WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.900 So we are in our series of Meet the Holy Spirit and we started with the Spirit invades, speaks, 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:13.900 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:40.299 plurum. So I think as a church we are evangelical and we're also charismatic. Evangelical in that 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:45.659 we feel that the Great Commission to actually be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus to others 00:00:45.659 --> 00:00:52.179 is our responsibility. And charismatic can have some different connotations depending on our past 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:58.000 and our history. For some that's an uncomfortable word, for some it has no real meaning and for some 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.899 it's a positive word. But from a theological perspective, charismatic means a very high 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:12.060 expectation of an interaction with God. From our prayer, from our being a community that the Holy 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:19.079 Spirit will move among us to meet with us and use each other to support others in our community as 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:27.920 well. And as I have been preparing for this, I've seen the sort of four steps into this passage. 00:01:28.819 --> 00:01:37.060 The first is where we see Jesus saying in Luke 4.21, having read from the Scriptures and Isaiah, 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:45.280 today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, expressing that the Holy Spirit was on Jesus. 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:54.780 And then when he's tempted in the desert by the devil and Jesus quotes Scripture in his defence, 00:01:54.780 --> 00:01:55.799 culminating with, 00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:02.299 away from me Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. 00:02:03.960 --> 00:02:07.799 And the next step that stood out for me is when Jesus says to his disciples, 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:13.800 wait for the counsellor, the Holy Spirit. It will be better for you when I am gone and you receive 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:21.520 the Holy Spirit. And in Luke 24, I'm going to send you what my Father has promised. But stay in the 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:28.640 city until you've been clothed with power from on high. And we've explored that moment in Acts 2, 00:02:28.700 --> 00:02:34.740 and that's how we started this series, a sense of encounter for the disciples and then that wider 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:43.340 community, a gift for all of them. And that sense of, well, what does that mean then for this chapter? 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:51.819 We read Paul speaking to the Corinthian church, who are grappling with this revelation of our personal 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:58.400 encounter and connection with God and there being gifts of the Holy Spirit given to members in that 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:05.740 community. And we see a diverse community with internal rivalry and competition, envy and jealousy 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:13.260 and judgment and judgment and a sort of spiritual version of the TV series Succession going on, a really 00:03:13.260 --> 00:03:19.900 unhealthy dynamic. And Paul is speaking into this, saying the church should model community, 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:31.300 cooperation, equality, and have Jesus absolutely at the centre. And so I want to share three reflections. 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:40.680 One on the body, one on the parts of the body, and one on the gifts, and have us reflect on that this 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:51.580 morning. On the body. So my work is with clients, particularly helping senior leaders establish the 00:03:51.580 --> 00:03:56.400 right behaviours and ways of working to help them deliver the strategy or the mission that they have. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:02.260 This week's a good example. Tomorrow I'm working in the public sector, helping an executive team 00:04:02.260 --> 00:04:07.500 grapple with how do they actually deliver the outcomes they need, transform the organisation, 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:14.259 and all with less money, so all the service users get a better outcome. It's incredibly difficult. 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:21.060 On Tuesday, I'm working in professional services in London, helping people consider how they raise the 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:26.340 capability of all their teams, so they can serve clients more effectively. On Wednesday, I'm working with 00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:37.359 around 40 vicars or ordinans, who all are from the global majority heritage, so from a black or Asian 00:04:37.359 --> 00:04:43.959 background, who are wrestling with racism in the church. And then on Friday, I'm working with a group of senior 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:50.079 teachers in schools, who are considering how do they truly raise the standards when staff are under such pressure. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:05:00.379 And much of this requires a really clear understanding about how you genuinely improve the quality of 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:05.599 relationships to improve the quality of outcomes, so they can deliver effectively. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:15.620 The main insight that informs this work, that informs us being one body, is that it's less about who the 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:22.600 individuals are, and it's more about the quality of connection between us. We have to attend to the 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:30.560 quality of connection to order us to fulfil our mission. Are we clear? Do we have a shared ambition, 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:37.720 shared mission together? Are we appreciative of the difference that others bring? Do we communicate 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:45.980 well? Do we resolve issues when we have them? Is there a commitment to the best for those around us? 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:53.840 Now, I really remember experiencing this for the first time. I was a 16-year-old RAF cadet, 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:58.459 and I got thrown onto a training program where cadets from all over the country were pulled together. 00:05:58.459 --> 00:06:04.739 You have turned into squads, and then you had a senior officer come and lead you, and then you went off 00:06:04.739 --> 00:06:12.000 into a week of assault courses, how to ambush, evading capture, all very useful in church life, 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:18.500 and marches and shoots, where you would march at great speed over a long distance, and then you'd have 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:24.339 to calm yourself and shoot 100 rounds accurately over different distances, and one thing after the other, 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:30.779 a week like this, it was absolutely fascinating, and the first thing that happened was that as our squad, 00:06:31.179 --> 00:06:36.799 our senior leader was the person who used to run Royal Marine Officer Training, so he was quite a tough 00:06:36.799 --> 00:06:41.899 person, and the first thing he did was arrive at 6.30 in the morning when we were meant to be starting 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:49.679 at 7, and say, why aren't you all ready? We're like, so it's a seven o'clock start. He's like, on time is late. 00:06:50.039 --> 00:06:56.259 All of you run and dive into the lake in your full combat fatigues and come back here. So we all run and 00:06:56.259 --> 00:07:02.159 dive in the lake. We're now soaking wet, and then we spend the day with squelchy boots and heavy gear, 00:07:02.579 --> 00:07:10.899 running, shooting, in lectures, smelling of lake pond water. But as we worked together, we were the weaker group. 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:18.500 We had most women in our group. We had the youngest in our group. We were slightly smaller than the other 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:24.719 groups, and therefore physically and maybe psychologically weaker. And with lots of challenge 00:07:24.719 --> 00:07:33.500 and eventual support, we started to win everything, and we won the whole week. And it wasn't about who we 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:40.879 were. Oh, thank you. It's 38 years ago, but I appreciate the late applause. It wasn't about 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:46.139 any individual strength. It was about the quality of connection between us. It was that we had been 00:07:46.139 --> 00:07:56.779 formed into a unit, into one body. Here, Paul says, but God has put the body together, giving greater 00:07:56.779 --> 00:08:03.060 honour to the parts that lacked it. So there should be no division in the body, but its part should have 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:10.540 equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honoured, 00:08:10.540 --> 00:08:17.420 then every part rejoices with it. And then in Matthew 22, Jesus replied to the question of, 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:23.760 teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law. And Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with 00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:30.180 all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. 00:08:30.180 --> 00:08:38.860 And the second is like it. Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:46.720 commandments. So as we're tasked with being the feet and the hands and the voice of Jesus on earth, 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:54.060 of those around us in Clevedon and in this community, Jesus says to us, love one another. 00:08:54.059 --> 00:09:03.979 Our love is the quality connection between us that enables us to form a body. It raises a question 00:09:03.979 --> 00:09:12.179 for me, I think for you. How do we love each other? Just those who share our thinking or like us? 00:09:12.179 --> 00:09:20.419 Do we prioritise talking to those we don't know? Do we really engage with those who are guests or 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:26.239 newer in our community? Do we pray for others in the week? Do we share our time? Do we share 00:09:26.239 --> 00:09:36.799 our own tables with them? Do we suffer and rejoice when they suffer and rejoice? Do we believe that 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:42.819 none of those in our gathering are trivial and unimportant as it says in this verse? 00:09:44.819 --> 00:09:52.000 Let's really allow the Holy Spirit to stir us with that call to be one body with many parts, 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:57.359 with a quality of connection being between us, love in action. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:15.579 To the second session, many parts. The starting point for any group that I might work with 00:10:15.579 --> 00:10:20.579 is to ask this question, what is it like on the receiving end of you? 00:10:22.899 --> 00:10:28.240 It's such a crucial question for any team, any group of people trying to pull together and fulfil a 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:33.000 mission. Because what it's like profoundly affects what happens next. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:45.279 At times I run a large programme in the NHS and we, five as us, facilitators gather and then run a week 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:51.620 with 40 leaders from across the country. They gather, we start off in a large group and then 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:58.639 eventually we break into smaller groups by the afternoon. And so we have these eight, five smaller 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:04.699 groups of eight people who will now work together for a year. And as a facilitator, you're using the 00:11:04.699 --> 00:11:08.799 dynamic between people as the learning bed, as the place to really explore their leadership 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:14.539 effectiveness and also a place of support for each other as well. It's a really beautiful thing. 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:21.399 It's enormous fun. At the end of the first day, as facilitators, we gather and we just reflect on any 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.960 individuals in our groups we think of a particular need or a particular challenge or 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:30.540 where we want input from others. And we discussed them. And I had one of my group that I was trying 00:11:30.540 --> 00:11:36.200 to explain to the others and no one could picture who I meant. And I explained their name, I said their 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:41.320 role, I said what they were wearing, I said what they said earlier in the room, but the other four 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:48.720 had no idea who I meant. And so I said, is this going to sound completely inappropriate, 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:56.139 but it's the one that looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp. And they all went, we know exactly who you 00:11:56.139 --> 00:12:01.879 mean in that split second. And it felt awful saying it in one sense, but they all could see here is 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:07.820 someone who's really wrestling with their own place in the group and carrying with them a sense of 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:16.860 irritation and frustration, but behind it, worry, anxiety, a bad experience in the past. And as we work 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:23.139 together in this group, what was wonderful and what to see by the end of our time together, a change in 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:29.980 their face as they dealt with the past hurt and challenges and found that they were embraced by a 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:38.139 group. But it's a wonderful question for all of us to consider what is it like on the receiving end of us. 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:49.120 And so this quality of connection between us and others requires us of each part of the body to play 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:56.580 our part, to take responsibility for the impact we have on others, to attend to this quality of connection. 00:12:57.860 --> 00:13:04.659 It's essential for us to see the potential in the others around us, no one greater, no one lower. 00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:10.179 And to do this, we have to build enough relationship for this to be possible. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:15.379 And relationship is really built by, first of all, having enough rapport. 00:13:15.959 --> 00:13:21.919 And rapport is, oh, I've got to know you a bit. You're familiar to me now. I know some things that 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:26.100 you've done that we have in common, or I can really appreciate the things you've done I've not done at 00:13:26.100 --> 00:13:32.919 all, and I have an interest in that. That creates some foundations then for the buildings of trust. 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:37.259 And then we have the foundations for a sense of relationship. 00:13:39.459 --> 00:13:44.799 I don't know if you've ever had this. I remember working with someone who everyone tends to avoid 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.240 in the workplace. And you're like, you know, I don't want to get caught by them. 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:54.360 Their nickname was the Dementor, which is if they got hold of you and talked, it felt like your life 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:59.659 was slowly being sucked out of you. And so you found ways of seeing them coming and think, 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:05.120 I'll nip into this office if I can. Or maybe I'll walk really fast so they can tell that I'm really 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:11.459 busy and I don't have time to talk. But I remember getting over my own poor attitude one day and being 00:14:11.459 --> 00:14:17.860 in a conversation with them and realising actually how fascinating they were. I discovered this personal 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:22.699 challenge overcome. I discovered that I even tried to climb Mount Everest at some point. 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:31.840 And my view of them changed. My openness increased. And I had this completely new view of them. 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:38.680 And so making a connection with others requires us to have enough rapport, to build the trust, 00:14:38.780 --> 00:14:44.840 to make the connection, to appreciate the parts of the body, the value that we each bring, 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:46.460 so we can combine that. 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:53.340 I noticed that one of the things that when I work in different contexts that destroys that, 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:58.600 that undermines that sense of body, the different parts coming together, is gossip. 00:14:59.860 --> 00:15:04.720 There's one kind of gossip I think is great. It's really useful. It's where we give updates, 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:10.960 where we bring people into our thinking. I might say, did you know that Jim's son got married in 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:16.220 Singapore not long ago? It was just the most amazing time they had. I might say, 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:21.320 did you know that Peter used to be involved in the BAP process of discerning who should be ordained 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:27.360 or not? And has this incredible experience of really discerning actually what is God doing in this 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:33.160 person's life? And how might they be prepared to be successful in the process? You might say, 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:37.420 did you know Jill was a police officer who dealt with some of the most challenging things, 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:43.040 yet carries it with a peace and a lightness? This is the good stuff of gossip, where we want to know 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:49.019 more about each other, and it invests in this connection between us. It strengthens that sense 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:54.240 of the body. But the one that destroys it, the one that I think the enemy really uses, 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:59.980 is when we enroll others into a negative viewpoint about somebody else. We have criticism, 00:16:00.459 --> 00:16:06.679 and we draw others in to share that negative and undermining viewpoint. We must absolutely share a 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:12.819 concern. We must share our thinking. We must test what's going on. It's a really healthy part of 00:16:12.819 --> 00:16:18.500 community. But the unrolling to undermine is where the enemy does the work. 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:31.319 And from this passage, we see Paul speaking into that for the church in Corinth. Therefore, 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:37.360 I want you to know that no one who's speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus be cursed. And no one 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:44.720 can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. And our challenge for us, are we living with that 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:50.340 same fruit of the Spirit in our lives, with kindness and goodness? 00:16:50.340 --> 00:17:00.420 And let's just talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, 00:17:01.060 --> 00:17:04.819 now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:09.920 I cannot see the gifts of the Spirit here without looking at the fruit of the Spirit. 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:18.799 In the same way, one body has many parts. I think the gifts will require the fruit of the Spirit 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:27.419 to be of value. In 1 Corinthians 13 verse 1, Paul writes, if I speak in the tongues of men or angels, 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:34.319 but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:39.399 prophecy and can fathom all mysteries or knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:48.359 but do not have love, I am nothing. So as we consider the gifts of God and the use of those gifts 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:54.919 given by the Holy Spirit, I think we have to consider the level of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our 00:17:54.919 --> 00:18:01.399 lives first. For this is the marker, the extent to which that gift is in service of the community, 00:18:01.919 --> 00:18:11.379 in service of the work of God, or meeting a personal need. So a question of our love, joy, 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:19.720 peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that Russ talked about 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:20.620 last week. 00:18:20.619 --> 00:18:29.439 Further in the verse, to one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message 00:18:29.439 --> 00:18:35.139 of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of 00:18:35.139 --> 00:18:41.359 healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:47.619 between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:55.519 of tongues. All these are a work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one just as he 00:18:55.519 --> 00:19:06.319 determines. So I've experienced the gifts described here really operating for the common good, being used to 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:12.299 equip the church. And the day that I became a Christian, I was in a packed church, and the pastor 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:17.159 in that context said, I think there's a young man here, I feel God's really speaking to me about this, 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:21.339 you're on the right-hand side of the church, and God is challenging you to where he is in your life. 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:27.740 Packed church, he interrupted the worship, and I was stood there thinking, wow, I can't sing these worship 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:34.839 songs, but I kind of want to, and with tears streaming down my face, I ignored it, but he said it again 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:40.299 later, and I eventually responded, and that's the day that I really met with Jesus and gave my heart to God. 00:19:41.939 --> 00:19:48.859 Helen and I have mutual friends, Nancy, who runs a conference for women, and every year, I think 200 or 00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:55.799 so women come to the conference, and she prays in advance and says, Holy Spirit, what are you saying 00:19:55.799 --> 00:20:01.720 for this person? And then writes a script for them. So when they arrive in the hotel room, on their bed 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:09.680 is a scroll written with a personal word. Incredible testimonies of how that verse that she has for 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:15.860 them speaks into the very heart of their challenge they're facing to in that moment. Year after year, 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:23.380 she's been doing it for over 25 years. A sense of that expectation that the Holy Spirit is wanting 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:29.540 to meet with us, speak to us, to equip us to be community, to be one body. 00:20:32.340 --> 00:20:37.720 I remember praying for someone, and as I'm praying, getting the picture of a baby with the umbilical 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:42.340 cord around the neck and said, I don't know if this means anything, or this is too much cheese, 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:48.420 but I'm getting this picture. Does this mean anything? Absolutely. This is how I came into the world. 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:54.340 And the problem they were wrestling with was fear. And so as we prayed, they experienced a sense of 00:20:54.340 --> 00:21:00.820 that being released from them. In a very small way, just recently, Kate and Tim and I were speaking 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:05.640 about the life of the church, and he had a picture of the pump being primed, and we talked about how do 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:10.860 we make sure we provide enough giving for the church to work. And then without talking to Russ, 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:17.000 Russ then spoke the next day and shared this image of the pump being primed, and a sense of nudging, 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.940 noticing what the Holy Spirit might be doing to us. 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:29.180 There are many stories of wisdom, knowledge, healing, discernment, discernment of spirits, 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:35.380 tongues, interpretation of tongues, of God acting in discernible and tangible ways in our lives 00:21:35.380 --> 00:21:42.740 through the Holy Spirit. And there's so much more to explore about this. But as Paul says, 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:50.700 as we so eagerly desire these, I also want to reinforce that really it starts with the fruits 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:58.099 of the Spirit, which is the foundation for these gifts. What is our motivation? What is the source? 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:05.700 What's the driver? From love they're a gift. From ambition, personal ambition, they are not. 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:15.559 And as we read in James 4.10, Jesus says, humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. 00:22:16.080 --> 00:22:21.620 And so we come at this topic with a humility, with an openness, saying, Lord, lead us in this, 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:26.000 guide us. And as a community, we discern that together. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:41.700 Many parts, one body and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Lord, we thank you for the wisdom in this chapter. 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:52.200 For the wisdom from Paul encouraging the church to seek equality amongst themselves. 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:59.519 To absolutely put you first, Lord Jesus, at the centre of what they're doing. 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:07.840 To open their hearts to what you might bring into that community, to enable them and to equip them 00:23:07.840 --> 00:23:18.220 to do your work. But also that encouragement that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is so essential 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:24.799 essential for a community, for different parts of the body to be a body in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:33.380 And Lord, we ask that you would speak to us. You would nudge us. You would encourage us where we need that. 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:41.700 Help us notice where we can be our parts of the body to those around us in this building 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:45.519 and in our community and in our homes. 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:49.080 We ask Holy Spirit, lead us in this week. 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:50.539 Draw us closer. 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:53.799 In the power and authority of your name, Lord Jesus. 00:23:55.019 --> 00:23:55.340 Amen. 00:23:55.340 --> 00:23:55.460 Amen.