Holy Gifts
(1Cor 14:20~25)
Pastor Taek-jin Won
Paul sent a letter to the church of Corinth, where its members argued with one another, comparing their gift from God with others. After discussing Gods gifts and love in chapter 12 and 13, he repeats the theme of love in chapter 14. He says using Gods gift without love is meaningless. How can we use our holy gift from God according to his will?
1. We need to be adults in thinking. The members of the church in Corinth quarreled over who was greater among their leader, boasting of the wisdom that they received from their particular leader and making their own parties. Paul describes those who desire to be recognized by comparing themselves as children. Paul laid down his worldly wisdom when starting his ministry as he said 1Cor 1:21, 'since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.' To Paul, true wisdom was not the technique of persuasion, but Jesus cross. The cross is love for others, not for ourselves, which is true wisdom. Holy gifts are not a reward but Gods present for us. It calls for growth and maturity. An adult in thinking keeps this in mind and loves others.
2. We need to keep the boundary of our gifts. After emphasizing maturity in thinking, Paul instructs the members of the church in Corinth, who received the gift of speaking in tongues how to use it, keeping the boundary of the gift, citing Isaiah 28. Paul implies that speaking in tongues is a token of Gods warning against the Israelites, who ignored Gods prophets and law, and therefore its nothing to boast about. This means that no one should blow the trumpet of his spiritual excellency through the gift of speaking in tongues. We should only notice the love of God, who wants to restore a soul even through the means of his judgment. The meaning of a gift is up to the will of the giver. By using our gift according to our own desire, regardless of the givers will, we can ruin our community as well as ourselves. Our gift shines the most when we use it in its boundary.
3. We need to lead our community to worship. The members of the church in Corinth used to show off their gift of speaking in tongues in order to be recognized by people. Paul says its nothing to boast of for our own glory. He says that the gift we need to use in worshiping God is prophecy, not speaking in tongues. The word, prophecy implies the meaning of entrust and transmit. What we need to in our worship community is to listen to the Word, entrusted to us and transmit it through our prophecy. Prophecy is revealing our sins, which we have concealed or denied, before the Word and returning to God with repentance. Thus our gift should be used for the sake of our community and its worship. Gods gifts are everything that God have us our life, time, our relationships, mission, and even out trials. These are all Gods gifts for our sanctification. Through these gifts, God fulfills his salvation for us and our community.
Heres the testimony of a sister in our church, whose younger sibling died in a car accident. She confessed that she had resentment against her brother, who brought great depression to her family while she was already suffering from severe competition with him. However, she repented of her pride and sense of inferiority in our church retreat for youth. Later, her brother died in a car accident while she was praying for his salvation. On that day, she was meditating on John 16:28. 'I came from the Father and entered the world now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.' Through the literal meaning of this verse, she believed that God gave her brother eternal rest. Later, in her brothers funeral, her relatives on her mothers side accepted the gospel. She is now serving foreigners in our church as a member of translator team. May God bless us all to be adults in thinking, keep the boundary of our gift, lead our community to worship, and glorify our Lord.
'Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.' (1Cor 14:22)
