Paul has just shared with the church in Corinth the significance of the Lord’s Supper, angry that
they have taken this gift from Jesus to remember him, and turned it into
something that divided the people from each other rather than joining them
closer together as the body of Jesus. Paul reminds them that the Lord’s Supper
is about the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, that the meal joins
us together as Jesus’ body when we eat and drink the bread the cup together.
Now Paul moves on to talking about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.
Paul introduces the gifts, “Now about the spiritual
things,” which we translate as “the gifts of
the Spirit,” because Paul goes on, “there
are different kinds of gifts, but the Spirit here,” pointing back to the
references of the Holy Spirit in the first couple of verses where he calls the
Spirit the “Spirit of God,” and the “Holy Spirit.” Paul’s emphasizing that these gifts
are all from the Holy Spirit. The gifts come to each one of us because the Holy
Spirit was poured on the believers on Pentecost, a gift from the Father, God’s
presence that now lives within us, filling us with spiritual life, guiding us
towards Jesus and away from ourselves, reminding us of who Jesus is, and how he’s
called us to walk his way, and away from mute idols.
Now just as we’re all different and the body of Jesus is found all over the world in
different cultures and languages, so the gifts of the Spirit are varied because
the needs of the church vary from one place to another. While the gifts may be
different, they all come from the Holy Spirit. Just like we all serve Jesus in
different ways and in different places and settings, we all still serve the
same Jesus. Paul’s really hammering on the theme of unity and togetherness here
because of how the church in Corinth has allowed the gift of the Lord’s Supper
to become a time of disunity among the people.
Paul emphasizes that the ministration of the Spirit, the gifts the Spirit gives, are for the common good,
to benefit and build up the body of Jesus, for the family of God. The gifts are
given to bless and equip the community of believers, not for our own benefit,
but to help us reflect the nature of God, to share the gospel news of Jesus, to
show how God pours himself out into his people to partner with him in the work
he is doing here in renewing and restoring a people for himself.
Paul goes through a number of the gifts given for the
common good: a message of wisdom, a
message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy,
distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. The
Spirit gives these gifts, plus more, as the Spirit determines what’s needed for
the health and growth of the body of Christ. We often think that gifts are
given and that’s it, but there are circumstances where the church may need
specific gifts and they are not be there, but if we turn to God and ask for the
needed gifts, the Spirit will give them to us. Likewise, if we don’t bother
using the gifts given to us, the gifts can slip away.
A little further on, in chapter 14, Paul expands on the gifts of prophecy and tongues,
giving us some insight into the reasons for some of the gifts, helping us to
reflect on the other gifts and their role in the common good. It strikes me how
Paul says that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, quoting Isaiah
28:11-12, “Very well then, with foreign lips and
strange tongues God will speak to this people, to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of
repose”—but they would not listen.” In the context
of Isaiah, God’s talking about the Assyrians speaking in their own language
which God’s people didn’t understand, and because they’re unable to understand
it’s a sign of judgment for unbelievers. This seems to echo back to the tower
of Babel where God changed their languages as punishment for their pride and
failure to listen to him. Since unbelievers are unable to understand tongues,
it’s a sign that they’re under judgement, emphasizing the importance of the
gift of interpretation. Paul states that prophecy is the gift to ask for
because it speaks God’s word to the people in words that can be understood and
so blesses the church. Tongues bless the individual in speaking to God in
worship, but does little for anyone else or for the common good.
Chapter 13, a chapter focused on love as God defines
it, is placed between these two chapters on Holy Spirit
gifts, and close to the warning on proper relationships within the body of
Jesus when celebrating the gift of the Lord’s Supper. It’s a call for love to
shape how we come to the Lord’s table together, and also how to use the gifts
given to us, with a spirit of love for each other and the community, especially
the community of believers.
In Romans 15:18-19, Paul ties the gifts of the Spirit,
often referred to as signs and wonders, to
leading the Gentiles into obeying God and in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what
Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what
I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of
the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have
fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” The gifts and power of the Holy
Spirit testify to the salvation we find in and through Jesus according to the
writer to the Hebrews, 2:1–4, “We
must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that
we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding,
and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we
escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first
announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also
testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the
Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Embracing the call here to pay careful attention to what we’ve heard
is at the heart of embracing the gift of wisdom Joanne reminded us of.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us to help us be a witness to who God is and the
salvation that comes from and through God and Jesus. A family I came to know when
a youth pastor came by the church one day. They had started attending the
church through our youth ministry and the parents wanted to know what was
happening. One of their children struggled hard and often acted out at home and
school. Over the winter, his mom noticed that he was becoming calmer, that
youth group was the high point of his week, and she asked why. One of our
leaders had taken a special interest in him and acted something like a mentor
to him, in our study evenings we were studying the fruit of the Spirit and how
the Holy Spirit works in us to help us to grow more like Jesus. He was
fascinated by the idea that the Spirit could change him. I shared this with her
and her husband and they were stunned that something so seemingly simple, a
mentor and the Bible, could make such a difference in their son. It felt like a
miracle to them.
I then realized that the power of the Spirit of God, the signs and wonders mentioned in Hebrews are all
part of, and the gifts of the Spirit, all lead us into a closer relationship
with God, but also with each other. When we use the gifts given to us, whether
it’s the gifts mentioned here in 1 Corinthians 12, or any of the other gifts
like compassion and understanding, worship, prayer, hospitality and the ability
to build trusting relationships with those who are hurting or struggling; these
gifts are given to us to be used to build up the community of believers and be
a witness to those who are seeking hope, healing, forgiveness, acceptance, or
even seeking God.
The greatest gift we receive isn’t an ability though; it’s the grace filled gift of salvation that we
receive through Jesus. This is the greatest gift, and we’re called to tell
others of the availability of this gift, a gift they can receive when they
accept Jesus as their Lord, when they confess they’re sinners and need a
Saviour, when they repent and seek to walk in Jesus’ way, opening their heart
to the Holy Spirit.
Most of the gifts of the Spirit involve presence, being with and among people. This is where deep
spiritual growth happens, both for the ones we’re with, and for ourselves. This
is why we began meeting for a short devotion and prayer time each week as staff
last year; simply being together to reflect on a Bible passage and pray
together. The reflection and sharing time are especially important for me, it
blesses me, and I pray, blesses the other staff too.
We’ve each been given different gifts, but coming together each week as a church family on
Sunday mornings, reminds us who we do this for, for Jesus and his kingdom. The
gifts given by the Spirit are gifts given for the common good, to be used to
build the church and bless the community as a sign of the presence and glory of
God. May you bless others as you use your gifts serving God and others.
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