In 1 Cor. 12 Paul is responding to a question from the mostly gentile (non-Jewish) Christians in Corinth. We don't know exactly what the question was, but we can surmise from Paul't statement in vs. 1; "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware." that the question relates to the operation of spiritual gifts during their corporate church gatherings.

Paul sets his explanation up in vs. 2-3; "You know that when you were pagan, you were led astray by mute idols, however you were led." Paul is contrasting their old mute idols with their new living, speaking Savior. To paraphrase, Paul is saying; "Your old gods were silent, but the God that you worship now expresses Himself."

The thinking continues, now that the Corinthians have a God that expresses Himself, how can they evaluate the authenticity of what is being said in His name?

Paul's first test is this; "No one speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus is accursed'; and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (vs. 3). When the Holy Spirit is genuinely expressing Himself through His people it will always result in exalting Jesus and never cursing, accusing or diminishing Jesus. When the Holy Spirit expresses Himself, Jesus will be celebrated, praised and lifted up. Christ-centered worship, preaching and praying is a good indicator that the Holy Spirit is expressing Himself.

A second test that Paul provides is that the Holy Spirit will express Himself for the common good (vs. 7). Manifestations or expressions of the Holy Spirit are not intended to be self-gratifying, attention-getting, cathartic or distracting. When the Holy Spirit is expressing Himself in a corporate gathering of Christians it should sound harmonious, like a symphony playing the same song. It should not sound like a bunch of musicians playing different songs in different tunes.

Paul instructs the Corinthians to expect a variety of expressions of the Holy Spirit. He also assures Him that these expressions, though varied, all come from the same Spirit.

Among the nine expressions that Paul lists in this passage are:

Word of Wisdom - While this can be exhibited on a regular basis by a wise person, the context of the passage implies that it's specific wisdom for the moment. Further, the emphasis in on the "wise word" not so much the "wise person." A word of wisdom may sound like seemingly random, but incredibly timely advice on what to do in a given situation. It will often result in great clarity where there was previously confusion.

Word of Knowledge - Like the "Word of Wisdom", the emphasis here in not on the "knowledgeable person" but on the "knowledgeable word" or "knowledgeable statement." Words of knowledge are not necessarily about intellect, but about knowing information that was not gained by natural means. For instance, when Jesus seemed to have remarkable clarity regarding the motives and hearts of the people around Him, that would be an example of a word of knowledge.

Faith - This is not the same as "saving faith", which all Christians inherently have received. This is a "special faith" (J. Rodman Williams) in God to bring about a specific outcome. This "special faith" can encourage others to believe, pray and persevere in faith of a specific outcome.

Gifts of Healings - The fact this this phrase is a double-plural probably suggests various methods of healing various illnesses and diseases. The double-plural even creates the possibility that this may be seen as distinguishing between physical healing, emotional healing or even deliverance from evil spirits. Regardless, the double-plural clearly communicates that there is a diverse variety of ways in which God can express healing.

Miracles - A display of supernatural power. A miracle is not when something that is unlikely happens, a miracle is when something impossible happens. For instance, getting a job against all odds is not a miracle. Walking on water is a miracle. Therefore, the working of miracles glorifies God as the true and only source of the power.

Prophecy - To put it simply, to prophesy is to spontaneously express the heart and mind of God in a timely and accurate fashion. Most Biblical prohecy is not predictive, but all Biblical prophecy is expressive. To paraphrase J. Rodman Williams; true prophecy is an expression of the mind and Spirit of Christ, is harmonious with scripture, builds up the community, is often confirmed by other prophetically gifted people and glorifies God, not man.

Distinguishing Spirits - AKA "Discernment." In its immediate context it is the ability to evaluate prophetic messages, teaching and tongues - not just the content but the spirit or motive behind the expression. This is the ability to distinguish what animates an expression; the Holy Spirit, angelic spirits, demonic spirits or a human spirit.

Speaking in Tongues - At no point in the Bible is this the ability to learn human languages. On the contrary "this is the supernatural gift of speaking in unlearned human languages. The reference to 'tongues [languages] . . . of angels' in 1 Cor. 13.1 leaves open the possibility that non-human utterances are in view as well. (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

Interpreting Tongues - Not translating tongues in a syllable for syllable fashion, but evaluating and communicating the meaning of the tongues-utterance. The purpose of interpreting tongues is to convey the meaning so that others can affirm it. When this is not possible tongues should be done privately.

Because each of these expression-gifts are distributed at the initiative of the Holy Spirit, they should be seen as an act of God's sovereignty. Thus, any attempt to deny or prohibit the exercise of these gifts may be viewed as an assault on God's sovereignty.

It requires great pastoral leadership and tact to cultivate these gifts in the life of a community of Christians. Integrating congregational strategies for spiritual formation and emotional health are more effective means of guarding against abuse than establishing a rigid set of rules. As Christians grow into Christ's likeness and are freed of emotional bondage the tendency to abuse, misuse and neglect these expressions diminishes.

Finally, as The Holy Spirit expresses Himself through these types of manifestations, a sense of shared experience will be developed among those in the congregation. This may give way to greater expectation and anticipation for God to be manifestly present in our midst.