Do you catch yourself measuring your worth by what you have achieved? This sermon takes us to Corinth, a city where success was the only currency, and where the church began treating the gifts of the Spirit like extra lines on a résumé (1 Corinthians 12 and 14). Paul reminds them that the gifts were given for the common good, and that one thing holds them all together: love that does not seek its own. Listen, and ask who your gifts are really serving today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Paul writes that there are different gifts but the same Spirit, and that they are given for the common good. Why were these words so challenging for believers in Corinth, a city built around personal success?
- According to 1 Corinthians 14, everything in the gathering should build others up, because God is not a God of disorder but of peace. What does the way we worship say about the nature of the God we worship?
- The speaker compared using gifts only for yourself to someone showing off new clothes and a new car while their children wear rags. Where do you notice a temptation in yourself to treat your gifts like another line on your CV?
- The sermon reminded us that Judas also performed miracles, and that God may work through us more than our faithfulness would suggest. Why is effective ministry not proof of maturity, and what area of your life is still waiting to be surrendered to Jesus?
- How does 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 change the way you see less visible gifts, like encouragement, generosity or praying at home, compared with spectacular ones?
- In what specific situation this week can you use your gift, generosity, hospitality or time in a way no one will notice, while others are built up?
