I Corinthians 12:3b-13

Today we gather to celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the coming of the Holy Spirit for the redemption of mankind.  Typically we look to the book of Acts on this day as Luke writes about the coming of the Holy Spirit but this morning we are going to turn to I Corinthians as Paul explains the work of the Holy Spirit to the church at Corinth.

We spend a lot of time talking about God the Father and even more time talking about God the Son but we don’t often take time to talk much about God the Holy Spirit, which for us is a shame because the Holy Spirit is truly an equal and very important part of the Trinity!

There have been many attempts to explain the three persons of God, most of which are very lacking, but for us this morning what we really need to know is that each person, each identity, carries the very same degree of importance within in our lives today.  God the Father is the God of creation and the God of judgment, for it is before Him that we rejoice and give thanks for all that is and know that it is also to Him that we shall be held accountable for all of our acts and actions.  God the Son is the source of redemption and intervention.  It is through the Son that we’ve been redeemed of our sins and it is because of His intervention that we shall be able to stand before the throne of judgment and found worthy of eternal life in the kingdom. This then leaves the third person, God the Holy Spirit, without whom we would be left as orphans to find our way to the cross of salvation.

Now while each person of the Trinity is important, we need to understand that it isn’t God the Father who walks with us each day, and it isn’t the God the Son who continuously holds our hand but rather it is God the Holy Spirit who surrounds us each day and parents us as we walk our earthly journey.

When we read about the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 I think it scares some and certainly confuses most others.  While the apostles and those gathered with them in the upper room saw and experienced a violent wind and tongues of fire as they were filled, I doubt if anything like that has happened to any of us here this morning, and if it did it probably wasn’t the Holy Spirit that we were experiencing but rather something much different. 

We don’t really have a visual image of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is difficult for us to connect with this aspect of God.  But understand that without the Holy Spirit about you there is nothing to protect you from the constant barrage of doubt being spread by Satan.

While the Holy Spirit has always been a part of the Trinity and a part of God the Father’s plan for His creation, it wasn’t until Pentecost that the person of the Holy Spirit became man’s primary connection with God the Father.  Through out the Old Testament God the Father interacted with His creation directly through those who He called as earthly agents.  In the gospels it was God the Son who walked with man and carried out the plan of redemption to bring him back into fellowship with the Father.  Following the ascension of God the Son back to the kingdom it was now the Holy Spirit who walked among us and has become our connection to the Father, so that we might carry out the fulfillment of His plan.

All of this would be fairly straight forward if we weren’t such visual and tactile beings, in that it is much easier for us to believe when we can see it and touch it, which is really complicated when we read the account recorded in the book of Acts.  Then Paul complicates things when he speaks of the gifts of the Spirit and doesn’t explain that not all believers get all the gifts.

Look to verse 12 of our text for this morning as Paul complicates our understanding of the Holy Spirit as he says, “no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit”.  It really would have been helpful if Paul would have included the words, and mean it, when he made this statement.  But he didn’t explain it very well; instead he goes on to talk about the gifts of the Spirit, which we need to be careful not to confuse with the fruit of the Spirit which is something altogether different.  It is no wonder that we have so many different trends of thought when it comes to the Holy Spirit, does the Spirit come to us at the time of our acceptance of Christ, does it require, as many believe, a special baptism of the Spirit or do we receive the Holy Spirit at a different time?  Does the Holy Spirit interact with non-believers as well as believers, or does He only dwell with believers?

Paul’s answer to these questions comes to us in what he writes in verses 4 through 6, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.”  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.”  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of all mankind, no one is excluded but rather everyone is included, and the purpose of His work is to complete the redemption process which God the Son made possible through His work on the cross. 

Paul goes on here to add that it is the Holy Spirit who gives gifts to God’s people and he lists them for us;

The gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the gift of miraculous powers, the gift of prophecy, the gift of discernment, the gift of speaking in tongues, and finally the gift of interpretation.

Now what we need to take from this is the fact that the gifts are not given for our earthly benefit but rather for our redemption as we labor together to build God’s church!  Let us go back to verse 7 as Paul writes, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”   What is the common good, it is the redemption of man so that he might live as God intended in the kingdom and not be cast into the outer darkness.

This is where things get really complicated because we need to understand that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is not to make our lives easier or to grant wishes but rather to fulfill the plan of God, that none should perish but rather that all should be saved.  If you understand the working of the Holy Spirit in any other context than this, you are mistaken and probably disappointed because you’ve been seeking things that will not happen.

It is not the purpose of the Holy Spirit to right the wrongs we do but rather to convict us of our sins and teach us what it is that we need to do so that we can go home to be with the Father.  The gifts of the Spirit fall into this same category, in that the purpose of each and every gift is so that we might carry out the work of God in our lives and the lives of those around us.

I could go on and on here because I think this concept is very misunderstood in the church today but I want to touch on the balance of the text because this is where Paul ties it all together for us.  Verse 12, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” 

Through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit we are called, many together, so that we can put all of the gifts of the Spirit to work as a unit or a team so that the common goal can be served.  And what is that goal; it is the fulfillment of God the Father’s plan of redemption!  When we work together, using the gifts that we are given, God will be glorified and His kingdom will be filled!  This is what serving God is all about, opening the door for everyone possible so that we all can go home to be with our Father. 

If we are working for any other purpose than this then we have it wrong and we will be disappointed in our relationship with Him.  You see it is not about us, but rather it is all about God!  And when we gather together to serve Him through the use of the Gifts that He has granted us through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, then we shall have fulfilled our calling and He will bless our labors.

I would ask you this morning, what gift has God given you and how are you using that gift or gifts to fulfill His goal, that of redeeming mankind?

If you have questions about your gift, then it is time to start searching and seeking to know and once you know it is up to you to use it for the glory and grace of God.

Hear the word of God and know that it is true and that it will set you free!