Messages
from the Bible
A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
So, a friend says to you, "What kind of church do you go to?" You say, "It's a Charismatic church." Your friend says, "What is that? It sounds like some new type of transmission to me! You know, like Cruzomatic."
Now you have to explain it, and what will you say? Let me help you out.
No, it doesn't mean that your Pastor has a lot of "charisma" - most people regard him as being too heady and theological for that.
What it does mean is that our church operates under the conviction that there are special God-given gifts made available to Christian believers so that the church operates, not according to man's wisdom and energy, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. These special abilities are called, "spiritual gifts." While other church groups will tell you that these special spiritual powers were only available as long as the first apostles were still alive, we contend that the gifts were not withdrawn from the church.
What are these "spiritual gifts"?
Most of our understanding about spiritual gifts comes from this week's reading from I Corinthians 12-14. The historical context for Paul's letter to the church at Corinth is that he had learned that in that church were a number of serious problems, and he wanted to give their leaders some godly advice as to how these issues should be dealt with. For example, they were dividing themselves into cliques, or sub-groups of people who favored one particular leader over another. There was also an attitude of spiritual arrogance, an unwillingness to discipline a leading man in the church who was acting immorally, members taking other members into court, misunderstandings about marriage, squabbles about food, dress codes, and even misuse of the church "love" feasts. After addressing these issues, Paul then gets around to the subject we're now reading about, spiritual gifts - he opens this section by writing in his letter, "Now about spiritual gifts ("charismata"), brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant." (12:1)
Please understand, by using the word "ignorant," Paul was not commenting negatively about their level of intelligence, but simply pointed out that they lacked understanding. The fact is, they were merely immature, believing that superior spirituality was evidenced by their constantly speaking in tongues. Their worship services were little more than a grand display of confusion and chaos, everyone speaking simultaneously in tongues, or at least in ecstatic speech.
A friend of mine was on a business trip that took him to Seoul Korea, so he had the opportunity to visit a worship service in the world's largest church. During one of the multiple services, 10,000 people had gathered, and when it came time for prayer, they all prayed at once - out loud! Can you imagine God shouting back, "Hey, one at a time please!"? My friend went on to say that it would have gone on for hours if the leaders had allowed it; instead, the pastor came to the pulpit, reached down and took a bell from a shelf below, and waved it vigorously until everyone quieted down so he could preach.
It seems that the problem in Corinth was that there wasn't anything else happening - they were acting as though there was only one "spiritual gift," speaking in tongues. In our day the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme where tongues is rarely heard anymore. In his day, Paul, seeking a better balance, sought to get them to downplay this particular gift so that other gifts could be available to benefit the church - in our day he would probably try to get us to stir up this gift.
Right at the beginning of his teaching on this subject, Paul points out that there is not just one gift, but many, and they all have their important place and part to play in the functioning of the church. In this very chapter, Paul mentions 13 such gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostleship, teaching, helps, and governments; in the next chapter he adds martyrdom.
Certainly even this is not a complete list of gifts, and we're not going to take time to examine them one by one because what captivates our special interest is what he says at the very end of this chapter 12.
Here's the statement in three versions:
But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (RSV)
But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. (NIV)
I Corinthians 12:31
Notice that the structure of this statement is "imperative" - this is a command or exhortation. We all know that one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet," but there actually are times when covetousness is called for. No, as God said to Moses, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." But yes, says Paul, "You shall covet the best spiritual gifts."
To "covet" simply means to "desire fervently" - from this word we get such words as zealous, zealot, and even jealous. It's as though Paul is exhorting us to burn with jealousy for the best gifts.
But what are they? What are the best gifts? Evidently in Corinth, they thought there was only one - speaking in tongues. Later on Paul makes it clear that speaking in tongues as the Spirit enables is a good thing - it's the way we pray and praise God when our own words fail to express what is really on our hearts, it's a means of self-edification, and when interpreted can bless the church. In Paul's mind, one should not be merely devoted to their own well-being, but to the well-being of the entire church. Besides, it's clear that they were using speaking in tongues to gain bragging rights, and claiming spiritual superiority over those who did not speak in tongues. Paul contends that there are "best, higher, and greater" gifts, but they are the gifts that are used to build up the Body of Christ, not puff up an individual believer. That's why, when it comes to gifts utilized in the church gathering, prophecy is better than tongues (unless they are interpreted) because messages from God need to be understood, and hopefully benefit everyone.
Before Paul continues writing about the importance of prophecy, he interrupts himself by inserting a wonderful segment we have come to love as the "love chapter." But, as Gordon Fee reminds us, it is important not to separate this from the context. The "more excellent way" that Paul contends for isn't another gift, as though one can choose between love and the gifts.
What Paul is asking for is that there be active in the church a full range of spiritual gifts, but that they all be employed by people of the way - the way of love. Notice that he ends chapter 12 referring to the "most excellent way," and begins chapter 14 saying, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts." He even goes so far as to say that if we get off the pathway of love, the gifts will have no value. At the beginning of chapter 13 he mentions again some of these same gifts he had written about in the previous chapter, starting with the one the people of the Corinthian church thought was the best gift.
Basically, he's saying that these spiritual gifts have no value, and produce nothing of value, unless they are acts of love. Who wouldn't want to speak in the language of angels? Who wouldn't want to be known as the person of superior knowledge and wisdom? Who wouldn't want to be able to merely speak a word of faith and mountains would move? But the real question is, who will benefit by the use of these gifts? If it is for the purpose of the gifted person being advanced in the opinion of others, then it is useless. Rather, if the gifts are employed for the benefit of others, if the tongues builds up someone else, if the wisdom is passed on as helpful counsel that enables another person to live a better life; if the removed mountains makes success more possible for someone else - then the gifts have value.
In the second part of the "Love Chapter," Paul provides some definitions - he describes some of the characteristics of love, both positive and negative.
On the other side of the coin: Love does not envy, boast, is not proud, rude, or self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs and does not delight in evil.
Much of the time we read these words in the context of marriage and family, but Paul is defining what church life should be like - these are the marks of true Christians as they relate to each other. When it comes to being used of God in the ministry of the Body of Christ, the church, this is how Christians act; this is how love acts.
The church members in Corinth got it wrong; they thought that they would distinguish themselves as Christians by displaying the spectacular gifts - Paul said, no, you distinguish yourselves by love. It's the same thing Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
After providing a brief review of love's qualities, Paul returns to talk about the gifts; now he wants to make the point that love is permanent, in contrast to these spiritual gifts which are passing. "Love never fails," he writes, and this is in stark contrast to gifts such as prophecies, tongues and knowledge. Yes, these are all important during the present age, and in a few minutes Paul will highlight the importance of one of them, prophecy. However, none of them will be necessary in the next age when we will all be gathered into the heavenly kingdom. On the other hand, love will survive.
Paul then makes an analogy about childhood and adulthood and relating it with gifts and love. In this comparison, love represents maturity, the state toward which we are all moving. Gifts are then associated with childhood - we need them now to help us move forward to maturity, but there is coming a time when they will be needed no more. Another way to think about it is that if the gifts are employed to pump up our pride and spiritual superiority, they will have been wasted. On the other hand, if they help us fulfill our true identity as people who love, then the gifts will have served their purpose.
We all know how the passage ends, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." But that's not really the end of it, because Paul immediately adds, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy."
So again, there's no contest between love and the gifts - for during this age they must coexist, so long as the desire for gifts is conditioned by love. In what follows, it is plain that the reason Paul encourages prophecy in the context of the Corinthian church, is that their worship was sorely lacking in intelligible instruction that would bring about the building up of the church. That's the criteria that love insists upon - the edification of the entire body
If we were to press the physical analogy, love is like the blood that gives meaningful spiritual life to all the gifts, which represent the many members of the body. The blood must flow to all the muscles, organs, nerves, brain, and tissues of every part. If not, those parts begin to die off and cease to be effective. That's what love does in the church. Every member is energized and beautified by the flow of love through and to every part.
So today, while we consider ours to be a charismatic church, and as such we are among those who not only believe that spiritual gifts are present in today's church, but also fervently desire the best gifts, we must also do everything we can to see to it that we are moving along the way of love. We cannot dismiss the gifts and say we don't need them because we have love, because we are not yet fully perfected - we need the gifts to help us move toward that goal.
And because we love, we desire the gifts so that everyone can be benefited. And whenever we recognize the presence of the gifts, we keep a close eye to make sure that pride doesn't ruin their usefulness.
The Word of God for us today is this: "Eagerly desire the greater gifts, and follow the way of love."
1. What is meant by these designations of churches: Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic?
2. Why do we not agree with the notion that spiritual gifts ceased with the death of the original apostles?
3. What is the difference between what are called "natural talents" and "spiritual gifts"?
4. What Bible chapters give the most teaching concerning spiritual gifts, and what are the items on the list of such gifts?
5. The Corinthians were proud of their spiritual gifts, particularly "tongues" - what are some of the reasons Paul considered them to be immature?
6. What are the pros and cons of unison prayer (when everyone prays at the same time), compared with prayer that is offered by a leader while others listen?
7. Just because Paul tried to get the Corinthian church to reject the dominance of "speaking in tongues," does that mean tongues has no value in church today?
8. Besides coveting, what are some aspects of thoughts, emotions or actions which have both a positive and negative expression?
9. If love is not just another "gift," what is it, and how does it relate to the gifts?
10. Why is it that spiritual gifts are considered to have no value when they are exercised in the absence of love?
11. According to I Corinthians 13, what are some of love's characteristics, stated positively and negatively?
12. When Paul wrote this chapter about the virtue of love, which institution was he most concerned about: marriage, family, church, nation?
13. Why did the church at Corinth need correction concerning the use of spiritual gifts?
14. In the heavenly kingdom, why will such things as tongues, prophecy and knowledge no longer be necessary?
15. How is love in the church like blood in the body?
The Best Gifts - I Corinthians 12:31-14:1
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Now let's not think that it is necessarily wrong for a group of worshippers to pray out loud, all together - certainly God is not confused by that. The reality is, with billions of believers in the world, at any moment, thousands are praying at the same time, and God is big enough to handle all the calls without putting anyone on hold. When calling on God, you will never be told, "Thank you for calling heaven today, your call is important to us. However, we are experiencing heavy prayer volume at this time, your wait time will be approximately 17 years, 5 months, 4 hours and 35 minutes."
But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. (KJV)
This in fact is what I ran into during my last trip to Africa. There were two distinct groups, the very conservative Church of England (Episcopalian), and the charismatic churches. Some of the pastors of the charismatic churches even doubted that the Episcopalians were real Christians because there seemed to be no expression of emotion in their worship services. And on the other hand, the pastors of the Episcopalian group complained that the Charismatics were only concerned about the gifts, while they were more concerned about the fruit. Such a contest should never be held.
In rather exalted language, Paul writes, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Take the positive first: Love is patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres.
The Best Gifts - I Corinthians 12:31-14:1
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