God's Word for Me Today
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Focus: Our Mission: One Person at a Time
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, May I live for You this day, and may You empower me by Your Holy Spirit to use my gifts and abilities to build up Your body, the church. As I read Your word this day, show me any brother or sister with whom I need to rejoice or share in suffering. Show me where I need to ask forgiveness and where I need to forgive, that I may be an effective part of Jesus’ body. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a
27Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. 28Here is a list of some of the members that God has placed in the body of Christ:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who can get others to work together,
those who speak in unknown languages.
29Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone a prophet? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power to do miracles? 30Does everyone have the gift of healing? Of course not. Does God give all of us the ability to speak in unknown languages? Can everyone interpret unknown languages? No! 31And in any event, you should desire the most helpful gifts.
Questions for Reflection
What are the most helpful spiritual gifts? Why?
Is there a “hierarchy” of gifts in the body of Christ? If so, on what is it based?
Questions for Exploration
What is our relationship to one another as Christians? (12:27)
Is there a hierarchy of spiritual gifts indicated by the wording of the lists in 12:28?
What is Paul’s point in verses 29-31?
Questions for Understanding
Is the list of spiritual gifts Paul gave the Corinthians intended to be exhaustive, that is does it include every spiritual gift God gives to people?
What is the point of Paul’s listing these specific spiritual gifts after he has spent the first 27 verses of 1 Corinthians 12 pointing out how every member of the body is to work together?
According to this text, does anyone receive all the spiritual gifts? Why do you think that is?
Questions for Application
What will you do today to live out your spiritual gift(s)?
Commit to God in prayer to share the Good News of Jesus with at least one person. Ask God to show you which person.
A Key Difference Between Heaven and Earth!
As Christians we understand that there will be many differences between heaven and earth. For example, there will be no sin in heaven. There will be no unsaved people in heaven. There will be joy unimaginable to the people on earth in heaven. The list goes on and on, but today let’s focus on one key difference between heaven and earth, a difference which brings all of Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts and the difference between individual Christians into a proper focus. The difference of which I am speaking is that in heaven there will be no jealousy. Here on earth we sometimes find it difficult even as Christians to rejoice with those who are honored. We sometimes wish that we have the spiritual gift that God gave our brother, our spouse, or our best friend. We sometimes want to say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body.”
Paul points out as he closes 1 Corinthians 12 that there is some ordering of gifts: apostles come first, prophets second, teachers third and so on down the line. Does Paul really mean that an apostle is more important than a person with the gift of helps? Yes, and no. Yes, as the eye is more important than the fingernail, the apostle is more important than the helper. The body needs the fingernail. The body needs the protection and service the fingernail offers. Yet most of us if asked would you rather lose an eye or a fingernail would gladly lose the fingernail! Some spiritual gifts provide a more obvious service to the body of Christ than others. Thus, they are more necessary for the overall advancement of Jesus’ cause in the world. Yet the person who gives the financial support to the missionary IS as important as the missionary in the bigger picture.
But here’s the key: on earth we become jealous when a brother or sister is honored above us. In heaven, we will all be grateful just to be in Jesus’ presence. It won’t matter if we have a front row seat or a seat in the back row. It won’t matter whether our brother has been honored for dying a martyr’s death, while we died of natural causes, or whether our sister’s crown has a few more jewels in it than ours—because in heaven Jesus is FIRST. All the rest of us will be there because of His grace and gifts. The same is true NOW. Here on earth we have the opportunity to start living as we will in heaven. As we honor ALL brothers and sisters for their part in the body, we live out Jesus’ command for God’s kingdom to come His will to be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven. As we mature in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we understand that God is the one who chooses which gifts we receive, which abilities. He is the potter. We are the clay. Our task is to be faithful, obedient, joyful children and servants who celebrate when one among us is honored, and who suffer together with those who are hurting. May we start to live out this key difference among our brothers and sisters—NOW, today! May we joyfully celebrate one another’s gifts and use them to share the new life of Jesus with the world—ONE person at a time!
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