Gifts of the Spirit part 2
JCC 22.11.09 pm
Quickly recap on part 1 as an introduction
Tongues and Prophecy
Slide 1 & slide 2:1 1 Cor 12:1-11 & v7
One gift magnified above another is evidently so out of proportion that it caused division, and they were accused of teaching heresy
Slide 2:2 & slide 3,4 and 5 1 Cor 14:1-25
Slide 6:1, 2 & 3
If you are speaking in an unknown tongue, you are speaking to God not men
In other words, it is a gift whereby a man might be assisted in his worship of God, or in his communicating with God
For by communicating in tongues, because you do not understand it, you are bypassing the narrow channel of your intellect
God has given to us a gift whereby we can bypass the narrow channel of our intellect and we can enter into a full worship with Him
It assists me in my worship and in my praise
If I speak in tongues I am actually speaking to God, though I don’t understand it
He assists me in praising and worshipping the Father, and in glorifying Jesus Christ
Slide 7:1, 2 & 3 Introduction to three tongues
Let’s look at the areas tongues are used in: slide 8:1, 2, 3
1. Human language:
Seen on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10)
Some say it is evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit
I personally think any manifestation of any one gift is evidence
Was Jesus filled with the Spirit? Yes
Did He speak in tongues? No
This tongue needed no interpretation
But a translation
What did the people hear on both occasions?
Praise and worship to God: magnifying the Lord
Slide 8:4 speaking TO men ABOUT God
It’s a sign for the unbeliever
A language not learned by human effort
They weren’t being preached to in tongues in their own languages
They heard them glorifying and praising God
The interpretation, bringing to the people understanding of your worship and praise to God, then does edify them
As you, by the Spirit, are declaring the glory, the power, the greatness of God, when they can understand your words of praise and exaltation in glorifying God, they are edified by your praises
2. A heavenly language slide 9:1, 2 & 3
Speaking TO God NOT men
Private devotion
4 1 Cor 14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries
Our spirit (notice small ‘s’) speaks mysteries to the Lord
But why?
To build us up
4 It only builds up or edifies the one speaking
Tongues is a gift whereby I am built up, I am benefited, I am blessed
Here is where people often make the mistake
They believe that tongues with an interpretation becomes equivalent to prophecy
Slide 10 It is not equivalent to prophecy
Not so, it’s a common mistake among the Pentecostal churches believing that tongues with interpretation
I am sure that as you have seen the particular phenomena of tongues in various places, you see an inconsistency here
For in observing over the years Pentecostal services where there were public utterances in tongues, they called them messages in tongues
And the interpretation so often was after this manner. "My little children, hearken unto Me, for I would call unto you today to praise Me. My little children, hearken unto my voice."
So often the interpretation, or the supposed interpretation is addressed to the people as God would be speaking to them
It would appear in the first person. "For I the Lord declared unto thee that today I am going to bless you," coming out as a message from God to man
Does that mean that the tongues are not genuine? No
It means that the interpretation wasn’t genuine
What often happens is, you do have the gift of tongues exercised, followed by a gift of prophecy and not the interpretation of the tongues
I think this is a common error in churches today, and you will find it almost universally too
Tongues followed by prophecy, rather than a true interpretation of what was uttered in the unknown tongue
So tongues with interpretation is not an equivalent or equal to prophecy, or the same as prophecy
For prophecy is when God speaks to the church to edify, to exhort, to comfort
Whereas tongues are addressed to God, divine mysteries, the secrets, the beauty, the glory as my spirit worships Him
Tongues, as far as I can understand from scripture, are always, as Paul declared here in verse two, addressed to God
We can pray to interpret what we say to Him, so then we understand
It’s obvious Paul speaks in tongues, he tells so; I speak more than all of you, it is obvious that he does so in his own personal private devotions
Slide 11:1 & 2 Prayer Languages
Another ability, is offering to God prayer according to His will
For the Spirit also helps our infirmities.
Slide 11:3 Romans 8:26-27 "For we don’t always know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit will make intercession through groaning which cannot be uttered."
So it is the Spirit helping us in our prayer life
Give examples of intercessions (revisit at another session)
But if I am desiring gifts, it would be better that I desired the gift of prophecy rather than the gift of tongues
Desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy. For the gift of tongues is only for our own personal benefit
Slide 12:1, 2 Prophecy
3 A human language
4 To build up the whole Church
5 TO men FROM God
To prophesy, one must be close to God, as this gift enables you to communicate to others God’s Word in such a way that it will be understood as God’s message—mind and will as expressed through the revealed Word of God
Truth needs to be preached today in plain language
Something understood by all
"The spirit of the prophet is subject unto the prophets”
He never speaks against scripture
Nor should you
False prophets with prophecies have been around since time began
Test the spirit (discernment of spirits, look at another time)
You have the control over the gifts and the use of the gifts of the Spirit in your life
The Spirit doesn’t take you out of yourself
He doesn’t do things which are not decent and orderly
Because of fanaticism, people are afraid to reach out and ask God for that which makes them effective in his work in the Church
Don’t allow people to put you off
Desire the gifts
ALL OF THEM!
Then the Church will be a mighty force in the hands of God
Don’t allow the devil to rob you of what is rightfully yours
They are gifts, just take them, you cannot earn them
And, they are for whoever the Holy Spirit chooses
All having purpose for building the Church and saving souls
