There Are No Small Parts
Jesus Changes Everything • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
We are continuing our series through the letter of 1 Corinthians called Jesus Changes Everything.
PRAY
Not Your Kingdom (1 Cor. 12:1-6)
Not Your Kingdom (1 Cor. 12:1-6)
Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. 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.
So here’s what’s going on. The church in Corinth called themselves pneumatikoi, or “Spirit people.” They were big into having these spiritual experiences, with prophetic words and prayer tongues and healing and other miracles. Their worship gatherings were really moving and powerful, even if they were also kind of chaotic—some of the women are dressed provocatively, people are hoarding the communion elements and getting drunk off the wine, they keep standing up and interrupting everything with prayer language. Paul says later that if a person off the street who didn’t know anything about Jesus were to walk into their gathering, he would say they are out of their minds!
And yet, the church were really high on themselves, because they considered that these experiences were proof that they had the Spirit of God living and active within them. And it was causing major division, because they believed that their spiritual gifts set them apart from other churches and it meant that God favored them more and that his Spirit was more alive in them than in other places.
Now, I am all about powerful moments in worship. I am all about the church and the world experiencing words of wisdom and power that can only come about from God. But there is a warning here. Because there are powerful, emotive, stirring experiences outside the church. They happen in venues all around the world; in musical performances, political rallies, massive athletic competitions. Humanity is constantly beholden to displays of power, skill, and beauty. In other words, we are creatures specifically designed to worship—it is our default posture—and we will bend to whatever or whoever inspires our reverence and awe. We are all too easily drawn in and manipulated.
So Paul has a litmus test for us, and its a simple one. The sign of Spirit-filled life is the confession of the cross, believing truly not that Jesus is cursed, as many would argue a crucified man to be, but that Jesus is Lord—in other words, he is King and Ruler of all, the divine-human authority over all. To a first-century person living in the Roman Empire, to affirm that Jesus is Lord, this is blasphemy to Caesar. In Rome, Caesar is Lord. You are challenging the cult of the empire when you say this, and risking your life to do so. And so what Paul says here is powerful, because he is asserting that the work of the Holy Spirit is not to stir up emotional frenzy or foment chaotic worship. The work of the Holy Spirit is to move the heart, mind and will to the dangerous and mysterious affirmation that Jesus is Lord, and to follow this Jesus wherever he leads, even if to the rest of the world, it is a death sentence.
Here is the first truth: We do not gather in this room to parade our self-sufficiency, elevate our status, or pay homage to an empire. We are here to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, brought to earth by the embodied God-King, Jesus Christ. We are his servants, his image bearers. Everything that we have belongs to him, every breath in our lungs is from him, and we declare our obedience to him and him alone. We bend at the name of Christ alone.
And, This is the mark of the Holy Spirit in your life. You declare that Jesus is King. None other. Only him. You cannot be manipulated by any other force. The way of Jesus—sacrifice, servanthood, humility, generosity— is not cursed, but blessed.
We have to start here. Any further talk about spiritual gifts and how the Spirit works in the life of people like you and me, however mysteriously, miraculously, or mundanely, has to begin with the fact that you are not your own, that any good or special thing that happens through your life and ministry—it is not about you, to build you up, increase your fame, make great your name. It is out of gratitude for the generosity given to us by God for his kingdom.
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.
Different gifts (charismata), different ministries, different activities. The same Spirit, the Same Lord (remember, that’s Jesus), the same God. In other words, every community of Jesus is uniquely positioned and empowered to serve and love and make disciples, but that does not mean they serve a different God. That does not mean that they are empowered by a different Spirit. God works through his people throughout time and space to bring about his kingdom and his vision for goodness and beauty. So when you choose to follow Jesus and receive overflowing grace and life from the Spirit living within you, you become a messenger and advocate for that kingdom vision. Church is not a game to play. It is a not a vanity project for the high and mighty. It is not a hobby. The Church is a community of Spirit-empowered Jesus followers who live to show the world who God truly is. And by his grace, we are uniquely and powerfully equipped and prepared to do so.
Now, what about these spiritual gifts? If you’ve been a part of the church for some time, I’m guessing the idea of spiritual gifts has come up from time to time. I have been in church since I was born, nearly forty years now, and here’s how I have heard it discussed and taught:
When you become a Christian, you receive a spiritual gift. Everyone gets at least one. Some get more. This spiritual gift is an enhanced natural ability of some kind. Hospitality, giving, encouragement, mercy; if you are lucky, you get teaching or leadership, evangelism or administration; in some churches, you get other gifts like tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits. These are abilities that you can do that others can’t, and they make you fit for the ministries in your church. How do you know what gifts you have? There are two choices: one, take a personality type test that will show you what you have; or, try a million ministries and see what you are strongest at.
Does this sound familiar? Here’s the problem with it. It has nothing to do with what the Bible says about spiritual gifts, and in fact, it leads to the type of division, separation, and feelings of irrelevancy that Paul warns about right here. So, if you are new to the church, I hope you find this helpful and life-giving. If you have been around for a while, I would encourage you to set that modernized and westernized definition of gifts aside and see it with fresh eyes.
For the Common Good (1 Cor. 12:7-14)
For the Common Good (1 Cor. 12:7-14)
A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.
Spiritual gifts. A manifestation of the Spirit, given to each person. Why? For the common good. And the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, fully God in every way, generously gives these different gifts, not to divide, but to unify.
So let’s start here. What does the Bible actually say about spiritual gifts? The word that we read for gift in Greek is the word charismata. Charis is the word for grace. It’s something you don’t deserve or earn or choose for yourself. It is thoughtfully and beautifully chosen for you, the way a loved one might show up at your door with a cup of coffee when you’re having a bad day. Mata is a suffix that basically refers to a tangible expression of something. You can feel it, touch it, sense it. A spiritual gift is charismata, grace made real. The Spirit shows up in your life, you hold out hands expectantly and trustingly, and he hands you a beautiful gift that you can share with others.
That is a spiritual gift. Why then do we make it about abilities? Two reasons. First, many of the gifts listed in the Bible sound like abilities, special actions that you are able to do. You can find these lists here in 1 Corinthians 12-14, in Romans 12, and Ephesians 4, but these lists are not exhaustive. The second reason is that in modern language, we use the word gift to refer to a person with strong natural ability. You are a good public speaker, you have a gift. You run really fast or jump really high, you have a gift. You have high intelligence, you have a gift. You have strong interpersonal skills, you have a gift. You have good business sense, you have a gift. You are good with kids, you have a gift. That’s all you have, so cultivate it, hone it, and use it, and only do things that fit that gift. And here’s what I think happens (this may be a bit cynical, but hear me out). I think church has fallen into the same trap as the Corinthians. We see ourselves as independent organizations, bent on success and importance, and successful organizations tap people with skill to run their programs efficiently and effectively. And so we took the word gift and we turned into something it was never meant to be: A human ability that measures what I am able to do for God.
But what if we thought differently about this gift? What if it was exactly what Paul says it is? A manifestation of God’s Spirit? An outworking of his leading and power through us, in ways we cannot understand or comprehend, in ways that are clearly outside of us, where can only give praise to the glory of God and not ourselves?
So, close your eyes and imagine with me how this might look. You are a new creation. You were once dead in sin, twisted up, broken, foolish, seeking for yourself and taking whatever you can to make yourself safe, good, important, whatever, and this life of taking has just fallen apart. But then you hear the good news of Jesus, this better king who offers you a life you cannot make for yourself. And you do not take this life, you receive it. He makes you new, whole. He gives you a new heart, with new loves and desires. He gives you a new family. And so you go to the king and you say, I am ready for whatever you want. Where should I go? What should I do? How can I serve? And you bow your head and hold out your hands. And he gives you a gift. A beautiful, unique expression of grace. And then he turns to and says, “do you see that man over there? He is suffering. Go use your gift to bring healing to his body. Do you see that couple over there? They are struggling. Go use your gift of wisdom to point them to Jesus. Do you see that woman? She’s not sure what to do about her job. Here’s a word of encouragement, go take it to her.”
Church, what if the gifts of the Spirit have nothing to do what what you can do, with your abilities, your strengths? What if it is about our weakness, and our willingness? What if ministry in the church wasn’t programmed or coordinated—we just opened our eyes, saw people in need of building up, and we opened our hands to receive what the Spirit wanted us to have to serve? Would that change your outlook of church? Would that change your readiness to go?
For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part but many.
Paul reminds his readers that they were all baptized into one body. In the sacrament of baptism, someone does the baptizing, and the water is external to the person. All are given “to drink of one Spirit.” When I drink the water enters my mouth and becomes part of my body. Participation with the Spirit is active and passive. And remember, there is one Spirit, not many. There is not a Spirit for the weak and one for the strong, there is not a Spirit for the Baptists and one for the Lutherans. The Holy Spirit is one and the same for all, and while the gifts look different, we are all going after the same thing. Jesus’ Kingdom, God’s glory. The whole earth. And so God designed the church, the whole church, the global church, to function this way. Uniquely gifted, but all moving forward with the same purpose and goal. To show the world what the good life and love of Jesus is all about.
Every Part Matters (1 Cor. 12:15-31)
Every Part Matters (1 Cor. 12:15-31)
If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.
God arranges the body as he chooses. If the body were free to choose their own functions, every part of the body would be an eye, a right hand or a head, and the body would die.
In Middle Eastern traditional culture, feet, and all shoes, are considered to be unspeakably unclean. The left hand is also unclean, but less so than the foot. The right hand is fully honorable. Across the Arabic-speaking Middle East the very words foot and shoes are “four letter words.” A speaker must apologize to an audience before pronouncing them.
Paul may have have in mind some old Christian slave with no family, health or commercial value. To such a person Paul is saying, “The world may judge you as worthless, but in this new community we are all one body. Indeed we are the body of Christ and each part is of inestimable value. Everyone participates, each serves and all belong.”
Kenneth Bailey: “The emphasis is on the problem of self-sufficiency. Christian congregations had sprung up in a wide variety of places around the eastern Mediterranean. Those communities needed each other. As the church grew and spread, the strong tendency then and now was and is for each tradition to become self-sufficient and say to the rest of the Christian world, “We do not need you! We have our own language, literacy, history, theology, tradition and culture. All we need we find within ourselves.” For at least sixteen hundred years Christians have been talking this way to each other forgetting that the mystery of the nature of the church is beyond any of our definitions of it.”
Every part matters.
No division
If one member suffers, all suffer
If one member is honored, all rejoice
Desmond Tutu (Anglican Archbishop in South Africa): A self-sufficient human being is subhuman. God has made us so that we will need each other.
There is no biblical teaching that God enhances what I already have. Self-sufficiency is not open hands; it’s closed fists, trusting in my own talents and abilities, and throwing God in a bone in the process. This is about open, empty hands, having nothing, and trusting that God will provide everything I need and more, and the overflow of blessing is what I get to share with others.
Desire the greater gifts.
Apostles: sent ones; church planters, revitalizers
Prophets: Bold encouragers; point to Jesus, speak words into people’s lives
Teachers: explain the Bible, who God is, make things clear
Miracles (dunamis): Life-changing events beyond human power
Healing: physical and emotional relief
Helping (anti-lambano): They never take for themselves, they only give
Tongues: Not necessarily the same as Acts 2, this is more about a language of prayer that some have to intercede or to give to God what they do not have the words to give themselves
Not one of these is about taking glory for yourself. It is about selflessly giving to others. Out of our own weakness, we rely on the strength of God. And none of it matters if you don’t have one thing that binds it all together. One thing that makes serving and giving possible. One thing that unites the body, that fends off arrogance and selfishness and jealously. One thing that makes the church this beautiful exchange of God’s gifts for their good God’s glory. And that’s what we’ll talk about next week.
PRAY