Not Ignorant: A Walk Through 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 -- Holy Spirit and Manifestations

Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 12:1. We're going to learn about spiritual stuff, spiritual things, spiritual matters. And I’m sure we’ve all experienced some kind of spiritual stuff in our lives. Signs, miracles and wonders. 

Maybe we knew something incredible and special was happening in a certain situation in life, but we didn’t know why or what to call it. 

Like… I believe miracles do happen. But some people may think that it’s really just coincidence, or good instincts, or good luck. 

Some people think that some incredible ideas… just come out of nowhere. But God can show us things that we can’t figure out on our own. Like a little flashlight, God can shine on something going on in my life. God can also show me a tiny peek of something that's going to happen.

These moments where miraculous and wondrous things happen… they take place for a reason… and it’s all explained… in a letter, written a couple thousand years ago, and we’re going to read part of that letter… right now. 

We’re in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Let’s start with verse 1. 

1 Cor 12:1 - Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

"Gifts" is italicized in your Bible, which means the translators added it — it's not in the original Greek. So you can actually scratch that word out. What's really there is just the word "spiritual". But it’s the Greek word pneuma-tikos, which means spiritual matters. “Now concerning spiritual matters, brothers and sisters…” 

Paul is going to teach us about… everything that comes from spirit. And he’s saying, "I want you to know this." Don’t be uninformed. Because we can only go… as far as we've been taught. 

And I was taught… this stuff… in 1 Cor 12, a while back. 

I learned that spiritual things, spiritual matters, are real and available. Ya see… knowing that something exists, knowing who I am and what I have are important, BUT what’s really interesting is… what I can do with it. 

Knowing gets me past verse 1. But experiencing spiritual matters, that takes one more step. 

Verse 2: Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 

People in Corinth who Paul is writing to… were led toward things like statues made of wood and stone. So, whatever we learn, or not learn, about life, shapes how we live. You only go… as far as you know.

Verse 3: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Back then, some of the Corinthians were thinking that speaking in tongues might actually be cursing Jesus. BUT… speaking by the spirit — of God, from God — isn't going to curse… the very thing it's confirming.

Paul says in the 2nd half of verse 3 that nobody can say "Jesus is Lord" except by holy spirit. That connects to Romans 10:9-10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

If you've ever confessed that and meant it, that's the moment you were born again. And that’s a.. spiritual matter…  that is real and actually happens.

Verses 4-6: (4) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

There's a Greek word that shows up three times in these three verses — diai-resis — means distributions, or distinctive varieties, or different types. Same word, three different categories of gifts. 

Verse 4: “there are diversities of gifts.” There are different types of GIFTS of God. These here are VERTICAL gifts. From God to a person. Vertically. Like the gift of holy spirit, which includes eternal life and the ability to operate all nine manifestations. 

And there are gifts. From God. Also to the church body. These are the ministries listed in Ephesians 4 for building and maintaining the body of Christ: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. 

Verse 5: And there are differences of administrations. These are GIFTS given HORIZONTALLY. Ministries whose service benefits others. This is the horizontal direction — how we serve each other. Like Alicia taught recently about Jesus serving the people around him. 

Verse 6: There are diversities of operations. These are the effects produced, the workings. This is God doing the energizing. The operations. 

And every single verse… ends the same way. Same Spirit. Same Lord. Same God. There’s one giver. Many different expressions. But it is the same God… who works all of the gifts… in all of us believers. 

So the main point so far is that… there’s a variety of what God gives, what God makes available, and what God energizes. But there’s one giver. And he gives what he is - holy spirit. 

Verse 7: But (now, at this verse, we shift from gifts to… manifestations) the manifestation of the Spirit (or the evidence or result of the gift of holy spirit that’s operated within the born again believer) is given to every man to profit withal.

Notice the word "manifestation" is singular, not plural. It's one gift — holy spirit — with nine different manifestations. 

"Given to every man" in verse 7 says that… no one is specially favored by God above another — every born-again believer gets this gift, without exception. 

Cool stuff, right? We learned about the vertical gifts of God, from God to us. Now we’re learning about… holy spirit with the nine manifestations. 

The word says to “Prove all things.” God actually invites us to test all of this manifestation stuff. Test it. And see if it works.

So, I’m building a software company. There have been moments where I don’t know what heck I’m doing. So, what do I do? I make decisions based on what verse 7 says. And it works. 

Verse 7 says the manifestation of the Spirit (or the evidence of the gift of holy spirit) is given to me to profit from it. To benefit from it. 

So, real good ideas… that hit me… at the right moment. Profit. Real answers that show up… just at the right time. Profit. 

And I get to test whether or not the manifestation of holy spirit works or not. And it does.

Let’s see what those nine manifestations are. Verses 8 through 10. 

(8) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 

(9) to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 

(10) to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.

Nine manifestations, listed together in one place — the only spot in the Word where that happens. 

So when something spiritual… happens to you, it's not random — it could be a particular manifestation… doing exactly what it's built to do.

I want to walk through a few examples, because I think some of you are sitting here right now going, "wait... what?”

Have you ever had a friend who told you that everything was fine, and something in you just knew it wasn't? That feeling that "something's off.” That's not intuition. That can be (verse 10) discerning of spirits, doing its job.

Ever been stuck on something — a problem, a decision, a paper due in six hours — and an idea just comes to you… that you know… you didn't come up with… on your own? That's word of wisdom or word of knowledge.

Ever sit with a friend who was… just falling apart, and you said something — something you didn't even plan to say — but it actually changed them, actually helped them believe something in their heart? That could be faith working.

That's the holy spirit… inside you… being evidenced toward (or serving) somebody else.

Most people walk through moments like that and just shrug it off — good instincts, lucky timing, coincidence, just being a good friend. And maybe it partly was. But I think for a lot of us, it was also this stuff - spiritual matters. 

In Acts 3, Peter spoke to a guy who is crippled, and he said, “I don’t have any money to give you, but in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” And so, revelation, healing, and a miracle was… manifested… right there, and the man was healed.

It is the manifestation of the spirit, given to every person, doing its own particular job. And maybe at those moments, we don’t identify it as such. Well, that’s ignorance that Paul was talking about in verse 1. But now, we’re no longer… uninformed. Right? 

Verse 11 (last verse): But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally (idios) as he will.

That word "severally" is the Greek word idios — meaning "one's own." God distributes to every believer his or her own — personal, individual, tailored. And then in the verse, it says "as he will." God already gave it. It's up to us — as a real choice — to actually operate it.

Every spirit-filled believer has the capacity to operate all nine of these manifestations. But that doesn't mean everyone operates all nine equally, or even as much… or as often… as everyone else. 

Alicia is great at believing… that's just where her believing might be the strongest… right now. That’s just fine. Sometimes… it's simply that you haven't learned enough yet… to do a particular manifestation. That’s fine too. 

That's just you, growing into and living the Word. 

The capacity is there in every one of us. What varies is how much we… lean into it, and test it out, in real life situations.

Think of a Ferrari. The holy spirit is like a high-performance luxury car. If you want to to keep that thing parked… in neutral. It’s okay - no condemnation. But… if you want to put it in first gear… then try 2nd gear… then 3rd… and on and on. You can profit (yourself and others) by putting that thing in gear… into operation. 

The manifestation of the spirit is given… to every person… for profit. Given now, for right now, and given… ultimately for everything down the road in your life… too. 

All nine manifestations of holy spirit… in a believer… are produced and energized… by the one Spirit… and distributed to every believer… their very own. And the effects produced… are as the person wills. This is a believer’s prerogative. As she will. 

Think of holy spirit like a phone — God gives every believer the same type of phone, and there are 9 apps on it, and all nine apps come pre-installed, fully unlocked, no extra cost. But apps don't open themselves. You have to be the one to tap them. God did the installing. You do the tapping.

God doesn't want us ignorant of spiritual matters. 

God wants us to know who we are, what we have, and what we can do with  it. 

Profit your own life, and serve the people around you. 

So this week, go take a ride in your Ferrari.