Alfred Nobel’s dynamite was meant to make building roads and tunnels easier, yet against its inventor’s will it became a tool of destruction, and spiritual gifts, when misunderstood, can likewise bring discouragement and division instead of blessing. This sermon takes us to Corinth, where the apostle Paul explains that everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord has the Holy Spirit and has received gifts to serve others within the one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). We cannot choose which gifts we are given, but we do shape the fruit of our lives, and the most excellent way is still love. Listen and discover what kind of material you can become in the hands of the master Artist.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The Corinthians lived in a city full of pagan temples and spectacular religious practices. Why does Paul open the chapter by saying that no one can confess "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit?
- Paul describes the church as a body in which the foot cannot say it does not belong because it is not a hand (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). What does this picture say about the members who seem weaker or less visible?
- The sermon said that the gifts of the Spirit are not fireworks but tools given for the common good. How does that change the way you view both spectacular and less noticeable gifts?
- The speaker compared people to different materials, like paint, flour or sounds, and the Holy Spirit to a brilliant artist. What in yourself seems of little value to you, yet could be used by God?
- Paul ends the chapter by pointing to "the most excellent way", which is love. How do you understand the difference between gifts, what we do, and fruit, who we are, including at home and when no one is watching?
- The sermon encourages us to look around and notice the needs God is showing us. What specific need do you see around you, and how can you respond to it in love this week?
