Paul concludes his advice regarding how we are to view the gifts of the Spirit. Just as every part of our human body is placed there by God for a purpose, every gift in the church body is placed there by God for a purpose. We aren't to think our gifts are better than those of others. We aren't to think the gifts of others are better than our own. God, in His wisdom, has chosen how to disperse spiritual gifts.
Just as he did in yesterday's passage, Paul uses the human body as a metaphor for the church body. "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment" (1 Corinthians 12:21-24a)
There are church members who perform vital services behind the scenes. What about the prayer warriors who pray privately in their own homes? If they stopped praying, the church would soon know it. What about those who perform jobs at church we don't really think about, such as janitorial services or the typing and printing of bulletins or the maintenance of the landscaping? If these people abandoned their duties, the church would soon notice it. Just as we don't think much about our feet when they aren't bothering us, we may not think much about those who work behind the scenes. But just as we notice our feet in a big way when they start bothering us, we would notice in a big way if those who aren't "out front" at the church stopped doing what God has given them to do.
"But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in its body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12:24b-26) Yesterday I used the example of the time I broke my pinky toe by shutting it up in the car door. Though my pinky toe is a very small part of my body, my whole body knew it when I broke it. This is how we should react when one of the members of the body of Christ is hurt. Just as my whole body suffered along with my pinky toe, the whole body of Christ should suffer along with any member who is suffering. And the whole body of Christ should rejoice with any member who rejoices. We all rejoice when physical ailments go away, don't we? I was sick for almost all of June and July this year, but now that I'm well I keep rejoicing and delighting in how good I feel. So in the same way that we seek the health and wellbeing of our physical bodies, we should seek the health and wellbeing of church members and of the church as a whole.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:27-28) This is the hierarchy of the church, for God does all things in an orderly way, but Paul doesn't feel any position in the church is unimportant. In his day the apostles were the leaders of the church. In our day we consider our pastors the leaders of the church. Someone has to be in charge, and church business has to be conducted in an orderly and proper way, but every member of the church adds a vital service to the body of Christ. Just because we are not all pastors doesn't mean our jobs aren't important. There are many many ways to minister to others besides being a church pastor. At my church there are ladies who knit and crochet lap robes for nursing home residents. There are cooking groups who minister to the sick and the bereaved. There are men who go out into the community and build wheelchair ramps or do repairs on the homes of the handicapped and the elderly. There are people who hardly ever speak a word at church but who are on their knees daily at home interceding with the Lord on behalf of the church. All these things, and many more, are vital to the body of Christ.
"Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:29-31a) What does Paul mean by "the greater gifts"? He has already explained to us that we shouldn't value the gifts of one person over the gifts of another. I think he means the gifts we use with love, for he is about to guide us into a passage regarding love, and when he does we will see that the use of our gifts without love is meaningless. We might manage to bring some benefit to those around us by performing our duties even without love in our hearts, but God doesn't honor work done in His name if it is not done in the right spirit. So Paul concludes today's session with a remark that is intended to lead us into a chapter regarding love tomorrow, "And yet I will show you the most excellent way." (1 Corinthians 12:31b)
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