Part of the Body of Christ

Jock Stein March 08, 2023 1 0

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1 Corinthians 12: 4-13 (NRSVA)

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

There are three lists of ‘gifts’ in the New Testament — they overlap, so it’s a bit misleading to single out these more ‘Pentecostal’ ones as ‘the real deal’ — that said, these ones are gifts of grace rather than natural gifts, they are gifts which ordinary people exercise rather than special ministries, and they are gifts to build up the body and make it strong.

The NRSV has ‘the common good’ in verse 7 as the goal. What a fine vision Paul had for the Church – a true people’s church, where each person is loved and respected. But the common good takes us beyond the walls of the church, and these gifts can be exercised as part of our witness and service to others, with the common good of our neighbours, our colleagues, our parish, our society as the aim.

PRAY:

Lord, may the Spirit of God write his poetry in and through our lives, in and through our groups and gatherings, in and through the world we touch today.

May the leaders of our society seek the common good, and make common cause with others whenever they can. Raise up godly men and women with servant hearts who will banish the cynicism so many feel about politics and politicians.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the same Lord yesterday, today and for ever. Amen.