As I begin today, I realize this subject has been the source of much discussion in many denominations and beliefs. I don't aspire to be an expert, but I will attempt to explain, with God's help the point of the following verses and help you see that God is not a God of confusion, but of wisdom and truth. 1 Corinthians 13:If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. In living this Christian life, we follow God's Word and His direction. We also realize that since our born-again experience, we now think in ways that are led by the Holy Spirit. This makes the the "heart" of what we do very important. God speaks to the heart, and the Holy Spirit gives us guidance on what our motivation is when using the gifts God has given us.
To realize what love is saying when Paul is writing to the Corinthians we have to realize the purpose of the letter. Paul was dictating this letter to the leader of the synagogue and His name was Sosthenes. Sosthenes was deeply invested in the work in Corinth and his association with Paul put him on the firing line of persecution by religious leaders. In Acts 18 we see what Paul and Sosthenes had to deal with in preaching the gospel. 12 But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
There were divisions in the church at Corinth and Paul addressed those divisions by helping them focus their minds and their actions toward glorifying God and not themselves. Paul was redirecting their efforts in the faith to the more important things at the time, which involved sharing the gospel more. They had become sidetracked by aligning with certain leaders and certain types of worship, and that caused them to miss the main thing. In chapter 12 Paul speaks to the best way to look at leadership. 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
The key to unity in the church has always been to be unified around the leadership of the Holy Spirit, because without the Holy Spirit we have a tendency to drift. We must have the Holy Spirit to discern the right from the wrong, and God's Word finalizes all things to be in line with God's will. The church at Corinth had drifted and the misuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit had become an issue. Paul did not shut down the Holy Spirit working, but gave them a clear priority for the use of the gifts. He set a precedent by saying the following in verse 3 of chapter 12: 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Paul shows us that guidance by the Holy Spirit is necessary and the eternal truth of unity is found in Jesus and Him alone.
Since our love comes from God, we also receive a calling that shows us how God has equipped us to serve Him with God-given gifts. To misuse those gifts is to devalue what God intends in the use of those gifts. Paul lists the gifts in chapter 12 and reminds those believers that all of these gifts are meant to enhance further the ability to be the church. They are not intended to cause divisions in the church by saying one is better than the other, but they are intended to unify the church around the purpose of the church and that is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We preach that gospel because of God's love and with God's love. We are to have a Godly motivation in what we do and that motivation is fueled by God's love. If we don't serve and live with the fuel of God's love, we are doing everything to lift up ourselves and not God, and that will not work. Paul tells the Corinthians to realize how God has gifted them to serve and do it for God and God alone, united with other believers so we can be the church.
To apply this truth to the church of today we must come back to the basics that all of this is happening because God's love is expressed through the death of his Son. That is the message we share, and as a church, we take that message and carry it to a lost world. We carry it unified around the throne of grace. One person is not more important than the other. All servants use their gifts to honor God and do that together. If our motivation is anything other than love when using the gifts God has given us, then we are missing the mark of what God intends for all the gifts He has given each of us. God's church must come alive, and everyone must use their gifts for God with God's love as the driving force. If that happens, true unity in purpose and passion will be seen and felt in the church Jesus established. Without God's love fueling this work then the church will be scattered and ineffective and compromised.
Why do you do what you do, and are you expecting some special consideration because you have a certain gift? You are a clanging cymbal! Do you lift up certain people as more spiritual or better because of the way they are gifted? Then you are missing the point, and unity in the church will be compromised. God has given us these gifts to enable us to "be the church." We short-circuit the whole process when we let our human motivations taint the gifts themselves. A point in the case shows that speaking in tongues was not a gift that unified the body, so Paul said there was a better way, and that involved prioritizing the gifts that were best.
Corinth has many parallels to our world today, and we must focus on the truth of Paul's teaching so that the church of today will come alive, led by the Holy Spirit of God. Don't abuse what God has given us by leaving the motivation of love out of the mix.
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren
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