What Does the Holy Spirit Want to Do Through Us?
God hasn’t simply brought you into His family. He’s equipped you to make a difference in the lives of others. The question is: Are you making yourself available?
The Holy Spirit equips every believer with spiritual gifts to serve others, strengthen the church, and participate in the mission of Jesus. He determines our gifts, empowers their use, and calls us to exercise them with humility, holiness, and love.
Have you ever played the board game Mouse Trap?
As a kid, it’s fascinating. You turn a crank, a series of moving parts begins working together, and eventually a cage drops to catch the mouse.
As a parent trying to assemble the game, it’s a different experience altogether.
And there’s something especially frustrating about pulling that game out of the closet only to discover that a piece is missing.
Every piece has a purpose. And when one piece isn’t doing its part, the whole contraption is affected.
Now, the church isn’t a machine. It’s something far more wonderful. Scripture describes the church as the body of Christ.
But there’s a lesson here worth considering.
Every member matters. Every member has a purpose. And every member has something to contribute.
In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul explains how the Holy Spirit equips believers to participate in God’s work.
In our previous study, we discovered that the Holy Spirit wants to develop the character of Christ in us through the fruit of the Spirit.
But His work doesn’t stop there.
The Holy Spirit not only wants to do something in us. He wants to do something through us.
The Holy Spirit Has Given You Something to Contribute
One of the first things Paul wants Christians to understand is that spiritual gifts come from God.
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.”
The word translated “gifts” comes from a Greek word family closely connected with grace.
That’s significant.
Spiritual gifts aren’t trophies awarded to especially impressive Christians. They’re gracious provisions from God.
God has not only saved you and brought you into His family. He has equipped you to contribute to the work He’s doing.
Paul goes on to explain that there are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different ways God works through His people (1 Corinthians 12:4–6).
Some teach. Others lead. Some encourage, give generously, show mercy, or serve faithfully behind the scenes.
Not everyone will serve in the same way, and not everyone will serve on the same scale.
One person may preach to thousands. Another may faithfully teach five children. Another may quietly meet a need that almost nobody notices.
The question isn’t whether your contribution looks impressive.
God isn’t asking you to do what He’s equipped someone else to do.
He’s calling you to be faithful with what He’s entrusted to you.
The Holy Spirit Decides How He Gifts Us
Have you ever wished you could do what someone else does?
Maybe you wish you could sing like someone on the worship team, teach Scripture with the confidence of a gifted teacher, or encourage people as naturally as someone you admire.
It’s easy to fall into the comparison game.
But Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit intentionally distributes gifts according to His wisdom.
“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
Notice who makes the decision.
The Holy Spirit does.
He knows what His church needs, and He equips His people accordingly.
Paul illustrates this by comparing the church to a human body. A body needs eyes, ears, hands, and feet. Each part serves a different purpose, but all belong to the same body.
Imagine how strange it would be if your foot decided it wasn’t valuable because it couldn’t see, or your ear became discouraged because it couldn’t walk.
That’s Paul’s point.
We need one another. And we don’t need everyone to be exactly alike.
You don’t have to be the preacher to make a difference.
You don’t have to be the singer to worship through service.
You don’t have to be the leader to strengthen the church.
You simply need to be faithful with what God has given you.
And here’s something else worth remembering: spiritual gifts can be developed.
Paul encouraged Timothy not to neglect the gift he had received but to devote himself to growing in his ministry (1 Timothy 4:14–15).
You may not be as effective today as you could become five years from now.
So don’t allow comparison to keep you from beginning.
Spiritual Gifts Are for Service, Not Status
Why does God give spiritual gifts?
Paul answers that question directly.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
That’s the purpose.
Spiritual gifts aren’t given so we can gain recognition, build a platform, or feel more important than someone else.
They’re given so we can serve.
Peter makes the same point in 1 Peter 4:10, instructing believers to use whatever gift they’ve received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace.
And this is where spiritual gifts connect with the fruit of the Spirit.
Someone can be a gifted speaker and still be arrogant. Someone can be an excellent leader and still mistreat people. Someone can know the Bible exceptionally well and still lack love.
Being gifted doesn’t automatically mean someone is spiritually mature.
That’s why Paul moves from his teaching about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 into his famous teaching about love in chapter 13.
Spiritual gifts without Christlike love
miss the very purpose for which they were given.
The Holy Spirit wants to develop Christ’s character within us so that we can serve others in a way that reflects Christ.
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Serve
God doesn’t simply give His people gifts and then leave them to figure everything out on their own.
The same Spirit who distributes spiritual gifts also empowers their use.
“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
We can teach, organize, lead, and serve while depending entirely on our own abilities.
We may even accomplish some good things.
But Jesus never intended His mission to be accomplished through self-reliance.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised His disciples power through the Holy Spirit so they could be His witnesses.
Our confidence in serving shouldn’t ultimately rest in our personalities, talents, or experience.
It should rest in the Lord who calls, equips, and empowers us.
That doesn’t eliminate preparation, practice, or responsibility. Rather, it changes the posture of our hearts as we prepare and serve.
Am I serving in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, or am I simply relying on what I know I can do?
Three Ways We Can Hinder the Spirit’s Work Through Us
Scripture calls us not only to discover and develop our gifts but also to examine how we’re living.
There are ways we can resist the work God desires to accomplish through us.
Self-Reliance Instead of Spirit-Dependence
We may never say, “I don’t need God’s help.”
But sometimes we live as though we don’t.
We prepare to teach, lead, preach, or serve without prayerfully depending on the Spirit. James 4:6 reminds us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Resistance Instead of Obedience
Sometimes we know where we could serve.
We recognize a need. Others have encouraged us. We have the ability and opportunity.
But we keep putting it off.
Paul told Timothy not to neglect his spiritual gift (1 Timothy 4:14). We should take that warning seriously. A gift entrusted to us should not be left unused because of fear, inconvenience, or procrastination.
Persistent Sin Instead of Purity
This may be the most uncomfortable hindrance to consider.
We may desire to be used by God while refusing to surrender areas of our lives that He has already confronted through His Word.
But Scripture connects holiness with usefulness to the Master.
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”
Paul uses the picture of utensils in a large household. Some are made of gold and silver; others are made of wood and clay. There are vessels for different kinds of use.
That picture reminds us that not everything has the same function.
In a similar way, God can work through people with different personalities, backgrounds, abilities, passions, and experiences.
But Paul’s main concern in this passage isn’t what the vessels are made of. It’s whether a person has cleansed himself from what is dishonorable and is ready for the Master’s use.
Think about it this way.
You wouldn’t reach for a filthy dish or utensil to serve someone a meal. You’d want something clean and ready to use.
Likewise, we can make ourselves unfit for honorable service when we knowingly cling to sin, refuse repentance, or persistently disobey what God has commanded.
This doesn’t mean believers must reach sinless perfection before God can use them. Every Christian continues to struggle with sin and needs God’s ongoing grace.
But there’s a difference between struggling against sin and making peace with it.
God isn’t simply concerned with how gifted we are.
He’s concerned with how surrendered we are.
And this brings us back to the Holy Spirit’s work within us.
The Spirit produces Christlike character in our lives, helping us put away sin and grow in holiness.
What the Spirit wants to do in us prepares us for what He wants to do through us.
What’s Your Garbage Can?
Several months ago, during one of our church’s quarterly celebrations, a simple need was mentioned.
Someone needed to take the church’s trash cans down to the road each Thursday evening.
Not long afterward, a young man who grew up at Cornerstone reached out. He now attends another church, but he still wanted to help.
He asked whether the need had been filled.
It hadn’t.
So he volunteered.
He works third shift at UPS, and on his way home he stops by the church and rolls the trash cans to the roadside.
It may seem like such a small thing.
But it meets a real need, removes a responsibility from someone else’s plate, and helps the church function.
And it reminds us that serving Jesus doesn’t always involve a microphone, a platform, or a position.
Sometimes it involves a willingness to say:
“I can do that.”
What need has God placed in front of you?
Maybe it’s encouraging someone who’s discouraged. Maybe it’s teaching children, helping a family in need, praying faithfully for others, serving behind the scenes, or stepping into a ministry you’ve been considering for months.
You may not be able to do everything.
But there is something you can do.
Discover How God Has Equipped You
Not sure how God has gifted you or where you might begin serving?
The ARC Churches DISC Personality and Spiritual Gifts Assessment can help you reflect on your personality, natural tendencies, and possible areas of spiritual giftedness.
Remember, an assessment isn’t Scripture, and it doesn’t determine your spiritual gifts with certainty. It’s simply a tool to help you begin discovering how God may have equipped you.
Explore the Personality & Spiritual Gifts Assessment →As you reflect on your results, consider how they align with Scripture, the needs around you, and the encouragement of other mature believers.
Don’t Just Discover Your Gift. Use It.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin serving.
Sometimes discovery happens through obedience.
1. Pray for availability.
Ask God to show you where you can serve and give you a willing heart to respond.
2. Explore your giftedness.
Consider taking the spiritual gifts assessment, talking with other believers, and paying attention to opportunities where you can serve effectively.
3. Examine your heart.
Is there an area of sin, resistance, or self-reliance you need to surrender to the Lord?
4. Take one step of obedience.
Identify one practical way you can serve someone this week. If you’re part of a local church, ask about opportunities to get involved.
Questions for Personal Reflection
1. Have I been comparing my abilities or opportunities with someone else’s instead of being faithful with what God has given me?
2. Where have I seen God use my abilities, experiences, or passions to help someone else?
3. Am I relying on the Holy Spirit as I serve, or primarily depending on myself?
4. Is there an area of disobedience or unrepentant sin that may be hindering my usefulness to the Lord?
5. What’s my “garbage can”—one simple need I can help meet this week?
Make Yourself Available
This week, ask the Lord to show you one opportunity to serve. It doesn’t have to be something big, public, or impressive.
When you recognize that opportunity, resist the temptation to wait for a more convenient time.
“Lord, thank You for bringing me into Your family and giving me a purpose. Show me where I can serve. Cleanse anything in my life that hinders my usefulness. Help me depend on Your Spirit and faithfully use what You’ve entrusted to me.”
The Holy Spirit has equipped you to serve.
Will you make yourself available?
Watch or Listen to the Full Sermon
This article is based on Week 4 of our Ghost Stories sermon series at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Explore the full message for additional teaching, illustrations, and application from 1 Corinthians 12.
Watch the Sermon
Watch the complete Week 4 message from Cornerstone Baptist Church.
Watch Now →Listen to the Sermon
Listen to the full message wherever your day takes you.
Listen / Download →God has brought His people together for His purposes. He has equipped us differently, but He calls us to serve together.
You don’t need someone else’s gift, someone else’s personality, or someone else’s platform.
You need a heart surrendered to Jesus, a willingness to obey, and a dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
Lord, use me.
Lord, make me more useful.
And when the next opportunity comes, may our response be simple:
“I can do that.”
This article is part of Ghost Stories: Discovering the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, a five-week series exploring who the Holy Spirit is, His presence in believers, His transforming work within us, and how He equips and guides us to live for Jesus.
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