"I do not want you to be
uniformed, brothers and sisters." I imagine that line didn’t go over so well
with the sisters and brothers in Corinth. They imagined themselves not only
very well informed but well endowed, thank you very much. But like noisy gongs
and clanging cymbals they were all show and no substance and the gifts meant to
bless and unite were used to curse and divide. Pride always corrupts the good
gifts of God and blinds those who are puffed up to their spiritual poverty.
Divisions follow as one claims spiritual superiority over the other and the
church that is the body of Christ performs communal amputation upon itself. It
is a sad state of affairs that despite centuries of being informed
congregations continue to be led astray by idols that make a lot of noise but are
mute when it comes to the language of love. So being informed is not enough,
just like knowing it is a good thing to do doesn’t necessarily lead one to a
healthy diet and regular exercise. But sometimes the mind informs the heart and that
knowledge leads to repentance which heals divisions within us as the Spirit
activates spiritual gifts for the healing of the body of Christ. Of course it
is never that neat or easy but the good news is that after centuries of
informing people who prefer idols that make a lot of noise the church is still here,
the Gospel is still being proclaimed and the Spirit hasn’t given up activating good
gifts.
No comments:
Post a Comment