Variety of Spiritual Gifts

God’s nature never changes. His character and behavior are established, BUT, He enjoys a variety of expressions. In other words, variations in manifestations, differences in appearance and operation.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 reads 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.
Each gift can be exhibited by the spirit in various ways and maturity through each person. It is God’s intentions to establish the gifts with varied depths.
 
Diversity of Gifts:
There are many gifts—same spirit. God’s idea of church is a TEAM.  He wants to take different people at different levels and strengths and mold them into a winning team. To God, reaching His goals is considered a win.
Example: a basketball team
a) all players dribble, shoot, run, jump, and play defense.
b) different skill levels such as
* point guard—good dribbler / passer
* center—forwards –close to the basket
* shooting guard—long range shooter
c) all different skills for a win.
The key to a great team is every player completely understands his role and then they also understand the role of the others on the team. Then the most important thing is they work together and coordinate all the parts to work effectively and efficiently. We need to spend more time together—fellowship, prayer, ministry—in other words  - practice together!
I’ll use my high school team as an example. We not only need to strive to be the best we can be as individuals but we must strive to be the best we can be together. I need to know what I can do. How do you get to that place?  Fellowship, spending time with one another, ministering with one another and to one another.
Paul’s teaching of the gifts in 1 Corinthians should not be taken out of context. In chapters 12 through 14, he explained that distinct and specialized gifting work through a unified group of people who all recognize the importance of each and every functioning part. All the members of the body of Christ can move in the gifts to a certain degree, yet the Holy Spirit wants to mature and perfect some of those gifts in a person in order to establish that person’s function & ministry in the church. We must learn to work together so that our ministries compliment each other in using the gifts such as
tongues, interpretations of tongues, word of knowledge, gifts of healing, discerning of spirits,
working in miracles, etc. 
Also, know that as we minister together there is a growing process. Intensity and maturity increases as we use our gifts of the Holy Spirit. For those who won’t move out in their gifting, it is because it’s not as strong as others. You need to know this: it never will until you begin to USE it.
 
Differences of Administration:
The last section about the gifts are attached to the Holy Spirit.  This section is attached to the Lord as noted in verse five of our scripture.
Lord: Greek—kurios and it means supreme in authority, controller or master.
What Paul was getting at here is varied levels of authority that operate with each manifestation. There is order to everything that God establishes.
Order means no chaos, no confusion or no error, 1st Corinthians 14:29-33.
In a spirit-filled church where the gifts are allowed freely, there also must be order, see 1st Cor 14:40. As a church, there needs to be spiritually mature individuals that maintains order. Without the ministry of administration things get out of order and essentially quench the Holy Spirit instead of giving room to the Holy Spirit. I have learned how to operate under authority which brought me to operate with authority. I can function independently but I choose to place myself under Pastor Morton.
As a matter of fact, I have become able to tap into other ministers’ anointing. As we get in order it increases the accuracy, the quality and the amount of ministry that the Lord chooses to use us. Loose cannons and lone rangers need not apply; if you can’t submit to authority, don’t expect to be able to have authority.

Diversities of Operation:
This has to do with variety of expression. 1st Cor 12:6. The Amplified Version reads: “And there are distinctive varieties of operations [of working to
accomplish things], but it is the same God who inspires and energizes them all in all.”
What this is saying is that God will accomplish the same thing in a variety of ways.  Example: word of knowledge of glaucoma given to three different people: 1st person may feel eye pain. The 2nd person may “see” in the spirit a red, inflamed eye, and the 3rd person may just get a word that someone has glaucoma. The result is someone gets healed of glaucoma. God has many ways to attack a problem. He allows diversities of operation to take place in the gifts. Don’t get stuck with one way of ministering the gifts. Above all, don’t try to copy someone else—be yourself.
Gifts can manifest in many ways: 1) see it –have a vision for it 2) hear an audible voice 3) still small voice 4) feel it and 5) you know that you know. 
We need to mature and realize that the Holy Spirit will manifest any way He wants to and our preconceived ideas need to be dropped.
Some of you might say well, if God doesn’t do it that way, it can’t be God. That’s just not true. 
God’s expressions, actions, and operations can be as diverse as the personalities and gifting of the members of the body of Christ.
Now, everything must line up with the bible. Everything must be judged and discerned.
1) does it line up with the word 2) is it a now word 3) is it a down the road word 4) is it for one individual 5) is it for the whole group.  As we practice the gifts, submit to leadership and start to mature then the Holy Spirit will move in our midst more often, we'll begin to function with more accuracy, and with much more diversity.   Doc