Letters From Grandpa #327

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA

• 327

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will deal with differences. Paul asked the Corinthians: “who makes you different from anyone else?” (1 Cor. 4:7) The answer, of course, is God. It is God who made us the way we are and He has even determined the exact places where we should live (Acts 17:26). When the disciples of Jesus encountered a man born blind they asked: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn. 9:2). Jesus answered: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned . . . but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life”.

I’m sure you have heard of Nicholas James Vujicic. He is a famous preacher and motivational speaker who was born without arms or legs. Until he came to grips with the fact that it was God who made him “different” he wanted to commit suicide. Accepting the way God made him changed everything. Now he has founded his own organization, “Life Without Limbs”. Now he has released motivational films like “Life's Greater Purpose” and “Biography of a Determined Man of Faith”. Now he has written a book titled “Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life”. He earned a film award for his role in “The Butterfly Circus”. He is married, has four children, and his amazing life has been an inspiration to millions. Accepting the way God made him has been key to his success.

Paul’s comments to the Corinthians involved unity. There are not supposed to be any divisions in the Body of Christ but the congregation at Corinth was divided. Paul had been informed by some from the household of Chloe that the church was quarreling. “What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’, another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:12). While everyone in the church at Corinth was baptized (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 12:13), Paul was grateful that he had only personally baptized a few. He didn’t want anyone to say that he had baptized in his own name. The fact that we are baptized is important. Who does the baptizing is not important. The church of Jesus Christ is One Body and it is not to be divided over human leaders! The only foundation for Christian unity is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).

The situation at Corinth was apparently so sensitive that the true identity of the trouble makers was not revealed. Paul explained: “Now brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:6,7).

Again, the answer to the question of who makes us different is obvious. IT IS GOD WHO MAKES US DIFFERENT! God even made every star different from every other star (1 Cor. 15:41), so why should He make every person the same? I am told that every snowflake is also unique. So, even though the Body is One, it is composed of many parts and every part is specifically designed by God for a specific purpose (1 Cor. 12:4-31). Every part, of course, is different! “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”(1 Cor. 12:21). Since it is God who makes us different, there is no reason for anyone to boast or be proud.

Paul wrote the same thing to the Romans: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith

God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members to not all have the same function so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:3-5).

In the following verses (Rom. 12:6-8), Paul lists 7 spiritual gifts: prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leading, and showing mercy. The beauty of this diversity has been illustrated by 7 gifted people sitting at the same table when someone spilled his milk. Each gifted person saw identically the same thing, yet because each person was “different”, they reacted in “different” but appropriate ways.

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The “prophet” spoke and accurately described the problem.

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The “servant” saw the spilled milk and immediately began cleaning up the mess. •

The “teacher” analyzed what had happened and immediately explained how it could be avoided. •

The “encourager” spoke to the one who spilled his milk and gave him comfort. •

The “contributor” took his milk and shared it with the man who had spilled his milk. •

The “leader” immediately began organizing everyone to avoid this problem in the future. •

The one who showed “mercy” put his arm around the man who spilled the milk.

While every person was different and acted differently, they did so because of the different spiritual gifts God had given them. FYI, the word translated as “gifts” in Rom. 12:6 is “charismata”. So every one of these 7 gifts is a “charismatic” gift.

When we eat good food it nourishes every part of our body. That food, however, will nourish our eye differently from the way it nourishes our foot. In a similar way every gifted person understands the Scriptures from a different point of view. Each draws from the same words the particular teaching to strengthen and nourish his or her own spiritual gift.

IT IS GOD WHO MAKES US DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER! SO DO NOT TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT. IT DID NOT ORIGINATE WITH YOU, IT CAME FROM GOD!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce