Chuck Smith in his book Charisma Versus Charismania begins with a story of the abuse of the gift of tongues that he witnessed as a young man. The church in 1st Century Corinth bore some similarity to the church of Chuck Smith’s 20th Century youth. It seems some of things that made Chuck uneasy made the Apostle Paul uneasy too. Today’s chapter deals with a church’s prioritizing and use of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
Around Christmastime there is an awful lot that can draw our attention away from Jesus. There is decorating to do, parties to go to, presents to buy. Santa Claus can almost singlehandedly steal the show. But Christmas is the day that Christians traditionally celebrate the birth of Jesus. The birth of Jesus matters because Jesus matters.
I was at Calvary Chapel in Crawfordsville, IN, this morning. Paul Velazquez spoke at Horizon Central, bringing a message from James 4. Here it is.
The Corinthian church was obsessed with spiritual gifts. They loved to see God in action, working supernaturally in their lives. Spiritual gifts are good, but the Corinthians were imbalanced. They focused on the outward signs of God’s Spirit but neglected His inward work in their hearts. In 1 Corinthians 12 – 14, Paul gives an extended teaching on the topic of spiritual gifts. Here in the middle of that, in Chapter 13, he tells them what they should make their highest priority.
Central Reflections 