Air Conditioner. The first house we owned was quite old and a lot of things didn’t work quite right.Our air conditioner broke every year.
It would cool down the house then, become a heater heat it up, then cool it down. Not how an air conditioner should work. First year called the company who had placed the sticker on the unit. They came out. Fixed it. Worked well.It was under warranty – so we only had to pay or labor.
Next year, same thing happened. The same company. Fixed it. Worked well. Under warranty – again – only had to pay labor.
Third year – same thing. Called a different company. The guy opens the unit and says, "No wonder it keeps breaking…" and there inside the unit lay a pile of extra parts. Apparently at one point someone
couldn’t figure out how to put the unit together right and just left the parts and subsequent air conditioning guys left the parts. The new guy fixed the air conditioner using all the parts and it never broke again.
Our passage today is a favorite passage of many people. It gives us a concrete view of how the church works and with even a quick reading you clearly can pick up the main point. We are the Body of Christ and we need all parts to function well, but that is only the first level that Paul is speaking about.
Paul is speaking at a deeper level. This is not just about people and their differences in general, but about people and their spiritual gifts which are different. But ever deeper is the concept, that we are to operate in our weakness to be strong and effective - That is to operate by the Holy Spirit.
First Level
We are the body of Christ and we act interdependently. The example Paul uses was a very common example in antiquity. We see Aesop using it in a story. All the body parts boycott the stomach, because they think it is lazy. Of course to find out they cannot live without it. We also see the image used in other more esoteric philosophers of the day.
So Paul by using the image of the body and its parts working together taps into something very familiar in their culture that they all can complete, even before Paul is through with the example. Like shave and a haircut (tap it out)
Paul is addressing the church, not just the church at Corinth but including all congregations – the whole church as well. In Greek the church is called the ekklesia – gathering place, or gathering of people.
The intent of the ekklesia is that through it the name of Christ is made known and made manifest his work here on earth. Remember that when the church first started they literally had no meeting place. Some met in someone’s house. But most churches met in the street, true street preaching. They were not tied to a building at all. When asked what church do you go to, no one spoke of the building or the location – it didn’t exist. They spoke of the people involved: My church…Chuck, Mary, Fred, John…..
So Paul’s point is very clear to the Corinthians.
Paul’s main point clearly is inverse 25-26: 1Cor. 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
If you are a fan of the Peanuts cartoon…you may remember years ago when Snoopy broke his leg. Charles Shultz got hundreds of letters from well wishers, wishing Snoopy a speedy recovery. Snoopy himself philosophized about it on top of his dog house. Looking at the huge cast on his leg. My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my heads fault and my head blamed my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy and my right foot say don’t blame him for what my left foot did. I don’t say anything, because I don’t want to get involved.
Now we need to be careful here, this part of Scripture isn’t just – do your part – pitched in – get involved, in fact he doesn’t say that does he? He also doesn’t say – just get along everyone, though we tend to take that away, don’t we?
Yes he is saying that we need each other in the church.
Yes he is saying that each one of us is very valuable.
Yes he is saying that we should have equal concern for each other.
But if that is what you walk away from after looking at this Scripture, then you have missed the point, the greater significance for our lives.
Second Level.
The context that he says all of this about the body is in right in the middle of spiritual gifts. He speaks about them in the beginning of the chapter and closes with mentioning them again. Emphasis is on gifts and the Holy Spirit. Not on how we are as different personalities. Not about getting involved in church activities. This is of greater significance. We are given spiritual gifts – like the Corinthians were.The spiritual gifts are what are needed in the body of Christ, not simply church activities. The spiritual gifts given to each member of the body, by the Holy Spirit, at the time of conversion.
1Cor. 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Baptism here is not water baptism. Very literal Greek. And for in one Spirit we, everyone of us, into one body – baptized….And all of us given one Spirit to drink. It is describing a washing over and a taken in of the Spirit. It is not one baptism but one Spirit. It is almost universally agreed by Scholars that this is not about water baptism, that we get the Holy Spirit from a baptismal ceremony.
Now some have tried to tie the drinking of the Spirit with Holy Communion, but there is no link. We drink the blood of Christ at the Lord’s supper, not the Holy Spirit.
Paul is describing the person of the Holy Spirit falling upon us. The common experience of all Christians, at conversion, giving us his spiritual gifts. Given at his discretion, so that we may be effective in ministry. He throws in the part about Jews or Greeks, slave or free
To show all the old distinctions used to delineate one person from the other are gone. Point out - his is not the common theme thrown about today, Unity in Diversity, This is about personal differences, I’m from California – you’re from Iowa, let’s somehow get along
If anything it is diversity that brings unity and the diversity and the unity are given by the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, for the Work of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Unity in diversity is about us. This is about the Holy Spirit.
The point is not about the imagery itself. The example about the body is not just about the body, it points to the workings of the Spirit. It is about the manifestations of the Spirit, not about he persons in the church of Corinth. Is this primarily about me, about you? No, primarily it is about the Spirit of God.
Why is that significant? It is significant because it brings us to the third level of understanding. The Holy Spirit’s work is effective our human work is not effective.
Third Level.
Remember – the Corinthians have the Spiritual gifts but are (ironically) using the operation of the Holy Spirit to highlight their significance
rather than the significance of Jesus Christ.
They are using their spirituality to cause division rather than to unify. Paul ends this Chapter saying he will show them a more excellent way.
We will see next week that God covers everything in love and then we will be effective by the Spirit covered with love. Instead of using spiritual things for self elevation use God’s gift in love.
Gideon
Judges 6 -7
First appears as a frightened weakling. He has no power of his own.
Gideon is the last man to call on for God he is the only one to call on
because Gideon couldn’t do it, he had to rely upon God.
The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon. Gideon raises an Army of 32,000. But God reduces it to 300. Still Gideon was victorious not because of Gideon, but because of the Spirit. It was in Gideon’s weakness that he was powerful. It is in weakness that the Corinthians are powerful. It is in weakness you are powerful.
By giving yourself over to the Holy Spirit. You are doing what we as humans do not naturally do, let down our guard. The Corinthians are powerless because though they have the Holy Spirit (like we Christians do) they are acting like they always did. Ultimately this is not about helping each other out to get things done in the church. Ultimately this is about allowing the Holy Spirit to move in you life and depend upon the Holy Spirit as Gideon did – and be victorious in our spiritual walk.
