1 Corinthians 12. In chapters 11-14 the Apostle Paul tackles several issues related to order and unity in a worship setting. He first tackled the issue of distracting outfits that women were wearing in worship (11:2-16); then he reminded the Corinthians that communion was meant to be a solemn sacrament in a worship setting, not a free-for-all “supper” where people were gorging themselves and getting drunk, while poorer members of the congregation went hungry (11:17-34). This congregation sounds like such a challenge!

The third and largest issue that was causing disorder and division in the Corinthian congregation was the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (chapters 12-14). Paul reminds them that to each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (12:7). Everyone who believes in Jesus receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, and they also receive at least one spiritual gift. There are many different gifts of the Holy Spirit (12:8-10) but the purpose of the gifts is never to bring glory to an individual – they are for the common good so that the body of Christ is built up.

When you choose to applaud or highlight certain gifts – perhaps the more flashy and visible ones – it causes division and a failure to appreciate the necessity of all the gifts in effective church functioning. For the body does not consist of one member but of many (12:14). Paul reminds them that they are the body of Christ and individually members of it (12:27) and gives a lengthy metaphor of how a body works and needs all the parts (12:12-31).

Sometimes I think the body of Christ metaphor is so familiar to us that it ceases to have an impact. Here’s what came to my mind as another way of thinking about it: You have probably been to Walt Disney World? How many staff members do you think it takes to run a place like Disney? (Approximately 80,000 people – I googled it.) Most of the time all eyes are on certain special characters, like Cinderella or Micky Mouse. What would happen if all the other staff members decided they were being treated unfairly and by golly they just wanted to be Cinderella, or they were going to quit? Disney World would fall apart if there were no parking attendants, no monorail drivers or maids in the hotel, no sound and light show specialists, no makeup and hair artists, no security, no engineers working on roller coasters, no cooks or grill operators – you know what I am saying?! Every single member of the Disney World staff is important and should be treated that way.

Paul writes God has so composed the body… that there may be no division, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (12:25-26). We need each other, this is not a one-person project.

When you look around the church, do you think we value certain giftings more than others? What can you do to recognize and appreciate people who have gifts that are less visible? Do you know what your gift is (or gifts)? Are you using it for the good of the congregation? If not, reach out to a pastor and ask how to discover your gift, or where you might best use it.