1 Corinthians 12:27-31 The Greater Gifts

 

Observation: In the first century, all congregations were "charismatic" congregations, meaning they defined themselves  and organized themselves in terms of spiritual gifts. But for the congregation in Corinth, the focus on spiritual gifts is both a blessing and a curse. People are "ranking" themselves based on spiritual gifts, which was never God's intention. As Paul writes, "strive for the greater gifts," he's not about to set one kind of gift against another. He's entering into one of the most famous chapters in the New Testament, in which we learn that all the spiritual gifts in the world are nothing without the gift of love. 

Application: In today's terms, I would not classify myself as a "charismatic" Christian, nor would I call my congregation "charismatic". We do not define ourselves or organize ourselves primarily according to our spiritual gifts. You won't see every single spiritual gift on display in a typical worship service of our congregation. I have never had a person speak up in tongues during one of my sermons, for instance. But we do have spiritual gifts, and we do use them. And although we may not realize we're doing it, we may still fall into the same pitfall as the Corinthians, by ranking ourselves in terms of which gifts are most important. People who like to get their hands dirty and serve can get frustrated with too many meetings. People with a gift for organization and policy may get frustrated in a situation where not enough is in writing. People with a gift for prophecy may wonder why any of us is even focused on that smalltime stuff when the church as a whole is in need of deep and radical reform. People with a gift for teaching (like myself) find ourselves continually reminding the church that we've been here before: many, many times, in fact. And in Paul's writings from two thousand years ago, we find a reminder that will keep the body of Christ  healthy for years to come. We can have all the gifts in the world, but if they're not rooted in love--God's unconditional love--they're worth nothing. 

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the gift of being part of the body of Christ. Thank you for the gifts you have given each of us. Thank you, above all, for your love. Root us and keep us growing in that love, that our gifts may work as you intend. Amen.