1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Do your part

What I want to talk about now is the various ways God’s Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often misunderstood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.
God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel, clear understanding, simple trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when. - The Message -

If it’s called “common sense” why is it so uncommon? Yet, Paul says “by using your heads, you know perfectly well…” I guess the Corinthians weren’t using their heads. If we look like the Corinthians we now know what the problem is.

But…don’t misunderstand this. We aren’t really all that smart. So, Paul explains it’s a communal project. The mind of God is so unapproachably sublime that it takes all of us…working together…to appropriate it for our benefit. We’re told God decided to endow each of us, individually, with a piece of whatever is required to comprehend the almighty. Paul says   Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

Then, he lists the kinds of things God has handed out. Do any look familiar? Some should. I promise you, you have some of them. But, herein is the dilemma: If I have been given a gift of proclamation I am dependent on several other gifts to make sure my proclamations are true and faithful. It’s why good preachers spend hours in commentaries and scripture. We need help. The question is obvious: What are you contributing? It’s all there because it’s all necessary. If you don’t contribute your part it might not get done.

Now, that’s just common sense…

Live boldly out there today…