Last week Pastor Bill began our series on Spiritual Gifts by teaching from Romans 12:1-8 that the Holy Spirit generously distributes gifts to all followers of Jesus. He challenged us to open and use those gifts for the sake of God’s kingdom, the body of Christ, which is the church. If you missed last week’s message please visit the web page or a hard copy.

            Today we continue the Spiritual Gifts theme with another of Paul’s letters, written to the church at Corinth. The Holy Spirit generously endowed that church with “spiritual gifts,” the Greek term being “charismata.” He repeats that regardless of the gift each individual possesses, they all come from the Same Spirit. Paul passionately emphasizes that the one true Spirit of God distributes a variety of diverse gifts, not for personal gain, but to serve God and strengthen the entire church family. The Spirit is the uniting foundation, the gifts are the tools, as Barb Pritchard told the kids last week, on which to build the kingdom.

            Another illustration is to picture First Christian Church of Corinth as a dysfunctional family with well-defined roles that do not overlap. The father is the emotionally distant disciplinarian; the mother is the nurturing peacekeeper; the daughter is the intelligent student and the son is the talented rebel. Same family, different gifts, and they all can barely stand each other. There is no gathering at the table to share each other’s abilities to help each other live happy and productive lives. Everyone is on their own. This was the situation at Corinth. Paul writes: Hold on. The Holy Spirit is in each of you, gifting each of you to be in united ministries for one mission. There is no place in the church for the destructive game: “My gift is better than your gift, na na na na na.” The church needs all gifts, so the Spirit allocates them as the Spirit sees fit. Airs of superiority or inferiority are sinful. If we brag on our gift, we take glory from the Spirit. If we belittle our gift, we devalue the Spirit. The Spirit knows what he is doing. The gifts are freely given. We do not study for them, earn them, or inherit them through genetics or natural ability: those are skills and talents, not gifts. Every gift comes from the same source: God’s Holy Spirit.

Paul identifies nine gifts in the Corinthian congregation: wisdom (appropriate choices and advice), knowledge (knowing without prior interaction), faith (trust without tangible evidence), healing (making whole), miracles (supernatural results), prophecy (proclaiming God’s eternal word), discernment (determining good from evil), tongues (speaking language without lessons) and interpretation (explaining languages without lessons). These are different ways to serve God. Same Spirit, Different Gifts. 

The Holy Spirit has generously gifted WUMC. Some of us are using our gifts for the common good by working diligently in our ministry areas. And some of us are not, so there is a void for you to fill. Verse 7 says everyone has been given a gift “for the common good.” We need yours. Statistics say that in most churches 20% of the people do the work, while 80% choose not to participate. Every Member in Ministry is a worthy goal. Sharing spiritual gifts helps everyone. The church maintains vitality to accomplish its vision to Reach Up, Reach In & Reach Out. The 20% workers avoid burnout as others volunteer. The 80%ers gain more spiritual maturity and a stronger sense of belonging by obeying the Spirit.

So today’s word ends with challenging questions: What is your gift? If you know, are you using it for the common good? If you don’t know, what are you doing to discover your gift? Do you believe that your church needs you? Will you use your gift to make this a more fruitful church? Is someone or something more important to you than God’s work? Who or what is it? Will you reset your priorities by adding God’s work to your “Things to Do” list? If you are struggling with answers, will you contact Pastor Bill or me? We are here for you.

Let us pray: “Out of your extravagant generosity, Great Holy Spirit, you give your people a variety of resources, for which we are truly thankful. We humble ask for one more gift -- the gift of motivation. Encourage, nudge, compel, urge, push, do whatever you choose to prompt us to use our gifts to grow and nurture this congregation so that we will make more disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”