1 Corinthians 12 (7)

Pray Psalm 104.24-30.
O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.

Sing Psalm 104.24-30.
(Creation: The Spacious Firmament Above)
How many are Your works, O LORD, which You have created by Your Word!
The earth and sea with creatures teem—they look to You to care and feed.
You give to them, they gather all; You hide Your face, they fail and fall.
You take their breath, they gasp and die; You send Your Spirit, they revive.

Review 1 Corinthians 12.1-31; meditate on verse 7.

Preparation
1. What do spiritual gifts manifest?

2. What do they accomplish?

Meditation
Some things you can only see by their effects. Like the wind. We can’t see the wind, but we know it is present as we see the trees swaying or feel the breeze on our back. Jesus said that’s the way it is with the Spirit as well. We can’t see Him, but we can see His effects (Jn. 3.8).

In the church, the reality of the Holy Spirit is made manifest by the gifts He gives to every member and their faithful use of those gifts. The effects of putting those gifts to work are that church members grow to become more like Christ and the church does, too. If we fail or refuse to identify and use our gifts, we quench the Spirit’s power to grow our church in unity and maturity in the Lord (1 Thess. 5.19). If our churches are not growing, there’s a simple explanation: We are quenching the Spirit Who alone builds a church into a holy temple unto the Lord (Eph. 2.19-22).

Sadly, as we look at the state of many of our churches today, we would have to conclude—by the lack of Holy Spirit effects—that the Spirit is being quenched, most likely because the folks have made their faith into a spectator sport rather than a building project. Thus it is possible that the decrepitude of our churches will continue. But let us resolve to have no part in that decline. Let us make the commitment Solzhenitsyn made in the face of encroaching Marxist oppression: “Let that come, if it must come, only not by me.”

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Little children let no one deceive you.
He who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as He is righteous.
He who sins is of the devil,
for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn. 3.18).

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and make a way for us to be righteous before God. The Holy Spirit came bearing gifts making this way of life possible. We have received the gifts to glorify God and to benefit others. “The effects of putting those gifts to work are that church members grow to become more like Christ and the church does, too.”

Paul used the physical body and its members as a word picture for the operations of the church. Sin, I suppose, would be a euphemism for elimination, neither being a subject pleasant to discuss. But since we are, it would be appropriate to hear God’s words for how to keep our camps clean, and to keep our churches clean and functioning in righteousness—you know, mind how you go and watch where you step: “For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you” (Deut. 23.14; cf. 1 Cor. 5).

As the bumper sticker proclaims, this stuff happens. But to paraphrase Solzhenitsyn, “Not in our camp!”

Give the Holy Spirit full reign/rein in your life and use His gifts positively flagrantly for others.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4.30-32).

The Spirit of the Church loves to roam through a place free from the detritus of sin, observing those who practice righteousness; then gifting, and guiding them for the purpose of fruitful living (Gal. 5.22, 23).

Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way; Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine; And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
(Daniel C. Roberts, 1876)

For reflection
1. Why is the body metaphor such a good way to look at the church?

2. How has God gifted you to contribute to the overall health of your church?

3. What effects of the Holy Spirit would you like to see more of in your life?

Since no one has the capacity to receive all spiritual gifts, but the grace of the Spirit is given proportionately to the faith of each, when one is living in community with others, the grace privately bestowed on each individual becomes the common possession of the others.… One who receives any of these gifts does not possess it for his own sake but rather for the sake of others. Basil of Caesarea (330-379), The Long Rules 7

Pray Psalm 104.1-5, 31-35.
Give praise and thanks to God for the many gifts He has bestowed on you and your church. Pray that His Spirit may be powerfully manifest in the love you bear for one another.

Sing Psalm 104.1-5, 31-35.
(Creation: The Spacious Firmament Above)
Bless God, my soul!  How great are You, LORD, with majesty and splendor adorned.
The heav’ns He stretches like a tent, and lays His chambers in the firmament.
He rides the wings of winds on high and makes His messengers flaming fly.
The earth on its foundation stands, established forever by His hands.

LORD, let Your glory long endure! Rejoice! His works are ever sure!
He looks on earth, it quails and quakes, as we our songs of praises make.
LORD, let our meditation rise and bring great pleasure in Your eyes.
Consumed shall sinners ever be; O, bless and praise the LORD with me!

T. M. and Susie Moore 

The Church in Corinth was in need of revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today is in need of revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.