Spiritual Gifts, Part 7: Body Building! I Corinthians 14:1-25

“Spiritual Gifts, Part 7: Body Building”

I Corinthians 14:1-25

Introduction: Hunting season is just started, and I am reminded of the story of a couple of guys from the city who decided they would take up hunting. Before the opening day of pheasant season they went out and bought a bird dog since they were told it would make for more enjoyable and profitable hunting. Opening day they woke up bright and early. They hunted all day, but as dusk began to settle they hadn’t fired a single shot. The hunters were exhausted and frustrated over the performance of their bird dog. Finally one said, “OK Joe, throw him up one more time, if doesn’t fly this time, I’m going to shoot him!” They must have been from NJ right?!

       In most activities tools and techniques have to be used properly if we are going to benefit from them. Proper technique is important to avoid injury and to get maximum benefit from physical training.  What is true of bodily exercise is also true in the exercise of our spiritual gifts. God has gifted us for the good of others, for the building up of the body.  At certain points in history some manifestations of the Spirit had the effect of validating the authority of the apostles to speak the Word of Christ (see Acts 2:1-4,16-21; 3:12; 14:3).  The apostles were saying “This is that... Jesus is the promised One, the Messiah we have been waiting for!” In the more general terms, Paul and Peter both teach that gifts were given for edifying the church and equipping believers to carry out our mission in the world. We should make sure that our motives are right and our gifts are focused on benefiting others!

Context: This week, in our seventh week of looking at Paul’s teaching on “Spiritual gifts,” we will be taking a relatively large section, but only looking in detail at a few key words and verses in the section. Remember in 12:1 Paul began, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant brethren...” He is addressing an issue that the Corinthians had asked about, and he is teaching them, giving them fuller and more correct knowledge than they had before.  We really need to take chapters 12-14 together, as Paul’s answer to their question and need.

The “Maine” Idea: Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

I. Gifts are intended for building the body (1-5).

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.  ² For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.  ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.  ⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.  ⁵ Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

       Pursue love...  Paul is recapping with this phrase his point in the preceding chapter.  The Corinthians were enamored with “gifts,” especially those that they deemed “greater.”  Paul told them and is telling them again that they were missing the foundation they needed in order to use the gifts God had given in accordance with His will. The word “pursue” here is the same word that Jesus used of Paul’s persecution of the church (Acts 9) and which Paul uses in his own testimony to describe his zealous pursuit of the Christ followers (Acts 22,26).  The word implies intentionality, persistence, and effort.  Don’t wait for love to just “happen,” go after it!  Paul is saying here, that the first “pursuit” of the Corinthians should not be the gifts of the Giver, but the Giver himself. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment was to love God with you whole heart, and the second was like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. The Corinthians had neglected that indispensable foundation. Let me ask a question: Why do we teach the Bible in our church?  Not just so we can learn “truth” and “sound doctrine” in some abstract sense. Our desire is that we would be growing in our knowledge of God. And to know Him is to love Him.

       Notice in vv.3 -5 that Paul values the edifying effect of spiritual gifts...

³ ...the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation... the one who prophesies builds up the church... The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

 The measure that seems most important to him is not how flashy or impressive a gift is, but rather what is the effect that it has on others? Love causes us to get our eyes off of ourselves, and to set our focus on others.  It’s not about me, it’s about God, and His glory. When it comes to “body life” we need to embrace the J.O.Y. principle: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last! Our focus should be on using our gifts for the benefit of others. That is the model we see in Ephesians 4:7-16,

⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  ⁸ Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." ⁹ (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?  ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)  ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Do you see the “one another” aspect of spiritual gifts? It is not to exalt myself or anyone else for the gifts they have, but rather to build each other up, so that we can be mature and equipped to better carry out our mission. Notice the last phrase in the Ephesians passage, when each one is doing his part, in love, the body matures and is built up. That is God’s plan! It brings glory to God. Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

II. Improper Exercise of spiritual gifts can’t build the body (6-12).

⁶ Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?  ⁷ If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?  ⁸ And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?  ⁹ So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.  ¹⁰ There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,  ¹¹ but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.  ¹² So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

            Like muffled notes from a musical instrument, so unintelligible utterance cannot edify (6-9).   We’ve got a great number of musicians in our church family. I am not one of them!  If I were to start banging on the piano, or trying to make a sound come out of a trombone, it would not be pleasing to the ear! The Corinthians were so enamored with the gift of tongues, they had forgotten that without interpretation the gift had no value in public worship. It’s like using a tool, if it is the right tool for the right job, and if it used correctly, it helps advance the project. 

       I remember hearing the story of an old farmer who returned his new chain saw to the hardware store. He complained, “You told me I could cut five cords a day with this thing! I worked hard all day and only managed half a cord!” The shop keeper said, “Let me sharpen it and let’s take it out back and give it a try.” After sharpening the teeth he took it out back. The salesman pulled the rope and the engine roared to life. The old farmer jumped, and shouted, “What’s that noise!?”  You want to use tools correctly for the job to be done well! He gave gifts to men... for the building up of the body of Christ.

            Languages are useful only if they can communicate (10-11).   When we first arrived in Brazil, our understanding was pretty limited. Sometimes, when people realized we were foreigners, they would speak more slowly and loudly, but if we didn’t understand the words it didn’t help! 

            Gifts of the Spirit are only helpful if they edify the church (12). We are not pursuing “manifestations of the Spirit” as the Corinthians did. We come together for worship, I hope you expect that God is here. He is present. As we read and study the Word we can hear His voice, if we will listen. As we each use the gifts He has given us, we will build each other up. We will become more mature followers of Jesus.    Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

III. Profitable Exercise of gifts engages the spirit and the mind (13-19).

¹³ Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret.  ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.  ¹⁵ What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.  ¹⁶ Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?  ¹⁷ For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.  ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.  ¹⁹ Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

       The idea of engaging our “spirit” and our “mind” comes through here. I remember the story of a Polish actress who was traveling and asked at a dinner to give a brief recitation from one of her plays. She agreed, but said she would do the recitation in her native Polish, which none of the guests at the party spoke. She spoke powerfully and emotionally, to the point that some of the guests were moved to tears, hanging on her every word.  When she finished there was fervent applause, a standing ovation. One person finally asked what the riveting scene was from, and she smiled and said, “I just counted to 100 in Polish!”  Sometimes how we say what we say gets a lot of attention! 

       Another example along those lines could be music. Some music can be powerful and emotional. It can capture our heart and excite us and draw us in. Some of our worship in Brazil was like that, at least initially. We listened, we even sang, but we didn’t understand much. Paul is saying there is nothing wrong with engaging the emotions, the heart and the spirit, but we want to listen to the lyrics. We want to consider the message that we are hearing. God reveals himself through propositional truth, through the Word. Do the lyrics reflect sound doctrine? Does the song express biblical truth? Our music teams give careful thought and prayer to the message of the songs they lead us in. It is not just our emotion, but our minds that they want to engage. Paul is saying that truth matters. If faith is taking God at His word we have to hear and understand what He is saying to us!  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.   Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel!

IV.  Body building is not for babies (20-25)! My daughter has a yoga mat and a couple of dumbbells she uses for exercise in their rec room. I mentioned last week that her son Hunter is at an age where he gets into everything. He is just a year and a little wobbly with his walking still, buy he shocked me when he reached into the basket where her stuff was, and with one hand pulled out her 2.5 pound dumbbell seemingly effortlessly! Probably not a good idea – weight lifting, or body building, isn’t for babies! 

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.  ²¹ In the Law it is written, "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."  ²² Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.  ²³ If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?  ²⁴ But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,  ²⁵ the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

           “Brothers...” In some cases we see the apostles address their readers as spiritual children. John does that in his letters, he calls his readers teknia mou, “my little children.” Paul chooses more frequently to come in alongside of his readers and address them as “brethren,” i.e., as “brothers and sisters” in Christ. We see his humility and his heart, and also his brotherly love for the Corinthians as he writes to them.

            “...do not be children in your thinking...” The Corinthians had a lot going for them. They were believers, Paul calls them “saints,” recognizing that they belonged to Jesus. By calling them “brothers” he affirms they have the same Father. He says they didn’t lack any spiritual gift. But we saw way back in chapter 3 they were still immature, “babes in Christ.” Paul is urging them to grow up.

            “...be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature...”  I think that idea here is to be “innocent” with respect to the evil in the world around us, in the sense that we are separate from it, in the world but not of the world. We don’t need to immerse ourselves in the garbage to know that it stinks!    

            “...he will worship God and declare that God is really among you...” (v.25). Notice the goal, the result toward which we are striving, the worship of God. It is not about us. This is His church and our goal should be to see Him lifted up. To God be the glory!

What is God saying to me in this passage? Love should motivate us to use the gifts God has given us to build each other up and to engage our neighbors with the Gospel, to the glory of God!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  The abuse of the gift of tongues was a problem in the Corinthian church. They thought that was the “end all and be all” of spiritual gifts. But as it was being practiced it was unintelligible, and could neither build  up the saints or evangelize the lost.  We don’t have an issue with that gift in Boothbay. In our Tuesday morning prayer group we’ve been slowly reading through Psalm 119 over the last three months of so. The theme that carries through the psalm is “the Word,” “God’s Law,” “His truth...”  Last week we read, Psalm 119:105,  

^“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The point is we need to share the Word of Life, the Gospel, God’s truth, verbally. A quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is, “Preach the gospel. If necessary use words.”  If that is really what he said (and I couldn’t find it in context) it must be a hyperbole intended to emphasize the importance of showing God’s love by our actions. That is a good thing. But listen well: it is always necessary, at some point, to use words if we are going to share the Gospel. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of Christ.  No one is going to get saved by our acts of kindness alone. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone. Yesterday we gave out hundreds of tracts and gospels. Bibles were given to many families. The event itself showed our love for the community—who wouldn’t like free food and fun?  We were glad to have CEF here to share the Gospel with children. The Word that was shared can be used by God to bring some to faith and repentance. Bottom line, as we seek to know and love the Giver of gifts, His love will fill our hearts more and more. That love will flow out in our relationships. Love God, love one another, love the world. Pray for your 8/15, those 8 to 15 people in your close sphere of influence. Seek opportunities to build relationships, and look for openings to allow them to hear the message that gives life.              Think about that.    AMEN.