Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will look at Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, which speaks on understanding the truth regarding spiritual gifts.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. (1 Corinthians 12:1)

Paul's writing is very organized. The first sentence directly points out that the people of the Corinthian church did not understand because they had become accustomed to idolatry and carried many bad habits.

I. The Bad Habit of Idolatry

I personally detest people who worship masters, saying things like, Can Pastor Liu pray for me? Why should I pray for you? I do not want to be a master, not even a small one; I am building the body of Jesus Christ. I will not idly fashion myself into the most gifted pastor in the world and become a famous pastor; that is not what God wants. But many pastors fall into this trap; they themselves have this bad habit. Thank God, He gives me wisdom to know how to build the body of Jesus Christ. I am not here to promote my own name, nor do I want to be famous.

Building the body of Jesus Christ and idolatry are completely different. Why do people worship idols? Because they seek their own name and proclaim their own name. You will never hear me promoting my own name. We read Genesis best; people who promote their own name are building a Tower of Babel. Climbing to the top, they see a dead end ahead; they are going to their death. Building the church is about edifying people and benefiting others, while idolatry is about obtaining one's own benefits. The logic is completely different; it is the difference between heaven and hell.

No one worships a certain master for the benefit of others. If someone thinks worshipping a master is good, I can recommend some. Some so-called masters are very effective. When I was young, there was a very accurate fortune teller near my home. Those who sought her did not ask about world peace, nor did they ask whether a world war would occur, or how to build the body of Jesus Christ. They asked whether they could make money, get rich, or if taking over a place would definitely make money, and the results were quite accurate. If anyone really wants to make money, I encourage you to find such a master. But here with me, I only build the body of Jesus Christ, building God's glorious church and shaping a group of God's people through the church to be a blessing to this era. Building the church comes first, and then becoming a blessing to others follows. You cannot become a blessing to others before building, because the church is God's army, the body of Jesus Christ, so it cannot be built with an idolatrous mentality.

Idolatry is confusing. When the great apostle Peter, who followed Jesus, arrived, people swarmed around him, making it almost necessary for Peter to hire some bodyguards, while also solidifying these people's habit of idolatry. Idolatry mainly looks at who can predict fortunes accurately, who can make people rich, or who can make people famous. Thailand is a very spiritual place. It is said that the Four-Faced Buddha in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is very effective. I am not advertising for idols, just telling the truth. If you want to make a name for yourself, the Four-Faced Buddha is effective. Also, the White Dragon King of Thailand is said to be effective. This is why many actors often worship him. They are definitely not seeking world peace or a ceasefire agreement in Gaza; they are all seeking their own name and their own benefit.

After idolatry entered Corinth, people looked at whose gifts were greater, who was more effective, and attracted a group of followers. Apollos was a great Bible teacher, and Peter was a great apostle and disciple who followed Jesus; they were real. As soon as they arrived, the church was in chaos. They forgot what Paul had taught them and only remembered to form factions, forgetting to build the body of Jesus Christ. I am not humiliating Peter. You can take a closer look; he did not have the logic of building a church, nor the logic of shepherding. Don't just look at what others say; look at what they do. Peter built the church into ruins, which shows that his shepherding was not very good. The only person who admired Peter was Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Mark based on Peter's preaching.

Later, Mark left Peter and followed Paul, because Paul built the church here, while Peter was not a church builder. After careful consideration, it becomes clearer that with idolatry, people naturally begin to form factions. For example, to be an actor, you have to worship this master; to seek promotion, you have to seek that master. This is very attractive. Even today, some of our brothers and sisters still treat me as a master. Now I must tell you that I am not even a small master. We are a faceless, nameless church. You must follow the word of God to stay here.

We don't need a certain person to build a church. If I don't build a church, I can still be a plumber, unclogging toilets for people and charging two hundred yuan. In fact, I am now a plumber. If someone's brain doesn't work well or something is blocked in their body, I will unclog it for you. Traditional Chinese medicine says that if it is not flowing, it is painful, and it will flow after a few unblocks. Building the body of Jesus Christ and building God's church is our work. Don't think you can point fingers and feel that it is only effective if the pastor prays for you. I am not even a small master. Paul is a church builder; the key is that there is the word of God here. If you want to follow, follow the word of God, not the master; people will die sooner or later.

You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed! and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:2-3)

II. The Manifestation of the Holy Spirit in People is for the Benefit of Others

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

If a person can often bring benefits to others in their life, their body is usually very healthy. People have so many illnesses because of selfishness, which is quite harmful. The Holy Spirit manifests in each person to benefit others, while evil spirits manifest in people, seemingly to benefit them, but in reality, they bring harm. Now everyone must eliminate the three harms from themselves, otherwise, they will harm others, harm themselves, and harm Jesus. A sister came among us and her depression was cured because she removed the three harms. She often had the logic of idolatry in her heart, often seeking her own benefit, which is selfishness. After this sister became pregnant, it was terrible; she put down all her work and ministry, only to protect the fetus.

I taught her that the pastor should tell her that a woman giving birth should be viewed like a hen laying an egg. Some people may feel uncomfortable here, but a woman is healthier during pregnancy, but when she thinks about protecting the fetus, something goes wrong, and she protects the evil spirit out. When the evil spirit comes, she will definitely not get better, and she begins to have symptoms of miscarriage. Everyone should listen to my advice. Pregnant sisters should never think about protecting the fetus. This is supported in the Bible. Although the Bible does not say that giving birth is as simple as a hen laying an egg , Exodus does say that the best pregnancy activity for the Israelites was working, and giving birth was easy because they were strong. We also don't see animals protecting the fetus. A lioness is very fierce after becoming pregnant. She has neither miscarriages nor anyone to take care of her. If she is not fierce, she will have no food. Egyptians take care of themselves all day long, but it is difficult to get pregnant, and it is even more difficult to give birth. Now people lack the concept of a hen laying an egg, which is that a woman's body is usually very strong during pregnancy, but it doesn't matter if you don't accept it.

The Holy Spirit manifesting in people to benefit others is the best way to protect the fetus. If the Holy Spirit manifests in a pregnant woman, giving birth will be as easy as laying an egg. Can't the Holy Spirit make it easy for people to give birth? As a result, this pregnant sister prayed to the pastor again and tried many other methods, but none of them worked. She should change her internal logic system. Here I will share a small tip, a trick. The most suitable activity for a woman after becoming pregnant is to squat down and wipe the floor with a cloth. It will be easy to give birth. Many years ago, a girl in our midst suddenly became pregnant. At that time, she served many people and did not care about the pregnancy, and as a result, she gave birth in two hours, very smoothly.

This passage means that the Holy Spirit wants you to be a person who blesses others and benefits others. That is, when we worship idols, we look at whose gifts are great, but now we are not worshipping idols, but worshipping the true God. The true God wants us to begin to imitate God, imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, so that we seek the benefit of others. Don't go worshipping idols again; this bad habit is fully reflected in people. Of course, it is okay if you come to me for service, because this is my job. My most important job is to serve people according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not to boast.

The Apostle Paul's logic system is very powerful. When you serve, you serve well in the name of Jesus Christ, and it has nothing to do with you. What has to do with you is to discipline your body and make it your slave. The I mentioned here is yourself. You must follow the Spirit of God instead of following the flesh. No matter what gifts you have, they are from the Holy Spirit. No matter what ministry you have, it is from the Lord. The Lord, the Holy Spirit, and God are all one. No matter what your function is, there is still only one God, who is to benefit people. Therefore, Christians building God's glorious church is building God's army, so that they can dominate the spiritual world and trample on the enemies of the devil, which is victory.

Victory can release the people suppressed by the devil; this is our work. Don't compare gifts, ministries, and functions; compare services, what problems you have solved, and how many problems. Don't be arrogant, and don't think you are great, because your service to others is actually done by the Spirit of God. You should know that it is a grace that God uses you. The miracles God performs through your hands are not your credit, but God's credit. Remember not to say that you serve others so much, how can this person be so ungrateful? Because serving them is what God wants us to do to benefit people.

Then today, often ask yourself who has benefited, so repent and often ask yourself why you have not benefited others for so many years, and only benefited yourself. I once served a person who had hemorrhoids. He had surgery in the hospital, but the wound was not easy to heal. Whenever he was in pain, he would ask me to pray. I didn't sleep much those two days. After praying with him, he fell asleep, but I still had things to do. After doing things for more than an hour, he was awakened by the pain again, so I quickly continued praying for two hours. I also thank God. If I hadn't prayed with him, I wouldn't have prayed so much. Otherwise, I would be bored praying there for a while when I had nothing to do. He was a small group leader, but when the people he shepherded came to him, he didn't answer because of the hemorrhoid surgery. I said that the surgery was not done on his mouth, his butt hurts but his mouth can still be used. He could open his mouth when calling me to pray all day long, so I am very clear that people will definitely hurt when they only care about themselves. As a result, he called an hour later and said he was better. After serving others, he didn't hurt anymore.

Bringing benefit to others is God giving you benefit. If you are for your own benefit, God will not give you benefit. This summarizes a very important truth, which is never be selfish. If you are a cancer patient, know that most cancer patients are selfish. People who have cancer and are still alive now must listen to my advice: in any case, follow the Holy Spirit's manifestation in you to benefit others.

III. All These Things are the Work of the Holy Spirit, Distributing to Each One Individually as He Wills

Paul is teaching the Corinthians to understand the truth of spiritual gifts. In fact, spiritual gifts are given to people according to the goals God wants to achieve, note, the goals that God wants to achieve, not your goals. Therefore, we brothers and sisters must know that serving God is the best thing in the world, because our benefits come from God. If we work for others, and compare the chairman to God, then what a grace it is for us to be senior executives under the chairman. God never deducts people's salaries, and constantly increases them.

Therefore, the statement that everything is the work of the Holy Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He wills, has misled many people. They think that it is given as the Holy Spirit wills, not something we can ask for ourselves. However, this is not the case. For example, if a person is very eager to serve, then God will give him this gift. After giving the tools to this person, the efficiency of service will increase exponentially. God gives according to the desire in people's hearts. If you have a desire to preach the gospel, to live, heal the sick, cast out demons, teach, or shepherd, then God will give you these. Don't think that I give you a lot; God gives me much more than I give you, because God gives me according to my desire and thirst for service, which is to edify people.

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that

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## IV. The Body is One, But Has Many Members

> For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-21)

Building the Body of Christ is building a glorious church. Unity is key. It is not about you needing me, or me needing you, but that we all need each other because God put us together to be one body, the Body of Jesus Christ. Do not think that because you have this gift, you are greater than others. We must care for one another, as this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Unity is key. On our church’s path forward, overcoming the spirit of disunity is a difficult battle.

Among us, who is building the church? Tell me, how do you build unity? Drive out disunity, and unity will be achieved. Some fear that if disunity is driven out, nobody will be left in the church. To this day, I maintain this conviction: even if I am the only one left, I will still do it, because it is God's will. A former colleague, who was helping in another church, also came to help me. I felt this was not right. If you are not helping in your own church, and instead come to help me, I do not need you to seek attention. I was frank and told him to either stay or go back. Some said he contributed a lot of money in offerings each month. Make no mistake, it is not for the money, but for God's will.

Today, it is also not for the money, but to build a glorious church. The work of the Holy Spirit is certainly to make us a unified whole. If a hand grows six fingers, it is called six. If a church is built, only to find it has three heads and six arms, then something is definitely wrong. Building a church must be according to God's will, building the Body of Jesus Christ. The key is whether this church bears God's image. This is clearly stated in the Bible. No matter where you are, as long as you read the Chinese version of the Bible, it is generally the same. Regardless of the translation, the basic principles will not change. When I contracted COVID-19, I received a message from another pastor, who had also contracted COVID-19, saying he had recovered. At that time, I was still unwell, experiencing breathing difficulties and fever. I quickly repented, feeling envious of the recovered pastor. He also wrote an article, feeling that the church should be the loving home of God. Later, his church was filled with strife. With two kingdoms within, they would certainly clash, exhausting him greatly.

Therefore, to build a unified church, if one builds a church of factions and strife, the founder will be held accountable for not building according to God's word. A few days later, I learned of his death. After recovering from his illness, he wrote a letter expressing his hope that there would be no strife in the church. How did he die? Because he built a church that was not according to God's will. Building a church according to man's will cannot be good. It would be strange if demons did not come. We, who serve God, must serve according to God's will and long for Him according to His will. Remember, it is not we who build the church, but Jesus Christ who will build His church on this rock. We are merely vessels of God.

Build according to God's will. The body is one, yet it has many members. You cannot say you do not need any of them. Among us, there should be no looking up to one and looking down on another, because we belong to one body, come from one Spirit, and partake of one bread and one cup. We eat the Body and Blood of Jesus, and what we pursue is unity. But if one is carnal, they will certainly be dealt with. Those who do not deal with their flesh will certainly create strife in the church. Anyone who wants to try creating strife here can come and contend. The end result will be either deliverance or being taken away by demons. This is the mystery of spiritual gifts, the truth of spiritual gifts. Many churches preach about spiritual gifts in a chaotic manner. Do not believe in those things anymore, because they will ultimately bring much strife.

## V. Those Members of the Body That Seem to be Weaker Are Indispensable

> On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:22-27)

Do not think that pastors building churches are glorious. Just ensuring people do not run away is enough, like wearing the emperor's new clothes and still feeling glorious. When Paul wrote this, he was likely not influenced by any literary figures. A well-known literary figure wrote a poem called Pissing, which is about several people pissing together. But as we all know, not being able to piss will ruin you. Do not look down on such poems.

Do not be divisive. I often say, do not think that this member is better than that. Pissing may not sound great, but not being able to piss is a serious problem. It is a matter of life and death, just like not being able to shit. Do not think that only the eyes or ears are great, or that only the hands are skillful. If anything goes wrong with the internal organs, it will be enough to cause great suffering. Some like to eat large intestines, and they should understand that while they may not be honorable, they are very important. Therefore, when building a church, you must have an overall concept: if one member suffers, all members suffer together; if one member is honored, all members rejoice together. This is the crux of the matter.

From different churches, or if you are currently building your own church, what do you think? Among us, there is no high or low status. Do not think that those who contribute more offerings are great, as it is all given by God. David spoke of offerings as giving back to God what we received from Him. This is not great at all; it is what we should do. Therefore, when we build a church, we find that I care very much for those who are weak. So, we invented a system of logic: serving is grace, and serving is not for the sake of those being served, but for the sake of those who serve.

The more I serve, the more grace I receive. Serving those who are weak, we who serve are like parents. Have you noticed that parents especially cherish children with disabilities? Building a church should be the same, because they are here to bless us. We must indeed deal with their carnal habits, their idolatrous mentality, and their worldly logic. Among us, there are those who are weak. It is not false that we care for them. We serve according to God's word, and it is all God's grace.

I often painstakingly exhort everyone, wanting to guide everyone to God. I once said to God that His will is that none of His flock should be lost. I asked God to have mercy and give me the same heart. No matter how weak a person is, my job is to build them up. In fact, when someone is very weak, they need us to give them more faith. If we do not have it, we should quickly learn it. We should long for and desire these spiritual gifts, and then God will give them to us. We can then build up the faith of these weak ones. One day, God will commend us as good and faithful servants. However, that is just my hope. Whether God commends me or not is not up to me. You will find that when we serve, there is really no distinction between rich and poor. We are to build the Body of Jesus Christ.

## VI. The Church is the Body of Jesus Christ

Regardless of your position, or which part of the body you are, or what function you have, it is all to be built according to unity. Building the Body of Jesus Christ must be according to God's will, and material things will not be lacking. Our God is an extremely wealthy God. The problem lies in whether we have a wealthy mentality. To this day, we are still constantly exploring how to solve the problems of weak members and seeking wisdom. There are still many problems that have not been solved. For example, parents are certainly very concerned when their child does not do well in school. We have made a significant investment in studying how to help these children. Although they did not do well in compulsory education, they are not unintelligent. Some brothers and sisters are upset, and I am too. We cannot solve the problem, and we do not know what to do. But by constantly thinking of solutions, one day God will bestow these gifts upon me so that I may have the opportunity to edify you and benefit you. This is my dream.

The church is the Body of Jesus Christ, a place to distribute blessings, to give benefits to brothers and sisters rather than to take benefits from them. I have been training my colleagues, and I regret to tell you that no matter how much I train them, I still feel that my own abilities are not enough. I must truly long for spiritual gifts. My own two brushes are simply not enough, and it makes me anxious to the point of tears. With such longing, can God not give me gifts? He has given me some, but there is still much that I do not know. The secret of growth lies in knowing that you are not capable, otherwise you are not a growing person. If you are not capable, you must long for it. Do not have delusions about spiritual gifts and walk like worshiping idols.

You must understand the truth of spiritual gifts. Chinese Mingding Destiny has a very good secret: this matter is not done right by oneself. This is also my catchphrase. People around me often ask why I am frowning. It is because I feel that I have not done it right. You must really feel that you are not capable, and I really do not feel that I am very capable. Looking at those problems that cannot be solved is very painful, and it is like enduring the pains of childbirth again.

If I tell someone that there is something they are not good at and need to learn, and they respond by lashing out at me, I do not blame them afterward. Instead, I feel that I have not done it right, that I have made a wrong judgment, and that I must build up each person according to their faith. Recently, I called to serve one of our sisters. Many companies are laying off employees, and she is having a hard time finding a job. She has not changed her bad habits either, so I have to speak indirectly, otherwise it would be very hurtful. I have practiced the art of speaking a lot.

> Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)

At the end of this chapter, Paul mentions greater gifts. What are these greater gifts? Are the gifts mentioned above not great enough? The greater gift is to seek the gift of building the Body of Jesus Christ. I have a simple logic. For many years, I have been a career planner helping people grow and improve. The most important concept for a person is to do the current thing well. That is the greatest gift. If you cannot do the current thing well, then change to another. If you still cannot do it well, change again. In the end, you will become someone who accomplishes nothing. Do not think that the problem is caused by the environment. It is actually caused by ourselves. Do the current thing well. Even if you are a brother or sister with a very small gift today, you must do the current thing well. Otherwise, if you cannot do these things and still say that you want to be an apostle, it will definitely not work. In that case, it would be more suitable to perform a five-stroke whip like Ma Baoguo, only to be directly knocked out as soon as you step on stage.

Do not be unrealistic. Be down-to-earth. If you often do things that you cannot do, you will definitely be very tired. If we do not know how to do something, we should first learn it step by step and do the things we know how to do a little better. If it used to take us an hour to do something, we will improve our efficiency and finish it in half an hour. In the past, what things have we improved in efficiency, what problems have we solved, and how did we solve them? A few days ago, I was chatting with someone and said that I can make four dishes and a soup in 20 minutes. This is not an exaggeration at all. If you do not practice regularly, you will definitely be able to do it once you get started. It is all from past practice. Later, I said that it could also be done in 10 minutes, because the method had changed. Cleaning the bathroom takes two minutes, guaranteeing it will be wiped clean. Later, it became 30 seconds, because it had just been cleaned yesterday. The point is to tell everyone whether this is what you are pursuing. Some say that what they are doing is not wrong, but it is too slow, too clumsy, and lacks gifts.

You must earnestly desire spiritual gifts. God has given me many gifts. If you want me to teach you how to do housework, we can open a housework class in the future. In the past, when I worked, I had to wear formal attire, clothes that needed to be ironed, otherwise I would look foolish. I could iron clothes very quickly. The point is that if you spend 10 hours doing something today, packing it full, then you are doing it wrong. If you improve efficiency and finish it in just 5 hours, then you have improved efficiency by 50%. If you work 8 hours a day, there are still 3 hours left. I can give everyone a demonstration, because the method of doing it is different.

Building the Body of Jesus Christ greatly needs gifts. These gifts come from wisdom. If you are self-righteous, you cannot improve. I often have small disputes with one of our colleagues. I say that what he is doing is wrong, but he insists that he is doing it the right way and has also solved the problem. What I mean is that doing it that way is very slow and tiring. After demonstrating it to him, he still insists that his method is also fine. The problem is that his method is too tiring. But if I continued to talk, we would start pulling hair and grabbing collars. Thank God, God has given me a lot of gifts, allowing me to not only finish the work but also do it quickly. For example, making dumplings is not about slow work producing fine results, otherwise, the skins will stick together after an hour.

Therefore, you must earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Paul, in the end, pointed out that the most important thing in building the church and building the Body of Jesus Christ is love.

> But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Some gifts belong to the realm of faith, some belong to the realm of hope, and some belong to the realm of love. Love is the greatest. We will share to here today. Do you now understand the truth of spiritual gifts? Originally, I had some things to say, but I am afraid that others will say that I am always talking about the problems of other churches. In fact, many churches have very serious problems with gifts. They pursue gifts all day long and establish all kinds of prophets, all of whom are approved by the senior pastor of the church. This is troublesome.