Many Gifts, One Spirit

Brothers and sisters, I don’t want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts. There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good. A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to one person, a word of knowledge to another according to the same Spirit, faith to still another by the same Spirit, gifts of healing to another in the one Spirit, performance of miracles to another, prophecy to another, the ability to tell spirits apart to another, different kinds of tongues to another, and the interpretation of the tongues to another. All these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person.

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. Certainly the body isn’t one part but many.

Corinthians 12:1, 4-14

Friends, we who are in Christ are one, even though we are many. As I prepare to leave Byron UMC, I remind myself and you that we remain one in Christ, regardless of the distance between us. Nothing breaks that bond because nothing shall ever break Christ again. We are held together in him as one.

Yet the body isn’t one singular part, but many distinct parts. The body isn’t all hands or all feet or all noses. Each part is uniquely gifted to contribute to the body. Each of you is uniquely gifted to contribute to the body of Christ that is the church, just as I am uniquely gifted. The body thrives when each person uses their gift for the purpose that the Spirit gives the gift – to build up the church and continue its ongoing mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

All that we have done together as the church has been because of the many gifts that God has brought together here. Discover your gifts. Practice your gifts. And I encourage you to continue the good work that you are doing with faith that all that is needed will be provided.

The Apostle Paul ends his explanation of spiritual gifts by asking the people of the Corinthian church to strive for the most excellent spiritual gift of them all – Love. This is a gift offered to all, and it is the gift that empowers all other spiritual gifts and all the good work that you can possibly do. It is the gift that brings all the parts together so that each one can offer its own spiritual gift to the body. Strive for love and put love first, friends.

With Love,

Pastor Andy