Thank you to Mark for this week’s MWB
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Last week we were reflecting on Pentecost, and how the Holy Spirit came in power to live in the early Christians and to spread the Good News of Jesus ‘to the ends of the earth’.
Today we’re looking at the Holy Spirit giving spiritual gifts to the church, nor for personal status, but to serve and to build up and encourage fellow believers.
3 things come out from I Corinthians 12:1-11:
The first thing is the Holy Spirit is the Source of the gifts. There are 9 spiritual gifts for differing ministries in the church, but they all come from the same Triune God
Secondly, they have a purpose: they are for ‘the common good’
They are given to serve the church, to serve each other, because their source is our Serving God.
Thirdly, they are different. They all have a necessary role to play.
To illustrate this, I remember reading about the conversion of Charles Spurgeon. He was converted when a preacher directed a portion of his sermon to a young Spurgeon; it was a message that spoke directly to where his heart was. It was a word of knowledge. Today, Spurgeon’s sermons and quotes still circulate on platforms like Facebook, and encourage believers today.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV