Series: Embracing All of God

Title: Honoring All the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-13

I. The Incarnation

At Christmas, we celebrated the birth of Jesus into this world, the great mystery of in the Incarnation.

From Luke chapter one, the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary,

35..."The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 (NIV)

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was incarnated into our midst. God became tangibly present among His people.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church.

Pentecost is like Christmas because at Pentecost we also see Jesus incarnated into our midst.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we become the Body of Christ.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God becomes tangibly present among us.

Unlike Christmas, where God himself was perfectly incarnated among us in the one perfect person of Jesus Christ,

At Pentecost, God himself is perfectly incarnated among us in many imperfect people.

Jesus had all the gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Healing

Miracles

Teaching

Prophesy

Mercy

Administration

Discernment

The list goes on and on.

As Colossians 2:9 tells us:

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Colossians 2:9 (NIV)

But unlike Jesus:

None of us have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

None of us—by ourselves—have what it takes to present Christ to the world.

Instead of choosing one perfect person, God has chosen each and every one of us together, to present Christ to the world.

Therefore, we must honor each person and the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them.

No person and no gift of the Spirit is more or less important in God’s eyes. Everyone is necessary. Everyone is needed.

Back in 1999, Fr. Neal Platt and I were on our way to a clergy conference, just north of Jackson, Mississippi.

It was a late autumn afternoon. It was getting cold and the sun was just going down.

About an hour south of Memphis on Interstate 55, we hit a deep dip in the road.

Within a few seconds, the engine light came on and the engine stopped.

We coasted to the side of the road.

Neal tried cranking it again and again and again. Finally, it started up. We jumped in and it lurched forward about 15 feet and died.

We came to the conclusion that the dip in the road caused something to disconnect.

We popped the hood and checked the spark plug wires – they were all on.

We checked the gas line – no leaks.

We checked the oil – full.

Nothing seemed to be wrong. Finally, I found a loose vacuum hose. It was dry and cracked and looked like it had been disconnected for years, so at first we ignored it.

Finally we tried wrapping the vacuum hose with a nickel’s worth of electrical tape. We cranked the engine and it roared to life. It worked perfectly.

A nickel’s worth of tape made the difference between a $12,000.00 vehicle not running at all, and running perfectly.

The same is true in the Church, in the Body of Christ.

The seemingly least significant parts are vitally important.

Each person in the Body—and the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has given them—must be honored.

Let’s take a look at our reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Verse seven tells us:

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)

Not to one, not to some, not to a select few, "to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given."

Why?

"For the common good."

Not to praise the preacher.

Not to exalt the evangelist.

Not to honor only a select few.

"For the common good."

To encourage each other.

To exhort each other.

To heal each other.

So that we might more effectively present Christ to a dying world.

 

Therefore, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, you and I must honor each other and the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us.

We must not denigrate into tribalism.

We must not honor this person and their spiritual gifts, and ignore or belittle that person and their spiritual gifts.

When we honor a member of the Body of Christ, we honor Christ.

But when we dishonor a member of the Body of Christ, we dishonor Christ.

God does not make identical snowflakes.

He does not make identical people.

He has filled his world with an incredible array of variety.

The same is true in his Church, the Body of Christ. God does not make cookie-cutter Christians.

Imagine with me a set of carpenter’s tools holding a conference.

Mr. Hammer presided. Several suggested he leave the meeting at once, because he was too noisy.

Mr. Hammer replied,

"If I have to leave this shop, Madame Screwdriver must go also. You have to turn her around again and again to get her to accomplish anything."

Madame Screwdriver then spoke up. She said,

"If you wish, I will leave. But Mr. Plane must leave too. All his work is on the surface. His efforts have no depth."

To this Mr. Plane responded,

"Sister Tape Measure will also have to withdraw, for she is always measuring folks as though she were the only one who is right."

Sister Tape Measure then complained against Brother Sandpaper,

"You ought to leave too because you're so rough and always rubbing people the wrong way."

In the midst of all this discussion, in walked the Carpenter of Nazareth. He had arrived to start His day's work.

Putting on His apron, He went to the bench to make a pulpit from which to proclaim the gospel. He used the hammer, screwdriver, plane, tape measure, sandpaper, and all the other tools.

After the day's work when the pulpit was finished, Mr. Saw arose and remarked,

"Brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus needed every last one of us.

In His hands we have accomplished great things.

If even one of us had left, Jesus would not have been able to accomplish what he did this day." Leslie B. Flynn, Nineteen Gifts of the Spirit

Maybe you’re a loud and powerful hammer.

Maybe you’re a quiet and precise level.

Maybe you’re a small awl.

Maybe you’re a large bench vice.

Each of you are needed and necessary in the hands of Jesus, the Master Carpenter.

Going back to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses four through six tell us:

4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)

God loves variety. He loves diversity. He wants you and me to love what He loves.

He wants us to embrace and enjoy his "different kinds of gifts," his "different kinds of service," his "different kinds of workings."

Verses 8-10 give us a sample of the wonderful variety of the gifts the Holy Spirit give us:

The message of wisdom

The message of knowledge

Faith

Healing

Miracles

Prophecy

Discernment

Speaking in Tongues

Interpretation of Tongues

 

Romans chapter 12 expands this list:

Serving

Teaching

Encouraging

Giving

Leadership

Mercy

The Holy Spirit will gift some to have an amazing ability to teach God’s Word:

Instead of being envious...

Or instead of idolizing that teacher...

We should soak up their teaching.

The Holy Spirit will gift some to have an unusual level of faith:

Instead of shooting down their optimistic trust in God.

We should let them encourage us to step forward boldly.

 

The Holy Spirit will gift some with the ability to pray in tongues:

Instead of criticizing something that’s mysterious.

We should rejoice that they can pray in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15).

The Holy Spirit will gift some with an extraordinary ability to have mercy:

Instead of pointing out the letter of the law.

We should be grateful for the reminder of God’s great mercy upon us.

 

The Holy Spirit will gift some with a prophetic word:

Instead of complaining about a sermon or teaching which brings discomfort.

Instead of thinking it strange that someone has heard directly from God.

We should give thanks that God still speaks to his people through his people, that God loves us enough to correct us and direct us.

 

None of us have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

None of us—by ourselves—have what it takes to present Christ to the world.

Instead of choosing one perfect person to carry on the work of Jesus, God has chosen each and every one of us together, to present Christ to the world, to be the Body of Christ.

If We Are The Body (by Casting Crowns)
In their song "If We Are the Body," Casting Crowns asks:

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

 

On the other hand, if we are the Body of Christ:

We will rejoice in the variety of gifts among us.

Each of us will use the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us for "the common good."