FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE GIFTS
OF THE SPIRIT - I
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Today,
we are transitioning to a completely different subject matter. It is a subject that has, for the most part,
been placed on a back shelf in the church; and yet it is a truth that is needed
desperately by the church, today.
I
recall in the early 1970’s, when the “Charismatic Movement” was in full
bloom. Believers from all denominational
backgrounds were discovering a truth that had been missing from their church’s
experience, theology and culture. This
truth resolved the question they had held quietly in their hearts for years: “Where is the power of the church we see in
the Book of Act?”
From
the early 1970’s through the 1990’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit found its
way into many congregations; but mostly into the forming of independent church
fellowships; because the change in the lives of those participating in this “movement”
was wholly unacceptable to the mainline churches. I, for one, was personally asked to leave the
Baptist church where I was a member because all I wanted to do was talk about the
Master. That was far outside of their
comfort zone.
I
grew up in the Baptist church; and with my father being in the military, we
moved every year to a new location; which meant becoming members of a new
Baptist church every year. In every
church, I recall thinking to myself, “This
can’t possibly be what Messiah died to produce. When I read the Book of Acts,
this is not what I see.”
Every
church I ever attended was all about its religious culture and not about the
life of the Master, nor about their obedience to the Creator. There were
programs and activities and services designed to keep everyone occupied; but they
were concerned first and foremost with keeping the church out of debt and maintaining
and growing the business aspect of the church. Youth groups were about keeping
the children off the streets at night by providing things for them to do as a
group, as a clique; something akin to babysitting. They were not about making obedient disciples
of them. Evangelistic success was
measured by the size of the building program and the dollars coming in to pay
for it. This was not an experience
unique to me. This picture defines
contemporary Christianity as a rule.
Yes, there are some rare exceptions to the rule; but not enough to be a
blip on the radar.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now,
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
In
the 1970’s almost everyone was ignorant of spiritual gifts; and yet, this verse
has been in the Scriptures for nearly 2,000 years. Why are we still ignorant of
spiritual gifts? I can offer my own
explanation in very simplified terms.
Walking in a lifestyle that accommodates the manifestation of the gifts
of the Holy Spirit is one that does not accommodate walking in the flesh; and
since the contemporary gospel message does not command men to repent, believers
today are not willing to repent and disassociate from their fleshly lives in
order to experience the power of IAUE.
Allowing the Holy Spirit the freedom to speak or to do in our lives
would create a real disturbance in the Sunday morning worship services around
the world. He is not manageable; and
allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to manifest as He pleases cannot be
incorporated in a Sunday morning bulletin setting forth the order of the
service; especially those that are televised live. In a very real sense, the Holy Spirit is synonymous
with chaos. It is little wonder why the
church seldom ever teaches on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It would encourage chaos.
Well,
welcome to chaos. It is time we were no
longer ignorant. If our churches cannot
contain what the Holy Spirit makes of us, perhaps we should not be in those
churches at all.
1 Corinthian 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal.
This
first thing we must understand about the spiritual gifts is that they are
manifestations of the Spirit of IAUE.
They aren’t special abilities given by the Holy Spirit as separate and
distinct and apart from Himself. Picture, if you will, the Holy Spirit as a
car. Now picture your life as a house
with a garage connected to your home.
Without a car parked in your garage, neither you nor anyone around your
house will ever be aware if someone is honking the car’s horn, or playing the
car’s radio, or flashing the car’s lights, or revving the car’s engines. Why not?
It is because the car is not there. These are all different ways that it
may become apparent to others that a car is in your garage. They are ways that the car’s presence may be
manifested to others.
This
illustration reveals the fundamental problem when it comes to the church’s
basic ignorance of spiritual gifts. For
the most part, Christians have an empty garage.
They do not know their garage is empty; because their church’s theology
has taught them to believe that when they prayed “the magic prayer” to become a
Christian, they received the Holy Spirit.
This simply is not the teaching of Scripture; and it is why believers
live powerless lives from the day they first become a believer, until the day
they die. It is why the only thing the
churches can do, today, is run programs to keep everyone occupied; and to hold
conferences and concerts and to invite celebrities to come and keep them
entertained. They lack the power of the
life that Messiah died to make possible for them.
I
am reminded of the testimony of John Wimber who said he was from a long line of
atheists who had no church experience whatsoever. After reading the Bible, he
went to a church service and sat there confused as they went through the order
of service, had a closing prayer and everyone went home. He asked the pastor, “When do you do the
stuff?” The pastor was confused about
the question; and Mr. Wimber explained he was referring to the miracles he read
about in the Book of Acts. The pastor said,
“We don’t do the stuff anymore. It is
enough that we believe that HE did the stuff.”
John Wimber actually thought that the church service was when the
Christians got together, divvied up the city into various sections, and
assigned the believers to go out and do the miracles Messiah did. Since the church no longer believed in doing “the
stuff,” John Wimber just went out and started doing it himself.
Most
of Christendom has been taught that when they accept Messiah into their lives
and they are “born again,” that the incredible sensation of “newness” they
experience that is so overwhelming and unmistakably wonderful in their lives is
the result of receiving the Holy Spirit. It isn’t at all. It is the result of being born a new
creature.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if
any man be in Messiah, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Messiah taught that you cannot put the Holy
Spirit into an unqualified vessel.
Luke 5:36 And He was also
telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment
and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece
from the new will not match the old.
37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;
otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the
skins will be ruined.
38 But new wine
must be put into fresh wineskins.
Only after we have become “new/fresh wineskins” (only
after we are born again) are we qualified to receive the Holy Spirit. Notice the timing of the experiences in the
Book of Acts, where people were converted and received the Holy Spirit.
The Day of Pentecost: Acts 2:38 – Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost instructed the
people (Jews) who had believed his message that they were to 1) repent, 2) be
baptized in water, after which they shall 3) receive the Holy Spirit.
Phillip in Samaria: Acts 8:5-17 – Phillip went to Samaria (half breeds: half-Jew/half-Gentile)
and preached about the Kingdom of IAUE and the name of Yahushua Messiah; and
the whole city believed his message and were baptized in water. Peter and John, in Jerusalem, having heard
that Samaria had responded to the gospel, went to Samaria to lay hands on the
baptized believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Paul: Acts 9:1-18 – Paul was confronted by the
presence of the glorified Messiah on the road to Damascus and was struck
blind. Now a believer, Paul was led into
the city where Ananias met with him three days later to pray for him to recover
from his blindness and to receive the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, Paul was baptized in water.
Household of
Cornelius:
Acts 10 – Peter and a company of Jews
were led by IAUE to go with a soldier and two house-servants to the home of
Cornelius, a centurion. They found the
house full of Cornelius’ family and friends who were waiting expectantly for
the word that Peter would speak to them.
They believed Peter’s words and were born again, and the Holy Spirit was
poured out upon them. (There was no way
Peter would have considered praying for them to receive the Holy Spirit, for
they were Gentiles; and he had no place in his thinking that they would be
allowed to receive the Holy Spirit; so IAUE poured out His Spirit upon them in
a sovereign way.) Having witnessed the
evidence of their having received the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they be
baptized in water.
The Ephesian
Disciples:
Acts 19:1-6 – Upon arriving in Ephesus,
Paul noticed a band of believers; but he must have certainly notice something missing
from their lives because he asked them if they had ever received the Holy
Spirit. They were unaware of the
existence of the Holy Spirit; so Paul ascertained that these were disciples of
John the Baptist, not disciples of Yahushua.
Once Paul explained the difference, they believed on Messiah and were
born again. Paul then baptized them in
water; and after they were baptized, Paul laid his hands on them and they
received the Holy Spirit.
Notice
that in each of these recorded experiences (apart from the close connection
between being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit in the sovereign
inclusion of the gentiles to the new covenant with the household of Cornelius),
the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit was noticeably and measurably distinct
and separate from the new birth experience.
With Paul and the Samaritan disciples, the experience was days after
they believed in Messiah.
Once
this truth is understood, it becomes obvious why the majority of Christendom in
denominational congregations around the world are simply “playing church” and
maintaining status quo week after week.
They are living under the false impression that they have received the
Holy Spirit; consequently, they are living powerless lives within a religious
culture. Why would any of them ever seek
to receive the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit if they truly believe
they already have received Him? There
can be no faith to receive such an experience when one believes it has already
happened.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Getting
rid of ignorance about spiritual gifts begins with getting rid of ignorance
about the Spirit.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment