Scripture reading: Acts 2:1-21.

Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13.

Introduction

Today, the Church celebrates Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit descended from heaven onto believers in Jerusalem in A.D. 33. Jesus had promised that He would send “another Comforter” to accompany believers and guide them in their mission to carry the gospel to all nations. The reading from Acts describes the fulfillment of that promise.

Since the day of Pentecost, the Church has spread beyond Jerusalem into all nations. You’ll find believers in every nation on the globe today, including those nations that vehemently deny the existence of Christians in their midst. Communism rose and fell while the Church remained in Eastern Europe and Russia. The Church has grown exponentially in the Southern Hemisphere and Asia. Regardless of location or language, every believer today belongs to a Body that stretches back nearly 2,000 years and will continue until the Second Coming of Christ.

The reading from 1 Corinthians describes some of the ways that God has continued our growth. St. Paul had taken the gospel to Corinth on his second missionary journey. The church there had grown significantly, but it experienced serious problems in the process. Many in the Corinthian church were gifted by the Holy Spirit with abilities beyond most of the congregation. Rather than use these gifts for the good of the body, these immature believers instead used them to advance themselves. As we read St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians, we must continually remember that God’s gifts always exist to build the Body of Christ. Spiritual gifts exist solely for the advancement of the gospel.

Sermon

If you read St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, you’ll find a church richly gifted to advance the gospel in their city. St. Paul himself told them, “you are not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1:7). Can you imagine a congregation in which every possible spiritual gift existed? Can you imagine the potential this congregation would possess?

Unfortunately, as you read this letter, you’ll also find a church that lacked spiritual maturity to use these gifts as God had intended. This congregation had experienced God’s grace, but they had forgotten the reason for their blessings. God had chosen these believers through grace to possess these gifts. Unfortunately, their blessings suffered abuse as they allowed their worldly passions and desires to warp their use of these gifts.

In many ways, this shouldn’t surprise us. We see the same today, both in the world and in the Church. God gives people the gift of intelligence; they warp it by using it for devious purposes. God gives people the gift of leadership; they warp it by using it to advance their own cause over the cause of Christ. God continually shows grace to His people, only to see us abuse what He gives us.

Part of the problem in Corinth lay in their self-delusion that they possessed the wisdom to use their gifts without consulting others in the body. Another problem lay in the pride that grew as they realized they possessed gifts that others lacked. Christians are not above spiritual pride. Only the wisest believers possess the humility and wisdom necessary to avoid spiritual pride over blessings such as spiritual gifts.

Therefore, St. Paul had to place the Corinthians back on firm footing. He did so by implying they were “ignorant” regarding spiritual gifts. He did this by reminding them of their history. Every single Gentile believer in Corinth had, at some point in his life, committed idolatry. This gentle reminder by St. Paul took the Corinthians back to a time in their lives when they lacked the wisdom to see God as revealed in the creation.

Through God’s grace, the Corinthian Christians had experienced salvation through Jesus Christ. The gospel had freed the Corinthians from their bondage and gave them a new life in Christ. St. Paul reminded them that they and others had, through the Holy Spirit, confessed “Jesus is Lord” and received the new birth that came from that confession.

We must remember that the Greco-Roman world took “confession” far more seriously than we do today. In the first century A.D., to “confess” someone as “lord” implied a wholehearted, lifelong commitment to serve that person. While many may say, “Jesus is lord” and hope that these words alone will guarantee their salvation, only true believers will live out these words by demonstrating this commitment in their lives. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives at conversion, we can say these words and live out the implied commitment.

This brings us to a very important point, one often missed by many who read chapter 12. Nothing in the Church can happen without the aid and blessing of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person in the Trinity. Please repeat this phrase: “The Holy Spirit is not an emotion; He is God.” Repeat this until it sinks into your every thought about Him.

The Holy Spirit lives within every believer, as St. Paul had reminded the Corinthians by saying that a Christian’s body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). In his letter to the Ephesian church, St. Paul also wrote that the Holy Spirit serves as the “guarantor” of our salvation (Ephesians 1:14).The Holy Spirit, as God, is present whenever 2 or 3 Christians are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20).

The Holy Spirit serves to empower the Church to carry out our mission as given to us by Christ Himself: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Therefore, we must remember that, as God, the Holy Spirit works with a purpose. God has a plan for this world. He created this world for a special purpose. When the world fell into sin in the Garden, God enacted a plan of salvation that included the death, burial, and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem it. Now, in our time, beginning with Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit works through the Church to bring the news of this redemption to all people.

This is the major lesson of this passage. Don’t worry right now about the gifts listed; instead, focus on St. Paul’s words: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Did you notice why the gifts are given? We don’t receive gifts to exalt ourselves; we receive spiritual gifts for the “common good” of the congregation. Every spiritual gift exists for the purpose of serving the congregation.

I see a major implication here. St. Paul implies strongly that no spiritual gift exists outside the context of a congregation. I’ve said it before: Christianity is not a “Lone Ranger” religion. Every gift you receive from God, every blessing He gives you, comes to you that you may serve the congregation and aid others in spreading the gospel of Christ.

This, then, demonstrates a major role of the Holy Spirit: To empower the Body of Christ to carry out the commission Christ gave us. Every one of us has a role to play in fulfilling that Commission.

What about the gifts? Shouldn’t I concern myself with telling you how to know which gift you have so you can serve in that particular way?

I’ve been a science fiction fan for most of my life. While I wouldn’t recommend his writings for theological edification, I’m reminded of a line from science fiction writer Robert Heinlein: “ Specialization is for insects.” I see far too many Christians today so concerned with finding their own gift and then seeking to express their own particular gift that they overlook the main point of this passage.

The point is this: The Holy Spirit expects us to serve one another in unity (as we learned last week in John 17) and to carry the gospel to those in our lives. Every believer, regardless of the gifts we possess, is commanded to fulfill those roles. I’d encourage you to stop worrying about what gift you possess (or, heaven forbid, lack), and instead seek ways to carry the gospel through loving your fellow believers and, especially, the unbelievers in your life.

Do you want to know if you have the gift of wisdom? Love someone who needs wisdom (that includes most of us!). Do you want to know if you possess the gift of healing? Visit the sick in the hospital and pray with them. I suspect that as you visit them, you’ll find yourself enabling some healing by simply showing them you love them. Do you want to know if you possess the gift of prophecy? Tell someone about Jesus, through your life and, if necessary, through words. Do you want to know if you possess the gift of tongues? Start by studying human languages, not by trying to pray in incomprehensible gibberish that edifies no one (cf. 1 Corinthians chapter 14).

As you seek to serve others, never forget verse 11: “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” Know that the Holy Spirit will give you the gifts He needs you to possess to serve the congregation and to carry the gospel.

The Holy Spirit has brought us to this church, in this time, for a special purpose. He has given each of us the gifts we need to minister to this community. Pray that He will use us for the glory of God to bring others into the Body of Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to demonstrate His power and grace, here in Romulus and beyond, to redeem the world for Jesus Christ, Our Lord.