Both our gospel lesson this week, and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, are continuations of the lessons we heard last week. And in both lessons, God teaches us how he intends the gifts he gives us by his Holy Spirit to put to use in our lives.
Last week, Jesus showed us how the Holy Spirit should work in us, while the Corinthians show us how we can thwart the Spirit’s work by misusing the gifts he gives us.
And this week we get the reverse, the people in Jesus’ home town provide the example of how we can thwart the Spirit’s work, while Paul shows us the higher way; the way the Spirit would have us go.
Last week we were told that Jesus returned to his home town, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. And quoting the prophet Isaiah, he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And so what can we learn from Jesus’ example is that the work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us outward to others; to share the good news with those who need to hear it just like Elijah and Elisha did in the Old Testament.
The people in Corinth, however, much like the people in Jesus’ home town weren’t allowing the Spirit to lead them outward to the building up of others.
Instead of the Holy Spirit leading them out toward others and using their gifts to build up others, they used them to build themselves up. In other words, they’d been using the gifts of the Spirit for selfish purposes. They’d turned them into status symbols, and used them to establish bragging rights.
So Paul uses the opportunity to correct them, and to teach them about spiritual gifts. And over the course of chapters 12 through 14, he explains what spiritual gifts are and what their purpose is.
And so what I’d like to do this morning, is briefly summarize Paul’s teaching over the course of these 3 chapters, because there are important lessons for us.
First of all, Paul defines what a spiritual gift is. At its most basic level, he says, a spiritual gift is an expression of our faith – and it can be expressed in word of deed – but it’s an expression of our faith that’s aimed at strengthening the faith of someone else.
Paul says that each one of us has been anointed by the Holy Spirit in some special way for the purpose of building up the body of Christ; of encouraging others in their faith. Spiritual gifts are given to us to strengthening someone else's faith.
For me, it’s helpful to think about spiritual gifts this way, because it keeps me from equating them with natural talents & abilities.
Many non-Christians have natural abilities, and whether they recognize it or not those talents are given to them by God. But they can’t truly be called "spiritual gifts" because they’re not an expression of the person’s faith that’s aimed to strengthen the faith of someone else.
And that’s the point Paul makes today when he tells the Corinthians that if the use of their gifts isn’t motivated by God’s love for others, and his desire to strengthen their faith, then they’re not spiritual gifts. They’re just a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.
And so Paul encourages us to use our spiritual gifts to strengthen others; to help their faith not give way when trouble enters their life.
God gives us his Holy Spirit so that we can help one another stay strong in our faith in the midst of life's storms.
And I want to stress here is that using your faith to strengthen someone else doesn’t necessarily require some grand gesture or profound words. It can often be something very simple.
One of the most powerful spiritual gifts ever shared with me was by a man from my congregation back in Ohio named Richard who had the spiritual gift of encouragement.
Richard wasn’t one to talk about his faith or make a big deal of it. But at one point, when I was in the midst of one of life’s storms, Richard could sense that something was going on. He’d been through his own storms in life, so he knew that my faith could probably use some strengthening.
And so one day he called me up out of the blue. He’d just made a batch of homemade soup. And if you’d tasted Richard’s soups, you’d know that was delicious stuff! He had a big garden in his yard, and so most of the ingredients were home grown.
Anyway, he called and asked if I’d like some soup, and I said, “Sure.” And so he drove over, dropped of the soup, and then just visited with me for a while. He didn’t say or do anything particularly special or profound. We just shot the breeze for a while.
His visit, and his smile, and his friendship lightened my heart and encouraged my faith in the midst of my time of trial.
And while we were standing there in my kitchen, I was keenly aware that God had sent him to strengthen my faith. And it meant the world to me. First, that God had used his Spirit to move Richard in that way. And second, that Richard had been obedient.
And I’m sure many of you have stories like that, too; of God putting someone in your path to encourage your faith in the midst of one of life’s storm. That’s what the Holy Spirit does. It moves us to proclaim God’s good news, in word or deed, to those who need to hear it most. And in that way, God strengthens our faith and builds up the body of Christ.
And as Paul tells the church in Corinth, when we understand the Holy Spirit that way then we don’t have to worry about what gift we have or don’t have. That’s not what’s important.
What’s important, Paul says, is having the love and desire in our hearts to strengthen other’s in their faith.
What’s important is looking past ourselves to see the people around us who may be going through a time of trial. And then, when we see such people to have the love and desire to pray, “Dear God, please use my faith to strengthen their faith.”
If that’s our prayer, the Holy Spirit won’t let it go to waste. He’ll find a way to use us.
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