Category: 1 Corinthians

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given one Spirit to drink  (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Be careful.

Taken out of context, this can look like Paul is preaching that all people are part of the Body. That he’s advocating a Brotherhood of Man, we are all God’s children, many roads lead to God kind of business.

Nope

Thank God for context.

Paul is talking–as he has been all along–about Christ-following, Gospel-preaching, Spirit-filled believers. And within that context, we have the joy of knowing that we are one body. The things that sometimes so often divide us–race, socioeconomic status, cultural background–are nothing when placed against the One who unites us. Keep that in mind as you head into your day.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ  (1 Corinthians 12:12).

And so we see one of the greatest analogies in Scripture.

The idea of the Body of Christ permeates the Christian world. It is perhaps the most enduring metaphor for the Church. 

We are many.

We are different.

And yet, we are one.

We’ll dive deeper into this over the next few days, but for now simply consider this:

You belong.

You may feel that you are a random bit of fluff in the universe, but you are not.

You have a purpose and great worth. You are part of something far bigger than yourself. You, my friend, are a small piece of how the God of Everything  chooses to express Himself in this world.

Rest in that today, Beloved.

Happy Tuesday

All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11).

It’s not all about you.

I know you know. Still,  it seems to be our default position to assume that we are the center of the universe and everything revolves around us.

That’s the heart of the heart of sin.

Beloved, the actual Lord of the Universe, who built you from the ground up, who knows every work of your hand and thought of your heart and somehow loves you anyway–that Lord has given you gifts. Praise God for them, use them for His glory, delight in them–but do not take Pride in them. They are gifts, not accomplishments. You have no more right to be proud of your spiritual gift than of the color of your eyes. At the same time, do not bemoan the gift you “should have,” but don’t. That’s just you trying to be the Center again. Trust God and allow Him to use you as He sees fit.

That’s difficult, but

that’s worship.

Happy Friday, Beloved

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues  (1 Corinthians 12:10).

I’m about to annoy some of you.

Won’t be the first time…or the last.

You see, some of you are convinced that when Paul says “tongues,” he’s referring to spoken human languages–like what happened in Acts 2. Others look at what Paul is going to talk about just two chapters from now, in 1 Corinthians 14. You read that and decide that Paul is speaking of a “prayer language,” a language spoken only by you and God.

Here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter.

I mean, it’s an interesting conversation, and one we’ll have when we get to Ch. 14, but it’s not really pertinent here. Paul’s point here seems to be that God gives to some people the gift of speaking in a language that they have not learned, and to others He gives the gift of interpreting such languages so that the Body can be edified.

So that the Body can be edified.

Beloved, if you have a present sitting wrapped on the table, by all means open it and use it. But a spiritual gift is  kind of like getting a defibrillator for your birthday. It’s your gift, sure, but it’s not really for you. In fact, trying to use it for yourself would be…awkward.

Happy Thursday, Beloved

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits…  (1 Corinthians 12:10).

I am rich. I look at the stacks of $100 bills in front of me and I can’t believe my good fortune. To have stumbled upon such a treasure is unimaginable, and yet here it is! Surely God has blessed me.

Then along comes Mr. Treasury Man, who examines the bills and shows me nine different ways that they are bogus. I am crestfallen, yet relieved, because if I had quit my job and built my life around that money, only to find that it is counterfeit…

It’s kinda like that, Beloved.

Happy Wednesday

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy…  (1 Corinthians 12:10).

So, this thing happened to me once upon a time many moons ago.

I was meeting with several other people for prayer. Most of the group I knew, but some I did not. As we prayed, I had a strong urge to speak to a woman there–one of the folks I had never met. I apologized for invading her privacy, but told her that there was something I really felt God wanted her to know. I then proceeded to share things I could not possibly know about her–some issues that she was dealing with in her personal life, and how God wanted her to proceed. I wondered how she was going to take this, coming as it did from a total stranger. I figured that at best she would tell me I was a nut job, and at worst she would hit me with a rock.

She began to cry. Through tears and sobs and snot, she said that what I had described about her life was completely accurate. She believed that God was speaking through me.

So do I.

For the record, nothing like that has happened to me before or since. If it had happened to someone else, I would probably chalk it up to a lucky guess or some spot-on observation and insight. You are more than welcome to do so, by the way.

But it didn’t happen to someone else.

It happened to me.

Like I said, this is not a regular thing for me.  I do not claim to have the gift of prophecy. It happened this once, though, and if God chose to speak through me in that instance, I’m sure He chooses to speak though others as well. How strange and amazing that the Lord of Everything should ever choose such weak tools as we for even the simplest of tasks.

And yet, He does.

Because He loves us

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers…  (1 Corinthians 12:10).

It was a miracle I got to work on time.

It was a miracle that I passed that test.

It was a miracle that the barista got my order right.

Beloved, the word miracle is overused today, and that’s a problem.

When we are flippant with the word miracle, it is akin to taking the Lord’s name in vain. I mean, a true miracle happens when God decides to bypass the laws of nature–which He created and put in place–to bring about His will. Things that cannot possibly happen…happen.

The sun stands still in the sky

A child’s lunch feeds thousands

Broken bodies are made whole

The blind see

The dead live again

The fact that God occasionally works miracles through people is a sign of His grace to us. 

So does the gift of miraculous powers still exist today?

Excellent question, Beloved.

Historically, miracles seem to have been God’s way of validating His messengers. Moses, the Prophets, the Apostles–all performed miracles in God’s name as a way of demonstrating that they indeed spoke for God. Jesus performed miracles, in part, to show that He was the long awaited Messiah. The early church saw many miracles, and these miracles served as proof that they were the children of God.

But today?

Beloved, I have never seen what I would call a Bible-level miracle, but I am not going to say that because I haven’t seen them, they do not occur. That would involve a level of foolishness and self-centeredness that even I do not reach. God is still at work in His people and in His world. Each sunrise, each breath, is a sort of miracle. Each time a soul chooses to turn from sin and self and embrace the Lord of the Universe–that is a miracle. So let us pray for miracles today, and keep our eyes open to see God’s hand at work.

But no, getting a good parking space does not count.

Happy Monday, Beloved

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit…  (1 Corinthians 12:9).

This is the gift my wife has always wanted.

She would love to be able to lay hands on people and heal them, as Jesus and his followers did in the Gospels and in Acts.

Frankly, I wouldn’t mind it too much myself.

Beloved, it is at this point that the gifts Paul is listing shift into the truly miraculous. Knowledge and wisdom and faith are things all of us can possess, but God blesses some with an extraordinary measure. Now we have moved into new realms. I mean, it’s not like I can say, “Well, I can heal the occasional broken bone, but Jim? He regrew that girl’s arm!” Healing, of the type Paul is talking about, is not something you see these days. How come?

Well, there are all kinds of answers to that, and we’ll get into it more over the next few days. For the moment, may I suggest that healing is but one of many gifts of the Spirit, and but one way to serve Him. Some people need healing; others need food, or clothing, or comfort, or understanding, or compassion. So far as I can tell, I don’t have the gift of healing, but that doesn’t stop me from serving God in the ways that I can. Eagerly desire the greater gifts, Beloved–but in the meantime do what you can do.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit…  (1 Corinthians 12:9).

Faith

the substance of things hoped for

the evidence of things unseen

That’s how the author of Hebrews saw it.

We believe that which we cannot prove.

We trust when we cannot verify.

Beloved, we all have faith, or we wouldn’t be followers of Christ. But Paul puts this in the list of spiritual gifts, given to some but not all. So, he must be talking about something more here. I think Paul’s talking about that extra measure of faith that lets people go for the impossible, to see the finished building before the first brick is laid. You know someone like that–or maybe you are someone like that. These people blow past the naysayers–inside the Church and out–and accomplish massive things for the Kingdom of God. They hold on to the promises of God like…well, like they were true. That is a gift, indeed.

I would add a caveat here, Beloved. There is danger with this gift. The danger lies in holding on to promises that God never made, or at least never made to you.  You know someone like that, too. Or maybe…

So perhaps Captain Faith needs to hang out with Mr. Wisdom, just to keep things on an even keel. The gifts of the Spirit, working together, reinforcing each other

like a team

or a family

or a body

Happy Thursday, Beloved

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit… (1 Corinthians 12:8).

Knowledge is awareness of the facts.

Wisdom is using those facts to build up the body and glorify God.

Knowledge is seeing that the pan is  hot.

Wisdom is waiting for it to cool before I grab it.

Knowledge is learning all my lines.

Wisdom is making the character believable.

Knowledge is memorizing the DMV manual.

Wisdom is letting the other guy merge even though I have the right-of-way because it’s not worth getting into an accident or road rage incident over.

Knowledge is being able to explain the Word of God.

Wisdom is being able to use it.

Knowledge without wisdom is at best useless, and at worst dangerous.

Wisdom without knowledge…doesn’t exist.

Both are gifts of the Most High God.

Beloved, everyone can learn, and everyone can apply that knowledge. To that extent, everyone can have knowledge and wisdom. The fact that Paul lists them here means that to some God has given an extra measure, to be used for His church. Is one of these your spiritual gift? 

I don’t know, but I have a suggestion. 

Walk in the wisdom and the knowledge you have, using your mind and your life experience and your common sense for Him, and see what He does with it.

You might be surprised.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved