Gifts and Care

I Corinthians 12:25,26

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


Charismatic Churches have an increased capacity to care.

Jesus said something like this, "By this shall all men know you are Christians - by the supernatural manifestations of the Spirit." I don't think so! Rather, He said we would be known by our love for one another. The question is, where does that love come from? According to Romans 5:5, it comes from the Holy Spirit. "And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (KJV) "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (NIV)

Consequently, churches which are truly "Charismatic" - churches which honor and give adequate space to the person of the Holy Spirit - those churches will be best known for their love of the brethren.

This idea is clearly communicated within the chapter we most closely identify with the "charismata" - I Corinthians 12.

"That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another." (1Corinthians 12:25 - KJV) "So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." (NIV)

Notice these points:

1. "Care", or "concern" is the positive form of anxiety. (The Greek word is "merimnao", which means, "to be anxious about, have care, or take thought.") Is it appropriate for Christians to worry? Yes, if it's this kind of worry - concern about other members of the Body of Christ. This concern may be expressed through a phone call, a card, or visit - but certainly through prayer.

2. This is "mutual" care. It is always appropriate that the care be reciprocal. Of course there is such a thing as love which gives with no thought of return or reward - compassion toward those who have lost their capacity to love. However, in the body of Christ, every member both gives and receives care.

    In the medical field we often use the term "care giver", and we have developed an entire class of professionals to provide this care-giving function. It's tempting for the church to adopt the same mentality and think that care should be provided for by paid staff.

    A number of years ago there was a dramatic experiment played out on the psychiatric ward of Yale hospital in Connecticut. The leading Doctor began to train the staff to view each person under their care as also being capable of participating in the care of others. Then over a period of time they coached all of their incoming patients to view themselves that way. The result? A dramatic improvement in the condition of everyone on the floor.

    One of the lasting images I carry from my first trip to India comes from one of Mother Theresa's homes in Hyderabad. It was a home for the dying, most of whom had been lovingly picked up off the street and brought to the home to spend their final hours or days in a context of loving care. The home was very understaffed, and the picture I have is of two men, one sitting by the bedside of the other, tenderly giving him a shave. Both were dying, but providing care for one another.

3. Care is the antidote for division. Let's put this very clearly - church splits may search for a number of issues or personalities to blame, but the bottom line is that care has been lost or neglected. Divisions happen when the need to be right overtakes the willingness to love.

4. Care in the church is best exhibited through acceptance and forgiveness.

    A number of years ago I heard a Pastor from Texas tell the story of the barefooted hippy who walked down the aisle in a wealthy downtown church; he sat down on the floor in front of the platform. The young man had long hair, a beard, and was dressed in T-shirt and jeans. Everyone watched the properly dressed Deacon who then slowly walked down the aisle and sat right down next to him.

    On the other hand, I once knew of an unruly young man who was being neglected by the youth pastor because he was worried about his influence on "church kids".

    As to the forgiveness part - last week we once again mourned over the death of millions of our unborn. One of our members shared with me the sad reality that abortion is proportionately higher among Christian young women due to their not wanting to face the shame heaped upon them by the church. Perhaps we're so concerned about the label of being "soft on sin" that we've lost our ability to care for the sinner. Always remember, "judgment separates, forgiveness joins." Does this mean that when there is sin we merely "look the other way?" Certainly not if we take Ephesians 4:15 seriously; rather, we "speak the truth in love."

5. Care is characterized by empathy. Notice verse 26 - "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

    This participation goes two ways, joining in the suffering as well as the joy. Sometimes I think we have more difficulty with the latter: rejoicing with those who are blessed, those who are advantaged, those who are promoted. You see, in the church there is no competition, and we refuse to accept the "scarcity mentality" - to rejoice in another person's blessing does not mean that now all the blessings will be used up and I will have less joy. Rather, like a muscle, joy grows as it is used.

Conclusion:

The reason we can put "Charismatic" in the same phrase as "Care" is that love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the commendation given to a lesser known church, the church at Colosse:

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit." (Colossians 1:3-8)

But the call today is not that we would try harder to love more, but rather, remembering that love is the fruit of the Spirit, we would earnestly seek to be filled with the Spirit.

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