Pentecost: Gifted by the Spirit

There’s just something about watching masters at their craft that not only inspires awe but makes me really jealous. Any time I watch a movie with Tom Hanks – whether physically acting or voice acting – I think, man wouldn’t it be awesome to have the gift of acting like Tom Hanks. The same thing happens when I listen to incredible singers like Freddie Mercury or the guy from Panic! At the Disco – I just wish I could I sing too. Well, truth be told I can sing – it just doesn’t sound good when I do it! When I see incredible artwork, hear an incredible preacher, listen to an incredibly smart person – sometimes I look at their gifts and wish I had their gift. Because their skills and talents just seem so much more important than what I have to offer.

What talents or skills do you wish you had?

I think that’s true in our faith as well. Sometimes we look at the gifts of others and wish we could be a little more like them. We wish we could have their spirituality, their prayer life, their knowledge and understanding of the bible. We wish that we could have their spiritual gifts, because we either a) don’t think our gifts are all that great or b) don’t think we have any gifts to begin with.

When I first became a Christian, spiritual gifts were a major emphasis. To pick up from Aldersgate Sunday last week, my heart was strangely warmed in a Korean congregation that leaned toward the charismatic/Pentecostal side of things. The movement and power of the Holy Spirit is preeminent in that tradition and the proof of the Spirit dwelling in a Christian is the presence of spiritual gifts – and in particular the gift of speaking in tongues. You knew you had been baptized by the Holy Spirit in that church if you spoke in tongues.

How did your upbringing address spiritual gifts? What about the Holy Spirit in general?

Well, guess who never had the gift of speaking in tongues? Me. I prayed for it. I asked God for it. I read about it. I studied it. I practiced it. I faked it – of course I wasn’t exactly sure if it was me trying to speak in a spiritual language or Korean. But I never received that gift. I felt I had a few other gifts, but they seemed insignificant compared to speaking in tongues because, well – speaking in tongues (so I was told) was evidence of the Holy Spirit – the proof of salvation. Later I learned that many traditions thought speaking in tongues was only a minor gift, not the first received and most important gift. As I studied the scriptures and I saw the kinds of gifts that were made available by the Holy Spirit, it made me wonder – which gift is most important?

For reflection: Which gift is most important?

Apparently, the Corinthians had a similar question in mind. The Corinthian church was an extremely gifted group of Christians. In the beginning of Paul’s letter, Paul claims that they have every spiritual gift (1:7). Scholars have commented that Corinth may very well have been the most gifted church at the time. Corinth was the Michael Jordan of early churches. They were uber spiritual. They said Alleluia the loudest. They were the first to say “amen.” They didn’t need to look at hymnbooks because they had all stanzas and all four-parts memorized. They were as spiritual as you can imagine. But just like all churches and all organizations, they fought and began to divide. They fought over which gift was most important, and perhaps more importantly, they fought over who was most important. Whoever had the most important gift was the most important – from there all should fall in line.

What do you think characterizes a spiritual person?

One Source

Paul tries to address their squabbling in chapter 12 by examining the gifts of the Spirit and answering their implied question: which gift is most important? Listen to what Paul writes in verses 4-6.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

He begins by acknowledging that there are variety of gifts. In fact, he enumerates 8 different kinds of gifts verses 8-10. As a side note that list of gifts is not complete. There are other places in the bible that discuss other kinds of gifts. Rather, this list is representative not exhaustive. Furthermore, his point in these few verses is not to give us a definitive list of gifts but remind us of the source of the gifts. If you have your bible open, I encourage you underline or highlight the phrases connected with the phrase “the same.” Three times, Paul reminds us that the gifts and activities have a ONE SOURCE of power: the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God.

Why do you think Paul said a similar thing three times?

Recently I started finishing up a Morris Chair in my wood shop, a project that I have wanted to complete for the last five years. A few days ago, I was getting ready to make a critical cut on one of the pieces. I put everything in alignment on my saw. I measured not twice, but a bajillion times. I set up everything just right. I put my glasses on, my hearing protection, my mask, set the piece on the table saw then reach down and turned the saw on. Nothing. I turned it off, heart pounding, and turned it back on. Still nothing. I tried another tool and it worked fine. I came back to the table saw… nothing. Then I remembered that I had unplugged the saw while I was setting everything up for the cut (because I like my fingers). I had forgotten to connect it back to the source of power.

All gifts from God have one source of power.

The saw was only as good as the power that makes it work. In the same way, Paul is reminding the Corinthians that their various gifts have all been activated by one source: by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are united by same Spirit who fell upon the believers at Pentecost and their gifts are all activated by that same Spirit. But it doesn’t quite answer the question: which gift is most important?

One Purpose

Having established there is ONE SOURCE for their gifts, Paul goes on to explain how their gifts also serve ONE PURPOSE. Listen to what he writes in verse 7.

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:7

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” - 1 Corinthians 12:7

There two things to see in this verse. First, note that Paul is very clear: “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit.” He means that every believer has been gifted by the Spirit. You have a unique, God-given gift. It may not be speaking in tongues or performing miracles, but you have a gift that God chose to give you. And he gave it to you on purpose for a purpose. And that purpose is the second thing to note in this passage. We have all been gifted by the Spirit for the common good.

1. Every believer has been gifted by the Spirit.

2. Each gift is to be used for the common good.

Do you think you have any gifts? What might they be?

What does ‘the common good’ mean?

In Corinth, they were using their gifts to build themselves up. They were trying to inflate their egos, assume power over others, and seem more important than everyone else in the community. But Paul says that the gifts are not for our own gain, but the benefit of all, for the common good. The phrase “common good” is a compound word in Greek sumphero which connects the verb “bring” and the preposition “together with.” Our gifts are to be utilized in a way that brings together, because we are better together. We accomplish more together. When we leverage our assets together we can make a bigger difference. When churches are divided and fight with one another – whether in a local church or among various local churches – we get less done, not more. But when we come together for a common purpose, incredible things can happen.

When I was a kid, I loved going to my Granny’s house. She always had a newspaper somewhere in the house and I would open it up looking for “the funnies.” My favorite comic was the Peanuts by Charles Schulz. In one of the comics, Linus is pictured watching TV when his sister Lucy enters the scene. She demands him to turn the TV to another channel. Linus asks her, “What makes you think you have the right to come in here and change the channel?” Lucy responds, “These five fingers. Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together into a single unit they form a weapon that’s terrible to behold.” The next scene shows Linus looking at his hand, asking the question “why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

What would it look like for the Church to be organized with one purpose?

Sometimes I ask that of the church. Why can’t we get organized like that? Why can’t we be a united front. Paul makes it abundantly clear that we have a common source of power all to be aimed at a common purpose. I know it sounds weird, but I think we should be like Lucy’s fist. Not that we should terrible to behold or even that we should be a weapon. Rather, we should be so organized and tightly focused on the work to which God has called us that we are able to accomplish amazing things.

One People

That’s the point of Pentecost and a major point Paul is communicating: we are united by ONE SPIRIT, for ONE PURPOSE, and become ONE PEOPLE. Listen to Paul’s words in the last two verses of our passage, verses 12-13.

“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.

1 Corinthians 12:12

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.”

1 Corinthians 12:13

“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. 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.” - 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Pentecost is a sign that in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit our racial, linguistic, and cultural differences melt away and we become ONE PEOPLE. We are a holy priesthood, a royal nation. We are united together as a new kind of people claimed by the love of God. Yes, our diversity and distinctions remain. But no one is distinguished above another. We are united by ONE SPIRIT, for ONE PURPOSE, as ONE PEOPLE.

When we accept that we are united by ONE SPIRIT for ONE PURPOSE, we become ONE PEOPLE.

How does the Holy Spirit unify believers?

Which gift is most important?

But still that question remains, “which gift is most important?” Though Paul doesn’t answer it directly, it’s implied when you take this passage and the whole of chapter 12 together. Which gift is most important?

Your gift. The gift God has activated in you. God gave you that gift because you were the perfect person to serve in that capacity. God did not make a mistake gifting you the way that He did. And whatever gift you have been given, it has the same honor, respect, and importance of any other gift.

Maybe you don’t have the gift of speaking in tongues or performing supernatural healing miracles. Those gifts are no less or greater than the gifts God has given you. Maybe you have been given the gift of a calm presence in the midst of a trying times in your families. Maybe God has gifted you with the knowledge and skill to prevent Sequoyah from blowing up. Maybe God has gifted you to keep people’s technology running well so they can stay connected with others and be productive in society. Maybe God has given you the gift of brightening people’s day when they’re feeling down. Maybe you have the gift of leadership and you keep businesses, school systems, and classrooms operating effectively. Maybe you have been the gift of medicinal knowledge, and you bring healing through the art and science of medicine. Maybe you have been the gift of law and you seek justice and equitable legislation. Maybe you have been given the gift financial wisdom and you care for others money through banking and investing.

No matter what gift you have been given, without your gift we will not seek the common good. Without your gift the church suffers. But with your gift, with all our gifts united by one Spirit, for one purpose, and operating as one people, I believe our world will come to look a little more like the Kingdom of God.

Give Thanks Today.

Go Serve Tomorrow.

Today on Pentecost, we give thanks to God for the variety of gifts given to us. Tomorrow we use those gifts to serve the world.

This Pentecost we are called to give thanks today to go serve tomorrow.

What skills do you have relative to work, relationships, life, etc.?

How might those skills be part of God’s work in the world?

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