When you think of the Holy Spirit, what appears in your mind? Maybe you think of the active tongues like flame on the disciples gathered at the first Christian Pentecost. But there was also a rushing wind then. Maybe you think of the wind. Jesus told Nicodemus that “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:1-21). Does that mean that Spirit-born people live just on the call of the Spirit – going here and there just on what they feel? It might sometimes seem that way. There are some people who feel a strong call. They can’t place why, but they know they must go. Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts often seemed like that. Luke tells us that the Spirit led him.
But in today’s scripture, Paul is actually warning against going simply on feelings. If we trust only our emotions, it’s not a good test of whether it’s a message from God.
The Spirit manifests in many ways. In images, the Spirit is fire or wind. And at Jesus’ baptism, we see a dove.
Likewise, the Spirit’s work in us – in humans – manifests in different ways. Paul gives some examples. And let’s look at the first two: in verse 8, he says, “to one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit”. These are quiet, inward gifts. People don’t see them as clearly as they see the working of miracles, or the power to heal, or the ability to speak in strange tongues. Is a message of wisdom special? Is a message of knowledge special? We expect people to know more and to become wiser as they get older.
But it’s not automatic! Some of the Corinthians were attracted by whatever seemed special and amazing, not abiding in what they were taught by Paul. They were easily distracted by any fad or cult.
Early in today’s reading, Paul tells them that Jesus and the Spirit are linked. If you say, “Jesus is Lord!”, the Spirit is there. If you curse Jesus, it’s not God’s Spirit.
Jesus is our model. And he, too, reminds us that the Spirit may work in many ways. At his baptism, there was a mighty display of God’s power. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove. God’s voice was heard.
But the Spirit also sent Jesus into the wilderness. In that wild place, he was tempted by Satan – the devil. How did Jesus deal with his temptations? With the gifts of wisdom and knowledge. The knowledge was the scripture. The wisdom was how he used that scripture. Jesus was led by the Spirit, but the message of knowledge came from his study of the scripture.
We must value all the spiritual gifts – even the ones that seem ordinary. Sometimes God will work through us when we don’t even try. At other times, our gift only works if we’ve looked after it. Study and training can be foundations for the work of the Spirit. But study and training will not automatically give us wisdom. That comes from being aligned to God’s will for us. If we say, “Jesus is Lord!”, we’ve made the important first step. The Spirit is with us at that moment. Stay in him, build your ability to listen, and allow your giftings to grow.
19 Jan 2025
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