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Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church 1 Corinthians 14:1-4

Intro: You have heard something about the Jesus’ Movement

But a few years prior, there was another religious explosion
– it began with a husband and wife – John and Joan Baker
• a Christian couple who were Episcopalians
◦ they heard Pentecostal preacher teach on the baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues
◦ they wanted to have that experience – and they did!
• they told their Episcopalian pastor and he went to his colleague, Dennis Bennett
◦ they had little knowledge, and no experience of these things
◦ both priests also experienced the infusion of Spirit and speaking tongues
– this was the humble birth of the Charismatic Movement
• it spread rapidly through mainline churches and the Roman Catholic Church
◦ many of these people had not known an experience of God like this was possible
◦ the excitement was palpable and contagious
• but it also rattled a lot of people and religious hierarchies

Joan Baker learned about a Pentecostal minister in Riverside county
– he was gaining a reputation as a gifted Bible teacher
• friends of hers visited his church and after hearing him,
◦ invited him to teach a Bible study in their home
◦ (until then, not a lot of Episcopalians were interested in Bible Studies)
• that minister was my dad
– you wouldn’t know it, but when he was younger, he was a lot like me
• always looking for trouble
• Dad wasn’t thrilled about his Pentecostal roots
◦ he considered Pentecostalism excessively emotional – “charismaniacs”
◦ but–he loved teaching the Bible,
◦ so for a few years he taught the Bible in several homes

Dad was correct regarding the excesses
– and there were more issues than emotionalism
• a lot of silliness was tolerated, a lot of ego, and a great deal of greed
◦ at times Charismatic meetings were a spiritual circus, a free-for-all
• when people go wild and blame it on the Holy Spirit,
◦ it is inevitable that others will be abused
– some the Corinthians were infected with Charismatic craziness
If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (v. 23)
• Paul wanted to pull in the reins, slow them down, and redirect them
. . . all things should be done decently and in order (v. 40)

Where Paul begins
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (v. 1)

Paul said the same thing, basically, at the end of chapter 12
. . . earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
– earnestly translates Greek word zelote, zeal or zealous
• I get the appeal for spiritual fireworks
◦ it’s a heady experience to see God work signs and wonders
◦ we’re tempted to think, “At last! God is doing something”
• but we are human, and often zealous for the wrong reasons
◦ an ego need, or a need to feel empowered, or a need for acceptance and belonging
– what would Paul classify as the “higher gifts”?
• perhaps what he describes in verse 3 — gifts that have value for other people
◦ encouragement and consolation
• whatever reason I have for wanting a spiritual experience,
◦ or to be spiritually gifted, it must be in the pursuit of love
◦ so whatever good I can do is to promote growth and healing in the lives of others

Entering the realm of things unseen
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but i will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also 1 Corinthians 14:14-15

This is the thread of Paul’s thought that we’ve been tracking
– God has equipped us with two separate ways of knowing
• the one we’re most familiar with he refers to here as “mind”
◦ how we know world through our senses and rational thought
• the other way of knowing he refers to as “spirit”
◦ an awareness awakened and enlightened by God’s Spirit
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit . . . . (1 Cor. 2:12-13)
– these are two levels of awareness and action – think of it like this:
• with our minds, we can be aware of another person in a room
◦ we can communicate that experience to other people,
◦ and they will understand us, know what we mean
• with our spirits, we can become aware of God’s presence in the room
◦ we can try to explain that to someone else,
◦ but they won’t understand if they’ve never experienced it
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14)
– Paul is saying he can pray in both in both levels of awareness
• typically when we pray with mind, we are engaging an active mode
• when we pray with spirit, we engage a receptive mode
◦ our mind is still conscious, but it is “unfruitful”
◦ that is, the mind is not doing anything or perceiving what is happening
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks . . . utters mysteries in the Spirit (v. 2)

A key statement of the chapter is made in verse 12
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church

Translators supply the word “manifestations” – it is not in the Greek text
– it could just as easily be translated “spiritual experience”
• and again, “eager” is “zealous”
• they were zealous for spirituality, but Paul’s does not say, “Drop it. Move on. Study theology”
◦ rather, “Be zealous, but zealous for the building up the church community”
◦ the building up theme is emphasized by its repetition
builds up the church (v. 4), so that the church may be built up (v. 5), the other person is not built up (v. 17), Let all things be done for building up (v. 26)
– it used to be that we imagined the Christian monk or mystic,
• as someone who lived away from the world
◦ kept their distance from its demands and influence in order to be free
• for Paul, freedom from the world comes by not being conformed to it (Ro. 12:2)
◦ Paul’s spiritual awakening did not take him out of world, but into it — and around the world
◦ his total identification with Jesus is what freed him from the world
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14)

The more a Christian enters the realm of things unseen,
– the more valuable that person becomes to the church and society
• both the church and the world need these many more of these free-spirited people
– remember that Paul has given us the illustration of a body
• the spiritual community is an organism that nourishes itself
• it is equipped with systems that enable the body to heal itself
. . . speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ep. 4:15-16)
– this happens each week in our Lexio Divina meetings
• Henri Nouwen relates a story about a deep conversation he enjoyed with a friend
◦ his description of it it reminds me of what I experience in Lexio Divina
Henri Nouwen, “I feel grateful for these insights, which emerged from our discussions. Thinking alone is so different from thinking together. As we return [to] tomorrow, there will be much good to remember”
• we can engage in serving each other like this all the time
◦ it does not have to be in formal meetings
◦ our casual conversations – our private prayers – phone calls and emails

Conclusion: I am slowly reading through Mark’s gospel

Wednesday morning I came again to one of my favorite stories
Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember . . . ? (Mk. 8:17-18)
– it was the word perceive that stood out to me
• much of Jesus’ ministry was devoted to helping us with this
◦ to create in us a new perceptive ability
◦ a perception of the kingdom of God – of things spiritual
• a hardened heart is one that cannot change
◦ its perspective, categories, beliefs, prejudices, and values are fixed and inflexible
– “having eyes” he asked – “having eyes” he asked
• Jesus had recently healed a deaf man, and he would soon heal a blind man
• the blind man had eyes and the deaf man had ears – but those eyes and ears didn’t work
◦ Jesus touched them and made them work

Eyes, ears, heart–
these are our organs of perception
This is what Jesus is doing for us–
he is making them work with his touch
And in the process,
he’s cracking open our hardened hearts

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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Intro: In chapter 12, Paul told the Corinthians they were body of Christ

That they should not be surprised at the diversity within the church
– they were not all the same, because they were not supposed to be same
• each person had his and her own place
• the body is a living example of diversity within unity
– after listing a variety of gifted people, Paul says,
And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
• chapter 13 is the more excellent way for us to be the body of Christ

Until now I have concentrated on the mystery of Christian spirituality
– the transcendence of God, the hiddenness of our own spirits,
• and a “secret wisdom” unknown to the rulers of this age
◦ this mystery is the spiritual foundation underneath this letter
• now we are going to see how the hidden life of the Spirit is manifested in our ordinary world
– first, let’s look at a negative example;
• what I mean is, how can you tell if the hidden life of Spirit is not present?
Paul has told them, I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people [who belonged to this world], as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready, [because you still live as the people of this world live]. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not [people of this world] and behaving only in a human way? (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
• in other words, there is physical evidence of what lies below the surface
◦ a person without life in the Spirit acts like any other human
◦ so what is the evidence points to the spiritual person?

Some assume the supernatural comes to surface only in signs and wonders

That God reveals himself to the world through miracles
– plagues, divine healing, walking on water–that sort of thing
• those spectacular phenomena are not the normal Christian life
◦ miracles are a rarity – Paul made that point clear
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? . . . Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? (1 Cor. 12:29-30)
• in the Roman Catholic Church, to be canonized as a saint, a person must have worked miracles
◦ but in that tradition, only a few people rise to sainthood
◦ at any rate, God is not limited to the miraculous
Frederick Schmidt, “What we need . . . are not signs and wonders but a deeper determination to nurture the presence of God in the midst of the commonplace.”
“When we take the miraculous and the exceptional to be the measure of God’s presence, rather than think of God as an enlivening presence throughout creation, we do not [make the world sacred]. Instead, we confine God to its margins and gaps. The key to seeing God at work in our world lies not in defining the events that reflect the movement of God but in what Paul describes as the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).
– I agree with this statement up to the last line
• the renewing of our minds is interior and not physically visible (although the results may be)
• so, when Paul asks, Do all work miracles?
◦ the answer is No – but all love
◦ and love is the evidence of the supernatural working below the surface

Love is the embodiment of God’s Spirit in life of the Church

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another (Jn. 13:34-35)
– any identification of Christian spirituality–regardless of how enlightened a person may seem or whether someone is performing miracles–
• falls short if there is no evidence of love like the Lord’s
• what does Jesus’ love look like? Well, it looks like the cross
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 Jn. 3:16)
◦ Paul gives more specific details of what Jesus’ love looks like here in chapter 13

He begins by exposing the emptiness of religious ambitions

There were believers in Corinth who made a big deal of speaking in tongues
– perhaps they felt special, because not everyone had that gift
• Paul tells them, without love, you’re just making noise
– others in Corinth were impressed with the gifts associated with the apostles:
• prophetic power, understand mysteries, exceptional knowledge
◦ and then the extreme act of faith Jesus mentioned – faith that moves mountains
• but Paul concludes that none of these things make a person
◦ instead, he says if all this was his, without love he would be nothing
– of course, everyone is impressed by the devotion of martyrs
• but Paul says even that, without love, wins nothing

It did not take long for Christians to adopt attitude of Pharisees
– to assume their knowledge of Jesus made them superior to unbelievers
• or that acts of devotion and charity could be performed without love
• that is essentially a gesture of ugly religion
– Paul exposes the pretensions of our piety and the false piety of our pretensions
• love alone gives an action spiritual value
• love alone makes a person’s spiritual life meaningful

In verses 4-7, love is personified

It appears as an active agent: it “is,” it “does not,” “is not,” etc.
– of course, Paul is describing how love expresses itself in human lives
• it is also how love expressed itself in Jesus
• as young Christians, my friends and I found we could replace “love” with “Jesus” in this chapter and every verse was still true
– maybe Paul personifies love, because we are meant to be love personified

There may be another possible reason why Paul uses this form
– I don’t think he is telling us, “This is how you are to love”
• that would demand too much – it would set the bar too high
• rather, he is saying, “This is what God works into us”
– this is the summit of Paul’s insight into the secret wisdom
• Christian spirituality grows love and love grows Christian spirituality
Frederick Schmidt, “. . . a love of God and a romance with God nurtures in us a capacity to see God where God is present.”
• Jesus’ new command to love one another,
◦ has a different feel from “Be moral”
◦ it has a different motivational energy than a long list of rules
Love is the beautiful face of righteousness
The true face of holiness

I will limit what I have to say about verse 7
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

Love really is the essence of a mature spirituality
– love endures the lows and the lulls; the disappointments and drudgery; the unfulfilled dreams and unmet needs; the physical or emotional distance
• love persists at times when we would rather that it not
◦ and other times we’re pleased when we find that it does persist
– love has no limits – it travels everywhere, from dungeons to the stars
• love can build bridges and also set boundaries
◦ but it does not do either only for its own sake
◦ love is the most God-like expression of a human life

In verses 8-1, Paul is simply saying love will outlast all other virtues

All the gifts and ministries listed in chapter 12,
– all these things that nurture and deepen our spirits,
• all the things that hold our lives together now,
• will come to an end – they will no longer be needed
– like old toys, we’ll pack them in a box and never again pull them out
• love is infinite and eternal, because God is love (1 Jn. 4:8 and 16)
• these are the three great triads of Christian spirituality: faith, hope, and love
but the greatest of these is love

Conclusion: E. Stanley Jones was an open-minded missionary to India

He once had opportunity to read 1 Corinthians 13 to Mahatma Gandhi
– Gandhi responded that it was the most beautiful statement he had ever heard
• so what will we do? How will we get there?
◦ how will the love described here come to characterize our lives?
• I have only one word of instruction: Receive God’s love
We love because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19)

Let Jesus love you the way he loves
You let Jesus love you when:
• you accept his forgiveness and stop condemning yourself
• you walk in nature and its beauty speaks to you
• you trust him with your anxieties
• you remember every good thing in your life is a gift

Give yourself a time-out
Relax the tension from every muscle and joint
Take slow deep breaths
Feel God’s love
Receive God’s love into every particle of your body and being
Love is the energy of authentic spirituality

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Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed 1 Corinthians 12:1

Intro: In the 1960’s, the Roman Catholic Church began a project of renovation

According to a friend of mine who is a priest,
“Vatican II, opened windows to allow fresh air to enter the church”
– in hindsight, we could say they missed a few dark corners
(but perhaps the changes made then set in motion the way that the Roman Catholic Church handles those things today)
• by the 1970’s, the Evangelical movement was placed under the microscope
◦ in 1970 Larry Richards published A New Face for the Church
◦ in 1975 Howard Snyder, published The Problem of Wine Skins
(religious systems that have become so rigid they are unable to accommodate the Holy Spirit)
• they argued that the biblical design was more relational and less institutional
– the church has always had its critics
• but also, it has always had its problems
◦ and it will always have problems, because the church is human
Fr. Romuald, “When people talk about Christian churches and how scandalous they’ve been throughout history (and in the present age too), that doesn’t bother me, because it’s the same thing again on a corporate level as the broken individual.”
• Church lives on, because there’s more to it than our failures

What keeps the church going is mystery

Paul begins this section with his concern that the Corinthians would be uninformed regarding spiritual gifts
– the Greek text does not mention “gifts”
• that is supplied because “gifts” appear in verses 4-11 as an example
◦ I don’t think Paul was thinking of gifts exclusively
• Greek says simply “spiritual”
David Prior, “Paul probably is referring to what today is, in a broad sense called ‘spirituality’”, i.e., all the many diverse ways in which we experience spiritual reality.”
– Paul is going to explain to the Corinthians what being a church means (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2)
• at the heart of it, there are spiritual realities
• these are the divine mysteries that make a group of people a church

The mystery of God
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

You’ve heard the saying, “Variety is the spice of life”
– if that is so, the church is well-seasoned
• Paul is saying, if we look at the Church, we see lots of diversity
◦ however, behind the diversity there is one source
◦ and that source ties every other thing together
– there is a rhythm to these verses, and the key words are varieties and the same
• but notice, what he says is “the same” in each time, is not the same
◦ instead, they are the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God
• this is where the mystery begins — with God’s nature
◦ the church reflects the nature of God
Fr. Romuald, “The fundamental revelation of the trinity is relationship.”
◦ and that is also a fundamental characteristic of the church

There’s a concept floating around that’s become popular among Christians
– that the nature of reality does not consist of bipolar opposites
• or at least when it comes to spirituality, all is one
◦ this concept is often referred to as “nondual”
• this has long been a tenet of Eastern philosophies
◦ it is a classic myth of overcoming contradictions
◦ it is itself a contradiction – “non” tells us what it is not
◦ i.e., dualism is not its opposite, and right there you have dualism (i.e., dualism and nondualism)
– dualism could be considered a part of the worldview of science and religious dogma
• everything can be divided into categories: up/down, in/out, back/front, etc.
• that you take things apart, name the pieces, and discover how all the parts make a thing work

The Christian view of God is neither dual or nondual
– it is diversity within unity
• we affirm the oneness of God
◦ but that oneness encompasses a universe of varieties
• the oneness is not sameness
◦ it is a union of many moving parts

The mystery of our lives in God
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 13

We can see why Paul would begin, I do not want you to be uninformed
– because what he describes is not obvious to us
• we are not always aware of God moving in and through us
◦ in exercising our “gifts,” our “service,” our “activities”
– explaining how the Spirit brought us to this condition, Paul uses a fluid metaphor
• we are immersed in the Spirit and drink-in the Spirit (he also refers to being filled with the Spirit in Ep. 5:18)
◦ life in the Spirit flows
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience described a person being “in the flow” when engaged in an activity that runs in a channel between anxiety and boredom. The challenge of the activity is neither too high to cause anxiety or too low to be boring. The same applies to the skills required to perform the challenging activity. He says, that when the flow occurs, “people become so involved in what they are doing that the activity becomes spontaneous, almost automatic; they stop being aware of themselves as separate from the actions they are performing.”
• I think when we are in the flow of the Spirit, it is something like that
◦ we can relax into it
◦ but most of the time, I don’t think we realize when the Spirit is at work in us

A few years, a dear friend of ours told Barbara, “You have a very important ministry.” Later Barb, who is a physical therapist, said to me, “I’ve never thought of what I do as a ‘ministry.’ I’ve just seen it as my job.” I replied, “Your job is assisting in the healing and rehabilitating of people in need, and you do it well because you are able to connect with them and demonstrate that you really care. That can definitely be considered ministry.”

Paul lists a few gifts here – he provides another list in Romans 12, and Peter also mentions a few gifts (1 Pet. 4:9-11)
– most of them operate in our interactions with each other
• in both formal meetings and informal conversations
• some operate in our everyday lives (hospitality or charity, for instance)
– I think these gifts include all our talents
• all our aptitudes, our natural abilities and attributes,
◦ and also all of our developed skills

One other thought: I believe we have underestimated the value of our brokenness as a spiritual gift to others
– those who have experienced brokenness are some of the most empathic people

Vv. 12-14 and 26-27, The mystery of our spiritual community
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. . . . For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, & 26-27

The analogy Paul uses here is the human body
– think of how that differs from the analogy of a flock of sheep
In Mental Hospital, researchers reported, “Built solidly into the procedures, techniques and even the language of the mental hospital is the assumption that patients are mere passive objects of treatment: they are to be ‘cared for,’ ‘protected,’ ‘treated,’ ‘respected,’ ‘handled,’ ‘controlled.’ Psychiatric administrative language consistently speaks of the patient as if he were not actively a participant, as if he were an unconscious or half-conscious body upon an operating table.”
• it struck me how much this sounds like pastors and churches
• sheep have to be led, tended, and fed
◦ members are not considered participants in the process
◦ they’re expected to believe what they’re told, and follow rules
– the analogy of the body tells us that all of our interactions have a spiritual potential
• that the Spirit of Jesus is using us with each other
◦ and that underlying all differences of our human personalities, there exists an essential union
• no one can break this bond
◦ it is an invisible connection to each other, and an invisible connection with Jesus that we share

There is a psychological disorder known as Messiah complex

A person believes he or she is destined to be a savior
– that their role is to save others now or in the near future
• in its most severe form it is a delusional state
• but I would say most pastors have at least a mild form of that
◦ they feel they must be everything to every person
◦ they must be everywhere, have all the answers, know all the solutions
◦ that the church could not survive without their constant busyness
– when Jewish priests were sent to interrogate John the Baptist,
• the first question they asked was, “Who are you?”
◦ and his first reply, “I am not the Christ”
◦ every pastor should have that motto posted on his refrigerator and office door
• you don’t have to be Jesus – you only have to be you
◦ you have Jesus – you have a community – you have us
◦ we are all part of the group and we belong here with each other
• and somehow Jesus embodies himself in all of us together

I am not concerned that some people have said,
– they have a more genuine experience of church in our Lexio Divina meetings than here on Sunday mornings
• I’m not offended, because I feel the same way
• every week I receive new perspective and new insights from the others in the group
– this is how Paul imagined the church functioning

Conclusion: “I do not want you to be uninformed”

Paul has given us useful tools for knowing who we are as a community
– he has given us several analogies
– but knowing is not the same thing as perceiving
• can we use this tool to awaken ourselves to a new consciousness
• a new way of perceiving our connection with each other
That even though we’re very different from each other,
we’re nevertheless “one,”
and no one can never say to anyone else, I have no need of you
Because the heart of Jesus beating in you, beats also in me

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Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Intro: Most of us, when reading Bible, will get lost on occasion

When that happens, we can stop and ask two questions:
– “Where am I?” and “What is going on here?”
• “Where am I?” is the big picture question – it takes us to the central theme of book
◦ you look at the whole map, then locate a general area on it
• “What is going on here?” is the here and now question
◦ if book were a wheel, “where” is the hub and “what” is a specific point on the rim
◦ this is sometimes called the “hermeneutical circle”
(and we keep moving back and forth on it, hub to rim and rim to hub; general theme to specific points and specific points back to the general theme)
– so where are we? In chapter 11, Paul moves to the next issue he needs to address
• the overall topic in next four chapters is their Christian meetings
◦ Paul writes “when you come together” repeatedly – vv. 17, 18, 20, 33; 14:26
• in this chapter, he gives his approval and disapproval
◦ v. 2, “Now I commend you,” and in v. 17, “I do not commend you”
◦ I read from the second section – the disapproval section

Paul reiterates the correct way to observe “Lord’s Supper” (Vv. 23-26)

This is the Christian ritual involving bread and wine
– or crackers and grape juice
• the Roman Catholic and “high church” traditions refer to it as “Eucharist,” to “give thanks” (v. 24)
• Evangelical and “free church” tradition refers to it as “the Lord’s Supper” (v. 20)
◦ or “Communion” (10:16-17), sharing or participating
◦ I’ll use the Lord’s Supper
– we know what happens in the Lord’s Supper from last week
• we renew a covenant bond with God through Jesus and with each other
◦ Paul adds here, we also proclaim a message
◦ between two events we connect with Jesus (re-member with him)
• but there are other mysteries they may not have realized
◦ and we may not have realized these mysteries either

First, participating in ritual we can do us more harm than good (V. 27)

It is really important that we are clear on this point!
– NO ONE is “worthy” to receive the body and blood of Jesus
• but it’s not that difficult to figure out what Paul means
◦ he has already addressed the problem
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not vv. 20-22)
• the wealthier members enjoyed a meal that was not sacred!
◦ breaking bread was an important social practice of church life
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. . . . And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts (Acts 2:42, 46)
◦ but in Corinth, that custom had malfunctioned
– just so we are clear on this:
• unworthy manner is a failure to love and consider others
• it does the opposite of what is supposed to happen
◦ it divides rather than unites (vv. 18-19)

A second mystery is a “presence” that is experienced in the Lord’s Supper

A presence that can only be discerned, and must be discerned (v. 29)
– when believers come together in Jesus’ name, he is there
• not only in a mystical way; that is, spiritual and hidden
• but in a way that is physically manifest
◦ each person is a member of Jesus’ body (more on this in chapter 12)
– if I do not discern Jesus’ presence in this way,
• I will not receive all of the benefits of the Lord’s Supper
• all through this series, I have stressed the importance of awareness
◦ here we learn what being aware can open to us a new kind of vision of things unseen

We came to 1 Corinthians for Paul’s spiritual guidance

Way back in the fourth century,
– Christians began visiting monasteries for the same purpose that we’re following Paul
• they wanted to learn the insights others had gained from living in complete devotion to Jesus,
◦ spending whole life in scripture, prayer, meditation, contemplation, chanting the Psalms, and so on
• what could average Christian take from monastery that would help them fully immerse themselves in God?
– John Cassian spent years consulting with various monks
• he kept a journal of his conversations with them
• my favorite is titled his “The Conferences of Abbot Moses”

Abbot Moses explained to Cassian, there are three origins of our thoughts:
– they come from God, from the devil, and from ourselves
“We ought then carefully to notice this threefold order, and with a wise discretion to analyze the thoughts which arise in our hearts, tracking out their origin and cause and author in the first instance, that we may be able to consider how we ought to yield ourselves to them . . . .”
• he has a lot to say about discretion (in this context it means the same as discernment)
• he uses an analogy of determining whether a coin is real or counterfeit
◦ he describes discernment as an excellent quality and virtue
◦ and refers to it as the “mother of moderation”
– Moses told Cassian stories, both ancient and recent, of “shipwrecks,” others who
“were destroyed and hopelessly ruined, because they paid little attention to [discernment]” and that we make “frequent mistakes in matters that are plain and straightforward.”
• he also explained that discernment
“is no ordinary virtue nor one which can be freely gained by merely human efforts, unless they are aided by Divine blessing . . .” as Paul included “the discerning of spirits” among “the noblest of gifts”
• for our part, he said that we must approach discernment with humility
◦ and that confession is helpful, because “it brings secret thoughts into the light”

Biblical discernment requires spiritual awareness

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4:1)
– test translates the same word Paul uses here in verse 28, Let a person examine himself
• we find it again in Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
• discernment is a kind of examination
◦ but one that requires the help of God’s Spirit

How did Paul want them to exercise discernment?

First, in discovering the mysteries of the Lord’s Supper
– the mystery present in any Christian meeting – or anywhere
Second, in discovering whether a preacher, teacher, or guide is someone they should follow
I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough . . . For such are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4)
Third, in discovering what is in our own hearts and minds
– the message of Haggai, Consider your ways
• or Isaiah, regarding idolatry,
a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isa. 44:20)
• I feel like there is something I should add
◦ Paul tells us to examine and discern ourselves–not condemn ourselves!
◦ self-condemnation won’t bring you any closer to your true self or Jesus

Conclusion: There is a special challenge in spiritual discernment

A westerner introduced radio to people who’d never seen one
– he first tried to explain it before they were shown a radio
• no one understood him and some people became angry with him
◦ then, when they saw and heard a radio, they were at first, confused – they thought it was a person nearby
“Finally, like us, they managed to develop the necessary discrimination of each [human voice and radio voice], such as we have. ¶ And, when I questioned them afterwards, all swore that what they had imagined from descriptions of radios . . . did not correspond with the reality.”
• we have a similar challenge when it comes to discerning spirits
– what do we mean “a discerning eye”? or “discerning taste”? or “a discerning touch”?
• the ability to detect the relative quality of something
◦ for instance, to distinguish real silk from synthetic silk
• we can train our spiritual senses
solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Heb. 5:14)

To practice, notice when there is an opportunity to exercise discernment
(there are many, like in how we are to interpret a biblical passage, or when we hear a Bible teacher on the radio and we are not sure if what this person says is the truth)
Pause,
relax your muscles,
draw in a slow, cleansing breath,
focus on the here and now–this specific moment,
listen for the inner wisdom of the Spirit,
then act in faith
With enough practice, we will start getting it right

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“All things are lawful,” but not all thigs are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-26

Intro: Paul has been circling the same issue since chapter 8

Is it okay for Christians to eat food that has been devoted to an idol?
– Paul has two answers, one rational and other relational
• rational: idols have no meaning for us, so food is food
• relational: some Christians are convinced that food presented to an idol is contaminated
◦ take their concerns seriously and don’t “offend” them
◦ at times love requires us to act contrary to reason or our rights
– why did Paul give so much space to this issue?
• I suspect that he anticipated a negative reaction from the Corinthians
◦ he knew they were intelligent and enjoyed a good argument
(they had written him regarding a number of controversies among themselves)
◦ and he knew how difficult it would be for them to put others first
• some of them would think, “It doesn’t make sense for those overly scrupulous believers to worry about idols and non-existent deities. Maybe they just need to grow up!”
◦ so he labored to help them get a new perspective

In this last stage of his argument, he shows them that the threat is real

He begins with a history lesson – Israel in wilderness (vv. 1-5)
– there are specific features to the story that he highlights
• the cohesiveness of their experience – they “all” (five times!)
• they experienced a symbolic baptism
• they were provided food and drink
• God was displeased with most of them, so they never reached goal

Next, Paul explains that they are examples for us (vv. 6-11)
• he makes this clear by stating it at beginning and end of this unit of thought
Now these things took place as examples for us . . . (v. 6)
Now these things happened to them as an example . . . (v. 11)
◦ he tells the Corinthians to avoid the mistakes Israel made
◦ then he provides a list that includes, Do not be idolaters

Then Paul makes two specific applications: a warning and an encouragement (vv. 12-13)

After that, Paul demonstrates a real problem with food devoted to idols
– it has to do with how people in those days understood sharing a ritual meal
• the purpose of the ritual meal was to create bonds
◦ first, create a bond with the deity to whom meal was offered
◦ second, create a bond among those who shared the meal
• he compares this with what happens in Lord’s Supper
◦ Christians are bonded with Jesus and each other
◦ but the gods in pagan temples are actually demons
• now we see why he mentioned Israel’s food and drink
What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons (vv. 19-21)

At this point, Paul returns to a statement he made earlier (vv. 23-30)
– the familiar slogan, “All things are lawful”
• how that applies in this context,
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor (v. 24)
• he suggests a way to can handle this problem when it comes up

Paul ends this argument with a synopsis of our way of life
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved (vv. 31-33; cf. 1 Cor. 9:19-23)

Now let’s get back to our purpose for being in 1 Corinthians

Paul was graced with extraordinary spiritual insight
– he described himself as an administrator of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1)
• so we’ve been using him as a guide to developing spiritual insight
• what do we learn from Paul in this chapter?

When reading scripture, Paul’s focused attention was flexible

At times, Paul’s focus was sharp, analytical, and detail oriented
– his letter to Romans reveals his logical skills of interpretation
• other times Paul was able to focus attention behind the words
• his interpretation is more mystical than logical
◦ at the beginning of chapter, Paul said Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea
◦ that event is not even hinted at in the original story
• he also says the people of Israel ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink
◦ (this connects their experience with the Christian experience of the Lord’s Supper in v. 16)
– this is a spiritual reading of the Scriptures
• it is not just concentrating on the meaning of a text
• it is listening for God’s Spirit to speak through the words
– the church fathers attempted to read the Bible this way too
• but instead of relying on the Spirit, they tried to find meaning with their rational minds
◦ and rather than find what was actually hidden there,
◦ they came up with allegories that revealed the creativity of the interpreter more than the spiritual insight behind the text
– it wasn’t so much theologians who rediscovered the New Testament spiritual reading of scripture, but Christian mystics
Guigo II, a 12th Century monk wrote, “When I was hard at work one day, thinking on the spiritual work needful for God’s servants, four such spiritual works came to my mind, these being: reading; meditation; prayer; contemplation. This is the ladder for those in [monasteries], and for others in the world who are God’s Lovers, by means of which they can climb from earth to heaven. It is a marvelously tall ladder, but with just four rungs, the one end standing on the ground, the other thrilling into the clouds and showing the climber heavenly secrets.”
• this is our Wednesday Zoom meetings – Lectio Divina
◦ we do not look intensely for the meaning of every word
◦ instead, we want our reading to be relaxed, reverent, and receptive
• what is the Spirit of God saying to us in this moment?
◦ like Paul, we want what is spiritual in text to stand out

Think of it like this: the Christian has two modes of experiencing life
– one is the psychological-self – all the programming of past experience
• the other is our spiritual-self – the new self we become in Jesus Christ
◦ the psychological-self is caught up in thoughts and emotions
◦ the spiritual-self observes thoughts and emotions,
without judgment and without getting trapped in them
• the spiritual-self is not defined by its thoughts or feelings
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Ro. 8:5-6)
– in Lectio Divina, we want to read in the spiritual-self mode,
• observing whatever is brought to our attention

I want to make brief comments on several other verses
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (v. 13)

Temptation can refer to any sort of hardship–pain, struggles, disappointments, and so on test our faith
– the escape is not out of the hardship, but within it that enables us to endure it
J.R.R. Tolkien responded to critics who referred to fairy-stories as “’escapist’ literature”
“Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories” and what critics describe as “Real Life” is something we should want to escape from once in awhile.
Tolkien asks, “Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison walls? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner cannot see it. In using escape in this way the critics have chosen the wrong word, and, what is more, they are confusing . . . the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter.”
– our goal is to find the way to escape, but not desert

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (vv. 16-17)
Participation translates the Greek word koinonia, which means to share (in common), partnership, community, communion, communication
– kononia is an intimate connection with Jesus and each other
– with that in mind we come to the familiar slogan in verse 23 with its catchy rhythm
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.
“All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
• in 6:12, Paul added “for me” to each line of the slogan
◦ there the concern was for his (and our) personal self-discipline
◦ here it has to do with the community and how we can either be unhelpful or build up others
• the sacrifices we make for others, the service we provide,
even the friction we sometimes experience,
are all necessary for our spiritual development
◦ we learn through what we discover together in the dynamics of our interactions

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (v. 31)
An author I am currently reading said that Peter’s exhortation to be holy in all manner of conduct “applies to recreational activities and relaxation as well. It applies to purchases, and even to our eating habits: ‘Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ Do my eating habits (and the resultant weight gain or loss) glorify God? Does my every activity adorn the gospel, and present an appealing advertisement for the Kingdom of God?”
(how appealing an advertisement is crucifixion?)
– when the Scriptures are given this type of application it produces Christian Pharisees
• that was not not what Paul meant
◦ he is saying that regardless of what you eat and drink, and whatever you do, plowing or preaching,
◦ be there for God
For the kingdom of God is not food or drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Ro. 14:17)
Thus [Jesus] declared all foods clean (Mk. 7:19)
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink (Co. 2:16)
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:3-5)
– if we turn everything into “do’s and don’ts,” we lose sense of gift

Conclusion: We have inherited a flawed way of reading Bible

We go away
• pious and judgmental rather than gracious and merciful
• with rules to keep us moral rather than invitations to be relational
• burdened with guilt rather than blessed with forgiveness

We need to learn how to read all over again
so that we hear scripture from the lips of Jesus
and see it through new eyes, enlightened by God’s Spirit
Then we will experience the joy of it
and the power of it
that sustains our faith
and transforms us into better persons