Tawa Baptist

Leadership & Administration

Scripture: Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28

Video Link: https://youtu.be/8qs2bj1tBlg

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 14 Dec 2025 – Leadership & Administration by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Administration
  • Leadership
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Max Lucado once wrote: A person who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.

The conductor does not follow the crowd; they follow the music. They cannot afford to worry about what others think; they must stay focused on leading the orchestra, helping all the different musicians to play their part in harmony.  

Over the past two or three months we have been considering the spiritual gifts Paul mentions in Corinthians and Romans. Gifts like prophecy, teaching, helps, tongues, marriage, singleness, wisdom, knowledge and so on. Today we conclude our series on spiritual gifts by taking a closer look at the gifts of administration and leadership.

If we think of the church like an orchestra, then those with the gifts of administration and leadership are like the conductor of the orchestra, helping the various members of the church to use their gifts in harmony with each other. Let us begin then with the gift of administration. From First Corinthians 12 we read…

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Most of you would remember the TV show MASH. MASH stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. MASH was a dramatic comedy set in the Korean war of the 1950’s. One of the lead characters in MASH was Corporal Radar O’Reilly.

Corporal O’Reilly got the nickname ‘Radar’ because he always sensed when the choppers were coming with wounded before anyone else did. Radar was not an officer or a doctor. He was the hospital’s administrator. He filled out forms and basically kept the organisation running smoothly.

We could say Radar was the ‘under the radar’ leader of the MASH unit. He was like the conductor of the orchestra except he wasn’t seen up front. Without Corporal O’Reilly the MASH unit would not be able to function. It was a running gag that a Corporal (and not a Colonel) was actually running the place.

In Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the church being like a body with many different parts. Each person in the church is a part of the body of Christ and just as each part of a body has a special function, so too each believer has a special gift. We need each other to be different or else the church will not function as it should.

One part of the body Paul mentions is those with the gifts of administration. We might not think of administration as that spectacular but, in any organisation, it is essential to have people who can organise things.

The alternative would be chaos.

A church without administrators would be like an orchestra without a conductor. It would be like a MASH unit without a Corporal O’Reilly, or an aircraft without a pilot.    

In fact, the Greek word translated as administration, in verse 28, literally means the work of a ship’s pilot. The ship’s pilot is the one who steers the ship through rocks and shoals to safe harbour. [1] Modern Greek uses the same word for an aircraft pilot. [2] 

The work of an administrator then is the work of steering the church in the right direction, keeping it on course, avoiding dangers, recognising the changing weather and adjusting accordingly.

Bible commentator, David Prior, observes (and I paraphrase here)…

The pilot / administrator knows the capabilities of their craft and crew.

They know who to call on at which moment. They do not panic nor relax their vigilance. They are focused on the goal of reaching journey’s end safe and sound.  

The gift of administration carries the idea of giving guidance. The guidance may be for an individual or for the church as a whole.

Joseph, the son of Jacob (in Genesis) was a gifted administrator. Joseph rose to the position of chief steward in Potiphar’s house. After being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was sent to prison where he was put in charge of the other prisoners due to his administrative skills.

Then, after being released from prison, Joseph gave guidance to Pharoah (king of Egypt) and Pharoah put Joseph in charge of the administration of Egypt’s entire economy. Joseph, a man with a God given gift for administration, piloted Egypt through a severe famine, saving millions of lives from starvation.      

It is interesting that Jesus chose at least one tax collector (Matthew – aka Levi) among his disciples. Tax collectors are administrators. They are good at keeping records. Matthew’s gift with admin bore fruit in his recording of Jesus’ teaching, giving us the gospel of Matthew.

The infamous gangster Al Capone was, in the end, caught and put away by an accountant, someone good at administration. Through a meticulous investigation, forensic accountant Frank Wilson uncovered evidence of tax evasion and, in October 1931, Al Capone was convicted of tax fraud (through Frank Wilson’s guidance).

There is a lot of administration in running a church these days, way more than when I started. Much of the administration is driven by keeping up with statutory compliance. There are quite a few people in this church who provide guidance by assisting with administration behind the scenes.

We have the deacons board of course, but also the finance team and the health & safety committee, as well as Brodie, in the church office. Pastoral staff have a significant administrative element to their work too. Administrators provide information that is helpful in guiding our decisions.

Let me say thank you to the administrators among us. We need your skill and attention to help steer the church and keep us off the rocks. It is not glamourous work, but it is necessary for the right functioning of the body.

Let me also say, administration is no less ‘spiritual’ than some of the more dramatic (or supernatural) gifts. The same Spirit who empowers the prophet also empowers the administrator.

We come across an example of good administration in the early church in Acts chapter 6. From verse 1 we read…

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jewsamong them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Three things we note here. Firstly, the apostles did not try to do everything themselves. They recognised their gift was not administering food to widows, so they delegated this responsibility to others who did have the gift.

Secondly, the apostles empowered the congregation to choose their own administrators. And the congregation chose mostly Hellenistic Jews. That is, Greek speaking Jews. Jews who were born and raised outside of the land of Israel. Because these administrators were Hellenistic Jews, they had a better understanding of the needs of the Hellenistic widows who were missing out.

Thirdly, the apostles commissioned the seven administrators by laying hands on them and praying for them. In doing this the apostles were demonstrating that administration is spiritual. It is a function carried out with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As a consequence of this wise administrative move, the apostles were released to preach the gospel and the church continued to grow.   

Leadership:

Closely related to the gift of administration (or giving guidance) is the gift of leadership. In Romans 12, verse 8, Paul writes…

8 If [your gift] is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.  

The Greek word translated as lead (in verse 8) is proistēmi. It literally means ‘to stand before’ and thus to influence others. That is, to cause them to follow a recommended course of action. [3] To lead, in other words.

Leadership is more than administration. A leader doesn’t just provide guidance. A leader embodies the guidance. They stand before others. They go first, modelling by their actions the way people are to follow.

Seth Godin puts it this way…

‘The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.’

There is quite a bit in this pithy statement. Firstly, a leader does what they believe in. This implies authenticity. The leader is not faking it. Nor are they just talking about an idea. They are deeply committed to what they believe in.

They live their beliefs.

Painting a picture of the future is about giving people hope. Someone once said, ‘leaders are dealers in hope’. If you are asking people to change, then they need to believe the change will be worth it. They need to be convinced the future will be better for having made the change.    

Going there, is about being the change you want to see in the world. Leadership involves influencing people by what you do. Deeds speak louder than words. Leadership means showing as well as telling.

To be convincing then, a leader needs to be authentic, they need to offer hope and they need to lead by example. Ultimately though, what makes a person a leader, is people who will follow. Without followers one cannot really call themselves a leader.      

Being the first one to do something, taking the lead, requires a certain courage.    The courage to turn your back on the crowd, to risk rejection and humiliation, to do things differently, to cut a new path for others to follow.

One of the greatest leaders of all time was king David, king of Israel. Before he took the throne, while he was still a callow youth, David showed Israel the leadership they needed at that time.

David acted on his belief that the God of Israel was stronger than the enemy. David painted a picture of the future by defeating Goliath with a stone and a slingshot. David was a dealer in hope. He had the courage of his convictions.

He led by example, and people followed him.

But one even greater than David has come. His name is Jesus. Jesus cut a new path; he redefined leadership in terms of service to others. Jesus did not come to conquer Israel’s political enemies. Rather, Jesus conquered humanity’s spiritual enemies by going to the cross. Jesus overcame sin and death.  

Jesus is our leader. He suffered rejection and humiliation, betrayal and loneliness. But God vindicated Jesus by raising him to eternal life on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection paints a picture of what the future looks like for those who follow him in faith.

Now the examples of David slaying Goliath and Jesus conquering sin and death may feel a bit out of reach for us. They might also give the false impression that leadership is an occasional, isolated act of heroism.

Leadership does require courage and going where others have not been before, but the day-to-day reality of church leadership is less dramatic than that.  

Returning to Romans 12. Paul says that those who lead should do so diligently.

The definition of diligence is ‘careful and persistent work or effort’.

David learned how to use a sling through diligent practice as a shepherd defending his sheep. Likewise, Jesus went to the cross after 33 years of careful and persistent obedience to God the Father.

Leadership requires the energy to give our best every day and in every situation for the wellbeing of the community. If you are in the habit of serving diligently by giving your best in the routine small things, then when a trial by fire comes you will be better equipped to deal with it.

One of my favourite jobs when I was younger was splitting firewood. It is incredibly satisfying to bring an axe down on a willow ring and feel the wood come apart. Not so satisfying when you get a knotty piece though.

The trick with splitting wood is not holding the axe handle too tight or too loose. If you hold the axe too loose, it will fly out of your hands. But if you hold it too tight, you will get blisters faster and you will feel the shock through your arms more sharply. You have to hold the axe handle with just the right amount of tension.  

Diligence is about holding the handle of leadership just right, not too loose, not too tight. If you are a bit slack in your approach to leadership, you risk losing a handle on what you are doing. Likewise, if you are too up-tight (too white knuckle obsessive in your approach) then you risk burning out and making everybody else’s life a misery.

The Pharisees were hyper diligent in their observance of the law of Moses and it got in the way of people loving God and loving their neighbour. We need to keep the main thing the main thing. Diligence is a fine balance.

One of the things that sets Christian leaders apart is that we are followers first.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Solon, is credited with saying…

‘He who has learned how to obey will know how to command.’

Before we can lead anyone in the Christian faith, we must first learn to obey Jesus. Our authority to lead others comes from our obedience to Christ. Christian leaders are disciples of Jesus first. Indeed, if we take on the mantle of leadership, we don’t stop being disciples. We continue to take our lead from Jesus himself.    

When we look at the leaders of the early church, they were actually following the Spirit of Jesus, not their own inclinations.

In Acts chapter 10, the apostle Peter received a vision from heaven with a sheet containing all sorts of unclean animals. Then he hears a voice telling him to eat the animals.

At first Peter was shocked and appalled, saying ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean’. And the voice spoke again saying, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean’.

Long story short, the Lord wanted Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles and to the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, in particular. More than that, the Lord wanted Peter to lead the way in showing the mainly Jewish Christian church that it was time to welcome Gentiles (non-Jews) into the fold.

This might not seem like a big deal to us, but it was huge for Peter and others at the time. Peter was being asked to turn his back on the crowd and on Jewish tradition. But Peter found the courage to obey Jesus, to follow the Lord’s lead, and now the Christian church is made of people of all nations.   

The other thing we note about Christian leadership is that it is usually plural.

In the New Testament, Christian leaders don’t normally stand alone. They stand together and make decisions together.    

The famous baseball player Babe Ruth once said: ‘The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.’   

In Acts 15 we read how some Jewish Christians were insisting that Gentiles who wanted to become Christians must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses. Then in verse 6 we read how the apostles and elders met to consider the question.

Peter did not try to handle this on his own. He got the other church leaders together to discuss the issue and together they found a way forward.

Conclusion:

This morning we have been talking about the spiritual gifts of administration and leadership. These gifts are no less spiritual for being down to earth and practical. Maybe you have one of these gifts. Maybe God has gifted you in some other way.

Charles Schultz (of Charlie Brown fame) once wrote: ‘Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.’

God doesn’t just give us one gift. He is generous. He normally gives a number of gifts. What gifts has God given you? How are you using these gifts?

Let us pray…

Gracious God, thank you for the gifts you have given your people. Help us to understand how you have equipped us and where you want us to serve. Glorify yourself through our strengths and our weaknesses we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What does Paul mean by the gift of administration, in 1 Corinthians 12:28? What does a good administrator do for an organisation? Is this your gift?
  3. Discuss / reflect on Seth Godin’s comment: ‘The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.’ By this definition, who has had a significant leadership role in your life?
  4. What qualities or characteristics does a leader need to possess to be convincing?
  5. What does it look like to lead with diligence? Why is diligence important in leadership?
  6. What are some of the distinctives of Christian leadership?
  7. What gifts has God given you? How are you using these gifts? 

[1] Refer William Barclay’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 129.

[2] Refer David Prior’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 221.

[3] Refer Marva Dawn’s book, ‘Truly the Community’, page 131.

Tawa Baptist

Practical Helps

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Video Link: https://youtu.be/u8-QxbcMRtI

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 30 Nov 2025 – Practical Helps by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Service
  • Giving
  • Mercy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

It’s almost summer. Our trees and hedges are growing faster now. They will need a trim soon.

For many years I trimmed my hedges by hand, with a pair of manual shears.

It’s a bit of a workout and some of the branches are bit tougher to cut through. About a year ago I was given a petrol hedge trimmer. It is more powerful than my manual shears, and way quicker, like a hot knife through butter.

Both tools get the job done. One just requires a bit more time and effort that’s all. As much as I like my power tools, they are not suitable for every job. I still use my manual tools for certain tasks. Both are needed.  

Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts. Most of the gifts we have looked at so far (in Corinthians 12) have been like my petrol hedge trimmer, they are like power tools, enabling you to accomplish more than you could by hand. Things like prophecy and discernment, healing and miraculous powers, as well as tongues and their interpretation. However, Corinthians 12 is not the only list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament.

In Romans 12 Paul has another list of spiritual gifts, most of which are more like manual tools (like my hand shears), more basic, requiring time and effort from us. Let’s read then from Romans 12, verses 3-8…

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with yourfaith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Some of you here may enjoy watching superhero movies. Films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Justice League, the Avengers and so on. One of the themes running through many of these movies is that no one person can do everything on their own. We are better together.

The individual superhero (whoever he or she is) inevitably comes to the realisation that, despite their special abilities, they cannot fight evil by themselves. They need to work together with others who have different abilities in order to save the world.

And this is Paul’s point in Romans 12. Each member of the church (the body of Christ) has a different gift. Some have a power gift and others have a manual gift. But all the gifts are needed for the body as a whole to function. No one individual can do everything on their own.

We (as the church) don’t need to save the world. Jesus has already done that. Rather we need to think of ourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has given us. In other words, we should not try to do it all ourselves. We need to understand our gift and exercise it in a Christ like way.     

In Romans 12 Paul lists seven gifts: prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and mercy. With the exception of prophesying, which is a power gift, the other six gifts are more like manual tools. They are what we might consider regular or everyday abilities. But that does not diminish their value. They are still spiritual gifts given by God.

Today we focus on the gifts of serving, giving and mercy. These three go together. They could be thought of as practical helping gifts. What then do we mean by serving?

Serving:

The gift of ‘serving’, mentioned in verse 7, originally meant ‘waiting at table’. Like someone who cooks your meal and brings it to you. The kind of service in view here is usually of a personal nature. It could mean mowing the lawns, making tea & coffee or looking after someone’s children. Any practical thing that helps other people.

Jesus described his own intention in terms of service and urged his followers to emulate him. For example, in Mark 10 we read: whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As a demonstration of serving, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet at the last supper, the night before his crucifixion and death. Although serving others may seem quite menial and mundane, we never know how God might use our acts of service.

In John 2, Jesus instructed the servants at a wedding to fill six stone jars with water, each holding 20 to 30 gallons.

This was heavy time-consuming work. The servants had to get the water from the well. They couldn’t just turn on a tap. Backwards and forwards carrying water. Mundane manual labour. And yet these servants participated in Jesus’ first power miracle of turning water into wine.   

Now there is more than one way to understand the gift of serving. We might think of the gift of serving as an enhanced ability possessed by certain individuals. Some people are better wired for doing manual tasks. They think in a practical way. Working with their hands to solve practical problems just comes naturally to them. They enjoy it.   

We might also think of the gift of serving as an opportunity provided by God for a specific situation. Have you ever found yourself in the right place at the right time, with the right resources to help someone in need? Maybe a little thing like carrying their groceries or giving them a ride when they had been walking in the rain or fixing their car.

You might not always give them a ride or carry their groceries or fix their car, but on some specific occasion God gifted you with the opportunity to help someone and in helping them trust was strengthened and God’s love was shown.

As many of you know, Robyn and I recently took time off work to support our parents. For months I could see the day was coming when they would need our help and so I had been praying that God would allow us to honour our parents in their time of need.

God answered my prayer. Our time in Tauranga supporting parents was a gift of service to them. In between managing various crisis’s, we were cooking, cleaning, mowing, shopping and doing whatever practical tasks needed doing. It was a privilege. We got to be there for our parents and help them.

At the same time some of you helped us in practical ways also. Ewan led a couple of services for me. Brodie picked up some of the tasks I would normally do in the office. Angela mowed our lawns and Maddy weeded our vege garden. Others of you helped in different ways too. We received your practical help as a gift of service.

As followers of Christ, we are people of the way. It is not just the act of service that is important but also the way we serve. We are to serve in the way Jesus serves, with grace and humility.

Exercising the gift of serving requires more than simply having the time and skills to help others. It also takes a special understanding. The ability to sense what is helpful without needing to be told. Knowing when to serve and when to step back. Serving in a way that touches a person’s heart with God’s love.

In his paraphrase of Romans 12, verse 7, Eugene Peterson (author of the Message) says: ‘If you help, just help, don’t take over’.

The point is, whenever we exercise our gifts, we need to be careful not to overstep the mark. All the gifts have a potential shadow side. One danger with serving is that we might do too much for the other person. We might create a dependency or rob them of the joy and dignity of doing it themselves.

While it was a privilege to serve our parents, I would not still want to be there now. That would not be good for them or us. There is a time to serve and a time to let people do for themselves.      

Giving:

Giving is closely related to serving. Giving means contributing to the needs of others. Making donations of money or food or clothes or whatever is needed.

Giving may be of a personal nature, from one individual to another, or it could be giving to support an organisation or a worthy cause. Jesus gave his life for us.

Giving (like serving) is a responsibility everyone has. Some people feel freer in themselves to give than others though. Marva Dawn puts it this way…

“One who is gifted with liberality gives generously not because they have much to give, but because they have a freer understanding of possessions and their importance.” [1]

If we truly believe all that we have is a gift from God and is his in any case.

And if we believe this life is not all there is, then we come to value material possessions in right proportion. It’s not that money does not matter. Money and possessions serve a helpful purpose in this life. But you cannot take it with you when you die.   

In Matthew 6 Jesus says: 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Giving out of love for others has eternal value.

We are people of the way and as people of the way we are to exercise the gifts we have been given in a way that reveals something of the character of God. Generosity is a characteristic of God and so we are to give generously.

Again, in Matthew 6, Jesus says this…

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Generosity is not only about the amount we give, but also about our intent.

To give generously is to give with simple kindness. Giving for the sheer pleasure of giving. Giving with pure motives, not for leverage or optics.

When the kids were young, we used to grow Dwarf beans over summer.

The remarkable thing about Dwarf beans is the more you pick them the more they grow. If we went away on holiday to the beach and stopped picking our beans for a couple of weeks, they would stop producing. 

If we wanted beans when we came back from holiday, then it paid to ask someone to keep harvesting them in our absence, then the plants would still be giving a crop for weeks after our return.

God is generous. He gives us more than we need. When we share our excess with others, he has a way of making our crop fruit for longer.

Every gift has its shadow side. Giving should never become a substitute for justice. Giving large sums away to strangers, at the expense of your family, is not being generous. It is neglect. Being generous includes taking care of those closest to you.

If you are an employer, then pay your workers and your creditors fairly and on time. Justice is better than charity.    

Mercy:

The last gift in Paul’s list in Romans 12 is mercy. Last but not least. Showing mercy is about helping people in distress. Lifting people out of a hole. Doing something for someone they cannot do for themselves. The good Samaritan (in Jesus’ parable) showed mercy to the wounded man on the side of the road.

Jesus showed mercy on the cross when he said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. Forgiveness is an act of mercy. Saving someone from shame or embarrassment is an act of mercy. Donating blood (or a kidney) is an act of mercy.  Doctors and nurses and home care workers are all agents of mercy.

Mercy includes acts of service and giving generously to those in need. There is considerable overlap with these three.

One of the reasons we went to Tauranga was to support Robyn’s dad who was having hip surgery. I took Malcolm to the hospital around 11am on a Friday. He was scheduled for his hip replacement at 1pm.

Malcolm went through all the pre-op checks with the nurse, then got changed into his (elegant) hospital gown and we waited… and waited… and waited… (like the Mainland cheese ad.) They say waiting is the hardest part, but that’s not true. Waiting is the second hardest part.

1pm came and went. 2pm came and went. Eventually, they took us through to the pre-op lounge, which is a room with lots of lazy boy chairs in it. The last room you wait in before being taken to the operating theatre.

Just before 3pm a different surgeon (not my father-in-law’s surgeon) came and told us a more urgent case had come in which meant Malcolm’s surgery had to be postponed. It was not the surgeon’s fault. The health system is under a great deal of pressure. You know the story.

My father-in-law was in a lot of pain. Bone grinding on bone. He had been on the waiting list for over a year. To get this close and be told you have to wait even longer, that was the hardest part.

This was out of our hands. We had no power, no agency in this situation.

We were at the mercy of strangers. They took us back to the waiting room we had been in before, the one without the lazy boy chairs. We sat in silence collecting our thoughts, nursing our disappointment, silently praying.  

Fifteen minutes later the surgeon who had given us the bad news came back and told us he had managed to pull together a team and, although Malcolm was not his patient, he would do the operation instead. This was the best part.

The surgeon and his team showed us mercy. They went the extra mile for us.  Who knows how many hours they had worked that week. We thanked the surgeon and Robyn’s dad had his hip replacement done, the last one that day.

I have no idea whether the doctor who operated on Robyn’s dad was a professing Christian or not, but he did show us mercy in a Christlike way.

He was willing to do the surgery. He cared about people and wanted good outcomes for his patients. He was not irritable or grumpy about it. He showed us kindness and compassion.  

Jesus said, blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.

Mercy is about the right use of power. To be able to show mercy you have to be in a position of power, relative to the person in need.

We are not all surgeons. We may not find ourselves in a position to help and heal like doctors and nurses can. As we get older, we may feel more and more like we are at the mercy of others.

Nevertheless, there will inevitably be times in our life when we are entrusted with power and have the opportunity to show mercy. In the same way the gift of service can be circumstantial, so too the gift of mercy can be circumstantial; an opportunity provided by God for a specific situation.

When it is in our power to help someone in distress, we are to recognise that opportunity as a gift from God and exercise mercy cheerfully. We need to keep our eyes open for the opportunities God provides to help others and be quick to respond.

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard about the gifts of practical helps, including serving, giving and mercy. These may be manual gifts, requiring some time, effort and sacrifice from us, but they are no less important and no less spiritual than the more spectacular power gifts.

What opportunities has God given you to serve, to give and to show mercy?

Let us pray…

God of love, we thank you for the different ways you have gifted each of us. Grant us eyes to see our neighbour in need, skilful hands to serve, generous hearts to give and a cheerful spirit to show mercy. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. How are the spiritual gifts in Romans 12 different from the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12? How are they similar?
  3. Discuss / reflect on the two ways of understanding the gift of serving mentioned in the sermon.
  4. Have you ever found yourself in the right place at the right time, with the right resources to help someone in need? What happened? How did you feel?   
  5. What does generous giving look like? How might you know if someone has the gift of giving?
  6. Can you think of some examples of showing mercy? Perhaps from the Bible or from your own experience.
  7. What gift has God given you? What opportunities to help others and glorify him?

[1] Marva Dawn, ‘Truly the Community’, page 126.

Tawa Baptist

Tongues & Ears

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:10c and 14:1-25

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ibVvwZdyxMg

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 19 Oct 2025 – Tongues & Ears by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of tongues
  • The gift of ears (interpretation)
  • The gift of making sense
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today I thought we could start with a little experiment. How many of you here can roll your tongue into a tube shape, like this? Give it a try.

Apparently, the ability to roll your tongue is a genetic trait. You either have the gene, or you don’t. If you cannot roll your tongue, then don’t feel bad. There is no shame in it. You are not less in any way. Rolling your tongue does not make you a better person; it is simply a mildly entertaining party trick. You would not choose your friends based on whether they could roll their tongue or not.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. So far, we have heard about the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, as well as faith, healing and miraculous powers. Last week we heard about the gifts of prophecy and discernment, but this week we focus on the gifts of tongues and their interpretation.  

The gift of tongues:

Some of the Corinthians believed if you could speak in tongues then you were incredibly spiritual. And conversely, if you did not speak in tongues then you were a second-class Christian.

For these Corinthian believers the ability to speak in tongues was the Everest of spiritual gifts, there was nothing higher in their minds. If exercising spiritual gifts had been an Olympic sport, then those who spoke in tongues would have got the gold medal every time.

This thought is wrong of course. In some ways, the gift of tongues is like being able to roll your tongue. It does not make you superior. Just as you would not judge a person’s character based on whether they could roll their tongue, so too you would not judge another person’s commitment to Jesus based on whether they spoke in tongues.    

It appears some of the Corinthians may have been using the gift of tongues like a party trick (to show off) during their gathered worship. In First Corinthians 14, Paul seeks to correct the exaggerated importance the people of Corinth had placed on speaking in tongues. From verse 1 we read…

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tonguedoes not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Before we dive into the detail of Corinthians 14, we should probably clarify what Paul means by speaking in tongues? In his book, ‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’, Michael Green gives this definition: “Tongues is the ability to speak in a language that the speaker has not learnt and does not understand…”

The language may be a human language unknown to the speaker, or it could be a spiritual language, maybe the tongues of angels. Either way it sounds like gibberish to anyone listening. Tongues is (for most people) unintelligible.

However, it is understood by God. Indeed, tongues is given by the Holy Spirit so people can speak to God. Far from being a cheap party trick, tongues is a deep form of prayer and praise to God. To speak in tongues is to engage in a kind of intimate communion with the Lord.   

Paul draws a contrast between prophecy and tongues. With prophecy, God is speaking directly to people. Whereas with tongues, the individual is speaking directly to God. Prophecy is meant for people and tongues is meant for God.  

So did Jesus pray in tongues? We do not know. We do know Jesus went off to spend time alone in prayer with God, but we cannot be sure if tongues was ever part of his personal devotional time. Maybe it was. But then again, perhaps Jesus enjoyed a different kind of communion with God the Father?

In Mark 16, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus did predict that some of his followers would speak in strange tongues. This in fact happened shortly after on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2 we read…

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 

At Pentecost the apostles spoke to God in languages they had not learnt and did not understand. On this occasion the people who heard them could understand because the tongues were spoken in their native language.

There have been some occasions in more recent times when people have spoken in tongues and someone from another culture recognised the words from their own language. But that does not always happen. The gift of tongues is not always given in a human language.

Returning to First Corinthians 14, for Paul, the gift of prophecy was more valuable than tongues, because prophecy edifies the whole church, whereas tongues (without interpretation) only edifies the individual believer.

The word edify simply means to build up or strengthen. In what sense does speaking in tongues edify the one speaking? Well, Paul does not go into details on this point, which means we are left to our own experience.

In his commentary on Corinthians, David Prior suggests some possible benefits of speaking in tongues during your private devotions. These include a particular sense of God’s presence (that feeling of closeness with God), relaxation from tension, strength to cope with pain, and experiencing a greater freedom in your prayer life (being able to praise God with free abandon). [1]  

I know one pastor who uses tongues to prepare himself for spiritual ministry. It’s a way of getting into the zone. For him, speaking in tongues is like a warm-up exercise before taking to the field or its like tuning into God’s frequency so he can better hear what God might be saying.

Others believe there is a psychological benefit to speaking in tongues. Morton Kelsey (a theologian and psychotherapist) writes: “Speaking with tongues is one evidence of the Spirit of God working in the unconscious and bringing one to a new wholeness, a new integration of the total psyche, a process which the church has traditionally called sanctification.” [2]

He may be right. To use the Russian dolls metaphor, with tongues one of the deeper parts of yourself may be talking with God and in the process being reconciled to one of the other parts of yourself.  

This is not to say that speaking in tongues should be accepted blindly or without caution. There is a demonic counterfeit to speaking in tongues. Pagans have their own version of tongues, which does not involve praising God.

How then do we know if the tongue we are speaking is genuine or on the level? How do we know we are not just spouting gobbly gook or even worse, cursing God? Well, like any of the spiritual gifts, tongues is exercised by faith.

If you love Jesus, if you are directing your spirit toward God in an attitude of prayer and praise, when you speak in tongues, then you can trust the Holy Spirit in good faith. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans…

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

If speaking in tongues edifies you personally, if you find it helpful in your private devotions, then you are probably on the right track.

There was quite a damaging heresy circulating during the second half of the 20th Century that unless you spoke in tongues you did not have the Holy Spirit and therefore were not a real Christian. This is complete rubbish.

Just because some Christians speak in tongues, it does not automatically follow that all Christians must speak in tongues. As Paul writes in First Corinthians 12…

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord… 

So, if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. There is more than one way to pray and serve God. Find your way.

The gift of ears:

I started the sermon this morning by asking whether you could roll your tongue. Apparently, most people can roll their tongues, upwards of 65% of the population in fact.

But what about wiggling your ears? How many of you can move your ears independently, without touching them with your hands? Give it a go.

According to the internet, only 20% of the population can wiggle their ears. And, like rolling your tongue, it is a genetic trait. You either have the gene or you don’t.

Again, there is no shame in not being able to wiggle your ears. You are not inferior in any way if you cannot wiggle your ears. Your value as a human being comes from being made in the image of God, not ear wiggling.

Now at this point you might be wondering, ‘I thought today’s message was about tongues. Why is he talking about ears?’

Well, the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues is really the gift of ears. Technically, the Bible does not use the phrase, ‘the gift of ears’, but in practical terms Paul is saying the church at Corinth need to use their ears more than their tongues. Tongues need interpreting in gathered worship.

Not only do ears enable us to hear, so we can understand, ears also help with balance. The Corinthians had got the spiritual gifts out of balance. Paul wanted to restore the balance.

What exactly is the gift of interpretation then? Well, the interpretation of tongues is not a literal word for word translation. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows that a particular word in one language do not always have a corresponding word in another language. Often you have to go with a word that approximates the meaning as closely as possible.

The one giving the interpretation, therefore, is summarising; giving a kind of paraphrase which communicates the sense of what the Spirit is saying. 

Another thing to note is the interpretation is usually related to God’s response. It is not necessarily a translation of what the speaker said in tongues.

Tongues is an effusion of prayer and praise to God and interpretation is hearing God’s response to that. This means the interpretation of tongues is effectively a form of prophecy and as a form of prophecy it needs to be tested by the community of believers.

The interpretation of tongues and prophecy both require the gift of ears.

You cannot give an interpretation or a prophecy without first hearing from God.

Paul takes some time to emphasise the importance of the gift of ears.

From First Corinthians 14, verse 6 we read…

6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 

In these verses Paul compares speaking in tongues with the sound a musical instrument makes. Music is its own kind of language (music speaks to our spirit) but for the language to make sense the notes need to be arranged properly.

Speaking in tongues without interpretation (in the context of gathered worship) is like playing an instrument without distinct notes. It is both unpleasant and pointless for those listening.

Kenneth Bailey observes how the pipe and the harp are instruments that invoke tranquillity and soothe the troubled soul. They bring peace and harmony.

By contrast a trumpet directs the troops in the midst of battle… How disastrous, if at the critical moment, the troops did not know whether to advance or retreat. [3]

The gift of ears, to interpret God’s response to tongues, should bring peace to the troubled soul. Likewise, the gift of ears to hear a word of prophecy from the Lord, should give clear direction so the church knows what to do in the spiritual battle we find ourselves in.

Okay, to recap so far: The gift of tongues is best exercised in private devotions for the edification of the individual. But if tongues are spoken in the context of gathered worship, then there needs to be someone present with the gift of ears to interpret.  

Following this line of thought, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God. 

The gift of making sense:

Some people think spiritual gifts are a bit woo woo, a bit flaky, a bit out there.   

They imagine a massive divide between things cerebral and things spiritual.

For them, spiritual stuff is intellectually soft or irrational. Chalk and cheese.

But this is not how Paul saw it. For Paul, it wasn’t either / or. It was both / and. Mind and Spirit.

Embracing the gifts of the Spirit does not mean discarding rational thought. We are to love and worship God with our whole selves. As Paul writes in verse 15…

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

We need to remember our purpose. One of the main purposes of gathered worship is to edify the church. As we read in verse 12: Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

To paraphrase Gordon Fee: The point of corporate worship is not personal experience. The point is building up the church.[4]

This means when we come together to worship God on a Sunday, we don’t go into our own little bubble for a private emotional experience. No. We are mindful of God and of those around us. We are thinking ‘we’ not ‘me’.   

When gathered worship helps others in their faith, when it creates connections and strengthens unity, then we put a smile on God’s face.

Gathered worship is like playing a team sport. When you are on the field you have your eyes on the ball and on your team-mates. If you have the ball, you look around to see who you might pass to. And if you don’t have the ball, you think about how you can support your team-mate who does have the ball.   

And if your team-mate drops the ball or misses the goal, you don’t shower them with criticism and contempt. You lift them up with your words and reassure them they are still part of the team.

Off the field you might have your own individual training programme to improve your fitness and performance, but on the field, you stay in your position ready to play the part the team is relying on you for.

Glorifying God in our gathered worship goes hand in hand with edifying the church. With this in view Paul reminds his readers to be aware of those on the fringes who may be watching our worship. From verse 23 we read…

23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Not everyone who comes to church on a Sunday is a committed Christian. Some may be interested in Christianity and are here to check it out. If we act a bit too strange or use language which excludes those on the margins, well that does not glorify God. That potentially turns people away from Jesus.

Having said that, I don’t think anyone could accuse this congregation of being too woo woo. If anything, we could probably afford to be a little less reserved in our worship.  

Conclusion:

This morning we have learned about the gift of tongues, the gift of ears and the gift of making sense.

The gift of tongues can be helpful in one’s private devotions, but in gathered worship tongues needs the gift of ears. Tongues needs to be interpreted.

In line with this thinking, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God.  

Let us pray…

Gracious God, bring the understanding you want to edify the church and glorify yourself. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Can you roll your tongue? Can you wiggle your ears? Whether you can or can’t, what difference does this make to you?
  3. What is meant by speaking in tongues? How is this different from prophecy or any of the other spiritual gifts? Why does the Holy Spirit give the gift of tongues? What purpose does it serve?
  4. Do you speak in tongues? If so, is this helpful to you? In what way? If not, how do you commune with God?
  5. What is the gift of interpretation? Why is the gift of interpretation important?
  6. What is the purpose of gathered worship? Why is it important that what is said in gathered worship makes sense?
  7. Where is your mind when you are worshipping God? How might we hold together the mind and the spirit in our worship?

[1] Refer footnote in David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 240.

[2] Morton Kelsey, ‘Speaking with Tongues’, page 222, quoted in David Prior’s commentary, page 246. 

[3] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, page 393.

[4] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, 1 Corinthians, page 667.

Tawa Baptist

Prophecy & Discernment

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:10b and 14:29-33 and Isaiah 50:4-8

Video Link: https://youtu.be/wI5nRcJp3fM

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 12 Oct 2025 – Prophecy & Discernment by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Prophecy
  • Discernment
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

On the wall in the Sprig & Fern (here in Tawa) they have a daily word puzzle on the blackboard. The board is divided into nine squares with a letter in each square. The letters are jumbled. The goal is to rearrange the letters to spell a word.

Last time we were there the letters spelled ‘bumblebee’. The three e’s and three b’s made it quite tricky. Because it’s a Sunday morning and because I’m kind, I have set something a little less challenging. What word can you spell with the letters: R T S I P L A U I ?

To give you a clue, our current sermon series features this word. [Wait]

That’s right, ‘spiritual’, as in spiritual gifts.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts by focusing on the gifts of prophecy and discernment. From First Corinthians 12, verse 7 we read…

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits…

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Prophecy:

Here’s another word jumble for you. What nine-letter word do the letters: R T P E P O H C I spell? Again, the clue is in today’s sermon. We are focusing on one of these spiritual gifts this morning. [Wait] That’s right, ‘prophetic’.

Prophetic is the adjective and prophecy is the noun. I had to go with prophetic because prophecy only has eight letters. As I said earlier, one of the spiritual gifts we are looking at today is the gift of prophecy. So what is prophecy?

In the Bible, prophecy is a direct message from God for a particular situation, and a prophet is someone who can conveys a message from God. With prophecy, God is communicating directly with people, through people. 

Often the prophet communicates God’s message using words, like when Jesus told his disciples plainly that he would be handed over to the authorities to be killed, then on the third day be raised from the dead. Or when Isaiah predicted the return of the exiles using poetic words and parables.

If the circumstances of the world in which we live look like a jumble of misplaced letters, the prophet is divinely inspired to rearrange the letters into a word which makes sense of a particular situation.

Other times though, when words don’t seem to penetrate the hardness of people’s hearts, the prophet communicates God’s message using signs, like when Jeremiah wept for Jerusalem as a sign of the city’s coming destruction. Or when Jesus cleared the temple of merchants and money changers. That sign conveyed the message that God was not happy with how corrupt the temple system had become.

We could say the prophet is like a sign language interpreter. Unlike most people, who are deaf to God’s word, the prophet can hear God’s voice and communicate what God is saying in a language the rest of us can understand.    

Divinely inspired prophecy is timely. Messages from God are usually relevant to some issue in the present, but at the same time, the message draws on God’s saving activity in the past and has real implications for the future.

For example, when Jesus fed the 5000 in the wilderness, he was making a prophetic statement which was timely. The feeding miracle reminds us of the past when Moses led the people of Israel through the wilderness after their exodus from slavery in Egypt. But it also says something vitally important for the present and the future: Jesus is the new Moses who comes to enact a new kind of exodus, setting people free from slavery to sin and death.  

The Bible is peppered with prophets, both men and women from the Old and New Testaments. People like Miriam and Moses, Deborah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Huldah, Daniel, Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist and the daughters of Philip the evangelist, to name just a few.

Sometimes the message from God was a word of judgement (a warning to repent) and other times it was a word of hope (an encouragement that salvation was coming).

Isaiah had this to say about prophecy…

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;

These verses tell us the prophetic message comes from the Lord God Almighty. It is not something the prophet dreams up themselves. The prophet spends time listening to God in order to understand what God wants them to say. 

We also note the purpose or Kaupapa of prophecy: to sustain the weary.

In the context of Isaiah, the weary are most likely those who are oppressed by injustice and exhausted from the suffering caused by wrong-doing. The weary are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

When the weary hear the prophet say that God is going to bring an end to injustice and judge the oppressor, this gives the people hope and strength to endure.

We should not miss the fact here that prophecy is a double-edged sword.

The same word that sustains the weary also rebukes the powerful. A word of hope for one is a word of judgment for another.

Isaiah goes on to say…
I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near.

These verses show the courage and obedience of the prophet in declaring God’s message to a hostile audience. You see, the prophet has a choice.

The prophet has some say over when and how they communicate the message God has given them.

Of course, when you speak truth to evil people, you can usually expect some push back. The prophet’s message is not benign or ambiguous. The oppressor understands clearly what the Lord is saying through the prophet and the prophet suffers for their obedience in speaking the truth. You need a thick skin to be a prophet.

Whatever suffering and humiliation the prophet may endure, they know in their heart of hearts that God is near. A specific word from the Lord makes God’s presence felt. The prophet has complete faith in God to vindicate them by making their message come true.

These verses from Isaiah are talking about Jesus. Jesus is the greatest of all the prophets, for Jesus fulfils the law and the prophets. Jesus set his face like flint as he confronted the corrupt religious leadership of his day and went to the cross in obedience to God the Father. And God vindicated Jesus by making his words come true and raising him from the dead.

Okay, so if prophecy is a direct message from God, then does that mean preaching is prophecy? Is what I’m doing now a prophetic message from the Lord for you? Well, preaching and teaching from the Bible can sometimes be prophetic, but not usually.

Often you listen to a sermon and go away thinking, that was interesting. I now have a better understanding of what that passage of Scripture means and how it applies to my life. The sermon is helpful, and it nourishes your faith, but it does not necessarily contain a direct prophetic word for your specifically.

Occasionally though you will listen to a sermon and something in the message, maybe an illustration, maybe a verse of Scripture or a particular phrase, whatever it is, resonates with you at a deeper more personal level. Perhaps it comforts you or maybe it cuts you to the core. Either way, something in your spirit knows that God’s Spirit is communicating with you directly.       

You might go away from the sermon thinking the preacher had some kind of inside knowledge on your life. How did they know?  

Let me reassure you, I am not a prophet. I do not know what goes on in your life beyond what you share with me. Even then, I don’t remember everything you tell me. My experience in life is different from yours and so the connections I make with Scripture are likely to be different from the connections you make.

Besides, I don’t target individuals in my preaching. That is not who I am.

Having said that, God does know what is going on in your life and he may well speak to you personally through the sermon, without the preacher being aware of it. In that situation the sermon has become a prophetic word for you. If that happens you need to listen and ask God to confirm his message.

Jesus’ preaching often had a prophetic quality. I think of the sermon on the mount when Jesus gave us the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. And so on. Talk about words to sustain the weary.   

Okay, to recap so far, prophecy is a direct message from God for a particular situation. Prophets communicate God’s message using words and signs. Divinely inspired prophecy is timely. And prophecy is a double-edged sword; it sustains the weary with hope and it convicts the oppressor with judgement.   

The implication here is that a genuine word of prophecy is life giving.

As Jesus said, people cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.   

By the same token, false prophecy can be extremely harmful. And so prophecy needs discernment.

Discernment:

Here’s another word to unscramble. (This one comes with a picture clue.)

What two words can you make with the letters R T S E U S Q E A? (Wait)

That’s right, Set Square.

A ‘set square’ or simply a ‘square’ is used by carpenters and engineers to check whether something is square. If the angle is not straight or true, the set square will reveal this. It will also show you when the object you are measuring is true.

Some tools get the job done. Hammers, screwdrivers, saws, they all make stuff happen. Other tools, like set squares, measuring tapes and spirit levels are needed to ensure the job is done properly.  

Prophecy is like a hammer or a screwdriver or a saw. Prophecy makes things happen. Discernment is more like a set square or a spirit level or a measuring tape. Discernment is needed to check how true the prophecy is. Discernment tells you whether you can rely on the prophecy or not. Prophecy needs discernment.

In First Corinthians 12, verse 10, Paul lists the spiritual gift of distinguishing between spirits alongside the gift of prophecy. Distinguishing between spirits is about discerning the spiritual origins of something. It’s about measuring whether or not something is from the Holy Spirit or the human spirit or an evil spirit.  

For example, in Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 

Here Jesus exercises the gift of discernment. Jesus distinguishes between spirits. He identifies Peter’s statement as coming from God the Father in heaven.

Just a few verses later, Jesus goes on to say he must suffer and die and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Once again Jesus exercised the gift of discernment. Jesus distinguished the origin of the spirit. Peter’s words on this occasion did not come from the Holy Spirit. Peter may have meant well, but he was not aware that his good intentions were tempting Jesus to disobey God the Father.

Years ago, when I was training for ministry in Auckland, I asked my mentor, Walter Lang: what is the most important spiritual gift for a pastor to have? Walter had served as a church minister for 40 years. Quick as a flash, Walter said, ‘discernment’.

I knew Walter from his time at Hamilton Central Baptist in the 80’s. In those days during worship, people would come out with a prophecy or a word of knowledge. Mostly, these words were encouraging or at least relatively benign. But there were one or two occasions when Walter had to stand up and say, ‘No, that was not from the Lord.’ Like prophecy, exercising the gift of discernment requires courage.

However, discernment is not just an individual gift. It is a shared gift. Discernment is like a measuring tape; just as you often need two people to hold the tape, one at each end, so too you need more than one person to discern the truth.

Walter recommended I share matters for discernment with others in church leadership, rather than trying to solve everything on my own.     

In First Corinthians 14, Paul gives his readers some practical instructions for the handling of prophecy in gathered worship. From verse 29 we read…

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…

Verse 29 talks about weighing the words of prophecy carefully. The Greek word translated as weighing carefully comes from the same word used in chapter 12 for distinguishing between spirits. It means to discern or judge rightly. [1]

The point is, we should not blindly accept all prophecy. The Spirit filled community of believers need to weigh and test prophecy to determine if it is true.

In verse 31, Paul talks about the purpose of prophecy being to instruct and encourage everyone in the church. Prophecy should edify and build up the community of faith. This echoes Isaiah’s thought that a word of prophecy sustains the weary.   

David Prior suggests several criteria for discerning whether or not a word of prophecy is legit… [2]

Firstly, does it glorify God? A genuine prophetic word turns our hearts and minds toward the goodness of God; it makes God larger (or more real) in our awareness. But if the word spoken promotes someone or something else over God or makes God smaller (or less real) in our minds, then it is not from the Holy Spirit.

Another question to ask in the discernment process is: Does the prophecy align with Scripture? For example, if someone says Jesus will return at such and such a time, we know the prophecy is false because Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour of his return. But if someone brings a word to encourage the church to act with justice and generosity to the poor, then we know it is in line with Scripture.  

We might also ask: Is the speaker in control of themselves? In First Corinthians 14, Paul instructs prophets to wait their turn and conduct themselves in an orderly way. If the speaker is unwilling to listen to others in the church, if they insist on talking over others, if they are ranting or manic, then what they have to say is not likely to be from the Holy Spirit.

Does the prophecy build up the church? In other words, does the message spoken encourage and help other believers? Does it strengthen faith in Jesus and calm fear? If the word spoken undermines the unity of the church or causes people to mistrust each other, then it is not from the Holy Spirit.

I would add one other test and that is the test of peace. Let peace be your guide. By peace, I mean a sense of rightness, a certain resonance that what is being said rings true, even if it is a bit challenging or confronting.

If you have a check in your spirit, a little red flag in the back of your mind, that you cannot quite put your finger on, then listen to your instinct. It could one of two things…

Either the prophecy is true and the problem is with you, in which case peace is found by accepting the prophecy and obeying God. Or the prophecy is false and the Holy Spirit is warning you to steer clear of it, in which case peace is found by rejecting the false prophecy.

If in doubt, ask God to reveal whether the problem is with you or the prophet. He will answer a prayer like that.

Conclusion:   

Hearing from God is vitally important for Christian faith. Prophecy is one of the ways we hear from God. However, prophecy needs discernment. The gifts of prophecy and discernment function best in community with other believers. So…

24 …let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

There is a lot more we could say about prophecy, but that is enough for now.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, thank you for the many ways you speak to us. Fill us with your Spirit that we may hear you more clearly and obey you more faithfully. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is prophecy? What is the purpose of prophecy? Why is prophecy important?
  3. How might a prophet receive a message from God? How did prophets in the Bible communicate God’s message?
  4. Have you ever received a prophetic word, either for yourself or for someone else? What was the word? How did this word come to you? What did you do about it?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between the gift of prophecy and the gift of distinguishing between spirits. Why does prophecy need discernment?
  6. How might we discern whether a prophesy is from the Holy Spirit or not?
  7. Why is it important to exercise the gifts of prophecy and discernment in the context of Christian community?  

[1] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, First Corinthians, page 596.

[2] Adapted from David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 251.

Tawa Baptist

Faith, Healing & Miracles

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:9-10a

Video Link: https://youtu.be/XLsvppBdCtQ

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 5 Oct 2025 – Faith, Healing & Miracles by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of faith
  • The power of faith
  • The obedience of faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Three weeks ago we began a new sermon series on spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are like tools, given by God to help the church. We need a variety of different tools because not every job is the same. A hammer is good for driving in nails but you need a screwdriver to work with screws.

Steve, the clock maker, in the TV show The Repair Shop, sometimes uses tools handed down to him from his grandfather. More than once, I’ve heard him say how working with these tools is like holding his grandfather’s hand.

Working with the gifts of the Spirit is a bit like holding the hand of God our heavenly Father. It is not something to be afraid of. It is a warm connection.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. There are any number of ways in which the Holy Spirit equips the church. Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts by focusing on the gifts of faith, healing and miraculous powers. From First Corinthians 12, verse 7 we read…

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers…

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Three weeks ago, we heard about the gifts of wisdom and words of knowledge. Our primary focus this morning is the gift of faith. However, it is difficult to talk about faith without also including the gifts of healing and miraculous powers. These three go together; they feed and nourish each other.

The gift of faith:

Let us begin then with the gift of faith. What is faith? Well, at its heart Christian faith is the capacity to trust in Jesus. For example, trust in Jesus’ righteousness. Trust in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Trust in Jesus to provide for our needs. Trust in Jesus to justify us.

Faith for Christians is like rope for a mountain climber. Just as a climber trusts their rope to hold them, so too we trust Jesus to keep us from falling.

Or faith is like an oxygen tank for a scuba diver. Faith in Jesus keeps us alive when we are overwhelmed and feel like we are going under.

Faith might also be compared to a key. Faith unlocks the door to peace and it locks the door against fear and anxiety.  

Okay, so that is faith in a basic sense, but is that what the apostle Paul means by the gift of faith? Most people agree Paul has something more in mind here than basic faith in Jesus. The gift of faith refers to industrial sized faith.

To paraphrase one commentator, the gift of faith is a heroic belief in the supernatural, an unshakeable inner assurance that God can overcome any difficulty. [1]

The faith to move mountains, not just climb them. The faith to part the sea, not just swim underwater. The faith to mend broken relationships and end wars, not just calm our personal angst.   

Or to put it in more poetic terms: ‘Faith is the bird that knows the dawn and sings while it is still dark’. [2] This is the kind of faith that steadfastly believes God can make good things happen, even when there is no evidence to support belief.  

In Luke 7 we read about the faith of a Roman Centurion. This army officer had a servant who was gravely ill and about to die, so the Centurion sent messengers asking for Jesus to come and heal his servant. From verse 6 we read…

Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Apparently, the Centurion had the gift of faith. This Roman army officer had a heroic belief in the supernatural, an unshakeable inner assurance that Jesus can overcome any difficulty. The Centurion knew the dawn was coming with Jesus and his faith sang while it was still dark.

George Müller was another man who had the gift of faith. George lived in England during the 19th Century. He cared for more than 10,000 orphans throughout his lifetime and provided Christian education to more than 120,000.

According to Wikipedia, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God.

If the orphans had a need, Müller prayed in faith that God would provide and God did provide. On one occasion, thanks was given for breakfast when the pantry was empty. As they finished praying, the baker knocked on the door with enough fresh bread to feed everyone, and the milkman gave them fresh milk because his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage.

In his diary entry for 12 February 1842, George Müller wrote: “A brother in the Lord came to me this morning and, gave me two thousand pounds for furnishing the new Orphan House … Now I am able to meet all of the expenses. The Lord not only gives as much as is absolutely necessary for his work, but he gives abundantly. This blessing filled me with inexplicable delight.”

George Müller had the gift of faith. What we notice here is that faith produces more faith, and delight. Faith is like a seed; even a little can bear far more fruit than one expects or imagines.

The power of faith:

Okay, so the gift of faith is something more than the basic faith needed for salvation. The gift of faith acts as a channel or a vessel for the power and provision of God.

If we think of the power of God like water, then the gift of faith is like a fire hose which carries and directs the water of God’s Spirit.

Or if we think of the power of God like wind, then the gift of faith is like the sail which catches the wind of God’s Spirit moving us where God wills.     

The gifts of healing and miraculous works are practical expressions of God’s power. What then does Paul mean by the gifts of healing and miracles?

Well, healing is just what it sounds like, the restoration of good health for body, mind, soul and spirit.

In the ancient world, people did not have the medical knowledge that we have. There were no anti-biotics, no immunotherapy and no ultra-sounds. They did not have much in the way of painkillers either. Therefore, the sort of healing in view in Corinthians 12 is most likely the kind that comes by divine intervention.  

That said, we would not want to exclude medical science. Advances in medical research are one of the ways God continues to heal people today. We don’t have to choose between faith and science.

We accept what medical science has to offer and we pray for God to heal at the same time. Sometimes God heals using science, sometimes he heals by supernatural means and often by a combination of both.  

Miraculous powers cover a broad variety of supernatural phenomena.

Like when Jesus walked on water or turned water into wine or cast out evil spirits or multiplied the loaves and fishes. Or when Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake on the Island of Malta and suffered no ill effects. Or when Elijah raised the widow’s son from the dead.

With each of these demonstrations of miraculous power, God is glorified. Indeed, that seems to be the point of miracles, to make people more acutely aware of the presence and goodness of God. Miracles have the power to inspire faith; to support people to believe in Jesus.       

When I was about 14, I started to experience problems with my back. There were times when I could not move without spasms of pain shooting through my body. We were living on the DPB (a social welfare benefit) at the time so no money for doctors or physios.

We had recently become Christians, so my mum asked for someone to come and pray for me. When the faith healer came, they found me lying still, flat on my back on the floor, the only position that gave any sort of relief.

As this person prayed for me, my surroundings faded out of focus and I felt like I was floating upwards into a different realm. I won’t try to explain what happened while I was out of my body. Some things are just between me and God.

After a while, I’m not sure how long, I became aware I was floating down again. I have never felt so relaxed, so at peace. When I came to my senses once more, the pain in my back was gone. I had been healed, supernaturally I believe.

I tell you about my experience for a number of reasons. Firstly, to show that God still works in miraculous ways today. But also to illustrate the faith connection. You see, it was not so much my faith which channelled the healing, it was the faith of others; in particular the faith of my mother and the person who prayed for me.

I was not against being prayed for, but by the same token, I was not in a position to get up and walk away either. I was like the paralysed man who was healed by Jesus after being lowered through the roof of a house by his friends. It was the friends’ faith which Jesus noticed.

Returning to the healing story in Luke 7; it was not the faith of the servant that channelled God’s healing power. It was the faith of the Centurion and the faith of Jesus.     

Now for the sake of perspective, it needs to be acknowledged that as painful and debilitating and frustrating as a sore back can be, there are worse things that can happen to you. Indeed, I have endured much worse.

So you might wonder, why did God heal my back? Why not tackle the bigger stuff? Why does the Lord of the universe not intervene in a miraculous way to end the suffering in Gaza or Ukraine or domestic violence in New Zealand?

Well, God has intervened to save the world in the person of his Son, Jesus.

The day is coming when Jesus will return in glory and God’s kingdom will be realised in its fullness on earth.

As we read in Revelation 21: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

That is the Christian hope. In the meantime, we wait in the in-between. And as we wait, every now and then, by God’s grace, we catch a glimpse of heaven, as I did. The healing of my back may seem small and inconsequential, but we should not despise small things. We thank God for whatever grace we receive.  

Now in talking about the relationship between faith and miracles we need to be careful. Many of us here have ridden the roller coaster of praying earnestly for someone, believing wholeheartedly that God could and would heal them, only to feel disappointed when our prayers appeared to make no difference.  

I am not suggesting that all unanswered prayer is due to a lack of faith. Sometimes it might be, but not necessarily.

If the wind of God’s Spirit is not blowing, then raising the sail of faith is not going to make much difference. Or if the water tap of God’s Spirit is turned off, then the hose of faith cannot put out the fire.

C.S. Lewis once said, ‘Miracles are for beginners.’

A baby needs milk, but as the child grows the parent weans the child off breast milk and introduces solid food. It’s similar with the Lord. When we are young in the faith, God may give us special experiences of himself. But as we grow, God sometimes says ‘no’, to our requests. God wants us to learn to trust him, not the miracles.

There is a sequel to my back healing story. For 24 years my back was fine.

But then, around the age of 38, the trouble with my back returned. It started again when I was preparing a sermon series on the suffering of Job. 

This time I did not receive supernatural healing for my back. These days I manage my back pain through a combination of better posture, targeted exercises and going to the chiropractor.

I am thankful for God’s gift of miraculous healing when I was 14. The memory of that experience is precious to me. It nourishes my faith still. But I am also thankful that God says ‘no’ to me sometimes. God’s ‘no’ is still a gift, just in a different form. I have learned to take better care of my body, and I have gained a quantum of understanding for others who live with far worse pain.

We need to remember, God is free not to intervene in miraculous ways if he chooses. And God’s choice may have nothing to do with how good or bad we are or how much faith we have.

God is not a puppet with strings we can pull to get what we want. He is not a genie in a bottle that we can release by faith to get our three wishes. Yes, God cares for us, but ultimately, we are his servants, we live for him.

In many ways, it takes more faith to live with powerlessness and vulnerability, than it does to perform miracles.

Even the apostle Paul (who had far greater faith than most people) lived with unanswered prayer. In Second Corinthians 12, Paul talks about his ‘thorn in the flesh’. From verse 8 we read…

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The point is: healing and miraculous powers are not the proof of faith. Obedience to Jesus is the proof of faith.

If faith is the root, then obedience is the fruit. Or if faith is the sail that catches the wind of God’s Spirit, then obedience is the rudder which steers the ship in the right direction. Or if faith is the hose that channels the water of God’s Spirit, then obedience is using the hose to fight the fire.

The obedience of faith:

Sometimes God gives people the faith to move mountains, and as thrilling as that might be, what really matters to the Lord is our obedience.

In Matthew 7 Jesus talks about the obedience of faith, saying:   

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

With Christian faith, the question is not: how many miracles can I perform?

The question is always: what does God want me to do? We know what God wants us to do. He wants us to love him, love our neighbour and love ourselves.

Maybe God wants you to show kindness to that irritating person at work or school. Maybe God wants you to listen more or learn patience. Maybe God wants you to forgive your neighbour for dumping their rubbish in your backyard. Maybe he wants you to do something quite ordinary but at the same time socially risky, like owning up to the fact that you go to church on Sundays.

Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. Ordinary acts of obedience matter more to the Lord than performing spectacular miracles. 

When we think of about the obedience of faith, Noah comes to mind.

God asked Noah to build a huge boat because an unprecedented flood was coming. It took Noah and his sons literally decades to build it.

You can imagine what the neighbours thought. Sniggering behind Noah’s back, “There’s that crazy Noah again. Wish he would give the hammering a rest. Might have to call noise control, again.”       

It would have been much easier and less humiliating for Noah if God miraculously made the ark appear overnight. But God did not do that.

Noah had to build the boat himself by hand. Noah’s obedience of faith was the manual labour of a lifetime.

No one had more faith than Jesus. No one performed more miracles than Jesus. No one was more righteous than Jesus. No one had a closer relationship with God the Father than Jesus. And yet God did not always give Jesus what he asked for.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before his crucifixion and death, Jesus prayed: Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.

God did not take away the cup of suffering from Jesus, but Jesus still obeyed God in faith. Jesus had the faith to embrace the powerlessness of death on a cross. Through Jesus’ obedience of faith, we are made right with God.

And for his part, God did not abandon Jesus to the grave. God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day.

Conclusion:

This morning we have talked about the gift of faith, the power of faith and the obedience of faith.

Faith in Jesus is how we relate with God. Faith in Jesus is how we channel the miraculous, healing power of God. And faith in Jesus is how we obey God.

May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith as we wait for the dawn of the new day. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is Christian faith, at its heart? What does Paul mean by the gift of faith? How is the gift of faith different from basic faith? 
  3. Can you think of times in your own life when God has gifted you with faith? What happened?
  4. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between faith and miraculous powers. 
  5. Have you witnessed or experienced the gifts of healing and miraculous powers? If so, how? What happened?
  6. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between faith and obedience. Why is obedience necessary to faith?
  7. Has God ever said ‘no’ to you, even when you asked in faith? How did you feel at the time? Looking back, why do you think God said ‘no’ to you? 

[1] Refer Moffatt’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 181.

[2] Quoted in David Prior’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 204.