Called For Gifts - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

This powerful exploration of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 challenges us to reconsider how we view our spiritual gifts and callings within the body of Christ. We discover that the Corinthian church, despite being richly blessed with diverse spiritual gifts, fell into the trap of comparison and competition—turning what God intended for community building into tools for division and status-seeking. The message reminds us that every gift we possess comes from God's grace, not our own achievement, which means there's no room for boasting or feeling superior to others. At the same time, we're encouraged not to dismiss our own contributions as insignificant. Whether our calling seems visible and prominent or quiet and behind-the-scenes, it matters deeply to God's kingdom. The emphasis on being faithful in small things—like wrapping cables or taking out the trash—reveals a profound truth: God shapes us through humble service before entrusting us with greater responsibilities. Most beautifully, we're assured that the same God who called us will complete what He started in us. We don't have to fear that our weaknesses will disqualify us or that God will abandon us when we stumble. This is stewardship at its core: recognizing that we're caretakers of gifts meant to build up the community, not monuments to our own glory.

Called for Gifts: Understanding Your Purpose in the Body of Christ

In the bustling port city of Corinth, a diverse group of believers gathered to form one of the early church's most fascinating communities. Wealthy merchants worshiped alongside day laborers. Educated Greeks sat next to former slaves. Jewish people and Gentiles, men and women, people speaking different languages and coming from vastly different backgrounds—all trying to figure out what it meant to be the body of Christ together.

This wasn't a quiet, peaceful village church. This was a cosmopolitan, diverse, sometimes chaotic community that reflected the complexity of the world around it. And within this complexity, a beautiful yet challenging truth emerged: everyone has been called and gifted by God for a purpose.

The Problem of Comparison

The Corinthian church had been blessed abundantly with spiritual gifts. They had eloquent preachers, prophets, teachers with wisdom and insight, people speaking in tongues, interpreters, healers, and miracle workers. They weren't lacking in any spiritual gift. They were, in fact, overflowing with them.

But here's where things went wrong. Instead of using these gifts to build up the community in love, they turned them into a competition. "I sing better than you." "I've been serving here longer than you." "My contribution is more valuable than yours." Some followed one leader, others championed a different teacher, and still others claimed they didn't need anyone but Jesus himself.

Sound familiar? How often do we look at someone else's ministry, someone else's talents, someone else's calling and think, "Why don't I have that?" Or worse, "What I have isn't significant enough to matter."

The Corinthians had imported the world's values into the church. In a city obsessed with status and competition, they spent money they didn't have to buy things they couldn't afford to impress people who didn't like them anyway. And tragically, they brought these same values into their spiritual lives, even calling it "spiritual."

The Reminder of Grace

First Corinthians opens not with condemnation but with grace. Paul doesn't launch straight into their problems with a list of failures. Instead, he reminds them of who they are in Christ: "I always thank my God for you because of his grace given to you in Christ Jesus."

This is crucial. Their spiritual gifts weren't their own achievement—they were grace. They didn't earn them. They didn't deserve them. They couldn't take credit for them. Everything they had was a gift from God.

And that changes everything. If your gifts are from God, there's no reason to boast in them, no reason to hoard them, no reason to use them to lord over somebody else. And there's certainly no reason to treat people differently because they don't have the same gift you have.

Faithful in Small Things

There's a powerful principle woven throughout Scripture: God shapes us for bigger things through our faithfulness in small things. Before you're mixing concerts at major venues, you learn to wrap cables properly. Before you lead committees and get your name in programs, you need to be willing to take out the trash after meetings are over.

The small things matter more than we know. Putting away chairs, sweeping floors, handling details that no one notices—these aren't beneath anyone. They're the training ground for greater responsibility.

Your lack doesn't disqualify you. What you perceive as small or insignificant may be exactly what God wants to use. There is no such thing as an insignificant gift in the body of Christ. What God has given you, He's given you for a reason. And your faithfulness in using it—even in the small things—matters more than you know.

The Danger of Visibility

On the flip side, some people have been given gifts that are visible. They get the microphone, they're on stage, people notice and affirm them. And it's easy to start believing your own press, to think that your gift makes you more important, more spiritual, more valuable than others.

But here's the truth: every gift you have comes from God. And because it comes from God, there's no room for boasting, no room for pride, no room for division. The gift is for the community, not for your ego.

God's Faithfulness

Perhaps the most comforting truth in this entire discussion is this: God is faithful. What God has started in you, God will finish. What God has begun, God will complete. What God has called, God will confirm.

You don't have to worry about whether you're going to make it. You don't have to wonder if God's going to give up on you when you mess up. You don't have to fear that your weakness will disqualify you from God's purpose.

If God brought you to it, God will see you through it.

You might be going through a season right now where you're wondering if God has forgotten about you, if you've missed your calling, if your gifts even matter anymore. But God is not through with you. The same God who called you is the same God who will keep you. The same God who gifted you is the same God who will sustain you.

Stewardship of Purpose

We are stewards of the purpose God has given us. That means we hold these gifts with open hands. We use them for the community's benefit. We celebrate when others' gifts shine without being threatened. We step into our calling without comparing it to anyone else's.

You are not called to be them. You are called to be you. God didn't make a mistake when He made you. He didn't mess up when He gifted you. God knew exactly what He was doing, and your calling is just as valid, just as important, and just as necessary as everyone else's.

Connected in Community

Here's something beautiful: we're not in this alone. We are connected to everyone else who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are part of a global family of saints—people who are called and gifted and being confirmed by the same faithful God.

When you feel weak, remember you are strengthened by testimony and knowledge. When you feel lacking, remember that you don't lack any spiritual gift. When you feel uncertain, remember that God will keep you firm until the end. And when you feel like giving up, remember: God is faithful.

So we can't separate over gifts. We can't divide over callings. We can't compete over spiritual status. Instead, we must use what God has given us to build up the community in love, be faithful in the small things, stop comparing ourselves to others, and trust that the God who called us by His will is the God who will see us through to the end.

That's not just a catchphrase. It's the gospel—God's grace from beginning to end, the faithfulness of God that never lets us go.