Decently and In Order
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.
Welcome - 1 Corinthians - today we finish Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts
I said a few weeks ago when I preached chapter 13 how I had been looking forward to it for a while. It is such a famous passage - it’s the love passage! - I couldn’t wait to talk about it.
Well, I have felt differently about this passage. Because it’s famous for totally different reasons. And there are some strong feelings on what Paul says here about women being silent in verses 34 and 35.
And this goes both ways. On one side, we have the egalitarians who say men and women are no different and have no defined or differing roles in the church, according to God.
On the other side, you have the hyper-fundamentalists who say that women can’t do anything in the church, should have no opinion in the church or the home, and that they can’t lead any ministries, pray in the church, or really do anything.
And, once again, neither extreme is taught in the Bible. While women are not lesser than men. God has given differing roles and responsibilities to men and women. This is evident in both the natural order, as in our roles in reproduction - and in the teaching of the Bible where it speaks about church order.
And what Paul is talking about here is church order.
Let’s keep this in context. Because Paul’s instructions about tongues and all the gifts and why we use them and for what purpose - none of that is abstract theology to Paul - it is very practical: for Christians, for the local church, and for the universal church.
That’s why Paul gives very practical instruction here.
And he explains twice why he is laying out this instruction for the Corinthians. He ends the section on spiritual gifts saying:
But all things should be done decently and in order.
And he explains why all things need to be done by us decently and in order:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
So this is about decency and order in the church so that we would reflect the character of our God.
And Paul begins by asking the all important question after his teaching on spiritual gifts: so what?
What then, brothers?
Paul now aims to sum up what he has said about spiritual gifts. He is giving concrete application here. He is answering the “so what” of all he has already said. What do we do with all of that?
He explains how this impacts the church in practice.
But this is application to a specific context:
What then, brothers? When you come together...
“When you come together” - this is speaking of the church meeting - the official worship service of the church. Paul is now going to apply what he has taught to the Corinthians to explain how this should play out in the worship service.
As we saw last week, he already told them what shouldn’t happen. This shouldn’t play out by speaking in tongues with no interpretation. That doesn’t build up - it makes people think you’re out of your mind, as Paul says.
Paul continues that train of thought.
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
This “each one” can be - and is in other places - translated “anyone.” Paul isn’t saying that every single person in the assembly has all of these things. He already said they don’t He is saying that as each is gifted by the Spirit, let him or her use their particular gifts for building up the church.
If you are gifted to sing, sing for the building up of the church. And the word here translated “hymn” isn’t speaking of a specific style of music - it's the Greek word for Psalm. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word translated as “Psalm” in the Old Testament, which just means a song with accompaniment.
So, if you can sing, or play an instrument, use that gift for the building up of the church when we come together.
If you are gifted to teach, teach.
If you are given a revelation - the word means to uncover or reveal the meaning of something - if you’re gifted and this, then do it. Once again, new revelation of Christ and God and His salvation ended with the writing of the Bible and all that’s left is the Revelation of Jesus Christ at His return.
But this can also be a gift to understand the Scriptures and explain its meaning. We will see that Paul equates it with prophecy below.
If you are inspired by the Spirit to speak in another language - again, in order to speak a word of knowledge or a prophecy or an encouragement or a praise unto God - do it for the building up of the church. This has been Paul’s focal point in this entire section, because the Corinthians weren’t doing this. They were speaking in tongues for the wrong purpose - and therefore for no purpose.
Paul wants them to understand that it is to be used like singing, or teaching. It is a gift given to the church that it may be built up, just like all the gifts.
And Paul is sure to include the interpretation part of that. Remember, Paul said the end game in tongues is that what is said is interpreted so it can be understood.
Because all of these gifts are for the building up of the church.
Paul says the same thing to the church in Rome:
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
This all sounds very familiar, no?
We are all gifted - but not all with the same gift - and every gift is to be used for the good of the church.
But Paul is not quite done educating the Corinthians on tongues. We already saw last week how they are not to be used - that is, tongues are not to be spoken if there is no interpreter. They are not to be used as a means to build yourself up. And they are not to be used for any reason other than love and any purpose other than building up the church.
Now he gives more explicit instruction on how they are to be used:
If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
Paul is now speaking about the right use of tongues. When used rightly - for the building up of the church - there is a right way to use tongues. So Paul puts a limit on the use of this gift so that order may be maintained within the church.
He says not to talk over each other, so that order may be maintained.
And he says let it be two or three only if there is an interpreter. Why? So order may be maintained.
Now, if your gift is tongues, how do you know when there’s an interpreter?
Well, as we saw: if it is of your own initiative, or for any improper reason, then you should not do it. But if the Spirit truly moves you to speak in another language, the Spirit will move someone else to be able to interpret.
And, the gift of tongues and interpretation could very well be a recurring gift. Paul said he spoke in tongues more than all of them. He did it many times. Interpretation can work the same way.
But in the church meeting, if is there is no interpreter, then keep silent, Paul says. And this is a command. It is in the imperative. Much of what Paul says here is phrased as commands.
Paul will use this same expression about keeping silent a few verses from now to talk about when someone is giving a revelation. He will use it a few sentences later to talk about women speaking in the worship service.
There are proper times for silence - for refraining from using these speaking gifts - on the part of everyone for there to be orderly worship. Which means, if any of these gifts are used in a disorderly fashion, it is not of the Holy Spirit.
I mean, imagine if you all spoke while I was preaching. I mean, this is North Jersey, we don’t exactly whisper.
It’s distracting enough when phones beep during service. But if everyone just kept talking while I was talking, it would be difficult for anyone engage the message and to be built up by what I was saying.
The church service must be orderly to be edifying.
So, Paul says, if there is no interpreter, then don’t speak in tongues, but keep silent in church, and speak to yourself and to God. And this doesn’t mean to utter under your breath during service. It means don’t do it in church, but do it when it is between you and God.
This verse is part of where the idea of “prayer languages” comes from for some. I don’t see the Bible talk about any heavenly prayer language, but here Paul clearly says that if there is no interpreter, then speak between you and God. That sounds like prayer to me.
But, once again, tongues is speaking in existing languages, so this isn’t some unknown language - and since Paul just said that he prays with his mind, this cannot be a language you yourself do not understand.
Because that would do you no good. You would not be built up.
But that’s just an aside, because Paul’s focus here is on order in the church. Don’t speak in tongues without an interpreter, and even then, only two or three at most.
The same goes for prophecy:
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.
Paul puts the same limit on prophecy. With one exception. He talks about tongues and says “if” there are tongues. But Paul assumes prophecy is a regular part of the worship service. In fact, this is actually a command for prophecy to happen. It is in the imperative.
We have already covered the range of what is considered prophecy, so we won’t go into much detail again here. But it cannot be a free-for all of speaking prophecy in the church gathering - whether a supernatural knowledge given by God or the speaking forth of His Word in preaching.
But like there is to be an interpreter of tongues that the mind may be engaged, so too, the mind must be engaged when it comes to prophecy.
Paul says: let the others weigh what is said.
Paul is very big on us thinking about what is said through prophecy.
He told the Thessalonian church:
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Here he says:
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.
So when a prophecy is spoken, it needs to be evaluated by others. And who are the others? This could refer to other prophets, but since Paul couples this instruction with tongues and interpreters, it is likely that he is referring to those gifted to evaluate prophecy.
This matches the coupling Paul did to begin this section when he talked about how people are gifted differently and talks about the Spirit endowing some with gifts:
to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
There are some gifted to distinguish between spirits. And this is what Paul was talking about when he said some of the Corinthians were speaking in their spirit and not in the Holy Spirit.
Some are gifted to identify true prophecy from false prophecy.
So if someone were to prophesy and tell you something is going to happen or that God wants something from you, don’t just take it at face value. Weigh what is said. If you cannot discern the truth, get counsel from wise brothers and sisters who can weigh what has been said.
In the case of prophecy as speaking forth the Word of God in preaching, all who have the Holy Spirit are given illumination of the truth. So please apply this to the speaking forth of God’s Word through the preaching of this church.
Remember, having what Paul calls a higher gift doesn’t make someone a higher Christian. No one is above the scrutiny of the local church.
Paul already told the Corinthians that what one does affects the whole, and the whole have to call each other to account. So, if I preach something and after you consider it and search the Scriptures and pray about it, you believe I said something wrong, please tell me. I need to be built up.
But please tell me (or if it’s not me, tell the other preacher). Because this too should be done out of love for the building up of the church, and complaining to someone else - or many someone elses - that you disagree with the preacher is not very charitable and not edifying for the church.
So we see that Paul sets limits on the use of certain speaking gifts: tongues and prophecy.
And he continues to do so:
If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.
Let each have their turn to use their gift. Again, don’t talk over each other.
And this revelation is knowledge given by God or the explanation of something hard to understand - and that’s why Paul equates to prophecy - it has the same wide range of meaning:
If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
Again, we saw Paul tell the Corinthians that they spoke in their spirits when they spoke in tongues wrongly, meaning not of the Holy Spirit and without engaging their minds. Here, when you speak a revelation - which Paul equates with prophecy here - what you say is subject to the other prophets. and to those with the gift of discerning between spirits.
So, once someone speaks a revelation to someone else, he then has to be silent. Once the speaking forth of the Word is done, the speaker is done, so that order may be maintained.
And Paul gives the reason for all of these rules of order, and he brings it back to God.
He always does.
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
God may be incomprehensible, but He is not confusing.
Why is this important in the case of using spiritual gifts?
Because the church is the representative of Christ on earth. Christ alone saves, but until His return, He does it through us.
We are where the Holy Spirit dwells, and therefore where Christ dwells. We are united to Him and with each other so that we are the body and He is the head.
We are the hands and feet and mouthpiece and heart of Christ on earth.
So we are to reflect Who God is.
We can’t be God - we tried that in the Garden and look how that turned out. But we can show Him forth. To the world and each other.
We see in this letter - we are to love like He loves. We are to use our gifts to build up the body.
Christ said we are to do good works so that our light shines and people will give glory to our Father Who in heaven.
This is why I said over and over again in this series - what we do is about God, so what we do has to be for God.
So, if God is not a God of confusion, neither can the church be a church of confusion.
This is exactly why Paul has admonished the Corinthians for. They were a church of confusion, not of peace. They were divided. Think of all they were allowing - factions and sexual sin and immodesty.
Think of all they were doing and why they were doing it - identifying with false gods and misusing spiritual gifts.
None of it reflected Who God is.
Do we realize that what we do as a church is supposed to be a reflection of Who God is? Do we realize that how we live, as individuals, is meant to reflect Who God is?
So when we come together, our worship service needs to reflect Who God is.
And God is not a God of confusion. He is not a God of disorder. It is not Who God is. From eternity past, God has been a God of peace and order - and He will be forever.
And this is the reason Paul says all he just said. The worship service must remain orderly.
And that’s why he says what he says next.
As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.
I ask that you hold all tomato throwing until I finish all I have to say about this.
Paul has already given two commands about appropriate silence to keep order in the church. Here he gives a third.
Note first, that Paul says this is how it is in all churches.
What Paul says in this letter - though written into a specific context - applies in principle to all churches. We have seen how the principles of the head coverings and the idolatry applies to us.
Paul actually discussed this at the very opening of the letter. This is not just about Corinth, but all churches. He addresses this letter:
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Though what the Corinthians were doing was specific to their church, what they should be doing is not specific to them, but to the whole church of God - the universal church.
And Paul has invoked this “just like in all churches” kind of language earlier in the letter. When? When he spoke about women. When he spoke about head coverings and modesty for women. He ended that with:
If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
This was talking about women exercising their gifts without head coverings - where authority was talked about as was proper conduct for women in the church. And Paul refers to nature and the creation order to make his point there.
And like Paul does there, this keeping silent is talking about order in the church, also based in the creation order.
And Paul started that section by talking about women praying and prophesying - keep that in mind. Because here, the focus is still on spiritual gifts and the right way to use them so that there is order in the church.
As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.
We already saw that those gifted in tongues should remain silent if there is no interpreter.
We already saw that everyone should remain silent while someone is giving a revelation or a prophecy, and after one speaks the prophecy, they are to keep silent.
Here, Paul says women should keep silent in the churches - or assemblies. Paul is still talking about the worship service or official gathering of the church, and he is still talking about spiritual gifts.
But what gift is he talking about?
He is talking about the other speaking gift he addressed along with tongues and prophecy previously in this section.
This is talking about those words of knowledge - or preaching.
The word Paul uses for silent here three times in this short passage, he only uses one other time in his letters, and there it refers to preaching. Here, it refers to refraining from exercising three different speaking gifts - tongues, prophecy, and speaking words of knowledge - for the sake of proper church order.
Paul uses this word for “speak” 60 times combined in all his letters. 44 of those he uses writing to the Corinthians.
Of the other 16 times, 10 times Paul uses it to speak exclusively of preaching. He uses the word five times in 2 Corinthians to refer to preaching.
The word is translated variously in the New Testament, not only as speak, but as declare, impart, or teach.
In this letter, Paul uses the word 34 times, mostly in chapters 12-14 to speak of the spiritual gifts of tongues, prophecy or revelation, and preaching.
Now, how do we know when he uses the word here that he is not referring to other types of speech gifts? Because Paul already addressed prayer and prophecy back in chapter 11 when he addressed head coverings for women. He already assumed they were doing those things. And that would be prophecy in the narrow sense.
When Paul speaks about tongues - and he does that quite a bit in this letter - he puts no restrictions on who could exercise this gift.
And if he is speaking of tongues here, it seems odd that he would speak of tongues, then prophecy, then revelation, and then put a restriction on tongues with no indication that he is referring back to that subject.
Plus, we have the full testimony of Scripture. And when Paul instructs Timothy about pastoring, he instructs the young man about qualifications for certain roles within the local church, and part of that is this instruction:
likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
So, Paul again speaks about women, and first speaks about modesty and how they dress. Like Paul just did with the Corinthians when he spoke about head coverings before addressing spiritual gifts.
Then, he speaks about the roles reserved for men in the church - which is teaching and exercising authority, which means filling the office of elder.
Then, Paul appeals to creation as the explanation for all of this.
Coming back to 1 Corinthians, when Paul spoke about modesty for women in the church, he addressed the idea of authority, and talked about creation - how woman was formed from man.
Here, he addresses the use of the gift of speaking the Word, and again speaks about authority, and again refers back to creation:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.
This refers back to the creation order written in the Law. Man was created to lead the home, and the people of God. As we saw when we were in chapter 11, God gave His commandments to Adam before there was an Eve, and the responsibility was on Adam to teach those commandments to Eve.
And I will repeat what I said there - this leadership of man in the home and in the church is not a right, it’s a responsibility. Why? Because Adam was responsible for the Fall, not Eve. She was deceived, as Paul said in that Timothy passage.
Which means, Adam was not. His sin was a high-handed sin. He was responsible for what happened.
He failed to protect his wife as the head of his home, and he failed to teach and protect God’s people as the head of the assembly of God’s people.
Godly men are now called to succeed where Adam failed.
And this part about women asking their husbands at home talks about the God-given roles of men and women. Remember, in the middle of the first century, an unmarried woman was an exception.
Paul is comparing the submission of a woman in the home, to her role in the church when it comes to teaching.
Which is why Paul says:
If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Paul is referring to is speaking in a manner that usurps authority, as evidenced by what is contrary to this kind of speaking: submission. It would be this usurping of authority that would bring shame upon either the woman or the church, or maybe both.
As John Calvin said:
What connection has the object that [Paul] has in view with the subjection under which the law places women? “For what is there,” some one will say, “to hinder their being in subjection, and yet at the same time teaching?” I answer, that the office of teaching is a superiority in the Church, and is, consequently, inconsistent with subjection.
To put it all plainly, women are not to preach in the Sunday service.
But we have to limit this to what Paul limits it to. This is a reference to preaching in the worship service. In the official gathering of the church.
Because as we’ve seen, to keep order in the gathering, there is a right time for silence for everyone.
And it is important to remember that all who hear the preacher are under the authority of the preaching in as much as he is preaching with and by the authority of the Word of God.
When I sit out there and hear one of the other elders preach, I sit under the authority of his preaching.
Men who are not called to and are not gifted in the ministry of the word – and those who are but are not preaching at that moment – are all as “in submission” to the ministry as any woman.
But we must be careful not to go to the extreme and conclude that all women are under the authority of all men in the church at all times and in all circumstances. That’s what I was taught.
No, saying that women “should be in submission” in this context is specifically a result of their exclusion from the preaching ministry. It is a gift they are not to exercise.
One last word on this before I move on.
I used to be an egalitarian, believing women and men could all do the same things in the church. I was on the pendulum swing from hyper-fundamentalism when I was asked to leave my first church, and I wanted with all my heart to disprove everything I was taught because I had already found fault with so much of it.
Plus, there was my own experience. In my personal life, between my wife, and my mother, and my sister, and my sister in law - the smartest, most capable people I knew were all women.
So I sought to prove to myself that the Bible did not exclude women from being pastors or from preaching. And all I did was find good Biblical reasons to believe that they are, in fact, excluded, and have been from before the Fall. And my experience and my personal desire and preference had to give way to the Word of God.
And you can disagree with me on this, and as long as you have Biblical reasons for doing so, we can agree to disagree.
And if you want to try to change my mind, I welcome it. There are much smarter and much more sanctified people than me that take the other view.
But in any case, the Word of God has to win the day.
And the Word of God says here:
As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Now, while it is clear that the Corinthians had it wrong about tongues, some speculate that perhaps Paul inserts this part about women teaching in the church because they had this wrong, too.
And that is very possible, especially considering all they were allowing to go on in the church.
And based on what Paul says next, you are left with the feeling that he expected them to dispute him on his conclusions about the use of tongues, prophecy, and preaching:
Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
Paul challenges the Corinthians here. He says they think they’re the only ones who understand the Word of God. This is like when he challenged their idea of “everyone shares the same knowledge we do about idols.”
And he is pulling rank here. Because it was actually from him that the Word of God came to them. And not only to them, but it reached all the churches of the saints in Greece and Macedonia and Asia Minor because of Paul.
And he said - they all understand this. Do you, Corinthians, think you know better than everyone else?
And then Paul pulls rank even more:
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.
He talked about seeking the spiritual in this section. He talked about prophecy and discerning true prophecy from false prophecy.
Paul says: if you don’t acknowledge that what I say to here about the orderly use of all these gifts is from the Lord, and you think you’re a prophet or are working in the power of the Spirit - you’re wrong.
Once again, the Spirit speaks to us by the Word of God, including His commands. The Spirit leads and enables us to follow those commands. If we are not obeying what the Lord has told us through His inspired Word, then anything we think we do that is of the Spirit, is not.
And this doesn’t mean that we don’t stumble and sin. Because when we do, we repent. Why? For the same reason we try to obey in the first place.
We acknowledge that the Bible is the Word of God, and these commands are the very commands of Christ.
Paul is almost saying that if we have the Spirit of God - if we are truly a Christian - that we will acknowledge the Bible for what it is. That we will know that the Bible is the revelation of God to us, and that we will seek to obey the clear commands of Scripture.
Actually, there is no almost about it. Paul is saying exactly that:
If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
In chapter 13, we saw Paul’s beautiful exposition of what the coming of Christ will mean for us. And he made that wonderful promise that when He comes, we will know fully, even as we are fully known by God now.
What a comfort that is.
Paul is saying here, if we don’t know what the Word of God is, we might not be known be God at all.
If we have no desire to place our own desires aside and learn to want what God wants, we might not be known after all.
If do not have the inner desire to please God and serve Him and obey Him, we might not be known.
And if that is the case, and someone does not display any of these inward realities through what they do, what reason do we have to recognize them as a brother or sister?
So, if someone uses any of these spiritual gifts contrary to what Paul has taught, they are not using their gifts according to God’s will, and if a church is allowing it, they are doing what the true churches are not.
So Paul encourages, once again, the proper use spiritual gifts:
So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
Once again, prophecy is higher than tongues. Paul says to be zealous to prophesy, and do not forbid tongues
“forbid” = hinder or prevent it from happening
Paul wants the extremes avoided. Abuse does not negate proper use. There is a place for tongues. If it happens in an orderly and Biblical way, don’t stop it from happening.
But be zealous for the speaking forth of the Word of God that Paul commands for the worship service.
Just remember:
But all things should be done decently and in order.
And more importantly, remember why:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
Our worship should show forth the One we worship.
This is His church. This is His worship service.
It is His praise we sing. It is His Word we preach. It is Him we pray to together.
All of these must display the order and the peace that define our God.
How we use the gifts He has graciously given us, must display our God of order and peace.
And as we now conclude Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts, I want to summarize what we have considered. And I will repeat the questions I’ve asked throughout this series.
There is no way to more practically manifest Christ, than to serve Him, His church, and the world with the gracious gifts you have been given through the Holy Spirit.
We all have to obey our Lord, and serve.
There are a variety of gifts, and a variety of ministries, and God, according to Paul, empowers everyone to be part of that.
Are you?
Do you realize how important you and your gifting are to this church? How much we need you?
Do you realize how important it is that you are in this with us? How important it is that you contribute to fulfilling our calling as a church?
Are we using our gifts with the right motivation: love for God and for each other?
Paul said, we can have faith that removes mountains, but if we don’t have love, we are nothing.
And since love is a choice we make - a choice to be patient and kind, to endure all things - a choice to be satisfied - zealous even - for the gifts we have in the measure we have them - a choice to love one another in action regardless of how we are loved - because this is a choice, we can all have the best of what God has to offer us right now.
And all we need to do, is look to Christ - perfect love incarnate - and love like Him by using our gifts to serve one another.
Are we loving like that?
Are we engaging our minds and using our gifts for the right purpose - to build up the church?
Christ did what He did out of love, and with a purpose. And He accomplished that purpose - He accomplished all God promised He would. And if we use our gifts with the same motivation and for the same purpose, God will continue to achieve His purposes through us.
Because, for the right reasons, with the right purpose, engaging our mind and spirit, God will do the miraculous through us, whether through a miraculous display, a simple word of encouragement, or through very ordinary means.
As Paul said, God will make every gift extraordinary. Because when we use them for Him, He works them through us, and His truth goes forth, and His glory and power are made known.
And that is how His salvation continues on until the day we see Him face to face.
And that is why we have to use our gifts in a way that show forth Who God is. Let’s use our gifts - each of us and all of us - decently and in order - that God may be seen, that we may be edified, and that souls may be saved.
Let’s be the body of Christ, Christ’s way.
