Trinity 10 (Sp. Gifts)

Introduction

Gene Peterson Running the church

There are two over arching narratives that today’s epistle reading intersects and both are worth our attention. One narrative is the place of 1 Corinthians in our understanding of the whole Bible as God’s revelation of himself. Second there is our current understanding of spiritual gifts as a faith community, the baggage we bring and the expression of them in our own church. First lets look at 1 Cor 12 and how to understand it in its larger context

Earliest known letter of St. Paul, talking to a cosmopolitan city. The church is full of problems. This letters is addressing them by connecting concerns to God’s Character/ For example God’s unity as a major theme in today’s reading. The section of Scripture we are working through this morning is in a section that is concerned with the weekly gathering. If you remember the previous section looks at head coverings during church and how communion ought to run, and now the discussion is how to think about Spiritual gifts in the church.

1] Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2] You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.

St. Paul preps the topic, spiritual gifts, and reminds them of times they had been wrong in the past about spiritual matters. Not only had they once been wrong but they had once been trapped in false teachings. They are now part of the family of God, they have what was once only available to the Israelites, Nut now everything is changed.

[3] Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Once upon a time the Jews worshiped the correct God and the Gentiles fell into false worship, but now the Holy Spirit decides who is the once of true faith and who is not. There are Corinthian Gentiles calling Jesus lord up against roving Israelite exorcists that would curse Jesus name. Paul is assuring them who is in line with God’s purposes.

[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; [5] and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; [6] and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

Now St. Paul is going to correct the goings on of the church service by first appealing to God’s nature, and he is strongly helping to develop our understanding of the Trinity. So all around Corinth there are these pagan temples to these myriad of deities, none of its orderly none of its unified. In contrast the church is place where many gifts are expressed, but they are of the same spirit. That Spirit that gives all the gifts is Lord. The having of the gifts are things that come from God. So what St. Paul has let us know is that the worship of Jesus is something that is empowered by the spirit using gifts he brings us from God. That the Spirit is acting, and God is acting, the Holy Spirit is not the combination of God’s action but a person who acts and is Lord. St. Paul does get our understanding of the Holy Spirit all the way across the finish line, but he does move the ball forward substantially.

[7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

And while St. Paul is developing our understanding of the Holy Spirit he is letting us know the reasoning behind The Spirit’s action, it is for the common good. The gifts fo the Spirit are not for private devotions, not for making a scene but for the benefit of the whole group. In the Corinthian church people where expressing charismatic gifts as they felt moved. It was disruptive and made it hard for outsiders to understand what was going on. Paul is telling the church that the spiritual gifts should benefit the whole church.

Main Point: Just as Jesus provides what is needed for salvation, he provides what is needed his church

Now we get to the controversial bit.

The list of different sp. gifts.

There are four places in the NT you can find Spiritual Gifts. Today we read the first part of chapter 12 and in there second part there is another list with more gifts so its almost like 5 lists if you consider the 2 different lists in 1 Cor

I am not going to go through each one and teach about it, that is more a Sunday school lesson I just want to say some things generally about them. There are those who believe that there are three categories of Sp. Gifts. 1. Spiritual Gifts: Teaching Admin Leadership. The things we regularly interact with that don’t cause a stir but keep the church going. 2 Charisms: Seemingly supernatural gifts that are less regular in the church like Healing or tongues and the like. 3. Unlisted gifts: Craftsmen-ship (OT), Mentoring, Design, Engineering.

I would say that the Bible does not seem to discern between gifts, the Charisms are not different than the regular ones, and being a good engineer in the image of the God who engineered the cosmos does not seem to need its own category, they are all Spiritual gifts. They should all be treated like a spiritual gift.

How should we treat a spiritual gift.

It is something God does (have humility)

It should be for the benefit of the whole community (not devotionally)

It should be for the Orderly life of the church (not chaotically)

Main Point: Just as Jesus provides what is needed for salvation, he provides what is needed his church

Now I want to talk about us as a church community

It is no secret that the last season for Trinity has come with significant challenges, and the challenges have also meant that we are a smaller community that we desire to be. Being smaller also means that few people bear more of the burden of the operation of the church. There are fewer people on the altar guild, there are few people to set up and tear down after church, and re arrange the pews, and count the money.

God has intentions for our church and its witness to the community. It will require that we stop and make sure that we are using our different gifts. We need to stop evaluate those gifts make sure that we are using them for good of the body. From there make the appropriate adjustments. We need to find the gaps in church life decide if its a priority, and then make a road map to getting those things done. And honestly there are going to be things that are out of our strength to accomplish. God will act within his own strength make sure that we would not boast in our accomplishments but in his.

Kind of made a mistake in the way I presented this to us, I mean I got out of order. There is the why of the organization, there is the how and there is the what. You should always cast vision by starting with the why, then the how then the what. I gave us the what, believers with spiritual gifts accomplishing the tasks of the church. I gave us the how, Evaluating what needs to get done, what gifts are present in the community, and where are the gaps where we depend on God’s strength. Now I am finally getting to the why. Our neighbors are far from God. Like the corinthians we live in a chaotic city where the people run after false God’s that can be served with gifts, but cannot save souls. Just like in every place around the world we live in a place where people are far from God. And to die far from God, means to live eternally far from God, this thing we call hell. Jesus Christ has died on the cross to bring people to a right relationship with God, to be justified, and he has tasked his Body, the church with the Job of delivering the message. The why is we are the means by which people are brought to life in the presence of the living God. Then the how, that is the evaluation of the task verses what gifts we have. Then the what, the programs of the church brought by flawed people empowered with gifts by God’s perfect spirit.

The call of the church is to make disciples, Matthew 28 reminds us that Jesus gives the church authority, to initiate people to the life in Christ through baptism, the Job of teaching his holy word, to the outcome of knowing his abiding presence, truly I am with you to the end of the age. As we prepare for communion, and we remember the cross, where Jesus fulfilled the purpose for which he came, let us also reflect on the purpose for which we are made, and the gifts that we have, and just as Jesus laid down his life for the plan of God to save souls let us also prepare to lay down our lives for the same, and in that humility let us then eat and drink in a spiritual manner of his precious body and blood. Amen