem We want to be something special Oftentimes it ends up showing up as us going to be more than what we really are Paul actually addresses this in Romans 12. He says in verse 3. He says for through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think But to think so as to have sound judgment as God has allowed to each a measure of faith Now notice as he's going to go into these issues of certain spiritual giftings He says not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to which is important to make sure that we are humble in our thoughts So reminded now look what he says next He says in verse 4 just as we have many members in one body And all the members do not have the same function So we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another a couple things one We're going to see this whole thought that we see in Romans 12 show up Also in first Corinthians 12 the same person Paul speaking and he says that our goal is to benefit Even he says so here is for one another Continuing look at what he says in verse 6 He says since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, which means The gifts are differing according to however God desires to give it to granted We see that also being mentioned by Paul in first Corinthians But continue he says each of us is to exercise them accordingly if Prophecy according to the proportion of his faith if service in his serving or He who teaches in his teaching or he who exhausts in his exhortation He who gives with liberality he who leads with diligence he who sure shows mercy with Cheerfulness something that you should be able to see is that these gifts are not inward acting, but they're outward They're being exercised outward on others now He he's going to say so even more explicit the Bible says so more explicitly that these gifts are for others And that's the whole point the purpose of every spiritual gift is not for you to grow you to benefit you or even to edify you It is to edify others Paul goes on to make this point even more so at the converse nine He says let love be without hypocrisy a poor What is evil cling to what is good the way he says be devoted to one another in brotherly love give preference To one another in honor in other words what we should not do is have a inward focus It should be an outward focus on others now when we get to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 We're going to see what he means in terms of how these gifts how this move of the spirit these Numitikon these spiritual things are for others He says in verse one of chapter 12 now concerning spiritual gifts and the word this use here is the Greek word numitikon Which means spiritual things? He says I do not want you to be unaware or some of your verses may be ignorant in other words I don't want you to do certain things spiritually Ignorantly I don't want you to concerning these spiritual gifts or spiritual things. I don't want you to be ignorant unknowing now in verse four He goes on to speak about this unity and Even as it relates to us towards one another look what he says He says now there are varieties of gifts But the same spirit and there are varieties of ministry and the same Lord there are varieties of effects But the same God who works all things in all persons Here it is But to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good This is for the benefit of Paul is saying that the spiritual gifts This the this gifting is for the benefit of the common good to manifest for others And we if we keep reading we'll see Paul talk about how there's no portion of the body that is more Noble or deserving more honor than the next we shouldn't desire certain gifts above other gifts and so forth But everything that we should do every gifting should be done and coupled in under the umbrella of Love which is why we have this whole chapter in chapter 13 that is speaking about love no matter what we do Whatever we do if we don't do it with love then it is vain is of no use Now when I said earlier that every spiritual gift is for the edification of others and not for yourself There's a passage in in chapter 14 that comes up that people think that this proves that spiritual gifts particularly tongues Is for the edification of self that it's not what that is Paul is writing this letter of reviewed Paul's not accommodating Paul's not patting anyone on the back stating how good they've been in any portion of the letter Even when we get to chapter 12 13 and 14 He's not saying how great they are he is writing because he doesn't want us to be ignorant of anything spiritual in This case he happens to bring up a couple of gifts specifically here He brings up tongues and he says this misuse that you guys are doing you're not doing it out of love and all you're doing is Edifying yourself in verse 2 he says for one who speaks in a tongue This is a singular ecstatic unknown tongue that no one has no idea what he said not even speak He says does not speak to men but to God for no one understands them But in his spirit he speaks mysteries verse 4 dropping down He says the one who speaks in a tongue the same tongue that no one knows this mystery He says all he's doing he edifies himself But the one who prophesies the one who gives the prophet to that day the proclamation The foretelling or the foretelling that particular person brings revelation of God and the entire church is edified principle because that the language that is given is in the language of the persons the people that are hearing it and so They understand and they get growth from it. They're built up from this as well now to make the point that No spiritual gift including tongues is to edify yourself It becomes a problem if we take that you can't edify yourself with tongues If we look at every other passage that has to do with edification And it's always in regards to edifying others as a matter of fact It is specifically told that we should edify the body not ourselves in verse 5 He says that now I wish that you all spoke in these tongues of these languages Which is what the word means but even more that you would prophesy and greater is the one who prophesies brings about these revelations Then the one who speaks in a language unless he interprets why so that the church may receive edification So again, we see that the point the purpose of this gift is to edify the body Paula's dealing with this issue of understanding so that everyone will know including the speaker the heroes the audience would know What's happening that want them to be ignorant and then look what he says in verse 12 Regarding even a flute or an instrument being used He says let's learn verse 11 says if I then I do not know the meaning of the language I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me So also you since you are zealous of spiritual gifts look what he says seek to abound for the edification of The church again the second time that we see in chapter 12 or in chapter 14 That that we should edify the body edify the church Dropping down in verse 17 again. No one knows what's being said verse 17 says for you are giving thanks. Well enough you It's it's presumable that what you're doing is giving God things though. You don't know what you're saying He says but the other person is not Edified he dropped down verse 19 says however in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also Rather than 10,000 words in a tongue Paul's point is that the other people can also receive benefit not you Verse 26 Paul says that let all things be done Decently in order is everyone wants to come in in the assembly each one has a psalm each one has a teaching each one has revelation Has a tongue has interpretation. Look what he says let all things be done for Edification there it is again the point of these spiritual gifts are to edify not you but the body Now this issue with this this unknown tongue this exotic tongue Where no one knows what you're saying? He says don't do that as a matter of fact Even if you're going to speak in an actual known language There should be interpretation for the entire body So the entire body can understand so that you know what's being said the person that's being spoken to knows What's being said and the entire body is being Understood what's happening and as we look down in verse 31 For you can all prophesy and that just simply means you have a revelation by God one by one so that all may learn and be Exalted to further make this point. We'll see some other readings by Paul But also from some others Paul says in Ephesians 429 he says let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth But only such as a word as is good for edification According to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear again The point is that others be edified by what we do by what we say a move of the spirit is not for you But for the entirety of the body Romans 15 to Paul also says each one of us is to please his neighbor For his good to his edification So again, our our goal is to edify the body Not just be selfish and to edify ourselves that happens a lot against what Paul says Not to think more out of yourself than you ought to but then it's not just Paul It's also Peter Peter says in 1st Peter 4 Sorry in verse 8 he says above all keep fervent in your love for one another Because love covers the multitude of sin be hospitable to one another without complaint Here it is as each one has received a special gift Employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And so if you have a gift we all do Given to us by the Holy Spirit use it in serving one another and so all of these passages end up speaking of us Edifying one another not edifying ourselves now There is another passage that people may tend to turn to to say no Cory There is another passage that says that we should edify ourselves But when we look at the passage, we'll see that this passage is not telling anybody any believer to edify himself thus far We have not seen one passage that tells us to edify Our sales meaning there's no passage as the spiritual gifts are for ourselves But for others Even if someone wants to disagree and says that the passage in 1st Corinthians 14 Stays that we should edify ourselves. I'm saying it doesn't especially when you compare with other passages Then we would have a contradiction and if you want to go to Jew 20 that passage also Stays that we should edify others rather than edifying ourselves So in Jew 20 he says but you beloved building yourselves up on the most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit Look, he says though he says but you this word here for you the in the Greek This is not the singular you this is the plural you so he's saying that you all All of you when he says all of you beloved Building yourselves up and this word here for yourselves in the Greek. This is also the plural So he says that you all build up one another we build up you all you all build up all of you And so the whole point of this is that it's not to build yourself up is to build it up others That is the point. It's really just what Jesus did. We don't have an example of a man of God Be it a prophet be it apostle any servant true servant or Jesus himself Using their gift their abilities for their benefit, but it is always user exercise for the benefit of others What Paul say the manifestation of the spirit is for the common good of others And so Paul says if since you're so zealous for these spiritual things Desire to build up the body the edification of the church So my friends, I hope this has been helpful. It should be clear Any spiritual gift whatever it is whatever spiritual gift that you think that you have It is to be used with or towards targeting others Edifying others not yourself. I think if we had that as our first thought If we had that as our priority if we knew that then the abuses that we see out here with people Misusing or giving these fake imposter gifts So to speak we wouldn't see that if we judged those gifts for the people As to whether they are doing these things for others or for themselves That would cut down I think on a lot of the misunderstanding And the foolishness that we see sometimes that have kind of crept into the church that the bible says is going to happen If we knew exactly what spiritual gifts were for then we would hold others accountable But now we do now we know according to the scriptures that spiritual gifts are not for our own Edification but for the edification of others. Amen