There’s a simple lesson in 1 Corinthians 12: we’re not all the same! Profound.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ( 1 Corinthians 12.4 – 7, ESV)
To EACH is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. We could write a month of blogs on that alone. Church members generally believe that to the clergy a manifestation of the Spirit is given. But it’s EACH.
Paul goes on to use the human body as an analogy. No one part is sufficient. Sometimes football announcers are careless in attributing too much significance to the quarterback. If the “big uglies” on the front line don’t block for him, he’s worthless. If his receivers can’t get open and catch the ball, he’s worthless.
Our new friend Rod Carew from yesterday’s blog on focus has something to contribute to this discussion. Jason Gay asked him why the Major League batting average is so low. Rod’s response was clear: everyone is trying to be a home run hitter:
They’re trying to get everyone to hit the ball out of the ballpark, whether they can do it or not. These kids aren’t using their heads and understanding what kind of hitter they are.
Luis Arraez with the Twins started off good, hitting the ball all over the place. Then all of a sudden, he hit a few home runs and started swinging up. I was in Minneapolis and I spoke with him: “What are you doing? Hitting six to seven home runs is not going to be of any value to you. Getting base hits and getting on base and scoring runs, that’s where your game is. Don’t fall into the trap … trying to lift the ball and hit home runs.” – Rod Carew, as reported by Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal, August 18, 2022, emphasis mine
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (1 Corinthians 12.18, ESV)