In the above focus we see the same theme as Jesus expressed to the priests, God at work. When the Pharisees attacked Jesus about healing on the Sabbath, he told them that God is always at work. Therefore, He too will work on the Sabbath. In the above scriptures, we see Paul expressing this theme of God at work in his distribution of spiritual gifts. These are not callings, but gifts, given in a supernatural way to people in the church. They are to be operative in the church to make the body of Christ healthy and strong. Without these gifts active in the body Christ, the church is anemic, weak, distorted, and even corrupt, depending on the view of men and not on the parameters of a holy and righteous God. Salvation begins and ends as a gift of God, not on man’s efforts to know God. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) We see in today’s scriptures that gifts are given to men and women to manifest God’s presence on earth, to expose God to a sick world, full of sin, captives of Satan. Satan is the ever-present Pharaoh in all ages. The blood of Christ as with the Passover lambs on the doorpost in Egypt separates men and women from a finite world of slavery, to the freedom of life found on the other side of the Red Sea. This freedom from slavery is a gift of God, even the presence of the Holy Spirit with them was a gift. The children of Israel were met by the Spirit; He was present by the cloud in day and the pillar of smoke at night. God gave them this gift; they did not earn God's presence; it was a gift to them to lead them through the wilderness and INTO the Promised Land. Jesus told his followers before his ascension into heaven, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5) The Spirit of God was given to the early church to navigate them through the wilderness of life, not IN weakness, but IN power. The Holy Spirit was given to the church so that Christ could be seen in them, revealing God at work on earth through the church. Jesus always did the Father’s will, so the Spirit will do God’s work. He will do God’s work through the church. Therefore, special gifts by the Spirit are given to men and women to reveal God’s presence on earth, so that people will know their Creator God. God’s spirit in humans makes them lights to be seen by the world. Christians are lights, gifted by the spirit to do special things within the church of the living God. These gifts given to them are for the health of the church and bring unity to the church. But the opposite of that unity within the Corinthian church has caused Paul to tell them that they are at best immature Christians; even the gifts have been misused. The Corinthians failed to absorb the attributes of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 in their lives: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Paul in today’s scriptures tells the Corinthian church, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. And because the Holy Spirit is ONE, these gifts should reveal the oneness of God in operation. No one should take a gift and distort how it is manifested for their self-grandisement. All the gifts are equal in their presentation, for they are revealing the body of Christ. He should be lifted up and glorified when the gifts are used within the body.
Because the body of Christ is the manifestation of Christ on earth, the spiritual gifts given to men and women are to always accentuate the glory and honor that belongs to Jesus the Christ. He is the gift of God given to mankind for deliverance from a finite and sinful world. Peter tells the church that the body of Christ is a spiritual house, occupied by spiritual priests who glorify and honor God by offering up spiritual sacrifices by manifesting Jesus in their lives. The spiritual gifts given to people are used to reveal God’s goodness and love to all people, everywhere. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5) This house is an extension of what the prophet Nathan told David about his descendants. He told David that his kingdom, his descendants, would be a house of kings that would never end. We see Jesus as the culmination of that prophecy for He, the Son of God, will sit on the throne of David. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-32) Nathan prophesied that David’s kingdom, his house, would be forever. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:16) This prophesy is fulfilled in Christ; He is the eternal kingdom. His house is not full of kings that are finite; these men are the descendants of David’s flesh, but Christ's house in the lineage of David is full of eternal priests that will be sitting with Christ and in Christ in the presence of God. No longer a house full of David’s DNA, but a house filled with God’s nature, a collection of people from all over the world. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10) All gifts are given to people based on God's purposes for them and his mercy and grace to them. Everything is done by God to edify the body of Christ on earth. God’s gifts are given for his purposes, not to lift up men or women who possess these gifts. Every gift rightly used will strengthen the body of Christ, providing the church power to stand against the temptation of the wilderness and the schemes of the devil and his demons. As with an individual in his or her walk, the church must manifest the full armor of God in its existence. The church must be strong in the Lord, must have the full armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes. The church needs to stand its ground against the devil. Always standing with the belt of truth buckled around its waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in its midst, relating always the gospel of peace. Displaying to all the shield of faith, that can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Expressing the helmet of salvation, under which the Spirit protects the new born, implanting the word of God deep within the the body of Christ. (See Galatians 6) Gifts rightly used to honor Christ and the unity of the body will steady the church, keeping the church from being carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. For the gifts are given for the COMMON good. Just as a body, though ONE, has many parts, but all its many parts form ONE body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by ONE Spirit so as to form ONE body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the ONE Spirit to drink.
Because Christians are still in the fleshly body, they can be carried away by doctrines of ill will and selfish glorification. The weak and immature Christian will be led astray in believing unsound doctrine. As with the Corinthian church, they will choose what they wish to follow. This division has been part of Christianity from the beginning. Paul was worried about this division in his own teaching. He desired to preach only Christ, the works of Christ and not that of men. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and GAVE HIMSELF for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for NOTHING!” (Galatians 2:20-21) Therefore, after fourteen years away from Jerusalem and the elders in the church, he went back to the pillars of faith to examine whether he was preaching the absolute truth of God’s salvation message to men and women. Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. (Galatians 2:1-2) He wanted his teaching to be above reproach. If he was teaching unsound doctrine, he would be leading people to hell, not heaven. So, he went back to Jerusalem to be with those who had walked with Jesus on earth. They validated his teaching, but Paul also found that Judaism was still contaminating the church. Dependence on the works of the flesh was still distorting the pure gospel, which is Christ alone and his works. Christ is the GIFT of God. To confuse that message with the works of the flesh will lead people to destruction, not heaven. Because Judaism was still taught: the dependence on the works of the flesh, many Jerusalem Christians were still involved with adding something to the grace of God. Even Peter went astray, eating only with the circumcised at Antioch after Christians from Jerusalem arrived in Antioch. Before their arrival he ate with all Christians in Antioch. Paul confronted him openly about his hypocrisy, telling Peter that he was standing against God’s will for all people on the face of the earth. Peter once again was doing Satan’s work. When Jesus was with the apostles, Peter wished to protect Jesus from those who would crucify Jesus, so he stood in opposition to God’s will. Jesus told him, Get behind me Satan. So we see now, many years after Jesus’ ascension, Judaism was a constant threat to the will of God: the works of men and not dependency on the works of God. In Paul’s explanation of the dispersion of gifts to people in the church, he emphasizes this is the work of God. No man can earn spiritual gifts through works, through efforts, through spiritual exercise or dedication. As with salvation, gifts come from the mouth of God. Yes, breakfast companions, pray that God’s gift to you will be evident in your life. Allow God to dispense a gift to you. Pray for God’s will to be done in you as you interact with the body of Christ. And most of all, do not be fearful to use his gift in you. Everything in the body of Christ takes faith, a belief that God is involved with your life and a willingness to use the gift He has given you. All things should be done in order and for the benefit of the church. Honor your leaders, for they are responsible for your spiritual health and for the church’s well being. Pick up the banner of Christ in everything you do. Remember, his banner over you is love. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. (1John 3:1)
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