Living on Purpose pt3

our unique calling is based on our gifting- who did God make you to be and how are you engaging with who you really are?

So if we all have the same purpose, what makes us unique? Because obviously I am nothing like the next person. And truly, who would want to be like me? LOL

This is where we begin to see how God has set before us the same purpose, but has set for each of us different tasks or assignments that He has uniquely gifted us to fulfill- some for a season and some for a lifetime.

Paul talks about this in the context of gifts and a body constructed of many parts. And he sets all of it in the context of our relationship with Jesus.

Take a look with me at 1 Corinthians 12.

So the first 3 verses set the context of the gifts and roles Paul is going to discuss. He says in verse 2 that we used to be one way- enslaved to “mute idols.” They are mute because they did not talk to us or engage with us. They are dead gods. But our God is alive, and He not only speaks to us, He gives us gifts.

1 Corinthians (1) Confession of Jesus as Lord by the Spirit (12:1–3)

he contrasts the Corinthians’ pagan past with their present experience of the Spirit, who enables the confession “Jesus is Lord.”

And the way we know that we are in that relationship with Him, is based on our view of Jesus. Those who know Jesus call Him Lord and those who do not know Him call Him cursed. We do this based on the relationship we have with Jesus.

1 Corinthians (1) Confession of Jesus as Lord by the Spirit (12:1–3)

All who confess Jesus as Lord are led by the Spirit and qualify as spiritual ones. Paul “wants to affirm at the start that all of the members of the body of Christ are spiritual.” The key point is that the Lordship of Christ is not a human discovery. The confession “Jesus is Lord” is made with full meaning and understanding only at the prompting of the Spirit. Anyone can “say” the words “Jesus is Lord,” but what Paul has in mind here is speaking with full conviction and complete personal allegiance

(Gospel presentation here)

So verses 4-12 then go into a list of gifts that come from Jesus. These are a list that are part of a broader list in scripture. Why not all gifts are listed isn’t something we are told. It could be these are the gifts present in the church at Corinth or it could be these are the ones God told Paul to emphasize. Regardless, the concern here is less the gift than how they are used.

1 Corinthians (2) The Distribution of Gifts by the One and the Same Spirit (12:4–11)

Different lists appear elsewhere (see 12:18; 13:1–3; Rom 12:6–8; Eph 4:11–12

1 Corinthians (2) The Distribution of Gifts by the One and the Same Spirit (12:4–11)

Paul’s aim is not to establish a hierarchy of gifts but to insist that all gifts come from the same source and are thus given to achieve a unified purpose

the common good

for the revealed purposes of God

all for the glory of Jesus

This is the purpose of gifts. Notice, Paul is not exalting one gift over another. He is not elevating others based on gifting. He is saying ALL of them are vital and all for the same purpose- the common good.

1 Corinthians (2) The Distribution of Gifts by the One and the Same Spirit (12:4–11)

Not all have the same gift or the same assignment in the body of Christ, yet all gifts, ministries, and empowerments derive from the same Spirit/Lord/God (12:4–6). The very notion of unity in diversity is grounded in the very nature of the one, triune God

And what is that “common good?” The Purpose- the Great Commission- making disciples.

1 Corinthians (2) The Distribution of Gifts by the One and the Same Spirit (12:4–11)

“Spiritual gifts are always given to be used, and to be used in such a way as to edify the whole body of believers, not some individual possessor of a gift. A schismatic individualism contradicts the purpose of the gifts.”

And then Paul doubles down on this. By reminding us that we should always seek to be in unity with the Body- that is the Church.

1 Corinthians (3) One Body, Many Members (12:12–31)

the church as the one body of Christ composed of many members. The fourfold repetition of the motif of “the one and the many” drives home the point emphatically

Look at verses 12-14.

Christian you cannot be a fully functioning Christian apart from a local body of believers. To say anything else is to contradict scripture. So being with other believers to worship and learn and encourage is not just vital, it is necessary.

1 Corinthians (3) One Body, Many Members (12:12–31)

These verses continue the thought of 12:4–11 under the notion of “oneness,” as seen in the six occurrences of the word “one” in 12:12–14. Just as the previous unit stressed both the concept of “sameness” (the same Spirit, Lord, and God, 12:4–6) and diversity in the distribution of gifts (12:7–11), 12:12–14 emphasizes the “one” body that has many members. Unity and diversity are equally emphasized

We got into a bad habit during the pandemic of consuming church the way we consume entertainment. It was made worse by social media. But watching a service is not the same as being in fellowship. And we need to remember that and practice it. And not “feeling like it today” is not a reason to deny the Body your presence.

Because when you are not there, the Body is not whole.

But further, to think that your presence isn’t important because your gift isn’t valuable is even more heinous.

1 Corinthians (3) One Body, Many Members (12:12–31)

Paul is careful to stress that God placed “each one” of the members in the body “just as he wanted them to be.” Each member of the body has its own function according to God’s design. The emphasis on “each one” and the placement of the members in the body according to God’s pleasure builds up the main point of 12:4–11 that describes the manifestation of the Spirit “to each one” (12:7), the distribution of gifts “to one” and “to another” (12:8–10), and the allotment of gifts of the Spirit “just as he determines

Look at verses 15-20.

We cannot all have the same gifts. That would be like a body that was just a hand. Or an eye. That’s a horror movie not an inviting friend.

Can you imagine if the church was only attractive to certain people? Yet we have in some ways made it that way over the last few decades by focusing on outward appearance, overvaluing public gifts, and making celebrities out of what are supposed to be servants.

It is ALIEN to the Gospel to do these things!

1 Corinthians (3) One Body, Many Members (12:12–31)

Just because the foot is not a hand or an ear is not an eye does not mean that either is any less a member of the body (12:15–16). There is no insignificant, unimportant, or inconsequential member of the body. Garland explains, “The failure of one little valve can shut down the whole bodily system. The implication is that there is no unimportant gift or person in the body of Christ

Lastly, look at verses 21-26.

We are not to demean the gifting of others.

Look I do not understand everyone’s gifts. Period. some of them make no sense to me.

1 Corinthians (3) One Body, Many Members (12:12–31)

God has combined, or “mixed together,” the members of the body for this very purpose. This is essentially a restatement of 12:18, that God put the members in the body as he pleased. Here, however, Paul adds a clarifying purpose statement concerning the divine blending of the body: “so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other”

But can I tell you what I have learned as I have grown in my faith? Just because I do not understand a gift, does not make it any less valuable or necessary. In fact, it may make it more necessary around me because it is my blind spot.

And when we begin to see this interconnectedness in the Body, we realize we rise and fall together- vs26.

That’s the Body. We come together to advance the Purpose of the King.

Where are you denying the Body your gifts?

Where are envying or belittling the gifts of others?

How are your gifts helping you to fulfill the Purpose we are all seeking to fulfill?