We must appreciate the diversity in God's people

The possibility of gifts of the Holy Spirit is infinite, in a sense, because the Spirit of God is not limited. It can be manifested through an artistic gift, through a gift of counseling, through a gift of music composition, or a gift of music; There are many ways in which the one Holy Spirit manifests itself in a variety of expressions, all of them for the benefit of the Church of Jesus Christ and the people of God, the purposes of God on Earth and the life of the believer through whom they are gifts are manifested.

Paul was interested not only in this doctrinal teaching, but also in the pastoral aspects of the Holy Spirit. And that is why in that same chapter 12 of First Corinthians, he goes into another topic, speaking precisely of the oneness of the Spirit and His diversity of manifestations, and what are the practical consequences of that fact.

And so we see here that Paul says in verse 13, First Corinthians 12: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jewish or Greek, slave or free, and we were all given to drink of the same Spirit." Again, that universality of the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. We all have the Holy Spirit if we have believed in Christ but not all, as I said, have the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

But what Paul is saying here is, look: we all have this dimension of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit manifests itself in different ways and we have to learn to respect and value each other. The one who has a particular gift should not underestimate the gift of the other. The one who has a more humble gift should not be as if yearning and desiring, and envying the other who has a perhaps more public or more spectacular gift. Each one has to appreciate the other and each one has to appreciate himself in what he has received.

That is why in First Corinthians 12:14 Paul says: "Furthermore, the body is not a single member but many; if the foot says: because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, is that why it is not of the body?" verse 18: "But now God has placed the members, each one of them in the body as He wanted." Verse 26: "So that if one member suffers all the members grieve with him, and if one member receives honor all the members rejoice with him."

What Paul is saying is that Christians have to learn to appreciate the diversity in God's people and that we have to value each other. No one should feel superior and inferior to others, God will manifest His gifts in different ways. Some are going to have the gift of tongues, some are going to have the gift of music, some are going to have the gift of preaching, or evangelism, or service, or presiding, leadership in this case, many different expressions. And we children of God have to learn to move as one body, in harmony with each other.

In a Church where the gifts are in manifestation, there will be a diversity of expressions, but there must always be harmony, there must always be preferring one another, loving one another, valuing one another.

Paul develops that teaching very powerfully in Romans chapter 12, where he speaks of: "No one should have a higher concept of himself than he should have, but think of himself with sanity according to the measure of faith that God has distributed to each one. "and he also enters into this idea of the members of the body, each one different but all complementary.

And that is why he says here that: the one who exhorts, the one who has the gift of exhortation, move in exhortation with confidence, the one who distributes, liberally, the one who presides with solicitude, and the one who shows mercy, do so gladly. And then he talks about: "Let us be unanimous among ourselves" verse 16 "not haughty, but associating with the humble." It says that: "We prefer one another, that we support one another, that we share for the needs of the saints by practicing hospitality."

Paul is talking about how the Christian life in the end must be a life of harmony, of mutual appreciation, of mutual support, of appreciating the gifts that are in different people. This is very important because many times in the churches where the gifts are manifested there is unfortunately discord, there are divisions, there is competition for leadership positions as there was in the Corinthian Church; rivalries and conflicts. And Paul says: no, it is important that where the power and the manifestation of God is, there is also harmony, there is mutual respect, there is support for one another, there is a preference for one another, value each other, encourage and stimulate each other. others, and appreciate the gift of each one, and that we all move as one body in perfect harmony, because God has put the gifts where He wants, and He does everything with the purpose of advancing His Kingdom.

So, it is important that this pastoral teaching that Paul develops in the middle of the Pentecostal teaching, and there has to be that balance of the gift of the Holy Spirit together with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that is what exists many times in the churches, that there is not an adequate balance of the development of power and the manifestation of the gift of God together with the Christian character that leads believers to an attitude of benevolence, kindness, patience, mutual tolerance and appreciation of one another.

We cannot fall so in love with the Pentecostal vision that we forget the vision of harmony and Christian character that must exist in God's people. These two things are perfectly balanced. And that chapter, First Corinthians chapter 12 is a great way to see how in the mindset of the Apostle Paul and therefore of the Holy Spirit, there is that call to a balanced life, the life of great dynamics and power, and great energy. of the Holy Spirit but also of the fruit and character of Christ, which is what allows that diversity of gifts is not allowed in an obstacle and in an opportunity, and a platform for rivalries and divisions, and competitions, and envies about of the others as can happen many times in the Pentecostal context.

I hope this is a blessing for your lives and we will continue to meditate on these fundamental truths of the Christian life later. May the Lord bless you and until our next meditation.