1 Corinthians chapter 12

vs 1

Well then, we've really screwed up, haven't we? I mean, who is more ignorant of spiritual gifts than the Western church, and who more in that church than probably the most conservative churches? We're all afraid of pentecostalism, but we fail to look at the proof of the pudding - they have the gifts, and they have growing churches. That doesn't by any means mean that they are the only way of doing church - it just means we can't afford to be exclusive about them like we have been for so long.

vs 2

I was talking to someone about free market economics last night, and I can happily say that mute idols are alive and well. The problem is that there are many Christians who are led astray by these new mute idols, not just when they were pagans.

vs 3

So now, for a generation that was led astray by idols who can't speak, of course they are more likely to be led astray by false teachers who make lots and lots of noise.

It's the same way of testing the spirits which John gives us. It all comes back to Jesus - if he is Lord, then listen. If he is anything but Lord, turn away.

vs 4

We live in this great world where God directly interacts with us to give us spiritual gifts. They are called spiritual gifts not necessarily because they are effecting the spiritual realm, but because his Holy Spirit gives them to us. We don't need an angel to touch us for them or any other stupid ideas - all God's gifts come from God's Spirit. Direct line from God to us.

vs 5

And so we can use those gifts in different ways, but we are serving the same Lord. Just because some group of Christians are doing something different, does not mean that they are wrong or off the rails! I heard yesterday about a Christian biker club, where to be a fully-patched member you need to have the right kind of bike - the kind that the outlaw biker gangs will respect. And these guys will ride out to the outlaw gang events, and set up a first aid tent. Now I would never do that, but it doesn't mean they aren't serving God just because they've got big beards and leather jackets.

vs 6

And in the same way, God doesn't need to work in the same way in any given situation. Sometimes God will do something one way, and sometimes in his infinite wisdom he will do it a completely different, and perhaps even opposite way. That means that in one place he might raise up great leaders of men, and in another place not a single man will have any gifting of leadership, but there will be heaps of women showing those abilities. Missionaries see God's amazing and paradoxical work on the field all the time. We've got to be prepared for it too, because we don't serve a cookie-cutter God.

vs 7

So the Spirit manifests itself in every Christian, and in different ways, but for the common good. Not just for the good of the person, but for the good of the whole church. Remember that when you're using your spiritual gifting - that it's a tool (or tools) God gave you for helping the church.

vs 8

These two terms, sophia and gnosis, can mean so many different things, that in a verse as vague as this one, it's hard to pick definitions that fit adequately. All we know is that they are messages, and that they are given for the benefit of the church. With those in mind, I am going to go for these definitions: message of knowledge (gnosis) as "knowledge signified in general understanding of the Christian religion", and so message of wisdom (sophia) as "a broad and full intelligence in the discovery of truths through mysterious vision or interpretation of dreams".

That second one probably isn't what we would normally think when we read this verse, but to me it seems the best definition of the word for the situation it is used in, especially in conjunction with knowledge. It is probably worth reading something like "The Expositor's Greek Testament", and learning greek, to get a better handle on this.

vs 9

The Spirit of God also gives faith. Now everyone has faith, but I think this use of faith should remind us that our faith is a gift, and so when we are worried about not having any spiritual gifts, faith is one that we do have. The suggestion here, though, of faith being given to one, is more than likely a highlighting of one who has been given an especially rock-hard faith, for the benefit of the church as a whole, remember.

God also gives people healing powers. I've never seen a "faith healing". I know of people who claim to have been healed. I don't know them that well. But I have seen some incredible things accomplished through prayer, and I know I worship a God who is awesomely powerful. So I've got no problem with gifts of healing. I'm sure people can give all sorts of reasons as to their rarity - I say I don't care, because I'd rank it as a lesser gift than those of faith and wisdom.

vs 10

Now we've got a crapload of gifts here. Miraculous powers, again, is one we don't see much of. But who knows what tomorrow will bring. Prophecy is a curly one - so many people see it as "telling the future", but here's the definition of the word propheteia - "a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events" - so foretelling the future is only a third of prophecy.

Now Paul just told us how to distinguish between spirits, but obviously some people are better at it than others - those people have a gift from God. Thank God for the gift of being able to spot heresy!

But none will be argued over more than the speaking or interpretation of tongues, sometimes known as glossolalia. Glossa means "the fleshy thing in your mouth called a tongue", and also means "the language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations (as in your native tongue)". It's interesting to note that at the beginning of the charismatic revolution was a bunch of methodists who wanted the gift of tongues because they thought it would help them in the missionary endeavour (that is, speaking other languages without having to learn them first would be faster). What surprised them was they were given it. So the idea that the "gift of tongues" was given as a means of speaking other real langauges came before the idea of speaking wierd meaningless gibberish.

So what's with the weird meaningless gibberish? I have no idea. If wierd meaningless gibberish is glossolalia, then all I can safely tell you is that I don't have the gift of interpreting it.