Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 What’s the best way to win people for God? Should we get the most powerful preacher? Should we have the liveliest music? Should we see amazing signs of the Spirit among our people?
Sometimes people will be impressed by these things. They will say the preaching was good. They will remember the music. They may wonder over what they saw happen in the congregation.
All these things may be there, but still there will be something that feels wrong. A visitor may think that everyone performed well, but that it was like a show. The visitor may feel left out. Or they may feel like someone at a market, where people are calling out, pretending to care, but really just wanting to sell.
How could this be? How could a church with all that talent make visitors think that it was just a show?
Paul had some words for the Corinthians. They were a group of Christians in an up-town area, who had a lot of self-confidence. They were proud of the way their gatherings ran. There were spectacular gifts of the Holy Spirit. And they had lots of intellectuals – people who talked a lot as they played with ideas. They would have their favourite speakers or leaders.
Paul was troubled by this. He hated that they showed off spiritual gifts. He hated that they thought this made them better than others. Today, you hear him say that he can’t talk to them spiritually – they are too immature. They are like babies – he has to feed them milk, not adult food.
How can that be? How can they show spiritual gifts but not have spiritual maturity? You have to go back to Chapter 2 to understand. That’s where Paul says that it’s all about Jesus and what Jesus did. Jesus died on the cross. He was crucified. He was the King of all, but let himself be treated as nothing. He gave himself up for the world. He was truly humble, a servant of all.
The Corinthians were smart and smug. It seems that they enjoyed coming to church to compete with each other. They argued over who was the best evangelist or pastor. Some followed Paul, some followed Apollos. Paul was upset to hear this. How pointless! One person plants a seed, another person waters it. Who did the important work? Both things are necessary! As Paul sees it, neither person deserves the credit. God looks after it all, at every step.
That’s how we should celebrate the gifts among us. Different people have different gifts. But they all come from God. Sometimes we will do a job that we’re not good at. Someone else would be better, but they’re not around. A secretary or a treasurer may often feel this way. A good church will support that person’s effort. Sometimes, someone will do a really great job. We should all be generous with our appreciation, but the person who did well knows the truth: the honour is God’s. Bach, maybe the greatest Western musician of all, wrote it at the end of his music, “Soli Deo gloria” – Glory to God alone.
That’s the kind of church that will turn visitors into members – a church where everyone is valued, and where everyone works together to be the body of Christ.
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