Empowered To Serve Series

When it comes to computers, some people hardly know a gigabyte from a mosquito bite. Just ask any technical support person at any of the major computer companies. Here are some of their stories:

One computer company considered changing the command "Press Any Key" to "Press Return Key," because a lot of callers were asking where the "Any" key is!

In another case, technical support told a caller to put his disk back into the drive and close the door. The caller asked the technician to hold on, who heard him put the phone down, get up, and cross the floor to close the door to his room!

Another caller complained that his computer's fax didn’t work. Apparently, he'd been holding a document up to the screen and hitting the "send" key!

Still another caller said she couldn’t turn her computer on. She explained, “I pushed and pushed on the foot pedal, and nothing happens.” The “foot pedal” turned out to be the computer's mouse!

Finally, here's a real conversation between a caller and a technician:

Tech: "How may I help you?"

Caller: "The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting it fixed?"

Tech: "I'm sorry, but did you say a cup holder?"

Caller: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."

Tech: "Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped. Did you receive this as part of a promotional? How did you get this cup holder? Does it have any trademark on it?"

After a few more minutes, the techie figured out the caller had been using his CD-ROM drive as a cup holder and had snapped it off the machine! ("Strange World," Campus Life, Vol. 56, no. 6; www.PreachingToday.com).

Ignorance can be frustrating, but when it comes to spiritual matters, ignorance is downright destructive. The First Century Corinthian believers prided themselves in their knowledge and special abilities (1 Corinthians 1:5-7). But their pride blinded them to their own ignorance, which nearly destroyed their church.

Such ignorance can also destroy our church unless we learn to appreciate what we do not know. So, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 12, where the Bible addresses such destructive ignorance.

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed (ESV).

Paul does not want his readers to be ignorant of matters pertaining to the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led (ESV).

Before they came to Christ, their culture led them astray to worship speechless, worthless idols. Such worship included ecstatic utterances. Now, they may have given up their worship of mute idols, but not the ecstatic utterances.

William Barclay says, “In an age of ecstasy and of enthusiasm, there can be hysterical excitement and self-delusion as well as the real thing” (Barclay, W. 2002, The Letters to the Corinthians, 3rd ed., p. 124, Westminster John Knox Press).

So how do you discern the difference the real thing from a mere emotional outburst

1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit (ESV).

If someone blasphemes Jesus in their speech, it’s part of a mere emotional outburst or something worse. However, If someone proclaims, “Jesus is Lord,” then it’s an obvious work of the Holy Spirit. Barclay says, “There was the possibility that, even in the Church, someone, half-mad with frenzy, might cry out: ‘Accursed be Jesus.’ In that hysterical atmosphere, anything might happen” (Ibid.).

On the other hand, if someone cries, “Jesus is Lord,” their utterance likely comes from the Holy Spirit. That’s because the Roman government required all its citizens to proclaim, “CAESAR is Lord.” Thus, to say “JESUS is Lord” was an act of treason, which opened you up to arrest, persecution, and death. So you proclaimed “Jesus is Lord” only if the Holy Spirit led you to submit to Christ’s rule over Caesar’s rule in your life. It was a sure test of Spirit-led speech as opposed to some emotional outburst.

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16:15-17).

Only God prompts you to proclaim “Jesus is Lord, so when it comes to spiritual matters, learn to…

APPRECIATE THE SURE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT.

Distinguish the real work of God’s Spirit from the fake. Recognize the Holy Spirit’s authentic expressions above the phony ones.