Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ESV
Understanding this verse requires some context of the letter to 1 Corinthians. In verses 1 - 3, Paul is starting his address to spiritual people that lived within Corinth. They had previously been led as pagans, but are now led by the Holy Spirit as Christian believers. However, while many had emphasised tongues, Paul starts by emphasizing that we are all part of a single body. Each part of the body is called by God and they have differing purposes.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 ESV
Lest the Corinthians should be confused, there is only one Spirit, Lord and God. Each is given a gift, service or activity for their participation in the church. It's of vital importance to recognise this fact. No matter what way you contribute to the church - your calling is from God and your ministry is to the church.
But Paul then demonstrates that these varieties of gifts, services or activities, while empowered by God, are for a single purpose:
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV
Notice that the gifts are given by God, to each of us as members, for the common good of the church. While the common good may seem to be a lofty idea or objective that the church needs to discern - it's actually a verb. God is actively gifting people with varieties of gifts, ministries or activities that build the church. There's an active component for God, but no active decision making required by us.
Which leads us to the next point, that Paul addresses only the spiritual gifts, he does not tackle ministries or activities. There are endless ministries and activities that God can use us by and here he means to only demonstrate a small number of the gifts. These are by no means the exhaustive list as more are found elsewhere in this chapter and elsewhere in Paul's letters - simply here are some of the gifts:
For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 ESV
Paul's great point is not that the Corinthians should pursue a gift from within this list of gifts. It is that there is one God that empowers them all. He gives to each as he deems necessary, and the gifts are for the purpose of building the church. However, if you are interested, I have created a full list of spiritual gifts. This list may not be all that the Holy Spirit can offer us in terms of gifting, but it's all that has been revealed in scripture. Any other claims of spiritual gifting should be weighed against the purpose of these gifts as outlined in these verses.
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