“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Cor. 12:24b-25, ESV)
Paul’s words serve to warn us of the dangers of spiritual pride, celebrity stats, selfishness, power plays and church politics. These have no place in the church. The Holy Spirit desires to build community and unity so that all who are in the Lord worship Him not just with words but with humility and love toward one another. The members of the Body of Christ need each other to exercise their individual gifts as the spirit leads. Thus no one gift is more valuable than another and no one person is indispensable. All of us are members of the Body of Christ and so one with each other. We all need each other and so we must work together for the common good of the Body, not for our own purposes, self-glory or our own agenda. The only glory we seek is the glory of God.
Our culture, as demonstrated by the media loves to exalt people who have talent. Actors, athletes, singers, and musicians all are praised and honored because they entertain or amuse us. Hence the popularity of award shows that crown these artists as if they were demigods. And even the Christian community has joined in the mix by exalting flashy and trendy preachers as well. All such exaltation does not belong in the Kingdom of God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians because they exalted a certain group of super spiritual saints who spoke in tongues and prophesied with great eloquence. He wrote to correct the problem of spiritual pride and self-aggrandizement which was destroying proper relationships within the body of Christ and providing a poor witness of Christ’s love to those outside the Church. The people of God needed to be humble enough to see that their talents and gifts were provided by the Holy Spirit in order to build and edify the entire church.