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Paul opens 1 Corinthians 13 using hyperbole, a common Hebrew communication tool intended to draw your attention to a specific point. Keeping this common writing style in mind will free you from trying to keep impossible standards and instead enjoy the profound points being made by Jesus and His followers that bring life to the hearer.

The Body of Christ is one body, made up of many members. No gift, or member, of the body is better than another. In fact, every single member is designed to assist every other member. In Christ, you have nothing to prove. Be the best version of yourself and your gift will be evident to all. The immature works hard to prove they are gifted. The mature proves they are gifted by working hard.

It’s not “doing the gifts” that saves you or proves that you’re saved. These gifts are intended to demonstrate and clarify the essence of the Father, as seen in Jesus. As the Church consistently and relentlessly teaches who we are because of Christ, we will no longer struggle with finding our gift. Rather, we’ll enjoy the best parts of ourselves being the gift.

The list of gifts from the Holy Spirit is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a list of examples – ways in which we communicate Jesus as the Christ to the church and the world. Instead of adding pressure for believers to identify their gifts we should maximize their awareness of the Christ in them. Growing in your identity in Christ will always result in clearer reflection of Him in...

Having the “mind of Christ” doesn’t mean you think thoughts like Jesus thinks. Nor does it mean your memory is better than average. Instead, it’s Paul saying that the mystery of Christ has been made known to the Apostles, who can now teach all believers just how marvelous this new covenant is!

The revelation of God’s mystery, kept secret since the dawn of time, does not result in greater physical or temporal knowledge. Instead, His mystery is revealed in the crucified Christ. Through the NT epistles we come to find that the mystery of God is explained by the profound plan to save not just Israel, but the entire world from sin!

In this New Covenant, God’s power is demonstrated in the death of the Christ. This is an utter contradiction to how humanity would expect triumph to come, and entirely supports God’s plan for salvation to come by faith alone, with no credit given to the flesh.

Jesus is the wisdom of God in the flesh. God’s plan of salvation culminated with the death of Jesus, bringing to fruition the world’s long-awaited salvation through the Christ. The world considers death a foolish strategy when promising life. Yet God chose something so foolish that righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness could only be received by faith.

God has entrusted the communication of His precious Gospel to the mouths of humans. In turn, He insists that ministers get the new covenant message right. Instead of bringing a diet of “wood, hay, and straw” (traditions of men), we must be preaching “gold, silver, and marble,” declaring the pure and undefiled heart inherited by the believer because of the work of Jesus as the Christ.

Throughout the Old Testament God promised a Messiah, who would bring an end to the devastating effect of sin. Jesus is the fulfilment of that promise. Receiving Jesus as the Christ is drinking in the rain from heaven, bringing eternal life. Rejecting Jesus as the Christ bears nothing but the fruit of eternal death. Let’s drink the rain!

Jesus is the solution to the mystery of God’s plan of salvation. The symbols hidden in the Old Testament about the Christ are revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus, proving Him to be the Christ. A diet of Milk is for those not yet convinced that Jesus is the Christ. The believer, however, should enjoy Solid Food, resting in the reward of righteousness - Granted entirely on the merits of Jesus...

The Gifts of the Spirit are not simply a list of goals that believers should try demonstrating for 60-120 minutes on a Sunday morning. Instead, they are the steady and consistent output through those who know what God has done in them. As the Church grows more confident in who Christ is in them, the result is an equipped Church, genuinely representing Jesus to the world.

If you add up all the gifts of the Spirit, the sum will always equal “Jesus being lifted up.” This is the ultimate message of every church service and should be the highest purpose for believers to gather!

The gifts of the Spirit communicate the profound and unheard-of truth of Christ to the church. Each gift constantly speaks to the marvelous works of God completed by Jesus. They strengthen our common faith in who Jesus is, and embolden us to live life to the fullest.

When the gifts from the Holy Spirit are seen in the Church, the result will be a clearer understanding of who Jesus is. Ultimately, these gifts show the character of God and point people towards the ultimate conclusion that a New Covenant has arrived, replacing the death with life, and sin with righteousness.

You have been given “a measure of faith” – that is to say, a part to play in the body of Christ. It’s a marvelous honor and sobering thought that God trusts us to communicate His Gospel to the world. Let’s do it with diligence and unmistakable clarity!

The Feast of Pentecost is the official kickoff of God’s greatest season of harvest – that’s this era of Grace! Every believer is now completed in Christ, having received the promise of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost has come, so let’s celebrate the Inauguration of Grace!

Jesus is the very first person to inherit eternal life, literally never to die again. By calling something the “first”, it holds that more like it will follow. So, by Christ being the first to receive eternal life you can be absolutely confident that you will follow in like manner!

Jesus removed the influence of sin in the life of the believer. Living the unleavened life is realizing that you have been freed from the influence of sin forever, being made right with God by Jesus’ ultimate act of love. Recalling the monumental ransom that was paid for you is all the reminder you should need to offer your life as a constant reflection of thankfulness!

God didn’t leave any detail out of His plan for redemption. Before time began the planning of redemption was underway and Jesus played His role perfectly, making it our logical expression to worship God with our very lives!

As the sound of God’s Promise (your righteousness) grows louder and louder, you’ll notice the accusations and distractions of the world around you grow weaker. Keeping the gift of Christ as your focus has the inevitable effect of pointing you back to the abundance of peace and grace you already have in your spirit.

As the revelation of your perfect righteousness continues to grow in your heart, an amazing transformation begins simultaneously – your behavior begins to shift towards reflecting your true identity.

As you grow in your understanding of just how extravagant God’s grace is, your logical response is to live a thankful life, reflected in your lifestyle. Align your mind to what Jesus has done in you and stop worrying about how to prove your love to God.

God’s riches are found exclusively in His extravagant gift of grace. He has promised you all the riches of heaven at no cost to you. As your heart grows in understanding the scope of this gift your response for the rest of your life becomes a logical expression of worship.

The most extravagant gift in the universe has been given to you. The logical response of our lives is to worship the God that chose to freely pardon us from our sin. What’s left to do once your sin has been removed? Do was Jesus said, and “Go in Peace”!