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WEDDING PARTY

A few weeks ago I was a part of a wedding party.

The groom had arranged it so that we would all get our suits from The Black Tux (a D2C suit company.)

I went in and found everything in order:

  • The party was in the computer
  • I was registered
  • It was the proper color
  • Etc.

However, when I was driving away after having submitted my measurements and paying for the tux, I read the email from the groom more closely.

They had included a 20% off code to the Black Tux for everyone in the wedding party.

In other words, there was a benefit to being in the wedding party that I was unaware of due to my own lack of awareness, diligence, and knowledge.

The information was there, I had just not paid attention.

Something similar is happening in 1 Corinthians 12.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:1

Paul is writing to a church in Corinth, and he enters into a portion of the letter about the benefits and gifts of the Spirit. He begins the section like this:

12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

In other words, Paul recognizes that this body of believers has been baptized by the same Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13 [ie - they're all in the wedding party together]), however, some are uninformed as to the benefits and gifts that come with the deal.

So Paul sets out to inform them what gifts accompany their baptism in the Spirit.

BECOME INFORMED

It's no secret all throughout the New Testament that Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church imagined that church communities would live on the razor's edge of the Spirit and his concurrent gifts - expecting them to practice gifts like:

  • Wisdom
  • Knowledge
  • Healing
  • Power
  • Tongues
  • Etc.

Paul recognizes pretty quickly, however, that the church is going to have to become informed before they practice the gifts. The logic kind of goes like this:

  • You can't eat healthy until you know what healthy food are
  • You can't invest money until you know what was a stock/index fund are
  • You can't lean into the gifts of the Spirit until you know what they are

And so here is Paul:

  • Operating in the gifts
  • Expecting local churches to operate in the gifts
  • Informing local churches how to operate in the gifts

Be encouraged this Pentecost season.

It's a good thing to seek out understanding regarding the spiritual gifts and then begin to operate in them.