An even more excellent way than procuring the gifts

First Corinthians chapters 12, 13 and 14 form a unity in the mind of the Apostle Paul and in the intentions of the Holy Spirit. But if we read these three chapters, we see that there is a natural progression from one to the other, and that these three chapters concerning the Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church are as a whole that allow us to have a very balanced and very complete idea. of this important topic.

In chapter 12 of First Corinthians, the apostle Paul establishes the importance of knowing about the gifts, establishes that the gifts, with all their diversity and their manifestations, come from the same source and a single spirit, the Holy Spirit, that Spirit, if it is from God, recognizes that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is the Son of God, is the mediator between God and man, and has Jesus Christ, and the Father, and the Triune Spirit as its foundation; Any other spirit than the Spirit that acknowledges Christ as Lord and Savior is not a spirit worthy of us having relationship with him in any way, and so the apostle Paul makes this clear.

And he also warns them to be careful not to fall into the pagan mentality of believing that there are many different spirits each doing a different thing, as was the case with Greek and Roman mythology. And then the apostle Paul also enters into the importance of seeing that all these manifestations are like the different organs and members of a body, and that among all they form a unit.

And that just as there is an indissoluble and inseparable unity between the different organs of a body and the members of a body, likewise there is an indivisible relationship between the different gifts, and each member of the Church has to appreciate the gifts of the other. No member should feel like they are the most special or the most important, there should be validation of the others, and there should be a mutual appreciation of the interdependence of the different members of the Church, each with something specific to add. The most humble person, the one who cleans the temple or the toilet so to speak of the Church bathroom, has as much importance and dignity as the Pastor who preaches the Sunday sermon, and they are all part of that Body of Christ, working to move forward. the purposes of God and the Kingdom of God.

And at the end of his presentation in First Corinthians chapter 12, the apostle Paul says something very powerful that then brings us to First Corinthians chapter 13. Paul says in verse 31 of chapter 12: "Seek therefore the best gifts, but I show you a still more excellent way."

This "those better gifts", why does Paul say it? because yes, each gift has its importance. But there are some gifts, which we will see why in chapter 14, are sometimes more useful for the purposes of the Kingdom of God. And so we, as people who want to see the Kingdom of God advance, have to worry about those gifts being cultivated and ask the Holy Spirit to give us those gifts.

But here he says: you know what? But even beyond the gifts, there is something that is even more important and I want to show you that way. What is that best way, the most excellent way that is more important and lasting than the gifts themselves? Chapter 13 gives us the answer. Love.

We know that the 13th chapter of First Corinthians is that hymn to Agape love, love in its most exalted and most beautiful manifestation, and Paul then enters there to praise love that is above any gift, and speaks of that: "If I spoke human and angelic languages, if I did not have love, I would become like metal that resounds or symbol that rattles; and if I had prophecy, and understood all mysteries, and all science, if I had all faith in such a way that it could translate the mountains, and I have no love, I am nothing. "

So we see that here Paul begins to establish something very important that we who identify with the Pentecostal movement of God have to keep in mind, of all the manifestations of the Power of God that can be in the life of a Church, an individual: the character of Christ, the fruit of the Holy Spirit must be absolutely central. Without that, the gifts are mere straw and empty wood that does not produce the true fire of God's life.

And that's why Paul uses this illustration saying: if I had faith, if I had prophecy, if I gave all my money and all my properties to the poor, but it is not born of a loving spirit, then it is useless. And so Paul goes on in chapter 13 talking about that beauty of love, and that love never fails.

But it says, "Prophecies will end, and tongues will cease, and science will end" because all these things are temporary. All these things are while the Church lasts here on Earth, while we live this imperfect existence in which the Kingdom of God is in conflict with the kingdom of darkness, and gifts are needed, the Power of God.

But Paul says: a day will come when everything will be over and gifts are no longer needed. When the gifts are no longer needed, what is left? only love remains. Paul says in a passage that: prophecies will cease, faith will cease, hope because these things will no longer be necessary, but the only thing that will remain, the greatest of them says in verse 13 of chapter 13, is love.

So it is important that we understand brothers and sisters that, no matter how anointed a person is, no matter how productive he is in the things of the Kingdom of God, everything we do has to show the love of Christ. Everything that a believer does in his life must be characterized by that fruit of the Holy Spirit that Paul describes very well in Galatians chapter 5: that goodness, that kindness, that patience, that joy, that inner peace that comes from being in reconciliation. with God and with ourselves, everything has to be lubricated and saturated with the love of God.

If our lives, our character do not reflect the character of Jesus Christ no matter how many gifts we have, and we see that the gifts are important; Paul is not saying that the gifts are not important, what he is saying is that there is something even greater and more powerful, which is the love of God, and that the gifts have to be bathed in that character of Jesus Christ.

When we brothers have that character of Jesus Christ that the Apostle Paul tells us about in First Corinthians chapter 13, then the gifts have a very, very powerful function. May the Lord wish that we can always keep these two qualities in balance, soberly, seeking the Power of God but also seeking the character of Jesus. That is what makes a truly Christian, a servant of God, effective and brings glory and pleasure to the God we serve. May God bless you and I hope this is a blessing for your lives. Amen.