“With, not For” (1 Corinthians 16:13-24)

Building the Beloved Community

Now we are on the last chapter of 1 Corinthians. In his first letter to Corinthians Paul focuses on what it means to be part of a gospel-shaped beloved community, the Church. Throughout these chapters Paul has dealt with many challenging and controversial questions and issues, such as divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, marriage and divorce, food offered to idols, spiritual gifts, orderly worship, death and resurrection. We have seen that the gospel has the power to shape our faith community in personal, practical, and powerful ways. And Paul is now in conclusion mode. In this last chapter Paul is talking about future plans and is sending his own greetings along with greetings from other believers. So what can we learn from this portion of the letter? What does 1 Corinthians 16 mean for Christian lives?

In today’s passage Paul reinforces his central message of building the gospel-centered beloved community. Although Paul is talking about many different issues in his letter, his overarching theme is always building community characterized by agape love. Today’s scripture is no exception. “Let all that you do be done in love… My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus” (vv. 14, 24).

What is then a gospel-shaped beloved community? Probably, a better word for “beloved” would be “holy” – holy community. In the Bible, “holy” means “peculiar” or “different.” God wants his church to be different, counter-cultural, alternative. God wants his people to be a pioneer, an example, of what it means to live in love, unity, justice, inclusiveness, servanthood, forgiveness. “The world you live in,” Paul says, “is a works-based community. People do not love others unless they show themselves worthy or qualified. People do not recognize others unless they do something outstanding. But as for you, you belong to alternative community of God’s grace. By grace you have been saved. You should treat others in a loving way although they deserve the opposite. You should forgive and confess your own need for forgiveness rather than finger-pointing. Being loving is more important than being right. You should do everything with love.”

Be Holy… in the Wilderness

After God called and saved Israel out of Egypt, he said to them, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Lev 19:2) How did the Israelites learn to be holy? They learned to be holy, while they were living in the wilderness for forty years. In the wilderness they learned to depend on God as they received their manna daily and directly from God. In the wilderness they learned to belong to each other in community as they took the same journey together. In the wilderness they learned that they were known and loved by God, not because they were productive or useful, but just because they were God’s beloved.

Probably you have noticed that the Corinthian church was filled with problems. But Paul looks at this broken local church and envisions beauty. Paul thinks the church as the classroom, or the wilderness, for learning to be holy as God’s people. In the church we learn how to get along in God’s family. We learn how to be connected and dependent on God and on each other. Sometimes we wonder why the church is filled with so many problems and challenges, and why God does not take care of them. Sometimes we feel like God moves so slowly. Theologian Kosuke Koyama shares his wisdom with us, saying, “God’s aim for his people is holiness, not happiness. There is a vast difference between ‘happy-end-religion’ and ‘trust-end-faith.’ In the wilderness, unable to exert control, our speed is slowed down, slowed to three miles an hour. There we find the God who walks at three miles an hour. We find love.” Koyama concludes[1]:

Love has its speed. It is an inner speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It is “slow” yet it is lord over all other speeds since it is the speed of love. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, whether we are currently hit by storm or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore it is the speed the love of God walks.

Three Mile an Hour God

Recently, I have thought a lot about death and dementia as I ministered to Clark family. As many of you are aware, Ed Clark passed away about two weeks ago. His wife Priscilla who is living with dementia doesn’t seem to know about this, and the family doesn’t dare to explain it. Many questions came to my mind: “Where is God on this treacherous journey with dementia? What if the person forgets God? What does it mean to be part of the church when one can no longer participate? What is the role of the church in all this? What does salvation really mean?” I was slowed down. I was in agony. But in this wilderness God met me. And I met God who walks at three miles an hour. Bishop Kenneth Carder’s book Ministry with the Forgotten was particularly helpful. In his book Bishop Carder shares his shock and grief when his wife Linda began showing early signs of frontotemporal dementia. Over the next several years, as the disease affected her life more and more, his vocation changed from full-time bishop and scholar to full-time caregiver. Bishop Carder and Linda found themselves in the wilderness, slowed to three miles an hour and, eventually, nearly to a stop. But an amazing thing happened when they were slowed to three miles an hour. God met them in the wilderness.

The first thing he learned on this journey is that people with dementia or disabilities are our teacher and means of grace, if we are willing to receive their gifts. The supreme gift anyone, including people with dementia, can bring to the life of the church is his or her being. As I was listening to Bishop Carder’s story, I realized that for me, “presence” was often measured by the metrics – attendance, financial contributions, participation in church activities. To be present meant to sing in the choir, attend the Bible study, serve on committees, share in mission projects. Presence meant adding to the metrics. But, I learned from people with dementia that God’s economy is different. The essence of human identity and worth lie in God’s grace, a gift. That would mean each person, regardless of capacities, would be viewed as God’s unique gift to be celebrated. Bishop Carder says, “The very presence of people with dementia adds to the church’s rich diversity, thereby expanding the imagination and broadening participation in God’s life and mission.”[2] That was exactly what I felt and learned as I was visiting Priscila Clark, Barbara Kelley, and Dottie Frame the other day.

With, Not For

While taking care of his wife Linda, Bishop Carder served as volunteer chaplain in a memory care facility for four years. During those times he had known of only a half dozen visits from pastors of the residents. He heard one of the pastors say, “I really don’t feel that it’s a productive use of my time. I go occasionally to support the family, but I don’t feel that I can contribute anything to the person with dementia.” But from the wilderness Bishop Carder learned that the most effective ministry among people living with cognitive impairment is presence. The ministry of presence. From the wilderness he learned that pastoral presence is about being with rather than doing for. Dr. Benjamin Mast, a clinical psychologist, interviewed caregivers for people with dementia. The most common response is: “They simply want the church to be present in their lives through the journey with dementia. They do not want to be alone.”[3] Although he is writing about presence with homeless persons, Sam Wells’s words are equally relevant for those with dementia[4]:

You don’t sit and have a coffee with a homeless person because you’re trying to solve their problem—you do so because you want to receive the wealth of wisdom, humanity, and grace that God has to give you through them. You aren’t the source of their salvation: they are the source of yours. . . . Your every effort is to enjoy their being, and share your own, rather than change their reality assuming a script you’ve imposed from elsewhere.

The same principle applies to senior ministry, children and youth ministry, family ministry, every mission and ministry of the church. It is about being with, not doing for.

Marana Tha!

I don’t know about you, but for me, I have to confess that I feel powerless when I visit people with dementia. I read the Bible to them. I sing hymns to them. I pray with them, but they often don’t even know what I’m doing when I pray. But perhaps our powerlessness is the strength of our presence. As we simply to be with them, we may receive God’s grace through them, and they may also feel God’s love and comfort through our presence.

There were times in the wilderness when Paul also felt powerless because of his own weaknesses. But then, he heard Jesus saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). From the wilderness he learned that such powerlessness or weakness is the very place where God’s grace grows. When we think about our local church, we may feel powerless. For we don’t know how to bring new people to church. We don’t know how to pass on our faith to the next generation. We don’t know how to raise new church leaders.

As Paul concludes his letter, the Corinthian church is still broken, still childish, still messy. But Paul’s final messages are very hopeful and encouraging. Why? Because Paul thinks about the church in the same way that Jesus does. Paul looks at the broken local church and envisions the universal Church that will always prevail. “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). So Paul is sending greetings from other churches along with his own greetings, so that the Corinthian church may also see the big picture. “The churches of Asia send greetings… All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss” (vv. 19-20). The one who began a good work among us [the church] will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). He will do it. Our part is to be faithful – be present with one another, especially be present with the weak and vulnerable. Then, we will be ready to see Jesus at any time, saying, “Marana tha!” “Come, Lord Jesus!” (v. 22)  

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[1] Kosuke Koyama, Three Mile an Hour God: Biblical Reflections (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1979), 7. quoted in Kenneth Carder, Ministry with the Forgotten (p. 153), Abingdon Press, Kindle Edition.

[2] Kenneth Carder, 104.

[3] Ibid., 142.

[4] Ibid., 142. 

“But God”[1] (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

O Death!

Pastors and churches are busy preparing for their church conferences at this time of the year. Part of the preparation is to go over and update the church membership. Seven church members passed on to glory since last year’s church conference. The names are: Cathy Bither, Ethel Brushett, Edwin Clark, Helen Cleary, Gladys Henderson, Dolores Jackins, and Kaye Trickey. These are the sisters and brothers whom we deeply loved and cared for in Christ. As we remember each of them, we are all becoming increasingly aware of our own mortality. In our everyday life the signs of dying, the signs of aging are undeniable. Now I want you to complete the following sentence with your own words: Gone are the days when ____________________. Perhaps your responses are something like:

Gone are the days when I held my loved one’s hand and we laughed together.

Gone are the days when I quickly drifted off to sleep and slept through the night.

Gone are the days when I drove to special events after dark.

Gone are the days when I felt like I had a reason to get up in the morning.

Many of us in this room struggle with our feelings of loss in late life – the loss of the loved ones, the loss of good health, the loss of brain function, the loss of independence. We grieve. We lament. We question.  “O God, what is my purpose of life in old age?” “What can I contribute at this stage of my life?” “Where do I find hope?”

Acknowledging Death

Today’s scripture tells us that the first step to moving forward in hope is to acknowledge death –

the hard realities of aging and dying. About four years ago I offered a one-day seminar on death. But the response rate was pretty low. One church member even said to me, “I don’t understand why you want to do this. I don’t want to talk about death.” But the Bible teaches us to face death, acknowledge death instead of denying it. Paul said, “I die every day.” (v. 31) David said to Jonathan, “There is but a step between me and death!” (1 Sam 20:3) Probably, we may not be in that much desperate situation. But still, we must be keenly aware that we too are only a step away from death. We are to live with the end in mind.

Candy Chang now became a well-known artist who started a “Before I die” movement. In 2009 she lost someone she loved very much. Since then, she thought about death a lot, and this made her feel deep gratitude for the time she had and brought clarity to the things that really matter. She wanted to do something. Chang got a permission from the town and her neighbors. She covered one side of the house with chalkboard paint. Then, she stenciled a few words on the wall about 80 times, reading, “Before I die, I want to _____________.” People responded. They wrote on the wall:

·       Before I die, I want to straddle the International Date Line.

·       Before I die, I want to sing for millions.

·       Before I die, I want to plant a tree.

·       Before I die, I want to hold her one more time.

·       Before I die, I want to be completely myself.

Today there are more than 5,000 “Before I die…” walls in cities all over the world. When people were asked about their death, they began to talk about life – real life, exciting things they would like to do with their lives. They focused on things of life that really matter. Candy Chang said, "Contemplating death really clarifies my life and regularly contemplating death has been a really powerful tool for me to restore perspective and remember the things that make my life meaningful to me." Contemplating death can lead to life.

But God

But contemplating death is just the beginning. If acknowledging the hard realities of aging and dying is the first step to life and hope, the next step is to acknowledge and stand on the greater reality, that is the promises of God.  If we read the scriptures carefully, we can often find these great two words: but God.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps 73:26)

“We were dead in our sins… But God, who is rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ.” (Eph 2:1, 4)

“Our bodies are wasting away, but God is making our spirits renewed every day.” (2 Cor 4:16)

“The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:56-57)

But God. These two words change everything. These two words make a way in the wilderness of life. These two words bring hope from despair. These two words bring life from death. So hold fast to the greater reality, the promises of God.

Speak!

Sometimes we may feel like we are in the valley of dry bones. We may feel like we have outlived our purpose. We may feel like we want to hide out in our room. We may feel incapable of learning new things. We may feel we are too old to make changes. If you feel that way, I want you to hear God’s promises for dry bones in the death valley.   

One day the prophet Ezekiel was carried away by the Spirit of God to a valley filled with bones. There were bones all over the plain – a lot of dry bones. Then the Lord said to him, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “O Lord, you alone know.” Then the Lord said, “Speak to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” So he spoke this message. Suddenly as he spoke, there was a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. Muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies. But they still had no breath in them. Then the Lord said to him, “Speak to the breath.” So he said just as the Lord told him, “Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again!” As he spoke, breath came into their bodies. They came to life and stood up on their feet – a great army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10) 

In this story we learn that hope is not passive. In the valley of dry bones Ezekiel was called to do two things – to speak to dry bones (our souls), and to speak to the Spirit (breath prayer). First, we are to speak to our self instead of listening. When we wake up in the morning and throughout the day, our self is constantly talking to us – mainly negative messages. As we are listening to our self, we become critical and impatient with others. We complain about the changes in our life. We spend time feeling sorry for ourselves. We are consumed with the “what ifs” in our future. We are filled with guilt, shame or remorse about the past. And we become like dead, dry bones. Just then Ezekiel is called to speak to dry bones. Just then the psalmist stands up and says to himself, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42:11) We too are to speak God’s promises to our souls. Secondly, we are to speak to the Spirit, that is to pray without ceasing. Breath prayer. Every time we feel down and depressed, we can speak to the Spirit something like this:

·       Come, Holy Spirit, be with me in this valley of dry bones.

·       Come, Holy Spirit, breathe new life into this worn-out body.

·       Come, Holy Spirit, fill me with renewed purpose and strength to serve others.

When you feel like you are stuck in the valley, speak to your souls and speak to God. Rise up and live!

Finishing Well

Death is real. Death is a part of life. But death is not a natural part of life. It’s not supposed to be this way. Death is the last enemy to be destroyed. (1 Cor 15:26) Our Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. So the day will come when death has been swallowed up in victory. (v. 54) The day will come when death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. (Rev 21:4) But in the meantime God has given us purpose until our final breath. God has already given us the final victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be faithful, always standing on the promises of God. Let us be all in for the Lord, because we know that only what’s done for Christ will last.

Let me close with Miss Buchanan’s prayer, “Finishing Well”[2]:

I don’t worry about death; I worry about how I will die. Will I linger in a state of frailty? Will I be in a sterile hospital room, surrounded by beeping machines? Will I die at home in my sleep, as I hope?

O Lord, at my age, thoughts of death and dying are never far away. The signs of aging are undeniable. There are changes I cannot reverse. Here in the wilderness, the finish line is obscured by the dust and decay around me.

How long, O Lord? Send your Spirit! Bring life and energy to these dry bones. Open my eyes to a clear purpose that will propel me forward on this journey of aging. Empower me to live fully when I am tempted to hide in my room.

O God, you have given me a divine assignment: to grow in relationship with you, to serve others in humility, and to glorify you with every breath. I have a unique story to share. These late years are a holy privilege to become the elder you want me to be. On this homeward journey, stretch my faith beyond my imagination. Refocus my mind on gratitude and praise. You have given me a mission to complete. Help me to live by faith so I can live in hope. Set my feet on the final path to glory. The way of the cross will lead me home. Amen.

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[1] This week’s message is inspired by Missy Buchanan’s recent book, From Dry Bones to Living Hope: Embracing God’s Faithfulness in Late Life, as well as Ezekiel 37 and 1 Corinthians 15.

[2] Missy Buchanan, 74-75.

“The Grace-Filled Life” (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

Grace from Frist to Last  

What does the Gospel mean to you? Today’s scripture captures the essence of the gospel message. In particular, in verses 3 and 4 Paul summarizes it like this:

“Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.” (NLT)

This is the gospel in a nutshell. But still, what does this gospel mean to you? How does the gospel affect your life? The Apostle Paul tells us how the gospel came to him personally and changed his entire life. When Paul shares his story with us, he uses the word “grace” three times in one verse:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them – though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (v. 10, NRSV)

Paul wrote 13 letters in our NT. He always begins and ends each of them with a blessing of grace upon the Christian readers: “Grace to you,” and “Grace be with you.” So, what is God’s grace? The word “grace” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word charis, which means “favor, blessing, or kindness.” God’s grace is something that comes from God. Grace always starts from God, freely, without being merited or earned. Grace is the overflow of God’s free goodness, favor, blessing. Grace keeps coming to our life like waves to the beach – wave after wave. Grace is power. God’s grace is power-ful. It redeems our past, empowers our present, and shapes our future.

Redeeming the Past

We tend to think that Paul was always a spiritual giant and saint. But he was not. He used to be a persecutor of the church. So even after he came to the faith, that stigma always followed him wherever he went. He was always wearing the scarlet letter. Jewish people called him, “betrayer,” and the Gentiles said to him, “You are unworthy.” But God’s grace sustained him and gave him strength to face his shameful past humbly and boldly. Paul said, “I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (v. 9) But not only that, God’s grace did redeem Paul’s worst past. So, he was able to say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” (v. 10)

If we summarize Paul’s life before his conversion, it would a “life for God.” As for zeal, he was a persecutor of the church for God, as for legalistic righteousness, he was blameless for God. He observed every single statute in God’s law Book for God. But when he encountered the risen Christ on the way to Damascus, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14) All of the life he thought that he had lived for God was actually a life against God. But in his grace God forgave Paul and redeemed his past. By his grace God chose him even before he was born. By his grace God equipped him and prepared him one by one. God redeemed Paul’s burdens, sins, and pain of his past for his glory. God redeemed Paul’s worst past to be useful for his glorious work. By God’s grace Paul was given a special compassion towards his own people – the religious, the self-righteous, the legalistic, because he himself had been there. Paul said, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people.” (Rom 9:2-3) So he did all in. He preached the gospel with all his heart, mind and strength. And he worked hard day and night. But his life is no longer a life for God, but rather, a life with God. Paul said in today’s scripture, “I worked harder than any of them – though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (v. 10b) God’s grace redeems our past and empowers our present life.

A Tale of Redemption

In his recent new book Where the Light Fell, Philip Yancey, well known Christian author, shares how God’s grace sustained him and saved him from legalism and racism. He was brought up in the Southern fundamentalist family. His father died at age 23, when Yancey was one and his brother, Marshall, was three. His father was bound for missionary work in Africa. Then polio struck, and a few days later his father died. So his father was always remembered as a “saintly giant” to the family. But Yancey learned the truth years later that his father had left the iron lung against his doctor’s advice, believing God would heal him. After the father’s death, his mother dedicated her two sons to the Lord as replacements for her and her husband. As children, teens, and youngmen, the Yancey brothers cannot live up to their mother’s unyielding expectations. Eventually they give up trying. After school and on weekends, the boys accompanied their mother to her children’s Bible classes. There the mother was admired as a saintly woman of God, but at home, they had to suffer from her rage and harsh corporal punishment. The Yancey brothers enter a fundamentalist Bible college. Yancey feels suffocated, but even in the midst of the rigidity and hypocrisy of the school, he begins to see light cracking through. God whispers and woos through music, through nature, and then through love, as Yancey meets his future wife, Janet. He begins to discover a God he never knew. God’s grace is so powerful. But this is just the beginning. God’s grace now leads him to return to those he harmed through the racism he absorbed as a child. He makes a commitment to confession and reparation.

Here and Now

God’s grace is the present progressive. Grace is shaping our faith and making us holy here and now. You see Paul was a task-oriented person even after his conversion. During the mission trip Barnabas, ever the encourager, wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul was determined not to take him because he had forsaken them previously. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. (Acts 15:36-40) Paul became estranged from Barnabas and Mark after this incident. But still, God’s grace was at work so powerfully in their lives. In his last pastoral letter Paul wrote to Timothy like this: “Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Tim 4:11) God’s grace restores our broken relationships and empowers us to become more and more like Jesus.

But, it doesn’t mean that grace makes our life easy and problem-free. But grace makes us healthy and strong enough to get through all trials and tribulations. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him. Three different times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him. But each time he heard, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) God’s grace empowered him to endure and find contentment in his weakness. Yancey’s brother chose the drug and hippie culture, becoming an atheist. Yancey’s mother, still living at 97, has not read any of Yancey’s books. She and her eldest son Marshall remain estranged, locked in legalism, resistance and “ungrace.” But God’s grace leads Yancey to a radically different pathway. Yancey writes, “A third way is possible to stitch together all the strands, good and bad, healthy and unhealthy,” believing that “pain can be useful, even redemptive.”

Grace and Kintsugi

Kintsugi, meaning “to join with gold,” is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold. This restoration process usually takes up to three months. The fragments are carefully glued together, left to dry for a few weeks and then adorned with gold running along its cracks. This art of repair is built on the idea that in embracing “scars” as a part of the design, we can create an even more beautiful piece of art. If we use Kintsugi as a metaphor for our life journey, God’s grace is like “gold” in this restoration process. God’s grace turns scars into stars. God’s grace turns our pain and brokenness into something more unique, beautiful and resilient. Whether we are going through the loss of a loved one, or recovering from illness, divorce or other personal tragedy, all that we are, all that we do – good, beautiful, bad, ugly – our God is able to redeem, restore, renew. In his grace God gave the greatest treasure to the least deserving – which is every one of us. Christ died because of our sins. Christ was raised to life to make us right with God. When we believe this good news, God’s grace redeems our past, empowers our present, shapes our future. So let us come to believe and say, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” And we will hear, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

 

Something beautiful, something good;

All my confusion he understood;

All I had to offer him was brokenness and strife;

But he made something beautiful of my life.

(UMH #394)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Pursue Love” (1 Cor 14:1-12)

Holier-than-thou

In April last year when the coronavirus outbreak just started, one of my colleagues shared an article with me which I found very helpful and timely. The article was about how we might navigate different COVID-19 recovery convictions. In the article the writer quoted Charles Smith, the Vice President of a prominent seminary, this way[1]:

“Prediction: one of the most challenging aspects of the #COVID19 recovery will be disagreements over acceptable post-COVID social norms between friends and family. Hurt feelings will abound if we’re not careful. Extend lots of grace. Everyone is different.”

 We see this already happening. Hurt feelings are abounding. Different COVID convictions are eroding valuable relationships among our families and churches. “The Confident” (those who don’t wear a mask and don’t mind tight proximity) say that we must live by faith, not by fear. “The Cautious” (those who follow every aspect of CDC regulations and go the extra-mile with precautions) say that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Sadly, we often hear both sides accuse and blame each other.

Though the pandemic has revealed divisions, it’s not something new. The root cause of the problem is pride, or being (more) right. My wife Joyce and I have different gifts. For instance, Joyce is good at cooking and I am good at cleaning. I have the gift of cleaning. But there was a time when I didn’t quite want to use that gift willingly and generously. But rather, I was often being critical of Joyce and complaining that she was to blame because she didn’t much care about keeping things in order. One day I saw the living room dirty and messy. Again, I began to think that Joyce should do better. Then, all of sudden the Holy Spirit said to me, “It is you who should do better. That’s why I have given you the gift of cleaning. I didn’t give you that gift to pick on her and tear her down, but to help her, build her up, and complement each other.”  

Gifts of Prophesy and Tongues

A similar thing was happening in the church of Corinth. They competed and compared their spiritual gifts instead of complementing each other. They were eager to have spiritual gifts to prove that they were more spiritual than others. In particular, they wanted to have the gift of speaking in tongues, because it was easily noticeable and seemed "impressive." And those who received the gift of tongues didn’t use it decently and in order during public worship, but they used it to build up themselves. As a result, the church community could not be built up. They were divided and stuck in the middle. They couldn’t find a way forward. Now let us listen to what Paul has to say by the Holy Spirit: “Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.” (v. 1) It’s important to understand why Paul wants them to have the gift of prophecy more than the gift of tongues. Here when Paul says “prophecy,” he doesn’t just mean foretelling the future, though that may sometimes happen. Rather, he does mean the God-given wisdom, understanding, insight and teaching that the church badly needs if it is to be unified and built up as a community. Those who speak in tongues speak to God; those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Those who speak in tongues build up themselves; those who prophesy build up the church. So the key question to ask ourselves is this: “Am I exercising the God-given gifts to build up others or to build up myself?”

Growing Up

Love builds up others. Love unifies. Today we join many other Christian churches across the globe in celebrating World Communion Sunday. Different churches have different understandings of how Christ is present to us in the bread and wine. Some churches believe that when the bread and wine are blessed by the priest, the bread and wine are transformed into the actual physical body and blood of Christ. (“transubstantiation”) Some believe that the bread and wine are merely symbols, reminding us that Christ’s body was broken for us, and his blood was shed for us. (“memorial view”) Some believe that it is certainly symbolic, but it’s more than just a memorial. The bread and wine actually bring to us the presence of Jesus Christ. (“real presence view”) Different churches also practice different methods of receiving. In some churches people receive communion while remaining seated and passing trays of bread and cups, reminding us that God first comes to us in Jesus Christ, and that we are called to sit at, be served, and participate in a banquet. In others, people move forward the altar rail and kneel as they receive the bread and wine, reminding us that we are to respond to God’s invitation humbly and joyfully. We may have different understandings of Christ’s presence in the bread and wine. We may practice different ways of receiving communion. But it’s ok to be different. In fact, it’s good to be different. By this, we can celebrate diversity, broaden our perspectives, and taste and feel the love of God for us in a refreshing way.

Stephen Bryant, the former editor of the Upper Room, shares with us how God helps him grow up in love. One time he had a chance to attend a retreat. While on the retreat he was paired for conversation with a delightful man full of grace and wisdom. He later learned that his partner was an influential member of a political group he had all but cursed earlier in the week. At first, he was sad and conflicted. He said, “How could we really be friends, given our differences?” The next morning in prayer, as he wrestled with God over what to do, he heard, “Grow up, Stephen. Grow in my love.”[2]

Sometimes we hear something like this, “If you don’t follow this leader, this political party, this cause, you are not a Christian.” For instance, abortion is one of the most controversial issues today. As Christians, we are forced to take sides, choosing one way or the other. But pro-life and pro-choice movements don’t necessarily have to be incompatible with each other. They can be complementary to each other. I don’t believe none of us in this room encourages abortion. Both the Republicans and the Democrats make efforts to reduce abortion with different approaches. The Republicans try to make abortion illegal, while the Democrats make abortion seem unnecessary. The abortion rate has continued to decrease since the 1990s thanks to both parties’ efforts, government policies on health care, housing, job training, and social service to low-income families that would help women who decide to carry their pregnancies to term. Also, Christians’ roles are significant as they get involved in foster care and pregnancy care centers that provide robust social support for women in need. It doesn’t have to be one way or the other. It can be both/and and neither/nor.  It’s okay to be different. To have a healthy family, and a healthy church there must be room for different opinions and experiences. These differences often help us grow together and learn from each other. In all this, love should be our highest aim. Paul exhorts us again and again: being loving is more important than being right.

Pursue Love

How may we apply the principle of 1 Corinthians 14 to our daily lives? I find the following essay very helpful. It’s called “Top 10 Tips for Christian Evangelism (From an Atheist)”[3]:

1.     Be like Jesus: hang with the sinners and judge the judgers.

2.     Form genuine relationships with people, don’t treat them as projects.

3.     Actions speak louder than words.

4.     When talking about religious and philosophical matters, ask more questions and do less preaching.

5.     Don’t give unsolicited advice or judgments. Support people and wait for them to ask for your input if they want it.

6.     Appreciate that nominal Christians are Christians too.

7.     Don’t try to force others into Christian participation.

8.     Understand atheists and embrace the opportunity confrontational atheists afford you.

9.     Respect other religions even as you evangelize their members.

10.  Love your enemies, not just your tribe.

Love does. Love builds up. Love unifies. Let us pursue love as our highest goal in life. Let us always ask ourselves, “Am I using my gifts in the spirit of love?” “Am I building up others, or building up myself?” Let us always speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Then, outsiders and unbelievers will come and see, saying, “God is really among you!” (v. 25)

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[1] Costi Hinn, “Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions” (April 27, 2020), https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/navigating-different-covid-19-recovery-convictions/

[2] Stephen Bryant, “Growing Up,” The Upper Room (Sep-Oct 2021), 40-41.

[3] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (p. 198). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.