Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 14 and Psalm 119:129-144

¹² So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

²⁶ … Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

These verses, scattered through chapter 14, reveal Paul’s deep-seated desire for the church (the community of believers) to be built up and strengthened. All of his specific instructions were given for the sake of strengthening the Church and its witness for Jesus in the City of Corinth. The main point of this chapter is that the way we use our spiritual gifts, and the way we proclaim the good news of Jesus, must always serve to glorify Jesus, bring honour to His name, and build up His Body, the Church. That is the fitting way to use our gifts.

In Corinth, some Christians were using the church as a platform for showing off and gaining the admiration of those who saw them as highly gifted. There was a high degree of competition for attention in their meetings, and Christians would try to outdo one another with speaking in tongues and prophesying to impress the crowd. So Paul laid down strict protocols to ensure that Jesus was always glorified and that unbelievers were not left confused or repelled by the way the Christians acted in their gatherings.

Depending on the ethos of one’s local church, this might possibly still be a struggle. Quite often, though, the opposite is actually true, and believers suppress their giftedness and don’t even attempt to build up the Body. Whether through fear or apathy, too many believers simply leave all the ministry to a few individuals. To such a Church, 1 Corinthians 14 is a stark reminder that every believer has gifts and is called to use those gifts to build up the Body of Christ in a fitting and orderly way.

Life application: Be intentional about using your spiritual gifts to build up the Body of Christ and be a blessing to others today.