1 Corinthians 12 teaches us about Christ’s vision for the Church. The early Christians were beginning to deal with diversity. Verses 4 and 5 say ‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.’

The words for service and ministry are linked through the Greek diakonos. Paul is celebrating the diverse and different forms of ministry the growing Church was engaged in. Later in the chapter Paul lists some of those ministries; healing, teaching, administrating, and helping: Paul’s list is not an exhaustive one. What Paul goes on to say in the next chapter is that if any of these ministries is undertaken without love, then it is like ‘a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’. It is not the specific ministry that is the focus; it is the attitude and intention behind it. Even the most engrained Christian service, if undertaken without love, has no value to God. It is easy to see then that if anything is done with authentic love, with the genuine Christian intention of spreading the good news, then it is of immeasurable value to God.

Important points to cover at this stage...
• Is there a space for this kind of ministry? Will it be valued?
• Who would be motivated and committed to this ministry? How could a ministry be developed?
• How can the faithful intentions of this ministry be made consistent?