Gifted by God, Used by God: Part 4 (2/5/23)

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And now let's listen in to today's teaching.

If you are joining with us for the first time, Time this

morning, we've been working through this letter of

Corinthians, the Paul's letter to the Corinthians versus

chapters 12 through 14. And as we've been studying First

Corinthians 12 through 14, we've taken some time to understand

Paul's larger flow, of thought, and of, try to take some time to

Define some terms for us. We're going to take a look this

morning at the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

And as I've mentioned before, Paul's primary, point is for us

to understand, not each gift in Nuclear, although the we will

understand and seek to understand that the larger

understanding is what does it look like when the church

gathers together? Like, we are doing this morning

in corporate worship and how do we exercise these gifts of the

Spirit and in particular in particular, the Corinthian

Church, excuse me, the Corinthian Church was struggling

with, how do they do such things in a mature way in chapter 12,

verses 1 through 30, if we're going to kind of look at the

flow of thought, again, Paul speaks the unity of the body.

And then he points to the E of gifts that are given to them and

then he goes on to speak about the most excellent way that we

can present ourselves and worship which is in love to one

another in love for Christ. And love for one another, it is

for the common good that we exercise, these spiritual gifts,

then in chapter 14, what Paul will do is it will encourage us

encourage the church in Corinth to pursue that, which is

building up for the church. In fact, the point is Paul is

trying to instruct them on how to use to particular spiritual

gifts to gift of Prophecy and to get the tongues, And pick that

up in the flow. He is arguing that the thing

that is best for the church is that thing that is most

understood and we're going to work through that in a few

weeks. Next week, most likely or the

week after then finally what Paul does he give some order and

instruction to the Church of a, how they should order themselves

during public? Corporate worship.

The reason I say that is because we can, we can get stuck and

bogged down into the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

And in the context of the passage we want, understand that

the end goal is for us to worship, well, to Worship in

such a way that is not only building up for the church, but

also a witness to the world around us, and for those who

would join us in seeing how Christ manifest himself in his

people. And so we talked about that.

The fact that every believer is gifted by God.

And now we're talking about the gifts that are used by God and

Paul points us to be open to the Holy Spirit and to be others

centered. And to remember that the

objective is love for Christ and that our worship should be

orderly. Spiritual gifts are The common

good of the church which are to be done in love for Jesus and

for one another now, in First Corinthians chapter 12, he opens

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

by saying that there are multiple gifts but the same

spirit and then what we ask is what are those spiritual gifts

that were being using being used in the context of local church?

So I gave some context last week as to the reasons why the topic

of spiritual gifts is somewhat confusing and it's, sometimes

unnecessarily divisive against Christians, I'm Not going to

repeat myself this week. You can listen to that for

yourself and if you need a refresher you can go onto our

website and listen to that. I will remind us one thing that

Pentecost, the reason why Pentecost happened in the

Redemptive story of God is one to point us to the reality that

the promised holy spirit is given to us permanently, and it

is not just given to one people's given to all people,

which is the foundation with which Paul says that we can have

the spirit poured out on us. That all are gifted by the Holy

Spirit. This means that the spirit is as

much present with us today. Whoever we are, wherever we are

wherever we come from or whoever were descended from.

The spirit is, as much alive in us today as he was present in

those in the first century. So we have been given the Holy

Spirit as a gift and that gift that is given to us, is not the

thing that comes and goes. But the gifts that the Holy

Spirit present in US manifest themselves for the building up

of the body. And so, in verse 8, Paul begins

to list the things that are manifesting in the Corinthian

Church in verse 7. He says that a manifestation of

the spirit is given to each person for the common good and

then what he will do is he will go and he lists the Fruits of

the spirit. Not the manifestations of the

spirit in verse 8. Last week we focused on the fact

that to one is given a message of wisdom, through the spirit to

another message of knowledge by The Same Spirit pointed out that

the emphasis here is on the law, God's, the message that is

producing wisdom and knowledge, that it is not a distinct gift

of wisdom or gift of knowledge. But in fact, it is the

knowledge. And the wisdom that is produced,

by those who have the gift of teaching that To teaching

produces in us, a wisdom and discernment and a knowledge of

Jesus Christ and of his gospel and of the story of God, wisdom

and knowledge are paired here. Together that serves as a result

of someone who is teaching teaching and preaching from

which a person will gain wisdom in life, and knowledge of God in

the context of worship. As we move on to verse 9, Paul

says that to another Faith by The Same Spirit.

Now, this this Faith hear. This word is not saving Faith.

The reason why we laid the foundation of say, you cannot be

spiritual apart from the holy spirit.

So, this is not a saving Faith. This word faith here is not one.

That means that to one is giving Faith to believe, but it is a

faith to have an extraordinary trust in God.

In other words, this gift is not the tendency of The Optimist to

be positive about everything saying that.

That man, Everything is awesome. Everything is going to be

awesome. That faith is not the the power

to just see with everything Rose, The Rose Colored Glasses,

right? Someone quoted it like this, The

Optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible

worlds. And the pessimist fears, that

this is true. Did you catch that some of you

live with people who are optimists?

And some of you are pessimist by Nature, it's your temperament.

You just? I don't know, but that's not

what this is. Faith is not just just it just

being positive about everything, d.a.

Carson defines it. Well, he says this special

Faith, enables a Believer to trust.

God to bring about certain things for which he, or she

cannot claim some Divine promise recorded in Scripture or some

State of Affairs grounded in the very structure of the Gospel.

This is a faith that is not claiming things like.

Jesus Christ has said that he would save us because of his

resurrecting power. That's a promise that's given to

us in the gospel. This type of faith is one that

looks at God's character and stands firmly on his promises

seen in Hebrews chapter 11. If you're familiar chapter 11 is

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

known as the Hall of Faith, people, that looked ahead they

didn't see Actually, what was to come, but they trusted that God

promised that it was there. Modern examples of extraordinary

Faith might be someone like Amy Beatrice Carmichael.

If you're familiar with her, she lived between the eight-time of

1867 and 1951 and she was an Irish Christian Missionary in

India, who had 28 at 28, trusted God and believed God for opening

an orphanage and founded a mission in India where she

served there for 55 years, trusting that God would meet her

in that Act of Faith. Or perhaps you might be familiar

with Hudson Taylor who was a British Christian.

To China. Who founded the China inland

mission spending 51 years there in China establishing schools

and churches there for those who have never heard the gospel or

perhaps you might think of Bill bright, who founded campus

Crusade for Christ, as a Ministry for University,

students trusting that God wanted people to hear the

gospel. And so he stepped out in faith

and trust in God for Ministries across the globe, he wrote a

book called the four spiritual laws, he trusted God to raise up

people to produce a film called the This film, he had great

faith. He trusted that God would meet

him if he moves forward in Faith Church Planters, people that

start Ministries, people that respond to something that is on

their heart that they believe God for.

This is the faith, the faith to believe God for his promises.

But we need not only look to these stories of a.

So what we tend to do is we tend to take these men and women and

we Elevate them, I just just kind of put that all before you.

But the one thing that we need to Understand.

Is that this faith is not a scenario for those who are just

super spiritual. Again, this is we tend to do

this. We tend to hyper spiritual eyes,

people who do great things but Faith, exercising, Faith as is

here. The gift of faith.

It means that in every scenario and perhaps, even this local

church and every small local church, some scenario requires

the gift of someone who has the gift of faith.

The gift of faith is distributed by the spirit as he chooses to

boost. Perhaps may be flagging murder,

all the more. Of his people, someone that says

that. No, we're going to stay here.

We're going to stay here and continue on.

We're going to, we're going to persevere in small things or

trusting God for things that seemingly look small to the

outside world. Perhaps the local church

pursuing an upward call of God, where they believe that.

Perhaps, maybe we need to trust God for our budget failures or

perhaps the provision for a youth group leader, or even the

calling of a new pastor or even a decision that needs to be made

regarding facilities or missions or meat.

And need in the local church. What faith does this gift of

faith that it. Underwrites are obedient to

Jesus. Lord.

And even the most seemingly insignificant member, which we

will get to in the illustration of the diversity in the body and

the need for one another. Even the most insignificant

member seemingly May well be used to impart such faith for

the whole body at a crucial moment of decision making.

Have you ever experienced that or some little old lady in the

back? Who are some little old man?

Or some unassuming person stands up and says why I believe that

we can trust God for this and we should move forward and

everybody rallies to it and says that's true.

And then it happens. And these are the things that we

have been given in the body of Christ, where we do not need

great vision, casting and leaders and strength.

But rather it is any member in the church who might have this

gift given of Faith. Extraordinary faith, Now, Paul

moves on in chapter 10 verse 10, he says to another Gifts of

healing, by the one Spirit to another the Performing of

Miracles to another prophecy. What we're beginning to enter

into is what's known as the miraculous gifts in the

revelatory gifts there, / things that are miraculous being that

there are Supernatural, they do not happen in the natural and

then the revelatory things that reveal, what is on God's heart

and then come directly from God, In the gifts of healing here.

It's plural. The, the word, the Greek here is

its plural. Its Gifts of charismatic.

It is a pluralized world of charismatic.

It's another gift. And these plural gifts are given

by the one Spirit, the gifts of healing seem to be something

that is for the various illnesses in various ways.

If the verses in chapter in verses eight, if we think about

eight overlapping with wisdom and knowledge of wisdom and

knowledge, Or overlapping Paul might be overlapping these gifts

here as well where he's trying to point to the fact that some

are given Gifts of various healing.

Is that perhaps in the early church, there were multiple ways

in which people needed healing. They needed a miraculous healing

and miracles as opposed to just healing Miracles.

Could be something where it's either healing diseases or well

or perhaps The Exorcism of demons maybe perhaps.

Doing something that is beyond healings, no one really knows

the context, doesn't tell you, but what we do is we let

scripture interpret scripture and so what kind of healings do

we see in the New Testament? Well, the healings of Jesus, and

of the Apostles, if you read through the gospels, and if you

read through the book of Acts or which I'm not going to work,

walk us through there. You can do that on your own.

You can read your Bible. That's why you have one, the

gifts of Jesus and the apostles in terms of healing, they were

direct. They were Dick and they were by

word and they were by touch. They had an immediate impact.

And so, as we went through, the Gospel of John, there was a man

who was blind, he was born, blind.

And one of the Miracles Jesus did was told him to see it was a

man who was blind. And now he sees a man who was

lame. And now he can walk a person, a

son, a daughter who was dead, and now they are alive, direct

healings. This is not kind of just a slow

retrieve retrieval to health. These are direct healings.

They were no different than what is proposed today in terms of

the miraculous the miraculous healing if something is

miraculous it should be above the supernatural I mean it

should be above the natural did something that you can't explain

other than the supernatural effect of God.

Now where this comes into play, in terms of the need for

maturity is that all sorts of people can claim, all sorts of

gifts of healing. And sometimes, what we see is we

see this healing of things that seem subjective to Nature if I

have a headache, or, if there's something that I'm feeling,

like, anxiety or sadness, or fear or perhaps, maybe I have an

ache or something, that is not really a verifiable, it can be

subjective in nature. Sometimes people claim that they

have this Gift of healing. That seems to be kind of

unarguable. It's like, it's like when

someone says and we'll talk a little bit about this.

Is if someone argues you that, the Lord told me, well.

Okay, sometimes we throw that argument out there and it's hard

to argue against that because, again, it is subjective in

nature. So objective is truth.

That is verifiable. It's it stated subjective is

like, well, I kind of feel this way.

Well that's it's kind of shaky ground.

When I first, when I was first where this where this can be

damaging is, let me share a story with you when I was campus

director at West Chester University, we were on staff at

Penn State for a while and we had, we had moved to West

Chester and I was excited to be back the summer before I got

there. The campus director had to walk

through something. That was significantly, trying a

handful students. Had a friend who had was killed,

tragically in a car accident. In fact, I found out.

Later that this student was actually a counselor at the camp

that I worked at his name is Martin and he was a Godly kid.

He loved Jesus. He was tragically killed in a

car accident and before I was the director there, one of the

groups of students decided that they wanted to exercise the gift

of healing and they wanted to trust God and have exercises of

faith and they wanted to trust God for something big and they

believe that God LED them and told them.

To raise Martin from the dead. Do you see where this is going?

So, what they did is they went to the funeral and They begged

for the parents, to let them come over the coffin and pray

for the miraculous healing of Martin from the dead.

Because one of them believed that they had the gift of

healing. Now, Martin did not rise from

the dead, he will one day, but he did not that day, but the

hurt that was caused and the the pain that was caused and the

witness for immature believing Faith.

There is is the damage was done. When we move forward without

understanding or teaching, this is why Paul is teaching his,

this is why we submit ourselves a word and think through the

things that we have been told in Scripture.

When we subject ourselves to some false teachings or some

immature teachings, we see the church act immaturely.

We see people that genuinely love, Jesus, and believe Jesus.

For great things, do things that are not warranted in scripture.

And so, when we think about the gifts of healing, this was

happening in the Corinthian Church.

So in context, I want you to know that there were Believers

men and women that had the gifts of healing in.

Context. And also, like I said, the

miraculous gift of healing does occur, but a particular gift of

healing for a particular person to have a gift of healing.

I do not believe and will look further at why, I don't believe

that that there are individuals that do possess this gift of

healing as per the abilities of the Apostles, in the first

century or the early church. Again, this does not mean that,

I don't think that the scripture leads us to believe leave that

Miracles, have ceased. Only that specific people are

given specific gifts of healing to go around and miraculously

heal. As we move on, Paul says that

there is another gift in. This is the gift of Prophecy.

There is some confusion about what prophecy is and the

questions about what prophecy was in, the first century is

enormous. I can give you 12 different

books if you want to read about them all like 500 pages, thick

if you want to read them this afternoon I will be glad to hand

them to you. Do your study on your own, the

questions about what and was not prophecy or what was thought

about prophecy, or the different ways in which prophecy is talked

about in the Scriptures in the hole is is Myriad.

But one thing I want you to notice is that the prophecy that

Paul speaks about here. The gift of Prophecy is not a

prepared preaching, and teaching as some might argue as they do.

But it seems that it is an occasional and spontaneous word

from God. We might look to the words of

agabus and Acts chapter 11, when he had a prophecy for Paul or

Acts 11 · chapter mention

even when John says that Caiaphas the high priest who was

in the Sanhedrin prophesied that Jesus.

Must Die for the sake of Israel. It is a spontaneous event.

In fact, if you turn really quickly, if you just make a

right hand turn Paul says that in the order of worship, in

chapter 14, verses 29 through 32, he gives order and says that

two or three prophets should speak in the other should

evaluate. But if something has been

revealed to another person sitting there, the first person,

the first prophet should be silent.

He's giving order in the context of worship, and so it is a

spontaneous. Vent prophecy does not always

need to foretell the future. It can speak to current

circumstances. It may also be used to bring

others to Faith since it reveals, the secrets of the

heart. Again, in chapter 14, we'll see

where that plays out. But what I want to see here,

just to get a definition of what these gifts are in the context

of the Corinthian Church. The gift of Prophecy is linked

to having Mysteries and knowledge.

That is not readily accessible Tom.

Reiner in his book on Prophecy and kind of this commentary on

this. He says, this at the prophet,

the prophetic manifestation in the New Testament is of the same

nature. Meaning it is the same

substance. It, is it operates the same way

as it did in the Old Testament? In other words that it was God

communicating typically either through a spontaneous event or a

revelation By His prophets which were authoritative and

completely true. And so it is the nature.

I think that we look here and we can't just come up with

different ways. which the screen around the issue, I believe the

gifts of Prophecy in the context of the Corinthian Church was

such that God revealed to someone in this context, a word

that was to be revealed and it was encouraging to the local

church and as they heard they were called to weigh it to

discern it and then the if it was indeed not necessarily true

in terms of its specificity they were to deem it as not something

that was prophetic and they were A move on.

If we go back to Pentecost, if we think about Pentecost in

Acts, chapter 2, Peter points to Joel's prophecy in Chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

verses 28 through 30 to in the last days, Peter says that, God

says, I will pour out my spirit on all people that your sons and

your daughters will prophesy and your young men will see visions

and your old men will dream dreams and I will even pour out

my spirit on my servants in those days both men and Women

and they will prophesy. When we hear this, this

prophetic word. This, this pointing to God's

promise of the holy spirit being poured out on his people, what

we understand is that this prophecy of Joel is to be

Universal that there is no corner on the globe that the

spirit is not poured out onto his people and we ought to

expect. So, when Peters giving the

sermon at Pentecost, the expectation is that, hey,

remember the promise that God said he would pour out his

spirit, it's happening. It is happening.

And here it is. In the reason why you're hearing

all of these different languages and tongues in the gospel being

proclaimed is because this was the promise of God and

therefore, it is something that we ought to expect.

That God would manifest himself in the power of this.

Holy Spirit, not just in the age of the Apostles, but throughout

the age of the church and to come the spirit would be with

his people. The spirit of Prophecy that was

recounted in the process of Prophecy of joy.

Joel suggests that this is not something that we ought to find

absent. In any age, we ought to expect

God, to prophesy through his people.

And the prophetic Ministry was okay in the Old Testament and is

now in the New Covenant, God's present word for God's present

people. So, let me ask you this

question, who are God's people? Who are God's present people?

Say it loud and say it proud. Yes, right.

Where do we see or hear his word?

We see it in scripture, Jesus is the word in the word.

We see God, we know God, we hear God in the beginning was the

word and the Word was with God. And the Word was God, he came to

his own and he revealed himself. God has completed his word of

Revelation to us through Jesus Christ.

And when we think of the words of God that we need for life and

living, assisting, all of the word that is necessary for all

time. And for all of God's people is

contained in the scriptures in the The scriptures.

And so, when we think in terms of the prophetic gift, now, as

the church was growing, God miraculously, we look at history

and we say to ourselves again, I rightly admit that there are

those who might disagree with me, but I have to have to look

at the scriptures, and I also have to look at the process of,

how did God work in history? What's the big story and God

shows up? And he does things, and he does

things in such a mighty way, in a powerful way in history, and

then it, Compass has what he's intended to accomplish and then

there seems to be just kind of like, it's not as it's not as

awesome anymore. You.

Jesus Christ comes he ascends and now we're like waiting for

him to return the Israelites were enslaved.

He rescues that rescues down the power, and then he asks him to

live for a couple hundred years in the land, just living, quiet

lives and waiting for him and trusting him.

There are ways in, which God manifests himself in moves in

history. And at the beginning of the

early church, we see these things happening and the church

is exploding and then the churches established And then

over the course of history, we should see certain things needed

and certain things that are not needed.

And when you think in terms of the prophetic gift, now we ought

not to think of it in terms of the fact that there's an

augmentation of truth, but rather there is an application

of truth. Then in other words, a prophetic

word. Rooted in the scriptures might

be something that is found in the scriptures and can be

verified by the scriptures but ought to be weighed in such a

way in which perhaps someone might be right about how they're

applying God's word to our lives.

They might feel a nudge the Holy Spirit to share something that's

on their heart and if it's in line with scriptures then we

take it and we weigh it truthfully.

I've had plenty of people who have given me prophetic words

friends that have given me prophetic words and on And some

of them have just said, hey, this is the way in which I sense

that I want. I feel like the Lord is speaking

and so I want to share this with you and they give me a prophetic

word and I listen to them and they just they share with me how

they believe that. The father desires for me to do

all things that are good and too kind of like think through the

way in which I've been called in to live in a manner, worthy of

the Gospel. I'm like I think I've heard that

before your recounting to me, something that is in scripture.

And if it affirms with my Spirit, the things that I'm

like, hey, I'm wrestling with that.

Thank you for sharing that it's an encouragement, it builds me

up. I've also had friends that have

given me, prophetic words that God has told them that something

or something is going to happen in my life and it doesn't happen

in some ways. I've had things shared to me,

that is a prophetic word and it has come to be the opposite

thing. And it has been a painful thing

was, like, why did you share that?

That was, that was absolutely wrong.

Now, I want you to understand friends that the Pentecostal

understanding I have pointed to the fact that there's a

difference between Pentecostal views of the gifts of the Holy

Spirit and other particular views.

But I want to, I want to point this out, particularly about

what is the Pentecostal understanding of Prophecy

Pentecostalism believes that the gifts of the holy spirit are

alive, and well, healing prophecy tongues, revelatory

gifts, miraculous gifts as they were in the day.

Pentecost in an early church but it has laid dormant.

So the four ways in which I want you to know that Pentecostal

understanding of Prophecy is this.

So it is one a direct Revelation from God.

A Pentecostal understanding of Prophecy is that it is a direct

Revelation from God. That the thoughts of God have

come specifically from God to a particular person gifted with

the gift of Prophecy. That to the words of Prophecy,

frequently will include specific directions from God concerning.

Earning his plans for the future three that the proper verbal

form typically used, when a gift of Prophecy is given to someone.

In a Pentecostal stream would say that it is God who says that

I am, the one that God says, I who speaks is frequently God

himself. So it is directly from God.

Speaking through the gifted prophetic word about something

in the future and it is God himself.

Who is speaking? And finally for that because the

sign was given In the Apostolic Church, it is a sign.

So, prophetic sign that with the other signs get the sign gifts.

They have been in kind of dormancy until recently until

lately again. Like I said, the history of

Pentecostalism comes up and about the at the, the 1950s,

there's a Resurgence. And then from that point,

there's a stream of Pentecostals and that says that the gifts of

the holy spirit are now awakened in Alexis season in the church

some would call it a third wave of the Holy Rohit, I don't have

time to get into all of that now.

But when you compare the understanding of a Pentecostal

view of Prophecy and perhaps, what is the understanding that

if God has revealed to us all that he is intended to reveal to

us. Is if there is nothing that we

need to add, John says that, if anything, if anyone adds to this

Revelation, let him be accursed. There's, there's nothing we need

to add Jesus as he's revealed himself to the apostles and the

prophets and he said to him, go and make disciples of all

Nations. Nations baptizing them in the

name of the father, and of the son of the Holy Spirit, teaching

them all that. I have commanded you to teach

teach them to obey this word. That the necessity for God to

add anything to his word, seems to be void if there's no need

for God to add anything because everything that we have.

Now some might argue with me on this but I believe that the

prophetic gift is not just something that is given to the

church as a means by which we might just know the future.

But the prophetic gift is something that allows us to

know. Clearly, what the scriptures

say, and they ought to be weighed carefully.

So as we move on, Paul says that there is another gift to

another. There is distinguishing between

Spears. This is plain and simple

discernment, just discernment deciding what is true from what

is false John. And first John Chapter 4, verses

1 John 4:1–3

1 through 3 says that we are to test the spirits to see if they

are from God. And the reason is because he

says many false prophets have gone out into the world at the

time of the early church, there were many false prophets.

For many, who would come in and teach that which was not true,

but they were called to discern and to test the spirits Jesus

himself in Matthew chapter 7 says not everyone who says Lord

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Lord and teaches and does these things that are in my name will

be ones. That I know they might do things

in the name of me but they may not be.

In fact, lie for me or with me, this is discernment.

You can see throughout the Book of Acts and all of the gospels.

If you read through the New Testament, you see that the

apostles And the churches are exhorted to discern to teach

through false teaching and lying spirits that they are to

discern. Everything that is thrown at the

church, as it advances, the Gates of Hell to beat down the

doors deception, half-truths, we are called to discern today, to

discern, what it is, that is true and what is not and the

only way, how do we discern? Well it's if we discern, if we

have the knowledge of God and the wisdom of God and the

teaching of God and we have his word with us.

And so the more we learn Of God's word and we think his

thoughts after him, the more were able to discern but the

gift of discernment is Discerning.

Which spirit is speaking again remembered the beginning of this

chapter where someone was saying Jesus is cursed in the context

of the corporate worship? If you look at verse 3, Paul is

saying, you can't say that if you're filled with the Holy

Spirit, it just doesn't work. Discerning.

Discerning. Here's some bonus gifts for you

that are listed by Paul and First Corinthians 2 chapter 12.

The same 12. If you go forward and verse 28,

I figured I would just throw all the gifts in here.

You ready? Paul says, and God has appointed

different offices in the church and he lifts other gifts that

are not listed in. This first one, there's the gift

of helping and the gift of leading or which otherwise known

as Administration and helping this is the the word that is

used as a very general term for use of Of all kinds of

assistance. It's to lift people up and to

Loops, this is the Greek word, it's to lift up people.

The second word is translated leading or Administration.

And in the plural, it indicates various leading leading

positions of the body of Christ. It's typically used in the Greek

for piloting or steering a ship. So you have some people that are

able to come alongside and assist and there's some people

that are not there's some people that Have come alongside of us

and have tried to help and let's be honest.

You've been like you have helped me absolutely in no way and I

would appreciate if you do not offer your advice anymore but

then there are those who do, you know, the people who help you,

you're just like man they just come into your life and they

just like man, thank you for that.

That's you there's no way you would have been able to do that

and they help you and they do it with joy.

People that just know how to steer things.

They know how to take things in a particular direction and they

Do it? Well, this gift of leading is

not the offices of Pastor teacher Elder, but this gift of

leading means that people are able to lead in a particular way

where people will follow them and it will go well in Romans,

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12, Paul lists other gifts, he lifts the lift, the

gift of exhortation, which is emboldening another and belief

or a course of action. It's to give encouragement to

make a strong request to make an appeal to lift another ones

spirits to come. Order to consolidate the

consulate. When someone exhort you to do

something, you want to do it, they have this gift with a

embolden you and they give you great courage.

To another is given the gift of giving.

This giving here is giving with generosity, he gives an

adjective. He says, when you give give

generously that giving, there is someone that can give resources

to help another more than likely in the first century Church.

There were were two types of people, the very rich and the

very poor. There was no middle class and so

Paul often speaks to those who are giving and to give

generously those who have resources and even those who do

not like the Philippian Church, they give out of their love for

Paul and they give generously liberally without thought of

their own selves for the common good.

They give there's another word of leadership here and that is

another exercise of leadership where they do it with, with Zeal

with diligence, with haste, with speed.

And Paul tells the Roman Church has, some are given that gift of

leading where they do it diligently, where they want to

lead, they want to take on a responsibility and they go with

it or perhaps the one who has given the gift of Mercy, they

show Mercy with cheerfulness that cheerfulness.

Word is hilarity tests which is where we get the word hell.

Are idiots. We do it with cheer with joy.

We show Mercy where it is a joy to get down on our knees and to

show Mercy to someone. In First Peter Paul lists two

more gifts, the one who speaks in the one who serves Lalo and

DNA 0, which is again, where we get the word Deacon, a, or we

get Deacon one who serves one, who speaks Paul speaks to Peter,

speaks to two different gifts, the teacher, and the servant,

the Deacon, the pastor, the Elder, the Deacon, they have

been given gifts to do this. Now I'm going to, I'm going to

burst some of your Bubbles and I'm going to show you that one

of the things that is not a gift.

It's not a spiritual gift is the gift of hospitality.

How many of you believe that you have the gift of hospitality?

Come on. Some of you are loved to be

hospitable. But what Peter says is that the

gift of hospitality is not necessarily, it's not listed as

a spiritual gift. It's actually listed as

something that we're all to do. We're all to do.

And what does hospitality mean hospitalities that generous and

gracious treatment of guests? It's people in need of temporary

shelter and food because of travel or necessity.

Christians are generally urge to show Hospitality to everyone.

We don't need to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit to for

us to take in people Hospitality in the context of the first

century church are the fact that people were poor and without a

home and they were kicked out of their families and Hospitality

very much meant taking in an apostle who was preaching or

Paul in his servants. Taking them into their homes and

feeding them and extending Grace, and kindness to them and

and giving them everything that they need while they were on the

road. And so hospitality is not a

spiritual gift but it's something that we all have to

do. Sorry.

Andrew your but you are, you can be hospitable.

And so those those are the gifts of the Spirit that we come up to

an end with the tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

And again, what I want you to do is know what these gifts are.

So we have people that are helping and leading their

Discerning, they're teaching their preaching, they're they're

revealing words of God to the Corinthian Church, there are

people that are speaking in tongues and then Paul is saying

there needs to be an interpretation of tongues.

Now, I'm probably not going to satisfy you right now, but we

will get to this eventually when we get to the point, when Paul

begins to specifically in chapter 14, he goes after the

gifts of tongues in the interpretation of tongues in

their place in worship, but what I want you to do is I want you

but I want to give to you this morning is, I want to finish

this list and I just want to tell you what it is that Paul is

talking about when it comes to tongues here.

D.a., Carson asked that we need to approach a tasket at at

approach the text and ask three questions, one in context of the

Corinthian Church, where they ecstatic tongues were they

ecstatic, was it just kind of like blabbering on with

something that they kind of got caught up in their emotions?

And the worship? Was it ecstatic?

The other question is, was there content?

Was there, actually something in their words when I say the

Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl?

There's content there. And because you knew what I was

saying. It was a known human language.

Was it ecstatic? Was it was their content was

there human language on the balance.

When we look at the text, when we look at what Paul is writing

here, the evidence favors the view that Paul thought that the

gift of tongues was a gift of real languages which were

cognitive that is that someone other than the speaker would

know what was being said, because the language actually

existed, it was real. It had In tax, it had verbs and

nouns and everything. And the language was either a

known language of men or an in gelik language known only by

God. The text is just clear that in

this context it was either something that was known or

something that was not known. In terms of the Angelic words

that Paul says that even he speaks and Angelic tongues.

One of the things we need to think through is when we see in

Acts chapter 2, verse 11. What what carries over is that

Acts 2:11

those who speak Speak in tongues that they began to speak in

tongues to proclaim the mighty works of God and the people that

were present there, they understood.

In Hellenistic literature the word tongue or glossa does not

mean ecstatic utterances. It is always something that is

understood it's not meaningless Babble and so when we want to

make an argument for whether tongues was a real thing or not,

Paul understands it to be a real language.

The Greek is clear gloss. Mm.

And something that was understood, what is unclear, is

what Paul means by Angelic tongues and that's where that's

where we start to get. It stuck and people will take

one road or the other, and basically the answer is we

cannot know for sure what exactly Paul is saying.

When he talks about there is a tongue that is spoken and it's

either an Angelic tongue or it is a known language.

We just we just weren't there is just it is not possible for us

to know, for sure. But what we can understand is

the fact that it was something that was understood and Paul's

emphasis here. This is where I don't want it to

be. It's a speed.

We don't need to linger here and try to figure out things that we

weren't meant to figure out Paul's emphasis in this, whole

section of the letter is a weight, upon the fact that the

Corinthians were immaturely, putting this gift above all

others, that it was so elevated. And it was so unimportant in

Paul's mind that he needed to address, the fact that you guys

are doing all of these gifts, you have such a gifted church,

but yet you're taking this one gift and you're elevating it

above these, all things and is starting to cause cause

division. It is the edification of the

church that is of Paramount concern for Paul.

Turn with me really quick and we'll end here.

I want to show you in chapter, 14 will get there, but I'm

fast-forwarding. I want you to understand this,

the edification of the church chapter 14 verses 6 through 12,

He says, so now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you

speaking in other tongues, how will I benefit you or edify you

or how will I build you up, unless I speak to you with a

revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching something

that is understood? And then he gives the

illustration that if instruments don't make a distinct note or

they don't aren't played correctly, how do we recognize

that? And so there may be different

languages verse 10. Languages in the world and none

is, without meaning words, have meaning, the most important

thing is for you to understand what I'm saying.

So be zealous for spiritual gifts, and seek to Excel and

building up the church. Paul links interpretation with

tongues, Because he believes that in order to be encouraged

in order to be edified in order to be built up, you need to

understand what is being said. And if you cannot understand

what is being said, if interpretation cannot come

alongside whatever, this gift of tongues was being spoken of it

needed to be clear and it needed to help build up the church and

that is what's most important not division.

When we do things that divide the church, we do this with all

things, we Elevate Republicans Or democrats, we Elevate this

thing or the other thing. We Elevate things that cause

division that are not supposed to be elevated.

And the Church of all places ought to be the place where it's

Paul is arguing. It was scriptures argues that we

need to do all that we can to build the church and strengthen

the church not divided. And lest we think that, you

know, we dismissed tongues in the context of the early church

or even or even today in 1st Corinthians chapter 14, verses

13 through 19. He says, therefore, the person

who speaks in another tongue, should pray that he can

interpret there, right there. Is that Paul links tongues with

it is prayer. Therefore, the person who speaks

in another tongue, should pray, it's in the context of prayer.

It's the context of Prayer in the church or even private

prayer. Look what Paul says for if I

pray in another tongue, my spirit prays but my

understanding is unfruitful what.

Then he says, I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray

with my understanding, I will sing praise with the spirit and

I will sing praise with my understanding.

He can compares the the proclamation of singing of

songs, most likely, the Psalms that the Jews Who's sang or new

hymns? That they were creating as a

church, he's comparing the fact that when I pray, I pray with

understanding to myself and I pray in the spirit but when I

sing, I sing praise with the spirit verse 16.

Otherwise if you praise with the spirit, how will The Outsiders

say? Amen.

I agree that you're giving of thanks since he does not know

what you're saying. Verse 18.

I thank God that I speak in other tongues more than all of

you yet. And here's the thing, yet in the

church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding

in order to teach others also than ten thousand words in

another tongue. Paul himself one prays in

tongues. But Paul himself to says, in a

set when he Compares, I'd rather speak five words in a than ten

thousand words. He's basically saying you're

never going to find me do this, what I do in private in public

in church, because I'd rather teach him in preaching.

Give you something that is clear.

Now, why does he say that? Because they had such an issue

in the church? He was addressing them

pastorally. He's saying, you guys are

elevating this gift which I do in private and he's a sensitive

Pastor. He says, I do this as well.

Like, I'm with you, I'm with you.

Let's let's pray in tongues. But when you do it publicly in

such a way that no one knows what you're saying, it is better

that you refrain from that so that there might be order and a

building up and people would understand Paul emphasized.

So this is a strong defense for a personal prayer language.

So if you have an experience of saying you have a personal

prayer language and you do speak in tongues and you have come

from a tradition where perhaps, maybe you have been encouraged

to pray in tongues and speak in tongues in private, which is a

private prayer publicly. It's always connected to

interpretation. But privately there's there's

nothing pastorally that I personally can say nor anyone

can say is that you should stop that.

It's when we practice it in the public corporate setting.

Like this of worship, where we were to discern, how a

particular local church, a church that is submitted to the

leadership of the church and the teaching of the scriptures and

the encouragement of one another to say, how will we worship

together and Paul is saying That he prays, but he does it in

private and then he will, he will move on and he will give

them instructions on how to do that orderly and he will give

some other instructions. So there it is.

You are smart people. You can read and you can look

and see if anything that I've said is is not true in the

scriptures and you can study it for yourselves.

I'd be glad to lend you some books that I've read on that.

But we finished with this in verse 11, where does it all come

from? Where do all of these?

Spiritual gifts, come from verse 11, 1.

In The Same Spirit. Is active in all of these things

distribute to each person as he Wills, there's no hierarchy of

individual value. And there's there is no one that

has a corner or any right to any particular gift.

The spirit gives as he wills and who is the Holy Spirit, giving

the gifts for Jesus Christ, when he ascended to sit on the

throne, had the power to send his Spirit to give his church to

his people to his body, the gifts of the Spirit, That Jesus

himself manifests himself to us. And through us when we exercise

these gifts, when we submit ourselves to these gifts, it is

Jesus himself serving us. Isn't that encouraging?

That when we serve one another, when we exercise our gifts,

we're not, it's not about us. It's about one another.

And the reason why it's about one another's because Christ not

came not to be served but to serve So whenever anybody thinks

that they're joining a church or participating in a church, and

is something that they kind of like, you know, it's just some

sort of club or something that they have to do or check off the

list. No, it's actually it's actually

as Believers we are joining a local church so that not so much

that we might suck all the life out of it, right?

But that we might participate, In doing what we are called to

do which is be the body of Christ.

I get to do this every week and it is a gift of God.

I hope that I do it with Clarity relative Clarity.

I hope I hope that it's helpful for you, but we all have gifts

to give one another and we give those gifts, because Jesus loves

us and wants us to love one another.

And so, as we as we move forward in this study, See, I hope that

that's the thing that I want us to understand is that, you know,

and I've taken quite a bit of time.

I wanted to get through the list because I didn't want to be a

part part 12. You know it's just spend a few

extra minutes but how will you respond to this?

This is what I want to ask you. Will you you pray like if you

are a member of this local church, if you've taken the time

to go through the membership process and as you're thinking

about your own gifting, would you pray that the Lord would

lead you? And show you give you patience

and Bring it out. We need you.

This local church needs. You, would you have the courage

to step out and serve in whatever way?

You may not know exactly what your gift is, maybe you do, but

it takes time and patience for the Lord to lead you.

We know what our gifts, our when we step out and face a I'm just

going to do. This is the the Holy Spirit my

nudge you, there might be an opportunity.

It might be something that the Lord would have for you to do

long-term, maybe not, but the way that we evaluate the gifts

of the holy spirit as we We allow ourselves to be open to,

however, the Lord leads us. And as we step out in faith and

we use our gifts, what will happen is other people will say,

you know what, you you're a great encourager.

I love being around, thank you for your encouragement.

The more you hear some of that stuff you move like I might have

the gift of encouragement. Some of you are generous givers

you give behind the scenes and you help people you hear need.

And you like, you cut a check without even thinking.

Nobody knows that you cut the check.

Just a need is met some of you. I have the gift of teaching,

some of you can teach really well and there might be

opportunities for you to make the scriptures.

Clear. And so I want us to have hearts.

That would be open to that to know that the gifts of the holy

spirit are alive and well in our lives, but to also evaluate the

way in which we use those gifts and look forward to how those

gifts might be manifested, which gifts ought to be manifested

publicly in which met gifts, ought to be manifested in our

own private time and how together with grace and

patience. As a local church, we seek to

serve the Lord Jesus you Using our gifts.

But being gracious towards one, another who are still learning

and trying to figure out how that works out in the context of

the large family, the sermon, you've just listened to is a

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