Song:
God is building a house - YouTube
1 Corinthians, chapter 12,
verse 28.
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.
(NIV)
Song:
For I am Building a People of Power & captions - YouTube
For the last few weeks we have been looking at the gifts of the Spirit. Traditionally, when the church has discussed the gifts of the Spirit, there has been an emphasis on some of the more spectacular manifestations. There are churches which place emphasis on one or other of the gifts, sometime to the exclusion of the others. With this, often come the doctrine that all believers must demonstrate the reception of that particular gift.
And yet, in my Christian journey I have only rarely encountered those with the gift of speaking in tongues, or interpreting tongues, either known or unknown; people with the gifts of healing, prophecy, and miraculous powers have been similarly rare. There have been more examples of people with gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith and the ability to distinguish between spirits. But these have been less than universal! Perhaps your experiences have been different.
However, Paul assures us that “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7) To each one! All believers have received a gift for the building up of the fellowship! But it is not necessarily one of the “spectacular” ones. A clue lies in verse 28. This seems to have been a difficult passage to translate as the examples below show.
And
God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers,
administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.
(RSV)
Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. (NLT)
Here
is a list of some of the parts he has placed in his Church, which is
his body: Apostles, Prophets—those who preach God’s Word,
Teachers, Those who do miracles, Those who have the gift of healing;
Those who can help others, Those who can get others to work together,
Those who speak in languages they have never learned.
(TLB)
And
God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
(KJV)
Now
you are together the body of Christ, and individually you are members
of him. And in his Church God has appointed first some to be his
messengers, secondly, some to be preachers of power, thirdly
teachers. After them he has appointed workers of spiritual power, men
with the gift of healing, helpers, organisers and those with the gift
of speaking in “tongues”.
(Phillips)
And
God hath ordained some in the Church: as first
Apostles, secondly Prophets, thirdly teachers, then them that do
miracles: after that, the gifts of healing, helpers, governors,
diversity of tongues.
(GNV)
And
God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping,
administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
(ESV)
Interestingly, whilst all translators seem happy with “help” as a gift, there is less unanimity about the next one. The Greek word is “kybernesis” which seems to have its basis in the idea of steering a ship. Those of us familiar with the bureaucratic method of working will have come across the idea of a “steering committee” set up to guide some project or other. Perhaps this is at the root of the use of the word; the translators certainly seem to have found variations on this theme. Administrating, governors, organisers, governments, those who can get others to work together, those who have the gift of leadership, administrators, these are all linked to the idea of “steering”.
In my Christian life, there have been many more people who have helped others and steered them on the best path, than there have been recipients of the more “spectacular” gifts. But, all are able to build up the fellowship, to enable others to be better followers of Jesus, and seekers after his truth.
Song:
Spirit of the Living God (A cappella by Voices of Praise) - YouTube
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts of the Spirit and the wide diversity of gifts and graces that You graciously bestow on Your all children. Thank You that I am a member of the Body of Christ and that together, our diverse spiritual gifts can be exercised for the greater benefit of the whole Body. May we all grow in grace and in a knowledge of Jesus, and be enabled to provide edification for one another, as well as being edified by them. Thank You that we are not meant to live in spiritual isolation from other believers, but are a collective Body, that is being built up into the Temple of God. Enable me to exercise the spiritual gift with which I have been endowed, for the greater benefit of the wider Body of Christ. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.
Taken from https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/
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