| Photo by Janay Peters on Unsplash
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is writing about the need for the Holy Spirit in the Church and in our lives. The gifts of the Spirit are for the Church, and we need the Holy Spirit to be used in the Gifts of the Spirit. The Gifts are to lift Jesus and never the person being used in any of the Gifts of the Spirit.
Then Paul compares the Holy Spirit to the body. And that the body needs to be in unity and in good health. The Church in Corinth was fighting and doing their own thing, and Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12: 25-27; “This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
A healthy church that is filled with the Spirit will be a church:
* Harmony – working together for the glory of the Lord! Knowing that we are all on the same page, and not our individual ministries.
* Minister to one another – we are aware and connected in the Church. We are safe in a healthy church.
* We suffer, care, and love those who are going through a difficult time, and we rejoice with those who are happy, celebrating and rejoicing in life.
But this will only happen as we walk together in the same direction. The Church is really about Jesus and lifting Him so that we can “Reach the City and Touch the World for Jesus!”
Lord, help me to be a healthy part of your church body, so that we can be a healthy, effective person in Your Church!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.
