Desire spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 14:1

The important thing for us to keep doing is to circle back to the things that are really important if Christ is to be glorified in His church. And the things of the Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, needs to be revisited again and again.

Today and next I want us to unpack 1 Cor 14:1. The reason for this is that left to ourselves, we work as a church within our abilties you generally get the results that are human. When we settle in the ordinary, and are content to go through the motions, we miss the beauty and potential of the church. Even more than that, while we are about God, we could miss Him!

When you are genuinely open to God to use you, anything is possible because His presence isn’t taken for granted, it is prized, cherished, and pursued.

The more you understand the beauty of the church, the more you prize each other and alignyourselves for the mission of God.

The Apostle Paul devotes 3 chapters to this matter in 1 Corinthians alone. There was so much going on in the church at Corinth that the Apostle Paul had felt the need to address the church on a number of issues.

They are open for abuse.

1 Corinthians 14:1 CSB

1 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.

1. Pursue the better way

We often, in church circles, look at some of the up front and public gifts and think that’s the ultimate. We are after power, a word from God, healing etc. Those are good things to desire.

Look at what Paul says in ...

1 Corinthians 12:31 CSB

31 But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

After saying this he spends a whole chapter showing that you can have the gifts but if you don’t have love, we have nothing.

1.1. Love is the greatest demonstration of the Spirit’s presence and work

In fact, there is a sence in which this ties us back into the first 4 chapters if 1 Corinrthians 12 that show us that this is a matter for Christians because it points us to the illuminating power of the Spirit that brings one to the place where they are born again.

1.1.1. The Holy Spirit enables the Christian

1 Corinthians 12:3 CSB

3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

He enmables us to say “Jesus is Lord!”

He enables lives of love

Jeff Purswell: Love is the infallible measure of the Spirit’s presence and work.

1.1.2. The Holy Spirit empowers the Christian

1 Corinthians 12:7 CSB

7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:

1.1.3. The Holy Spirit fills the Christian

That’s the message is 1 Corinthians 13 is the Spirit produces people who love.

So when we say, “We are a family of Christ-followers, loving God, loving people and loving the world,” we are actually saying we are people of the Triune God. We want to be people in whose lives the presence of the Triune God is manifest.

Romans 5:5 CSB

...God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1.2. The gifts don’t give give us our identity nor our worth

The gifts don’t In fact, Paul makes the point that these will end. When Christ returns, we won’t need them anymore (see 1 Cor 13:8-9).

The way we posture ourselves with regards the gifts is that we don’t idolise our gifts. They are gifts of grace given by a loving God and to be used in love for the building and strengthening of the church.

This is deep because there are too many who prize gifting over the evidence of love. From the place of love that we use the Spiritual gifts.

1.3. The pursuit of the evidence of the Holy Spirit is to be prized

Pursure love!

This means, in our day, we need a lot of discernment becsause it is so easy to be enamoured by personality and the appearance of power. We are drawn to clever and questionable reasoning. So often we are drawn to men rather than to Jesus.

Love is the real evidence of character and genuine love is not self-seeking. God prizes character over giftedness.

Let me draw your attention to 2 words that prioritise loves.

12:31 - the better way - the way that is par excellence!

14:1 - dioko - to after with the desire of obtaining. There’s something of having manifest love as our goal in our ambition.

He has actually taken the opportunity to describe it and it’s very practical.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 CSB

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Practicing the gifts doesn’t always result in the smile of the Father. You have have gifts without maturity. God is after mature Christians practicing their gifts in love.

But even though love is the better way, we are still commanded to desire the things of the Spirit.

2. Desire the things of the Spirit

The word used here is quite strong and it’s calling us to be zealous for the things of the Spirit.

2.1. Desire manifestation of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:7 CSB

7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:

The nature of the gifts is God showing up - and often in the ordinary. I want God to show up in our church. I want God to show up for the church. I want God to show up in my life and your life.

The desire shifts off ourselves and on to God because the gifts draw attention to Him.

They are gifts of grace - charismata

They are gifts of grace given to all for the good of all. That means God has gifted you for the church. That means there should be no place for people to just rock up at church and sit selfishly.

They are sovereignly given - God distributes the gifts as He wills. So stop looking at other people and thank God and use what He has given to you.

Not all gifts have a public and open expression.

2.2. Desire what is for the church

1 Corinthians 14:12 CSB

12 So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

The gifts aren’t just for you - they are for the church. Your gift often determines your ministry.

The more you find joy in serving in your gifts, the more others are served to thrive in theirs and the church is strengthened.

2.3. Desire to honour God by being a good steward of the gift that God has given to you

1 Peter 4:10 CSB

10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

This is worship.

How do we position ourselves for God to use us?

This means we need to return to God. Submitting ourselves to God again as stewards who will give an account.

This means that we need a willingness to be used by God. Sometimes we never know the joy of God empowered ministry until we have made ourselves available to be used by God. Try things. Decide to move towards something or if you have done something ask God to enable you to do it better. That willingness needs to be accompanied by a listening and responding to the Holy Spirit.

This means we need to serve the church. In recent years I have seen many Christians slip into the position of just going to church instead of actively practicing the priority of the church and serving the church for the building up of the church.

We need to stop of self-centered thinking that shows our self-love and love God and His church. People complain about burnout. It’s seldom the church that causes that and most often a lack of love for the church because they won’t make adjustments in the areas that cause burnout and then stop stewarding their gifts well.

We need to help each other

We need to pray!

We need to do

1 Peter 4:10 CSB

10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.