Plymothian

Feelings carry us away.  It is easier to serve when we feel good about it.  It is easier to bring breakfast to the pretty wife who laughs at all our jokes.  It is harder to feel great at 74 when our spouse has dementia, needs their diaper changed and can’t remember who we are.  Some of us accept that trials will come as we grow old together, but what when they come and we are young?  What when we feel abandoned or misunderstood?  Is love patient when it receives impatience?  Does love hope when receiving no trust?

1 Corinthians 13 and its definition of love is as strong a challenge today as it ever was.  It is nothing to fall in and out of.  We decide to love and then we live out what we decide?  How is this possible?  God sustains his own.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

 ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Questions

1. What things is love?
2. What things is love not?
3. What does love always do?
4. Who do you love?
5. Who could you love more?  How?

Going Deeper

Read Jane Eyre.

“All You Need is Love” could be a summary of what Paul (St. Paul not McCartney) centers the Corinthian church around in chapter 13.  Unfortunately it is so much more than sex, attraction, feelings or commitment.  The love of the Bible is broader than each of these categories.  In a church like Corinth that was ripped apart by people seeking spiritual gifts for self-aggrandizement, Paul brings the church back to the purpose of all that we receive from God.  We are to use the abilities and the gifts that we have to reach out selflessly to others.  Difficult people are an opportunity to become more selfless as we learn to serve.  This path of self-sacrifice is the ‘most excellent way.’

1 Corinthians 12: 31 – 13:3

And now I will show you the most excellent way.

¹If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Questions

1. Which is the first spiritual gift that Paul contrasts with love?
2. Which other gifts are contrasted with love?
3. Why is Paul saying that spiritual gifts without love are worthless?
4. What is the source of true love?
5. How can you love those people who naturally you struggle with?

Going Deeper

Love the Way You Lie is #1 in the Billboard charts.  It has Eminem talking of a strong emotion that he calls love which would compel him to tie his girl to the bed and burn down the house if she tried to leave.  The lyrics include profanity, but there is a link below if you can read the entire song.  You can also hear the song by clicking ‘play’ at the top of the page:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/love-the-way-you-lie-lyrics-eminem.html

How would you describe the love that Rihanna and Eminem are singing about?  How does this popular view of love fall short of the ideal.  Why do you think there are songs where people love the lies that people ‘in love’ tell each other?

#2 in the charts is Katy Perry who sings:

Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, we’ll be young forever

What is the love that she and her man (in real life she has not made a great choice) are looking to share?  Some people say that the kind of love in ‘Teenage Dream’ is not love but infatuation.  By this they mean that the rush of good feelings that the person has is not rooted in the other person.  The rush of emotion is a positive feeling one gets from being the object of attention of a respected person.  This often sustains a relationship for a while.  After the rush from positive attention subsides the relationship needs to transition to something more sustainable.  What do you think of the idea that many people mistake infatuation for love?  What do you think of the idea that many people have a self-serving rush of emotion that they wrongly label love?

http://www.metrolyrics.com/teenage-dream-lyrics-katy-perry.html 

Evidently Paul received communication regarding spiritual gifts.  Maybe Chloe’s household had told him of all the rouble they were causing.  Paul agrees that spiritual gifts should be desired, but not at the expense of unity.  It seems that ‘speaking in tongues’ was being used as a measure for boasting by those who had the gift.  This problem is still with us today.  Paul draws the general principle that God equips his church by giving to each person a gift that fits with the needs of believers in the church at a particular time and location.

1 Corinthians 12

 ¹Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I tell you that 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.

 ⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

 ⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^{[b] 11}All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

 ¹²The 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. ¹³For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

 ¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire^[e] the greater gifts.
      And now I will show you the most excellent way.

Questions

1. What words are repeated in this passage?
2. What is the theme of this passage?
3. How are both unity and diversity emphasized?
4. Have you explored your gifting?
5. Are you part of a group where you can exercise your gift for the good of others?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. What can one in the Spirit not say?
2. Who works all the gifts in all men?
3. Why is each one given the manifestation of the Spirit?
4. There are many parts but one what?
5. If a body part is more visible how do we treat it?

Interpretation

1. How can a Corinthian distinguish a daemon from the Spirit?
2. Are gifts and talents the same thing?
3. How does the nature of God reflect the unity and diversity of reality?
4. How was the Corinthian church divided by gifts?
5. What is Paul telling to do for those who clean the church, make administrative decisions, or aid the hurting?

Application

1. Watch the trailer for Jesus Camp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNfL6IVWCE  What are your impressions?
2. If your gifts and talents originate with God how can God grow you?
3. In your opinion do people who do not follow God have gifts or talents from God?  What are the implications of your answer?  Can the unsaved serve at church?
4. How is your church divided or united around spiritual gifts?
5. How can you honour those whose gifting is not as public?

When I was in St. Ives in England a young man came up to me and started to share the gospel.  I thanked him for sharing the gospel, but I told him that I was a Christian.  He then switched tracks and asked if I had been baptised in the Spirit.  Finally he asked if I spoke in tongues.  I told him that I had not.  He then approached my salvation with skepticism and said that all people who are Christians should speak in tongues.  Of course, if you have followed the outline of Paul’s argument in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, you would see that the gifts given to people are varied.  No one gift is for all people.

I know that Pentecostals (the man in St. Ives was Pentecostal) would say that Acts reveals that speaking in tongues is a sign.  I agree that it is a sign, but not of what they say it is.  They also say that this is a particular type of speaking in tongues that is for the edification of the individual.  I would say that there are some serious exegetical gymnastics going on with that interpretation.  Many Pentecostals have softened their stance on tongues.  Be aware though, there are still some that will argue that everyone should speak in tongues. 1 Corinthians 12 argues differently in my opinion.

1 Corinthians 12: 27-31

 ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire^[e] the greater gifts.
      And now I will show you the most excellent way.

Questions

1. Who are you?
2. Who are first second and third?
3. Is this list ranked in order of importance?
4. What gifts do you desire?
5. Is it possible to work from a lesser gift to a greater one over time?

Going Deeper

Discuss spiritual gifts with people in your church, small group, or household.

I am in a humbling position.  I read the Bible, I pray, but I need more help.  For some reason my back has been getting sore and I have had rushes of anxiety.  I don’t know how to solve this problem by myself.  I need help.  God has been using my weakness to teach me.

Firstly, the mind body connection became apparent when I checked into the New School for Massage in Chicago.  I have had two sessions and a lot of pressure on my nerves has been relieved. 

Secondly, I had to go and see a therapist.  That sounds like failure to me.  I had to admit that I needed help talking through how this anxiety built up.  A therapist has helped me to see that I feel personally responsible for how others feel and I take the guilt and the burden on myself.

Thirdly, following my first week of therapy I went to a small group leadership workshop at The Chapel.  The general thrust of the morning was that the small group needs to be a place where people can grow.  We have to admit that we are all screwed up in some way.  That starts with the leaders.  I followed the workshop by admitting to my small group how I had been struggling.

In summary, I have had to think through how we are designed to need each other.  I need to see who I am and how I fit in the whole.  Part of allowing others to use their gifts is to be open about deep weaknesses and failures.  When we open the wounds up and work on them with each other we can be healed and whole.

1 Corinthians 12: 21-26

 ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Questions

1. What can the eye not say to the hand?
2. What does God give to the parts that lack it?
3. What happens if one part of the body suffers or is honoured?
4. Are you aware of how much you need other people to be healthy?  What are your needs in particular?
5. How does church as an organisation that needs you and that you need differ from how people think of church?  How could taht be put right?

Going Deeper

Look at yourself and think of the things that you need.  Look at yourself and think of the strengths that you have.  Without demanding from others, how can you let them meet your needs?  Without being insensitive, how can you provide for the needs of others?

Be someone who is open with your church.  Help to create a healthy community of interdependence.

There are those who think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only for the early church and those at the other extreme who think everyone should speak in tongues.  Paul’s illustrations point out that the gifts are given to individuals to work together to build up the church.  If one person had all the giftings or if everyone had one of the gifts, Paul’s analogy would break down.  I do not believe that everyone is to speak in tongues just as I do not believe that everyone in the church is a prophet.  I do believe that God can gift his people as he wishes.  Each person’s unique gift comes together like a piece of a jigsaw to form a whole.

1 Corinthians 12: 14 – 20

¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Questions

1. Which body parts does Paul reference as examples?
2. What does each body part say?
3. Who arranges the body?
4. What is your view on whether there is a gift, like tongues, that is for everyone?
5. Do people have various gifts depending on the needs of the body, or do they have one gift forever?  How would that affect your involvement with the church?

Again I had to talk to my Faith and Learning class about their first group project.  I know that a lot of students don’t like to work as part of the group.  Too often the girls in the group become responsible for moving the group along.  In the end a perfectionist will insist that they edit everything and then complain that they carry the whole weight of the group on their shoulders.  Firstly, the ‘lazy gits’ (mostly boys) who watch passively from the sidelines need to accept responsibility for their sloth.  Secondly those who take the work on their shoulders without insisting on support should see that they are enabling the underdeveloped to stay weak.  Finally, the perfectionist who takes all of the work on their own shoulders, far from being virtuous, has prevented the rest of the group from growing because of their perfectionism.

Good group work designates roles to students and holds the students accountable for what they will achieve.  God has designed us to work in community (groups).  We are all part of the body (a group).  Pastors doing all the work for their congregations is a gift from hell.  Congregations sitting by and letting others minister cause the devil to smile.  Can you use group work to teach you how to play your role in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 12: 12, 13

 ¹²The 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. ¹³For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Questions

1. What is the body?
2. Of what does the body consist?
3. In your own words, how does a body illustrate the truth that reality is one but it is made of many particulars?
4. How are you both an individual and a part of a bigger whole?
5. How does your gifting fit into the calling of your church, school, or home?

Going Deeper

Reality itself is a unity.  As They Might Be Giants sing, “There’s only one everything (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs_D8dC0uwc).”  However, that reality is composed of many particulars.  Universities were originally set up to study this phenomenon, this is how they got their name.  University refers to unity and diversity.  Christians are trying to think through what this means for how we live.  The unifying principle of all reality is Christ.  We call this the Christocentric Unity of All Truth (Litfin).  Another way to talk about this is, “All truth is God’s truth.”  God is the unity behind the particulars of mathematics, science, languages, art, and history.  God himself is a unity comprised of particulars.  We call this Trinity.  The uniting principle of Trinity is Godhead.  If you begin to understand that all the particulars of the world are united in God, how do you view education, communication, management, ministry and family differently?

Everyone in the church has a gift of some kind from God.  It is a gift that when exercised helps build strength in the body of believers as a whole.  There are some parts of Christian growth that can only be lived out as part of a group.  Those of us who would rather leave people behind and sit by ourselves in the corner will not grow in the ways God intended.  God intends for us to exercise a supernatural gift.  We are each special.  Maybe you should find out how God has gifted you.

1 Corinthians 12: 7-11

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^{[b] 11}All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Questions

1. For what purpose is each member gifted?
2. Which is the last gift listed?
3. Who determines the recipient of the gifts?
4. Have you ever taken a test to determine your gifting?
5. What gift do you bring to the church?  How can it be used?

Going Deeper

Follow the links below to take an analysis of your gifting:

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

http://buildingchurch.net/g2s.htm

Do you think that the results might be helpful or unhelpful?  What is your gifting?

How can you tell whether you are dealing with an angel or a daemon?  How can you tell if a spiritual moment comes from heaven or hell?  How can you discern spiritual realities?  Paul gives us the answer in the following passage.  You must look to see whether the spiritual experience or entity leads you closer or further from God.  Did the spiritual experience glorify Jesus Christ or was it a generic ‘spirtual’ feeling that left you self-satisfied?  If someone claims to have a message from God and it defames Jesus, it is not from God.  The Spirit of God is united with the Father and the Son.  He generates unity in the body of Christ, the church.  Jesus reinforced this principle (Mark 3: 20-30).

1 Corinthians 12: 1-6

¹Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I tell you that 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.

 ⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Questions

1. What subject is Paul talking about?
2. What led the Corinthians astray?
3. What two statements, if spoken sincerely, can show whether a spiritual message is from God?
4. How have so many people today become ‘spiritual’ without Jesus?
5. Is your quest for spiritual experiences centered on Jesus?  How can others tell?

Going Deeper

Read Mark 3: 20 – 30

Observation

1. What were the disciples unable to do?
2. What did Jesus’ family say about him?
3. Of what did the teachers from Jerusalem accuse Jesus?
4. If a kingdom is divided against itself, then what?
5. What sin can not be forgiven?

Interpretation

1. Why would Jesus’ family think he was crazy?
2. Why were teachers from Jerusalem convinced Jesus had a daemon?
3. How does this passage show Jesus’ thoughts on logical argument?
4. What is blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
5. What was the common understanding of Satan in Jesus’ time?

Application

1. How might following Jesus passionately lead others to think you are crazy?
2. Does your family approve of your belief in God?
3. Do people you know believe in a physical world, a spiritual world, both or neither?
4. How do horror movies about exorcism provide a basis for spiritual discussion?
5. Do you engage with spiritual realities as much as you should?

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul praised the Corinthians for following his teaching.  This is probably with regard to freedom and equality in Christ.  He then reined them in a little because they were taking things too far contrary to social customs and conventions.  Paul has no praise for the way that the Corinthians do not practice equality before Christ in their communion service.  The whole event sounds like a disordered binge.  Why is giving (and withholding) praise such an important tool for seeing people grow?

1 Corinthians 11

¹Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

 ²I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings,^[a] just as I passed them on to you.

 ³Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. ⁶If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

 ¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

 ¹⁷In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ²⁰When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

 ²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

 ²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. ³²When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

 ³³So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
      And when I come I will give further directions.

Questions

1. What two things does Paul praise the Corinthians for?
2. In which verse does Paul tell the Corinthians he has no praise for them?
3. How is the importance of preserving instructions shown in the passage?
4. How does your church do at implementing instructions for spiritual growth?
5. How do you do in following through on guidelines for growing spiritually?