Every person on the planet has some musical ability. They can sing (badly, perhaps, but they can sing), and many can play instruments with various amounts of skill. Almost everyone has the capacity to hear and appreciate music. And most can even make up their own short jingles or apply new lyrics to old tunes. To have a natural ability is not the same as having a Spiritual Gift. This is no differe
nt than the concept that all parents are obligated to be teachers of their children and that all believers are called to evangelize the lost, whether or not they have the spiritual gift of teaching or evangelism. All Christians have obligations to sing, to teach, and to evangelize, but that does not mean that we all have the spiritual gifts of music, teaching, or evangelism. Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. We do not have them to please ourselves, to feel good about ourselves, to lift our own spirits, or to experience personal joy or self-satisfaction. "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. … Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. … But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Corinthians 11:1,4,5,7)
A spiritual gift is given so that the bearer of the gift is obligated to employ this skill for the common good of the church. And since all things that occur in the assembled congregation are for verbal edification (1 Corinthians 14:26) all spiritual gifts used in the worship service are to be verbally edifying to the hearers.
