This nine-part series was originally developed for a class environment, and later adapted for use in a prison ministry conducted via correspondence. Because of that background, questions were developed for each lesson for participants to use in a setting conducive to discussion, or as handouts for private use if the lessons are presented as sermons. At the beginning of each part of the series, I will include the outline of the series.
OUTLINE OF THIS SERIES OF STUDIES
Part 1
Introduction, Holy Spirit as deity
Names of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Part 2
Holy Spirit in the NT (apostles to receive power)
Gabriel’s message to Mary
Foreseen by NT characters—Jesus, John
What we learn from Jesus in John 14,16
The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost
Baptism in, or by, the Holy Spirit
Baptism of believers
Part 3
If I do not go away the Holy Spirit will not come
Men received and were dependent on the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a Guarantee
Grieving the Holy Spirit
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
Being Filled With the Spirit
Part 4
The Holy Spirit in the Functioning of the church (first installment)
(1 Cor 12; Rom 12; Eph 4)
Gifts of the Spirit
The Head
Grace as Gifts (did not delve into each of the gifts, or special aptitudes, given by the Holy Spirit)
Functions “God Has Appointed”
Tongues/prophesying
Part 5
The empowering gifts of the Holy Spirit
Bestowing honor upon less “presentable” members
Order of functions (First apostles, second prophets, third teachers) Teachers discussed in Part 6
Part 6
Teachers
First apostles, second prophets, third teachers.
Part 7
Ministries of the Holy Spirit
Are the Bible and the Holy Spirit the same?
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Part 8
Fruit of the Spirit
The Spirit vs the Flesh
Attributes of the Holy Spirit
Part 9
Acting in opposition to the Holy Spirit
• Lying to the Holy Spirit
• Resisting the Holy Spirit
• Quenching the Holy Spirit
• Grieving the Holy Spirit
• Defiling the Temple of the Holy Spirit
• Insulting the Spirit of Grace (doing despite)
Intercessor (though mentioned previously)
How Can I Know if I Have the Holy Spirit?
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THE HOLY SPIRIT
Part 4
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CHURCH
In preparation for this part of the study, please read the following passages of scripture:
1 Corinthians 12 in its entirety, Romans 12:3-8 and Eph 4:11-16.
• In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul gives the most comprehensive explanation of the way the church, as the body of Christ, is to function—similar to the functioning of the human body, with each of the members doing the part it is best equipped to perform. Paul discusses the use of gifts, and points out that there is a top tier of three gifts (v28). He also points out that, although some members of the body appear weaker, or less “presentable,” they are essential to the functioning of the body.
• In Romans 12:3-8, Paul encouraged his readers at Rome not to think more highly of themselves than they ought (which they might be inclined to do because of possessing certain spiritual gifts), though he emphasizes that all members are essential to the functioning of the body. He discusses these gifts according to their respective functions.
• Ephesians 4:4-16 deals with unity and right treatment of members to each other, and cites several functioning capacities, emphasizing that they are to function in harmony.
Many, but not necessarily all of the functions that existed in the first century, are specified in these three New Testament passages, where they show us the way the Holy Spirit was closely involved in the functioning of the church.
The New Testament describes the church as the body of Christ, with him as the head. Comparison is made to the human body, of which each member is an essential functioning part. When all members recognize and perform the respective functions to which they are well suited, problems and burdens are minimized and the entire body functions effectively. If because of injury or some other reason a member of a human body does not perform its function, the result is pain, trouble, and hindrance to the body in carrying out its purposes, and other members of the body are called upon to compensate for the loss.
The entire functioning of the church is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit as the agent, or alter ego for Christ. The Holy Spirit does so by giving gifts, which are to be used by persons performing the functions that require the use of those gifts.
Gifts of the Spirit
We cannot clearly understand what the New Testament tells us in the depth I would like to without some occasional inquiry into the meaning of the words used in the original language, so as to get the clearest understanding of what the texts are intended to say. We must now define the original word commonly translated into English as “gift,” or “gifts.” It is important to understand the word used in order to recognize the empowerment of the church, both in the first century and today.
“Gift “is translated from the word charisma. Charisma is defined as a gift involving grace (charis) on the part of God as the donor. The word is used in several places (a) in the Roman letter to describe God’s free bestowments upon sinners, and (b) in Paul’s first letter to Corinth, of his endowments upon believers by the operation of the Holy Spirit in the churches.
Paul used the word charisma 5 times in 1 Corinthians 12:
V4 - there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit
Vs 9, 28, 30 – gifts of healing, amidst a list of several others
V31 – earnestly “desire the greater gifts”
Notice the key role of the Holy Spirit in this functioning organism. The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus and sent by the Father. The Holy Spirit gave gifts to members, empowering them all in a variety of ways through their use of those gifts to perform the God-appointed functions of Christ’s body, the church.
The Head. Jesus is the head of the church.
Eph 1:18-23 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The Holy Spirit. As noted in the previous lesson, before leaving this earth to ascend to the Father, Jesus said:
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7
In John 16:12-14 Jesus said:
"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
As seen in this passage, the Holy Spirit does not have a separate agenda, but took Christ’s mission and plan and disclosed it to the apostles. See then, that although not present on the earth, Jesus is nonetheless the head of the church, and is accomplishing his continued mission in the world through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Grace as Gifts.
We saw in the definition of the Greek charisma above, that the word as used in the original language involved grace. In fact, the same word in the original language is often translated “grace.” Grace pertains to that which is given though unearned and undeserved. That is the nature of gifts; otherwise the thing given is not a gift but compensation, or a returned favor, and thus is in some sense deserved. The gifts of the Holy Spirit we have been discussing are through the manifestation of grace. Those who receive them do not do so because they are earned and deserved. They are gifts, and are for the recipient’s use for the sake of the giver--the Holy Spirit, acting on behalf of the head, Jesus Christ.
We obviously cannot account for every action the Holy Spirit takes on behalf of Christ the head, but the passages in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8 and Eph 4:11-16 show us that the Holy Spirit gave gifts to those early Christians structured to designated purposes, and that those gifts are tied closely to the functioning of the body, the church.
Functions “God has appointed.”
In 1 Corinthians 12 we saw that God himself has appointed gifts to individuals, and along with those gifts, duties, or functions that employ the use of those gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
The gifts that each member of the body receives are special capabilities distributed by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, there is a variety of functions, or ministries, each to be fulfilled according to a member’s gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:4-5 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
Every member of the body does not have the same capabilities. The eyes cannot perform the function of the hands. The head, as important as it is, cannot perform the function of the feet. Neither can the members of the body say, we will all be the head, the hands, and the feet, the heart, lungs, and liver. The parts of the body do what they are equipped to do.
At this time, we will not delve into each of the gifts, or special aptitudes, given by the Holy Spirit. However, we will examine a comparison between two gifts that Paul discusses at length in 1 Corinthians 14:1-33. The two gifts under consideration are the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of prophesying.
The gift of speaking in tongues was the ability to speak in a language the speaker had not studied and learned, with which the speaker had no prior acquaintance. It was a useful gift for spreading the gospel and teaching the doctrines of Christianity among people of differing locales and cultures who spoke their own language.
The perfect example occurred on the day of Pentecost with the first preaching of the gospel to people who spoke a variety of language:.
Acts 2:5-6 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
Some believe there is another kind of tongue-speaking, sometimes called “glossolalia,” in which the speech is not in an established language, but ecstatic utterances in a sacred language understandable only to God and the angels—not intended to be comprehended by other humans. I am seriously skeptical about this idea. I see no useful purpose for it; whereas the other gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit can all be seen as eminently useful.
The gift of prophecy was the ability to speak things that had not been revealed by other means. On the day of Pentecost, not a single line of the New Testament had been written. The “scriptures” of the people were what we now call the Old Testament. The New Testament was gradually written as letters and treatises (essays) by the apostles and others, such as Luke and John Mark. Although those writings were shared among the churches, they were not fully written and compiled into a volume for many years. In fact, there was not full agreement throughout the churches on which writings should be regarded as inspired scripture until almost 400 AD. So in the earliest days of the church, when they did not have a written New Testament, the word of God came to them through prophets who spoke by inspiration. In fact, the “spir” part of the word “inspiration” comes from the same source as the “Spirit,” meaning wind, or forcibly blown breath. Joel had foretold that the Holy Spirit would operate in this way (Joel 2:28-29), and Peter recognized its beginning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-18) as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.
So in 1 Corinthians 14:1-33 we see the two useful gifts laid side-by-side in Paul’s discussion--speaking in tongues and prophecy. Apparently Paul’s teaching about their relative importance was necessary because some were considering the gift of tongues to be a more prestigious gift than the gift of prophecy. It was showier in a spectacular way, especially if some were practicing glossolalia. But Paul allows no room for mistaking the comparative value of the two gifts. The gift of prophecy is of greater value than the gift of tongues. We may speculate about why this was true, but one thing is clear: Prophecy was the message of the New Testament at a time when the written New Testament did not exist. It was done in every locale, from Jerusalem to Samaria and Antioch, Galatia, the islands, Ephesus, Rome, and beyond. As long as that prophecy was true and uncontaminated by the prophet’s own motives, it was the same. It was the people’s guide to knowing God’s will, and the meaning of Christ’s ministry and death. Whatever value tongue-speaking had, no gift or function could have a higher value than the revealing of that plan and guide that we now know as the written New Testament.
Today, with the New Testament fully written and God’s will revealed, we do not have those supernatural capabilities, but we still can recognize that each person is endowed with certain aptitudes and natural inclinations toward one field of service or more, and those talents are not identical. Some people have many talents, while others may have only one, or a few.
However, the comparative superiority of one gift over another must not lead us to the conclusion that one member is more valuable than another because of their differing gifts. The members themselves are of equal value. Note again the passage in Romans 12:3-8. The value of the member is not determined by the gifts he possesses. Christians must not fall into the trap of over-valuing a member who is gifted with what we might consider superior gifts. “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body” says Paul (1 Corinthians 12:14). Jesus taught that the shepherd would leave the ninety and nine sheep that were safe to go and find one who was lost. Clearly, there were not some sheep that were not worth going after.
The value of each of us as members of Christ’s body is shown by the price Jesus paid to save us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Part 4 Questions
Questions:
1. How was the Holy Spirit involved in the church in its earliest days?
2. Is the Holy Spirit involved in a similar way now?
3. Why was the gift of prophecy important, as Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 14?
4. Is there a modern-day equivalent to the gift of tongues?
Answer True or False by circling T or F:
1. T F The Holy Spirit is the head of the church today.
2. T F All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit have equal value.
3. T F The effecting of miracles was a gift from the Holy Spirit
4. T F “Gift” and “grace” mean essentially the same.
5. T F A member who has more natural talents is more important than one who has fewer.
Discussion
1. What do you think Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 12:22-26, when he wrote about members being less honorable, or presentable than others?
2. How might we do what Paul suggested toward “less honorable,” or “less presentable” members? Or are we possibly those members ourselves?
3. Could a person obtain a desired gift, or talent, from the Spirit by desiring or asking for it?
