We Need Each Other

Posted on by korgrocker

“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.””
1 Corinthians 12:18-21 NLT

Paul continues with his analogy, using the human body, with all its constituent parts, as a comparison to the body of Christ, the church. In the verses we are considering today, Paul notes the interdependence of the various parts of the human body, something that we take for granted. In fact, if most parts of the body are removed, both they and the body from which they have come will die. Take, for example, a stomach. Not a very nice and visible part of the human body, but if it is removed, then the person will die. Other parts can be removed without a terminal result, and the body will continue to live, although its capabilities will be restricted. All of this is implied in Paul’s analogy, and the same sentiments apply to our churches and fellowships today. 

Human beings need each other, whether we like it or not. We look around our congregations, seeing the diverse backgrounds, nationalities, ages, employment statuses, and all, and often wonder how such a motley crew could ever function in the way that God intends. But Paul wrote, “God has put each part just where he wants it”. Right back in Genesis 2:18, we read about God’s plan for Adam. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him””. With the arrival of Eve, the basis for God’s plan for families was established. Genesis 3:20, “Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live”. Over the page we read, “Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground” (Genesis 4:1-2). Families and communities are all parts of God’s plan for human beings. They can, of course, be separated from the body of people of which they are a part, but most will then suffer from loneliness, and their lives will be the poorer for it. 

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land”.

Psalm 68:5-6.

From these two verses, we note some principles that apply to our churches and fellowships as well as our communities. 

Firstly, we note God’s interest in the disadvantaged, such as orphans and widows. James wrote about this in James 1:27, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you”. In our fellowships, we will have those who are on their own, and not just the widows and orphans. God’s plan is for the church to look after them, because the disadvantaged are still part of the body of Christ. 

Secondly, there are prisoners among us, and God has promised to set them free. We are, of course, all redeemed sinners, set free from the consequences of our sins by Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary. Galatians 3:22, “But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ”. But for the others still bound up by their sins, or those who are prisoners of addictions and other lifestyle choices, God will set them free with our help. And their joy will know no limits. 

Thirdly, we read that those who are rebellious and who may even leave their church or natural families will find themselves in a place where they don’t want to be, wallowing in their loneliness and misery. A “sun-scorched land” indeed. Such people may not want to be part of a family, particularly God’s family, but by leaving, they will be the poorer. After all, one day we will be in Heaven, and we are told that the souls there will be countless in number, a big family indeed!

So, in conclusion, we need each other. This is how God has designed us, and going against His design will not end well for us.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your care and provision, particularly with respect to Your family, the church. Please help us to look out for one another at every opportunity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Body Parts

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?”
1 Corinthians 12:14-17 NLT

Paul uses the analogy of a human body to make his point that the body of Christ, His church, is no different. Just as the human body has individual parts, such as hands, feet, eyes, and a nose, so too does the Christian church, both locally and nationally, and even globally, have its own individual parts. Body parts in both cases are essential for the proper functioning of the body of which they are a part. A healthy human body has separate components that work together to fulfil the function God has designed for it. And if we stop to think for a moment, our bodies are amazing in their complexity and function. We have a brain that governs and coordinates the way the rest of the body functions. It processes the signals it receives and responds accordingly through various processes that we are aware of. But there is also a lot going on that we are not mindful of. For example, I’m not currently aware of how my liver functions. But it does work just as God has designed it, detoxifying and filtering to optimise my life. I could go on describing the various functions of the organs in the human body, but that would get beyond the analogy Paul has constructed. 

In a church or fellowship, there are various external functions, such as those of a pastor, evangelist, or worship leader. These are very visible ministries of which we are all aware. However, there are also hidden functions, and one of the most important is prayer. We have our intercessors who pray for all aspects of church life, and these are the people who are the lifeblood of the body of Christ. Of course, we must never forget those who work behind the scenes, cleaning and preparing, to make the place where we meet a pleasant and welcoming one. Regarding the Body of Christ, all believers have a common purpose, and that is to look to the Head of the church, Jesus Himself, and allow Him to grow us to be more like Him.

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love”.

(Ephesians 4:15-16).

And so we ask ourselves some questions. The first is, do we know our function in our local manifestation of the Body of Christ? Do we feel we are just a pew warmer, or do we have a role that contributes to the growth of our church? Paul’s analogy using the human body as an example makes it clear that we each have a part to play. There are no human body parts that are not there for a purpose, and although our medics can do wonders with alternatives, nothing will replace what God created in the first place. Another question is, do we love our fellow believers? Without love being present, a church will soon start to dysfunction and even die. Sadly, some believers disrupt the local church by trying to stir up trouble, and this might have been a problem in Corinth, as we find when we read the first chapter of 1 Corinthians. Disunity in a church will soon conspire to blow it apart. 

To sum up, we pilgrims would do well to assess our role in our local church. If we don’t go to one, then we should find one. Body parts don’t exist in isolation.

Father God, through Your grace and love, You designed a place where Your people are to grow and function, and to become more like Your Son, Jesus. We pray for unity in Your church, and especially in the one in which You have placed us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Same Spirit

Posted on by korgrocker

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT

We pilgrims look around us in our Christian setting, and sometimes we ask about our value. By that I mean, how do we fit in with this fellowship of believers? Perhaps when times get a bit tough, do we look at other churches, thinking that we might be a better fit there? As with any group of people, cliques can develop, and friendships can be exclusive. Generally, people tend to gravitate towards those around them who share similar interests or backgrounds, often excluding those who do not. But Paul, perhaps sensing that this might be a problem in the Corinthian church, wrote to them using the analogy of the human body, which is composed of many different parts and functions. There seemed to be four different major groups in Corinth – Jews, Gentiles, slaves, and free people. However, Paul wrote that, regardless of these differences, they comprised one body because they had all been baptised by the same Spirit, and all shared the same Spirit, implying that, despite their differences in status, they were all essential members of the Body of Christ.

The church I attend has members from diverse backgrounds. Our pastor was originally from Senegal. We have several families from Nigeria, a number of indigenous Scots, and even one or two who were born South of the Scottish border. We have those who are retired and those who work. Those who live in social housing and those who are fortunate enough to own their own homes. School children and adults. But we all comprise a single fellowship because we have all been “baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

In a conference recently, Gavin Calver, the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, shared that the men in his church went out for a meal together, and the proprietor of the establishment was struck by the diverse nature of the men present. It wasn’t just the age range, which was from teens to someone in their eighties, but the different nationalitles represented were nearly as numerous as the number of men present. But all the men there had one thing in common – they were united by the same Spirit.

We must remember that God does not prefer one person over another.

“But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism”.

Romans 2:10-11

“”Then Peter replied, ‘I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right”

Acts 10:24-25

So all believers everywhere can be assured that, before God, they all have equal standing. 

So such a perspective must be considered by all believers who make up the local church or fellowship. When worldly and sinful attitudes perhaps emerge and cause unwelcome partiality, we must remember before God that He loves all our fellow worshippers, regardless of who they are or where they have come from. And we must be inclusive with them all because they have all been “baptised in the same Spirit”. It is the same Holy Spirit who is within each believer.

Dear Father God. We thank You that before You we are all Your children and have equal rights and responsibilities. We love You Lord, and give You the glory for the amazing way that You are building Your church. Thank You. Amen.

Tongues and Interpretation

Posted on by korgrocker

He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

Of all the spiritual gifts, “tongues” is arguably the most contentious, both to unbelievers and even other Christians. Some people question why such a gift is of any use. Others say that it can’t be valid because all the gifts died out at the end of the Apostolic age. Still others ridicule tongue-speaking Christians as being deluded and even possessed by an evil spirit. But those believers of a Pentecostal persuasion know the benefit of this gift today, putting it up there in a prime position with which they can worship and praise God. Today, in many churches, the gift of tongues will be heard, either in a public setting or on the lips of believers in their private devotions and prayers. 

There are three manifestations of the Holy Spirit gift we call “tongues”. The first is the gift of being able to speak in other world languages. On the day of Pentecost, we read what happened in that Upper Room in Jerusalem. Acts 2:2-4, “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability”. In this very public setting, the Holy Spirit’s gift of tongues was indeed miraculous, granting the believers the ability to communicate with other Jews in their native language. We read in the next few verses, “At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”” (Acts 2:5-11). There are two things to note about this gift of tongues: firstly, it was manifested as a valid language, such as English, French, Urdu, and so on, enabling communication between people who would otherwise have had no clue what each was saying. Secondly, the messages spoken in these languages communicated “the wonderful things God has done”, giving God the glory that He deserves.  

The second use of the gift of tongues is in a public setting, where believers have a gift of bringing a prophetic message in a language or tongue that would be incomprehensible unless someone had a gift of interpretation. The use of this manifestation of tongues seemed to be misunderstood in the Corinthian church, as we read in 1 Corinthians 14. In verse 9 of this chapter, Paul wrote, “It’s the same for you. If you speak to people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying? You might as well be talking into empty space”. In verse 13, Paul wrote, “So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said”. Regarding the public use of tongues, Paul wrote, “So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. … ” (1 Corinthians 14:22a). 

The third use of the Holy Spirit’s gift of tongues is for personal edification. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, “For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. … A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church”. Speaking in tongues as part of a believer’s personal worship will edify them, being as it is a spirit-to-Spirit form of communication. The believer’s spirit talks to God through tongues that bypass the believer’s thought processes. Romans 8:26, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words”. 

There are benefits, public and personal, in the Holy Spirit’s gift of tongues that many believers are missing out on. All believers have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, as we read in Acts 2:28, and that enables them, amongst other things, to speak in tongues. But the public manifestations of tongues are given to believers as one of the nine 1 Corinthians 12 gifts, to be used for the edification of the church. We thank God for His many gifts, for His love and kindness, and for equipping us for life in this outpost of His Kingdom on Planet Earth.

Dear Father God. We do indeed thank You for all the good things that You have provided for us. We worship and praise You today. Amen.

Discernment of Spirits

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT
“and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:10 AMP

Today, we look at another of the spiritual gifts listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, namely the discernment of spirits. The Amplified version, as usual, is very helpful in expanding what this means. All believers have a certain ability to distinguish between right and wrong, particularly as they become more mature in their faith. However, some believers have the spiritual gift of discerning spirits—that is, the God-given ability to distinguish between the truth of the Word and the deceptive doctrines propagated by demons. But we must begin with one important principle – the authenticity of the Word of God, the Bible. There are many today who lack trust in God’s Word or who adopt a more liberal approach to what is contained therein. These are Christians who approach their faith with an emphasis on personal liberty, human reason, and worldly experience rather than strict adherence to the things of God. They interpret chapters and verses in the Bible from a more socially inclusive and tolerant worldview that incorporates suspect and even blatantly sinful ideologies, resulting in the re-evaluation and rejection of what God intended through His Word. 

The spiritual gift of discernment of spirits is founded on what the Bible says, and, building on that, a believer moving in this particular gift will be able to feel that what is before them isn’t quite right. What they are being told might sound very plausible, and the person presenting it might even use Bible verses to support what they are saying, but that is where the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment kicks in and sometimes exposes a lie that probably originated from something demonic. 

The Apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here” (1 John 4:1-3). Immediately, the JW’s come to mind. They do not really believe the truth about Jesus being the Son of God and part of the Trinitarian Godhead, regardless of what they say, so straight away, they fall into the category of being a cult. 

Again, there are some Christians who believe the spiritual gifts died out with the Apostles, and they rationalise 1 Corinthians 12:10 so that their view is based on Scripture only. However, I believe the Holy Spirit can also bring direct revelation, helping believers and those around them to discern when something is wrong. This revelation will not conflict with what the Bible says, of course, but the Holy Spirit will bring to the believer’s attention something that leads them along a God-illumined path that discerns if the spirit behind what is before them is right or wrong. God is wonderful, and His gifts are limitless. 

Dear Lord. Thank You for Your gifts, and the Spirit dwelling within each one of us. We love You and worship You today. Amen. 

Prophecy

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

One of the Holy Spirit’s gifts is prophecy. According to the website bibleref.com, “Prophecy is usually described as delivering a message from God, perhaps with force and conviction. Some believe the gift of prophecy includes the supernatural ability to explain or describe things that cannot be known by the speaker beyond special revelation from the Holy Spirit. These might be things happening in the present or that will occur in the future”. However, a prophecy can also be speaking forth what God wants His people to hear, which may include the application of Biblical principles to the here and now. So, we sometimes have prophetic sermons delivered to address particular situations in a church or fellowship. Some years ago, I remember a particular message that proclaimed God’s displeasure with the behaviour of a certain group of people in the church who had a propensity to gossip. Prophetic words can often be uncomfortable to hear, but they are there to help God’s children change their ways and align themselves with God’s kingdom principles. 

Many Christians believe that, with the New Testament now complete, prophetic words that bring something new are no longer relevant or necessary. They believe that Old Testament prophets with their revelations of what was to come are not needed anymore, and in any case, anyone claiming to have a new revelation from God should be viewed with caution, particularly if their message requires an action that doesn’t conform to Biblical principles and teaching. So today, a prophet has become more of a teacher, expounding the Word of God sometimes in a forceful style that even shocks and challenges the congregation before them. Occasionally, a prophetic message will emerge that claims a certain event will happen at some time in the future, and the church needs to take appropriate action. These are occasions when God’s people need to pray and ask for confirmation and wisdom.

On an individual basis, a person may deliver what they claim to be a prophetic word to another person, and to facilitate this, some organisations have emerged onto the modern Christian landscape. In Glasgow, we have the “Global Prophetic Alliance”, and we read from their website, “Global Prophetic Alliance is inspiring, training and equipping the worldwide church in the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the voice of God. Formed in 2009 by Emma and David Stark, we are a global prophetic equipping hub based in Glasgow, Scotland. Our ministers broadcast, train and equip the church to transform nations by the power of the Holy Spirit as a testimony to Jesus Christ”. It is important for any prophetic ministry to ultimately point to Jesus, and that is what they claim to do. However, I’m more concerned about organisations that offer a service that could be described as spiritual fortune-telling for individuals seeking guidance or reassurance in their lives. We pilgrims must be cautious and discern the times.

Each believer is given a spiritual gift, and as we know from the parable of the talents, it is important that these gifts are used for the glory of God. But it would be wrong to major on one particular gift to the exclusion of the others. We pilgrims are blessed with many gifts, and we must never lose sight of the fact that they are given to us for the building up of the church. They are not provided to us for our own benefit. I personally have benefited from Godly men and women bringing prophetic words into my life, words that have mostly been contained within a sentence or two, but they have enabled me to change direction in my walk with God. We all have blind spots, and the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy brings light into darkness and revelation when needed. 

Dear Father God. You have richly blessed us with all that we need for life through Your Spirit. Please grant us sensitive spiritual ears with which to hear Your Word, no matter how it is delivered to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Miracles

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

The Bible is full of miracles. And there is no reason that I can find as to why God would have stopped doing them in 21st-century Planet Earth. Of course, there are some Christians who claim that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit died out with the Apostles and never happen today, but the facts do not support such a view. Often today, a miracle, such as in my own testimony, is associated with a medical condition. At other times, a series of “coincidences” seems to point to a miracle granted from God. To take an example, a neighbour of mine, driving a large camper van, had a heart attack on a motorway in Scotland. His wife, from the passenger seat, was able to bring the vehicle to a stop in the middle lane on the highway, with traffic backing up behind them. There was then a series of “coincidences”. Several vehicles behind them was a paramedic going on holiday. Behind him was a bus that happened to have a defibrillator on board. The paramedic managed to restart my neighbour’s heart, and minutes later an air ambulance landed close by. A miracle? My neighbour thought so. The sceptic might dismiss such a series of circumstances attribured to God, and, with an isolated example, they might be right, but when examples such as this stack up, a wise person might start to wonder.

In the Bible, we read about Jesus and the many miracles He performed. The first recorded miracle was in John 2, at the wedding in Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine. We read, “Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions” (John 2:6-8). As if this weren’t miraculous enough, we then read in the following two verses, “When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”” 

There was also an occasion when the Pharisees asked Jesus for a miracle to prove His authority. We read in Matthew 12:38, “One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority””. But Jesus was having none of their hubris, as we read in the next verse. Going back to Exodus, we find the Israelite slaves seeing one miracle after another, but they still rebelled against God. The parting of the Red Sea. Manna to feed them, not just once but for forty years. The pillars of fire and smoke. Water from a rock. What did God have to do to get through to such a stubborn and rebellious people? But this is the thing about miracles. They may lead a person to faith for a short time, but such a faith based on miracles will not last. There were plenty of Jesus’ miracles for the Pharisees to consider. He healed the sick, and He raised the dead. He fed five thousand men and their families. Jesus even walked on water, and the Pharisees were present for most of these. But even when presented by the miracle that took place in a synagogue, they still didn’t get it. In Luke 6 we find the occasion when Jesus healed a man right in front of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. We read, “On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath” (Luke 6:6-7). After Jesus healed the man, we read, “At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him” (Luke 6:11). The Jewish leaders failed to be convinced of Jesus’ pedigree and authority even when faced with a miracle.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”

Ephesians 3:20

Through the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Miracles is granted to believers to benefit the “common good”. And if we pilgrims lack the faith to pray, expecting a miracle, we must turn to Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”. What does “infinitely more” look like? Ask Jesus. He knows.

Dear Lord Jesus. You performed many miracles in Israel during your time on this world. And through Your Spirit, there is more to come. We pray for the faith to do Your will. In Your precious name. Amen.

Faith and Healing

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. … to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,”
1 Corinthians 12:7, 9 NIVUK
“to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit;”
1 Corinthians 12:9 AMP

“Wonder-working” and “extraordinary” are words the Amplified translation uses to enhance the meaning of the gifts of faith and healing. Paul didn’t elaborate on what the gift of faith is or how it would benefit the brothers and sisters in Christ, but all believers have faith that they have been saved through Jesus. But the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith is more than that. According to “gotquestions.org”,  “The gift of faith may be defined as the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God’s promises, power, and presence so they can take heroic stands for the future of God’s work in the church. The spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, and His promises”. Biblical examples of faith can be found in Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter. We read about the faith of Noah in verse 7, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith”. Noah’s faith was definitely God-given, because how else would he have laboured for a hundred years or so building a large boat on dry land in a place that had never experienced rainfall before? He had to endure the ridicule of a people who probably labelled him “that crazy man” or something worse. Because of his faith, and we remember that he didn’t have to do what he did because he had a free choice, the human race was saved from extinction along with the animals that God provided for him. 

“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith”.

Genesis 15:6.

Another example quoted in Hebrews 11 is Abraham. Imagine being told in your nineties that you would have a child? And we read in Genesis 15:6, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith”. But in a sense, we believers help our fellow Christians through our faith, that quiet confidence that God is who He said He is, and that He will bring to pass all that He has promised. Our fellow pilgrims sometimes go through a difficult patch, and it is our faith that will help sustain them through times of trouble. 

Paul also wrote about another spiritual gift, “and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit”. In theological terms, this is tagged as a miraculous gift, something “extraordinary” that is far beyond what is expected or even deemed possible. I have a personal experience of this with my daughter, who some years ago suffered from encephalitis so severe that the prognosis was the worst possible. And yet, she was miraculously healed, and the word “miracle” was appended to her hospital notes at the time by the medics involved in her care. There are many Christians who sadly believe that the spiritual gift of healing died out with the First Century Apostles, but that is not my experience and the experience of many others in the faith. There are, of course, Biblical examples of miraculous healings, and the case of the lame man begging at the Temple gates comes to mind. He was a man who had never been able to walk and who had to be carried to the temple each day so that he could beg for sufficient money to keep himself alive. He asked Peter and John for alms as they entered the Gate, as we read Peter’s response and what happened then in Acts 3:6-7: “But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened”. 

Today, our medics, through technology and new drugs and medicines, can perform healings that would have been considered miraculous in Paul’s day. We thank God for the resources we have that bring about healings from all sorts of conditions. But there is still room for God to perform miracles of healing, and He does frequently. There is always the enigma of why God doesn’t heal everyone who asks Him in prayer, but we must always leave room for miracles in the lives of our fellow believers. Paul himself had an unknown condition that he referred to as a “thorn in his flesh”. We read about in in 2 Corinthians 12:7b-9, “ … So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me”. And then we have a little passing comment in 2 Timothy 4:20, “Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus”. Surely Paul must have prayed for the man called Trophimus, obviously to no avail.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Apostle Paul

We pilgrims continue in our journey, always praying for a miraculous healing when we encounter a brother and sister in need. And if the opportunity arises, we should pray for everyone in need of healing, because, for all we know, we might meet someone whom God wants to touch in that moment.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for the times when You have healed our sicknesses and diseases, and we are so sorry for the times when we have failed to thank You and acknowledge Your grace. But in those times when our prayers have not been answered in the way that we would like, we nevertheless still praise and worship You because of who You are. Amen.

Wise Advice

Posted on by korgrocker

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-8 NLT
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,”
1 Corinthians 12:7-8 NIVUK

Paul starts to list the spiritual gifts that are given to believers through the Holy Spirit. We know that every believer has at least one gift, and the first on Paul’s list is the gift of wisdom, or wise advice. The New Living Translation effectively conveys the idea that the gift of wisdom is not for personal use, but rather to be used to help others. We know, of course, from 1 Corinthians 12:7, that spiritual gifts are given “for the common good” or to “help each other”. In the next verse, two spiritual gifts are mentioned – the gift of wisdom and the gift of knowledge, but what are “wisdom” and “knowledge” in the context of being a Holy Spirit gift? 

There was a man in the Old Testament who God blessed with wisdom. He was David’s son, Solomon, and we read in 1 Kings 3:5, 9, “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’ … So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” Solomon had the opportunity to ask God for something to help him be king of Israel, and he requested that God give him “a discerning heart”. The rest of 1 Kings 3 gives the account of how Solomon used his gift of discernment or wisdom in the case of a dispute of parenthood by two prostitutes over a baby boy. Solomon gave a wise verdict, and we can read the impact that he had on the nation of Israel in the last verse of this chapter, “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice”. 

Some believers get concerned over these spiritual gifts because they fear that they are being used to provide direction that exceeds the Bible’s or God’s authority. They fear that the revelation being supplied by another person, perhaps during the delivery of a prophetic word, will not be in accordance with God’s will and will contradict what the Bible actually says. But we know, almost intuitively, that the Holy Spirit will never supply such erroneous revelation. The devil might, but not the Holy Spirit. We know that directional messages from one believer to another should always be confirmed in other ways. For instance, a word of wisdom to a believer might be to give up some sinful practice even though there is nothing specific in the Bible that says so. This wisdom will immediately resonate with the believer, and will give direction for the next phase in the person’s life. Regarding a word of knowledge, this was something that Jesus used in His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus said to her, “ …  ‘Go, call your husband and come back.’ ‘I have no husband,’ she replied. Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.’” (John 4:16-18). Jesus had never met the woman before, and He did not have access to her social security records, so how else would He have known without revelation from the Holy Spirit? In this case, the word of knowledge was part of a process that resulted in salvation for a Samaritan town. 

We must note that these two gifts, wisdom and knowledge, are given for the edification, the building up, of the church. They will not bring confusion or conflict. They will not be at variance with the Word of God. Instead, they will reveal God’s truth in a way that another believer can understand and apply in their own lives. But we cannot just leave it there because to do so would limit God’s will and ability to bless His children. It would lock all believers into a strict Biblical worldview, but would fail to provide what God wants for the world of today. The gifts of wisdom and knowledge will take what the Bible says and apply it topically to believers in our society, relating to very different situations. There was nothing in Scripture that would have helped Solomon with his judgment in the case of the two women contesting the ownership of the baby. The Bible does not contain any personal information about the woman who had been married five times. However, through the power of the Holy Spirit, a revelation emerged in each case that unlocked a situation, allowing biblical truths to prevail in people’s lives. 

Wisdom and knowledge. Revelatory gifts from God for building us all up. We seek God for these gifts and the opportunity to use them to edify His people.

Father God. Thank You for Your Spirit, so freely given to us. We pray for a fresh infilling today, to resource us for the day ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

The Same Differences

Posted on by korgrocker

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-8 NLT

Over the following few verses, one particular feature stands out – the words “the same Spirit” are repeated several times. There is only one Holy Spirit, who is not split into individual parts for each believer. We know that the Godhead includes three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit graciously provides spiritual gifts for followers of Christ, and for one purpose, so that they “can help each other”. God is in a unique position, as He knows every person’s heart, their thoughts, their needs and deeds, and everything else about them. So in His grace and loving kindness, He has given gifts to His children so that they can help each other, and these gifts come through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

Every human being needs help at some point in their life, some more often than others. Many of our basic needs are met by the society in which we Westerners live, with social security resources available for the needy. However, the state lacks the ability or even the desire to provide for a person’s spiritual needs, and for most, such needs are crucial to their well-being. But God, through His grace, has provided a way. 

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other”

John 13:34.

If we examine verse 7 from another perspective, we can see that God has given us spiritual gifts so that those believers around us who are in need can be helped. And as we look around our churches and fellowships, we find that this is indeed the case. From time to time, we all need support from each other, and in many cases, it is a spiritual gift being exercised by one of our believing friends that makes the difference. Sadly, many Christians live a closed life. When asked how they are, the response “fine” is the norm. But Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34). There is a responsibility for us to love our brothers and sisters, but they, too, have a responsibility to allow others to love them, and then love them in return. In our churches and fellowships, there are those who go about their daily lives hurting and sick, but instead of seeking the place where they can experience love and grace through others, they stay away from church until their problems are resolved. 

Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that each of them had at least one spiritual gift, and that gift was given to them by the same Spirit. This may have been to correct a notion that some of the believers there were “spiritual” but others were not. Paul also emphasised that the gift provided was not for the person’s benefit, but for the benefit of others, for the “common good” as some translations say. Today, we believers must ask God for clarity about the spiritual gift that He has provided for us. We, of course, pray about it, but it is also helpful to ask others what our gift is, because they may have a more objective view of us. But in it all, we must relax with the assurance that the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us and He will bring about what He intends for us. We look to our fellow believers in love and transparency, and remain open to the work of the Holy Spirit, who builds us up and guides us in His ways.

Dear Father. Thank You for the gifts that You have given us. Please help us to use them for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.