God's people have been given a variety of gifts. We must learn to use them in harmony with one another.
III. Spiritual Gifts Are Given to Build up the Body of Christ
The third thing to see in this passage is that spiritual gifts are given to build up the body of Christ. They are given to individuals for the profit of all. Spiritual gifts are designed to bring glory to God, not to spotlight individuals. We have to be careful not to be too proud.
On the other hand, we need to be thankful for the gifts God has given to us, and use them the best we can. Too many times, we despise the gifts we have been given and covet the gifts of others. The church at Corinth was much the same. The gift of tongues was considered to be a prized possession and a badge of true faith. Paul wanted this church to see that all gifts are important, and that they are all intended to move the church forward. While we may rank gifts in order of importance, all of them are worthwhile in God's eyes. (Greg Barr)
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Third Sunday of Epiphany (C)
January 25, 1998
A Bold Claim
Luke 4:14-21
A story is told about Muhammad Ali -- a man who has never been known for his humility. During a flight to one of his engagements the aircraft ran into some bad weather. The pilot spoke over the loudspeaker and warned about some "moderate turbulence." Most people who fly are well-familiar with the fact that when the pilot mentions "moderate turbulence" instead of "light turbulence" that's airline language for "If you believe in prayer, now's your time to put it into practice." The passengers were instructed to fasten their seat belts, and everyone complied but Muhammad Ali.
The stewardess noticed this and asked Mr. Ali to comply with the pilot's order. Ali's response to her was to say, "Superman don't need no seat belt." The stewardess did not miss a beat and said, "Superman don't need no airplane either."
Muhammad Ali made an audacious claim and came across as extremely arrogant. Jesus made an audacious claim but was merely asserting His true identity.
It was time for Jesus to "go home". After His baptism and temptation experiences, He goes to Nazareth. Mary must have been so proud as her Son stood up to preach in the synagogue. A neighbor who watched him grow up may have said, "He was always such a nice and serious minded young man. I'm not surprised He's in the ministry." They were probably even taken with His charisma and inner authority as He read from the prophet Isaiah.
Jesus read about the Spirit of the Lord being on Him. Because of that, He would be able to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and the recovery of sight for the blind. After Jesus' baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. Now He had been ministering in Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
It's a great day as He makes His ministerial debut in Nazareth. He reads from the prophet Isaiah and says, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."