By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
May 24, 2026
Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship
1 Corinthians 12:3–13 (ESV)
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
This weekend in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day. It is a day where we as Americans remember those that died in service of their nation. As a Quaker, I struggle with this holiday. I struggle because I believe that there are many types of service, and many of those aspects of service go unrecognized. I also struggle with this holiday, not because I am not proud of the service that people have given. I think it is honorable to give one’s life for others. I struggle because people have had to give their lives for our nation. To me memorial day is a holiday of honor as well as a recognition that we have failed. We have failed to bring peace. We have failed to make peace. We have allowed our young men and women to go off into battle because we were unable to find a resolution to a disagreement without the use of violence.
That being said it is important to remember. Memorial day has an interesting history. It began as a day to remember the men who had died in the American Civil War. I think it is important to remember the origin of this day. Those service members gave their life as their nation stood divided. We as a nation had let things get to such a point politically that instead of working out our differences we took up arms. Historians like to debate the various events and ideas that lead to the conflict. Some of those ideas have some value while others seem to be rewriting history, but there is something that historians will not recognize. The cause of the civil war was that people were unable or unwilling to submit to one another.
Today is not only a day we celebrate those that have given their lives for our nation, it is a day within the liturgical calendar called Pentecost. Yes the church also recognized special days, we even have our own memorial day, actually a couple memorial days. The first is All Saints Day, where we remember and honor those people in church history that have been recognized as saints. The second is All Souls day, which is the day that the church remembers all the faithful members of the community. These days are celebrated November 1 and 2. Today though is another important day within the church because it is the day that we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit.
As Friends, we do not put a great deal of focus on specific days as being any more or less holy than another day. Our official stance is that every day is sacred and should be devoted to bringing honor to God, because this is the day that the Lord has made. But there are times where it is good to remember.
We need to remember that things did happen. We need to remember Memorial Day, reminding us that people have died in defense of our nation. We need to remember that we as a nation sent them into battle. We may have believed it to be justified, but we also need to remember that we took and spent their lives. We also need to remember the days that God has done something significant in our lives. I celebrate the birthdays of my children, not only because of cultural tradition, but because I need to remember that they are a blessing to me. A blessing given to me by God. I remember my anniversary, not only because my wife might be upset if I forget, but because it is the day I stood before my friends and my family and said that this is the person I take into my life to build a future with. And together we will serve our community, and enlarge our community through the gifts that we share.
We need to remember, because we so easily forget. We forget why we first embarked in a relationship with our spouse. We forgot why we had children. We forget why we became part of the community we joined. We forget.
The people in Corinth forgot as well. Paul wrote this letter to the people of Corinth in response to something that was reported to him by Chloe’s people. I often find it humorous how many churches are making attempts to limit the leadership of women within the church when Paul, the one often sited in their defense, often speaks of women within leadership. Some say that in this case Paul was speaking of the people that met in Chloe’s house, but Paul usually only mentions those that were in leadership, or who were purposely sent to speak. Chloe’s people brought a report to Paul regarding the divisions that had crept into the church and were causing quarreling among them.
At the very beginning of this letter he says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” The people of Corinth were dividing, they were bringing things to mind that caused division among them. Some were placing the importance on who they followed; “I follow Paul, or I follow Apollos, or I follow Cephas, or I follow Christ.” . Where others were bringing focus to other aspects of life.
We can see what was dividing this church by the points of discussion Paul makes. The first was the source of their teaching, or their school of thought. We might look at this as denominationalism, I am a Quaker, where someone else might be a Baptist. This is the framework surrounding the spiritual teaching I have received. This is not necessarily good or bad, but it is something we each need to be aware of for context. Even within the Orthodox and Catholic churches there are different schools of thought that are used to train their leaders. The previous Pope, Francis, was a Jesuit whereas the current Pope is Augustinian. Their branch of catholic teaching is derived from a different source and they each focus on different aspects of faith. Paul is telling us that the denomination is not the most important thing, instead we should focus on unity in Christ.
The next thing that is mentioned, is deals with liberty, particularly among human relationships. We quote these verse quite often when we are discussing various cultural trends within our contemporary society. But there is something that I want to mention about it. The sinful person mentioned was in a relationship with his father’s wife. We quickly allow our minds to make a judgment regarding this, but there is something we often forget, this man is using human intimacy as power. He is exerting power over his father’s house through his relationship with his father’s wife. This is the very sin that David’s son was involved in prior to his death. He was trying to take power away from the father. In this case the division was social. Who holds the power, how do I obtain the power, and what methods am I utilizing. Immorality is not the only thing mentioned in that section, but also the greedy, swindlers, and idolaters. From here Paul goes a bit deeper into what a proper Christian ethic might look in these human relationships. He speaks of lawsuits being brought, which speaks to the people using greed as their avenue to power. Then he speaks of marriage, immorality, and how we treat the unmarried and widows.
Then Paul begins to speak about the spiritual side of things. The gifts, how we use gifts, and how we worship. He does this because even within our spiritual practices we can cause division. People were abusing the Lord’s table, or communion. Which is important to note, the sacrament of communion was not always a bite of bread and a sip of wine. But early in the church it was a complete meals shared with all who came. This is one of the reasons as Friends we have moved away from the ceremonial aspect of the eucharistic, because we believe that all life comes from God, and since we must eat all food is given by God. Each meal we share should be eaten with others and should be a time where God can be glorified and remembered as our life giver.
But in Corinth some were being excluded from the meal, because the people that were in line before them were taking too much food for themselves. It had become less about sharing with the community and had become a place of selfish indulgence.
This brings us to today’s passage. There is division among the church of Corinth. Social division, relational division, ideological division, and spiritual division. In each of these divisive aspects of life the focus is placed on some human element and diverted away from the most important thing. Unity of the church in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We begin with, “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.”
The key point of this verse is, no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. In our culture we do not fully grasp the intensity of that statement. For us it is a simple thing, almost flippant. But what if we lived in Iran and said that? What if we lived in Israel and said that? It would be a bit harder to admit. As it was in first century Corinth. The Roman world at this time was a culture fully devoted to the empire and the head of that empire the emperor. In the frontier regions of the empire, like Asia Minor, or in areas with high foreign traffic like Corinth, one would show your devotion to the empire and Emperor by offering scarifies in the temple devoted to emperor worship. By going into this temple you were saying that Caesar is Lord, he is the one to whom all glory and honor is due. Caesar is the one to which I will devote my life. When Paul says that no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit, he is alluding to the rejection of empire worship. One cannot be completely devoted to one’s nation and completely devoted to Jesus. One or the other must take priority.
If we side with Jesus, the Spirit of God is with us. We cannot say Jesus is Lord without the Spirit of God being with us as the Spirit is the one that convicts and woos us to that point. The early Friends spoke of this as our day of visitation. It is a time our a situation that the Spirit uses to attract our attention and redirect our attention to Jesus. And once we have our eyes redirected toward Christ we can then move toward him, and that same Spirit will be our ever present teacher and guide.
Paul then says. “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
God has called us to himself, and we have recognized his voice and moved toward him. God is now going to empower us to participate in his kingdom work. Each one of us has a place. Each one of us has the ability to participate in whatever God has called us to because the Spirit of God will provide what is necessarily.
If we are to look at this day in history, if we are to look at that first Pentecost of the church, we will see what the power of the Spirit is for. Jesus had risen from the grave, and had spent forty days with the disciples. He spent those forty days expanding the scriptures to them, showing them why things had to happen the way it did. And then He ascended to the father. As they walked from the house they were staying to the mount of ascension, Jesus gave them what we know as the great commission, but first he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
They listened to their Lord, and they went to the room. In that room they sat together, “devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers.” During that time they decided they needed to replace Judas, so they chose Matthias because he had been with them from the beginning. Which only shows us that there were more than twelve disciples, and early in the Church woman were able to participate along side the men.
The on the day of Pentecost they were all there together. Pentecost is not only a holy day for the church but it was a holy day for Israel as well. The feast of Weeks or the Feast of the First Fruits was one of the three mandatory holidays that Israel traveled to the temple for. This festival celebrated the beginning of harvest, and it was on this day when Israel would bring in their tithe for the first crop. They would do this before they knew what their actual income would be.
After the Exile the day of Pentecost took on an additional meaning. It became the day that they celebrated the giving of the law. It was on Pentecost that Israel became God’s people and according to their tradition there was a wedding of sorts under the cloud at the foot of Sinai, between God and Israel. This is important to consider. This is day the law came to Israel, the wisdom and teaching of God. This is the day that Israel formally became the people of God. It is the day that God announced to the world that Israel was his people and they will become a light unto the gentiles to draw all people back to God.
This was the beginning the first fruits of the Kingdom of God.
The disciples met in that room, waiting for the Spirit of God to come. Then like a rush of wind a sound filled that room and the entire house, and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
All of Israel was in Jerusalem for the festival, and this event attracted some attention. People from every nation under heaven were there and in that moment they began hearing the Gospel in their native language. Luke lists off the various languages, and it includes people from the entire known world, every language found within the Mediterranean basin and Mesopotamia. The languages of the east and west, the north and the south.
On Pentecost, God gathered the first fruits of Israel back to himself, and again on Pentecost he began bringing in the entire harvest. Paul is part of that harvest, and it has continued throughout history to this moment. We too cry out “Jesus is Lord,” as we respond to the Spirit’s visitation. And we too are empowered to carry the message to those around us.
But there is something we need to direct our attention to. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” This phrasing can mean mercy, profit, possessions, happiness, land, just about anything that we desire. Everything we need is available through the Spirit of God, it is available for the common good. The life that we truly desire, the lifestyle and community we want in the deepest recesses of our hearts is available through the Spirit. And I know that makes me sound like a prosperity preacher, but the life you want is available right here all around you. But there is a catch. We must work together to obtain it. We must submit one to another as we submit to God.
Everything we do as a member of the Church should be focused on this one thing, the common good for our community. To one the Spirit gives wisdom, or knowledge that comes from experience. To another is given knowledge or learning. Each by the same spirit. To another is a gift of healing and one the working of miracles. All by the same Spirit. To another prophecy or the ability to perceive the will of God, and to another is giving discernment. And then there are those that are able to communicate and those that can listen and understand.
What are these things? And do we have them present today? The reality is yes, because all these things are the things that allow a community to develop and thrive. In the past century we have tried to make this into something more than it already was, but ultimately God is going to empower everyone within his kingdom with whatever is needed for this community to endure and grow.
But these too can become a source of division. A prophet or someone that may perceive the will of God, we sometimes consider them dreamers, or in some cases annoyances get ideas within them and they try to get people to get excited about it. At times these prophets or dreamers might think that they have the wisdom and knowledge but they do not. They will push the church to move, but the church may not yet be ready. This is where knowledge and wisdom come to play. The pastors and clerks among us. They are the ones that have experience and understanding. They begin to ask questions, and the ones with gifts of discernment are able to work through what the clerks and pastors question and what the prophet envisions. And then the people effective in communication spread what is discerned out to the wider community so that the church can become a blessing to all.
The gifts can be divisive if we are not humble. If we do not submit one to another. We need each other. We need the dreamers, and the accountants. We need the teachers and the caregivers. We need everyone. But each of us must use what is available to us for the common good. If we seek to use the gifts the Spirit of God has given us for our own profit, our own edification we have missed the point and we have become instruments of destruction and tools of the adversary.
Those are heavy words. I say them knowing full well that this can include me. I can be an instrument of division. I can become someone that can sow disunity just as easily as anyone else. Which is why we need each other. I need advise from the wise. I need prayers from the healers. I need interpretations from the communicators. I need everything that you need, if I want to participate in the common good within our community.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
The church’s focus is for the common good. Every person using everything that is available to them directed to loving God and their neighbor. At times this might make us feel anger, disgust, pride, and joy. At times we might understand, and at times we might find everything mysterious. But the point of the Church remains the same. It remains the same as it was on the very first Pentecost when the law was given to Israel and they became the first fruits of God’s harvest. And it is the same as it was on the first Pentecost of the church. Our mission and our purpose to become a people loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit and living the love of Christ with others. We do this wherever we are doing whatever we are doing. Our Mission is to go into all the nations, to all the peoples and share the hope we have.
We do this not because we are better. Not because we have the best teaching or the most understanding. We do this not because we am rich or poor a slave or free. No we do this because every person bears the image of God, and we want them to be restored to who they were created to be. We want them to enjoy the common good that the Spirit of God created in them.
Previous Messages:
In Your Hearts Honor Christ as Holy
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 10, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 3:13–22 (ESV) 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for…
Living Stones
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 03, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 2:2–10 (ESV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have…
Endure
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 26, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Query 4 (Faith and Practice of EFC-MAYM pg 61) Do you provide for the suitable Christian education and recreation of your children and those under your care, and…
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