Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20010401.htm

1 CORINTHIANS: MINISTERING TO BELIEVERS WITH DEEP PAGAN BACKGROUNDS
Part XXIV: Aspiring To Perform The Church's Loftiest Ministry
(1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13)
  1. Introduction
    1. Probably every believer comes to the point where he longs to have his service for Christ truly count, where he can minister in ways that will maximize his making a difference for Christ's glory.
    2. The Apostle Paul reviewed the various ministries and the gifting behind them, and revealed the supreme ministry goal for any believer in 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 (as follows):
  2. Aspiring To Perform The Church's Loftiest Ministry, 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13.
    1. Paul noted God has arranged the spiritual gifts in the Church in order of value and honor, 12:27-13:13:
      1. Christ is the Head of the body of the local assembly, and of the Church universal, 1 Corinthians 12:27.
      2. Beginning with Christ at the top of importance and honor, God has determined an order of significance of the gifts in the Church in descending order, beginning with Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:28-31a:
        1. God set up the Apostles as first in order of honor and significance under Christ, 1 Cor. 12:28a.
        2. Second in significance and honor are those with prophetic ministries, 1 Cor. 12:28b.
        3. Third in significance and honor are teachers (pastor-teachers, cf. Eph. 4:11), 12:28c. There is a question as to whether evangelists are over pastor-teachers or vice-versa, cf. Eph. 4:11.
        4. In descending order after these are workers of miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, speaking in human languages miraculously (tongues) and interpreting such languages, 12:28c-30.
        5. Applied to our current church era, since we hold the sign gifts mentioned in 1 Cor. 12 have now ceased, and since God has determined that the roles of men and women be aligned properly with men leading women (1 Tim. 2:12ff), we conclude the following order: (a) Pastor-teachers are first in order of significance, followed by helps, then administrations, etc. in men and then in women. (b) This order, established by God, exists as God's will in the local church, 12:28a with 12:11.
      3. However, one may look at this arrangement and become discouraged! "I don't have the right gender or the right gift to minister with maximum impact and influence at my Church!" he or she might think.
    2. Knowing a carnal, competitive spirit existed in his readers regarding spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:21), Paul revealed a loftier spiritual ministry than one that focuses on one's gift, a ministry open to ALL believers:
      1. Paul noted that Christian godly love is superior to any spiritual gifting ministry in itself, 12:31b-13:1:
        1. On the one hand, we should value those with the superior spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:31a.
        2. Yet, there is a better route to take than focusing on the ministry of gifts in the body, 1 Corinthians 12:31b. That route is the ministry of love, for without it, all gifts are worthless, 1 Cor. 13:1-3!
      2. Paul then detailed the ministry of God's love, a ministry of utter selflessness before fellow believers:
        1. The ministry of love tolerates inconveniences caused by other believers for a long time, 13:4a.
        2. The ministry of love exhibits gentleness toward fellow Christians, 1 Corinthians 13:4b.
        3. The ministry of love makes one avoid being jealous of another believer's gift or gift status, 13:4c.
        4. The ministry of love leads a Christian to avoid pushing himself into a position of greater status in the eyes of other believers than what he already holds, 1 Corinthians 13:4d.
        5. The ministry of love causes the believer to avoid acting in a disorderly way or seeking his own rights or readily taking offense or seeking revenge if offended, 1 Corinthians 13:4e, 5.
        6. The ministry of love induces one not to gain satisfaction through defeating fellow believers, but to thrill in seeing that what is right is accomplished for God's glory, 1 Corinthians 13:6.
        7. The ministry of love stirs one to keep unsavory facts about others in confidence, to reject bad reports of others unless proven true and to put up with hardships faced in relationships, 1 Cor. 13:7.
        8. The ministry of love keeps one faithful in his endeavor and relationships with others, 1 Cor. 13:8a.
      3. The reason why the ministry of love is better than focusing on spiritual gifts themselves is that, unlike spiritual gifts that will become useless at the rapture, love will be with us in eternity, 1 Cor. 13:9-13.
Lesson: We must not become so enamored with the spiritual "pecking order" of who is significant or honored due to his spiritual gift placement in the body by God that we forget that LOVE is where the LOFTIEST ministry exists! Besides, THAT LOFTY ministry is OPEN for ALL believers to perform!