Diversity

Posted on by korgrocker

“Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!”
1 Corinthians 12:29-30 NLT

Paul finally makes the point that there has to be a variety of gifts in the Body of Christ, a point he earlier made in 1 Corinthians 12:17, using the analogy of a human 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?” For a human body to function, all the different organs have to work together to ensure that the body works as it should. Such a point is so simple that it is often overlooked when applied to the Body of Christ. In my experience, there has been a tendency for certain people, particularly in independent Charismatic churches, to desire an up-front ministry. This seems to be the case with musicians, or aspiring musicians, who think they have a gift for being a worship leader. However, in other examples, there have been some who wish to be an elder, or even a pastor or teacher, when they neither possess the required gifting nor is there a vacancy to fill. Paul reminded the Corinthians that not everyone would have the same gifts, implying that if they did, this would result in a lopsided and dysfunctional church. In fact, Paul’s final word on this issue, in reply to his several “Do we all have ..” questions, was rather scathing – “Of course not!”.

There was an occasion when the mother of two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, asked Him a favour. ““What is your request?” [Jesus] asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honour next to you, one on your right and the other on your left”” (Matthew 20:21). Jesus used this as a learning example to teach His disciples about servanthood. He went on to say, “ … “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave” (Matthew 20:25b-27). In John 13, we read about the occasion when Jesus taught His disciples about servanthood by washing their feet. We know the story well, and He finished by saying, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15). 

We return to the Holy Spirit’s gifts of ministry, as listed by Paul. There is an attitude of heart behind each one of them that starts with servanthood, with the understanding that a particular ministry is not for the person’s benefit, but for the benefit of the church. And in the act of service, there is a need to put others before oneself. With a diversity of gifts, the church is able to function, but then only with the right attitude of serving the body in the best way possible. 

“God does not call those who are equipped; He equips those whom He has called.” 

Smith Wigglesworth

We pilgrims must ask ourselves what our particular gifts are, and couple this with what God requires for the place where He wants us to be. There may not be a position vacant for the particular gift we think God has given us, but there may be a place where we can serve. I always remember the story of Smith Wigglesworth, a Pentecostal evangelist active in the first half of the twentieth century. He spent many years giving out hymnbooks before he was called to the ministry, in which he was so effective. Moses spent forty years caring for his father-in-law’s sheep before, at the age of eighty, God called him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelite slaves to the Promised Land. Sometimes we have a tendency to get ahead of God, when instead He wants us to develop our character to the point where our gifting will become effective. So we pray and ask God to lead and guide us in His ways, always in the knowledge that He knows what is best for us.

Dear Father God. We thank You for the diversity of the gifts that populate Your church. Please help us find the place where You want us to be an effective member of Your Body. 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.

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.

Differences

Posted on by korgrocker

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIVUK

In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, he mentioned a gift received by all believers in Jesus – the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Previously, Jesus had encouraged His disciples when He said that He would send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.“

John 14:15.

John 14:15-17, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you”. Jesus was faithful to His word, and we all know the Acts 2 story – “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:4). This wasn’t an occasion without drama and impact! But my point this morning is that all Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives through the repentance of their sins. There are not many different types of Holy Spirit, one for each person, because there is only one. This is how Paul began his teaching to the Corinthians about the gifts of the Holy Spirit: many gifts, but one Holy Spirit. In the days ahead, we will explore what these different spiritual gifts are. 

“All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives”

Paul continues with the thought that “There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5). In other Bible translations, the word “services” is replaced by “ministries”, but even though there are differences between ministries, there is only one Lord commissioning them. So, in our churches, we have the pastors and teachers, the evangelists and so on, with each person, or even several people, performing the same function. But these are the headline roles, and the ones that people think of when the word “ministry” surfaces in conversations. We forget about the other equally important roles that are present in a church or community. The people who maintain the building, cleaning and decorating, repairing and maintaining, are equally important. A bit further down in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul equates a fellowship of believers with a human body, as we read, “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” (1 Corinthians 12:14-15). Just as all our body parts have a particular “ministry”, so does the body of Christ as a whole. 

Paul concludes the three verses we are considering today with, “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work”. We have gifts, ministries, and different ways of doing things, but in everything it is God who is at work in them all. But if we stop and think, aren’t we all glad that each person is unique? What if God had created a race of human clones, each identical in looks and abilities? Where would the variety of gifts and ministries then be found? God created each one of us just as He planned, and after our creation, He broke the mould, so that there would never be another you and me. Yes, we may have character traits inherited from our parents. But they uniquely combine to make us who we are.

The differences between believers enrich the Body of Christ in all its facets and functions, and we should be content with how God has made us. We must never spend our time fretting because we are looking at someone else, wishing that we had their gift or ministry. Our function instead is to be faithful with the gifts God has given us, so that one day we will hear those wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for making us just as we are, with all the gifts and ministries that You want us to have. Please help us to be content and continue in our Christian lives, as we become more and more like your Son, Jesus. In His precious name. Amen. 

Judgment

Posted on by korgrocker

“For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”
1 Corinthians 11:29-32 NIVUK

In a previous blog, we considered what it means to discern “the body of Christ”. We continue to read today about what will happen to those who fail to “discern” what is really happening in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Reading between the lines of what went on in the Corinthians’ service of Communion, it must have been a bit of a riot compared with our sombre services today. They were apparently turning it into a drunken party, with those with the means to supply their own food and drink having a good time, and those without forced to sit on the sidelines and watch. And in some way, they considered that they were sharing in the Lord’s Supper by doing this. But before we condemn them and take the moral high ground, we must confess that some of us might be doing something equally dishonouring in our own thoughts. 

There were consequences to the Corinthians’ behaviour, and Paul made the association between those who shared the Communion in a way that dishonoured Christ and those who were suffering from illness or weakness, and even those who had died. How could that have happened? There is only one explanation, and that is God has brought weakness, illness, and even death to them as discipline for their failure to observe Communion with proper respect for Christ’s sacrifice and for each other. This could be a stumbling block for Christians who think God is a God of love, grace, and forgiveness and would never do such a thing. But God does discipline His children, “because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son“ (Hebrews 12:6). Comparing with the discipline meted out by human fathers, we read, “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11).

So, we pilgrims must approach the Lord’s Table in a way that honours Him. Paul wrote, “But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment”. We must judge ourselves first with sincerity. In other words, we must be brutally honest with ourselves before joining in the Lord’s Supper, and we must change our attitudes toward Christ’s death and all those He died for. Then we will not have to worry about God’s judgment afterwards.

But a word for all those anxious in these circumstances, and who fear for their salvation, Paul wrote, “Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). When God disciplines us, it does not mean that He has rejected us and slammed the gates of Heaven in our faces. He still loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. 

Dear Father God. We are so sorry for the times when we have taken the emblems of Holy Communion in an unworthy manner. We pray for forgiveness and for the Holy Spirit to help us remember You the next time we have the opportunity to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In Jesus’ name. Amen.