So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3 NLT
Paul suggests to the believers in Corinth that they should “earnestly desire the most helpful gifts”. We know that in the previous two verses, he listed apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, those who speak in tongues, and those who can interpret messages given in tongues, but these are not the only gifts necessary to help a local church or fellowship function. So what are the “most helpful gifts”? If we pause for a moment and think of our expectations prior to attending church on a Sunday, what comes to mind? Social interactions? A chance to worship God in a corporate setting? Or something else? One important benefit of going to church is that there we will hear what God wants the people in the congregation to hear. Some helpful teaching that will help us on our journey, perhaps. Or a prophetic challenge to unconfessed sin. Or a directional word from a visiting apostle. Perhaps these are the most helpful gifts. But we mustn’t minimise the other gifts.
“earnestly desire the most helpful gifts”
There may be someone in our congregation who needs a miracle, perhaps for healing or some other reason. But whatever the “most helpful gifts” are, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to “earnestly” seek them. In our churches today, how can we determine which gifts are the most helpful for us individually? We will only find out by seeking God in prayer, persevering until He provides an answer. And we know from the example of Moses, it might be many years before God finally blesses us with a greater gift. A person’s character must be able to handle one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
Paul then teased his audience with the thought that there is something else, that is good, or even better. This is “a way of life that is best of all”. We have to turn the page and read one of the most well-known chapters in the New Testament. It’s all about love. Not the sloppy or sentimental “love” that we often find on our screens and in books. Paul used the word “agape” when writing in this chapter, referring to the love that churches need to bind themselves together. A more detailed definition is: “Agape is a Greek term for a selfless, unconditional, and spiritual form of love that seeks the well-being of others without expecting anything in return. It is often associated with the love of God for humanity and is demonstrated through sacrifice, such as the Christian belief that Jesus died for the sins of others. In a broader sense, it refers to a profound love that is not dependent on emotion or circumstance and extends to all people, even enemies”.
“To love one another“
Paul starts 1 Corinthians 13 with the thought that it doesn’t matter what language we use; if what we say isn’t said in love, then it is just noise. The Apostle John wrote much about love, and we read a bit from 1 John 2:7-8, “Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather, it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. “To love one another” was at the heart of John’s message to the churches that read his epistle, and that message has resonated with congregations ever since. Many difficulties in churches today can often be traced to a lack of love. Yes, the liturgies can be wonderful. The minister may be a gifted speaker. The worship band and the songs sung can lift the congregation’s spirits right to the rafters. But at the end of the service, and in too many churches, everyone leaves to go to their homes, and none of the issues that a loving church should be dealing with are even considered or prayed about. Hurting people come to church, and the same hurting people leave it at the end of the service, hurt intact and people still hurting.
And so we pilgrims, look out for those in our churches who may be struggling with some issue or another. We must not rely on their openness, or lack of it, when we mingle with the congregation before and after a meeting. We ask our Heavenly Father to reveal to us those people who He knows have a need, and we remain open to being the ones who meet the need. That’s what the love that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 13 is all about.
Dear Heavenly Father. We know that attending church is not just about singing hymns and saying prayers. We seek Your heart for those around us, and pray that Your love will prevail through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 