Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“The Matters of the Spirit: the Giver” I Corinthians 12:1-11
Review
I. Reproof for fleshly behavior 1-6
II. Responses to specific inquiries
A. Concerning marriage 7
B. Concerning voluntary limitation of Christian liberty 8-11:1
C. Concerning proper protocol in public worship 11-14
1. Proper decorum in corporate worship 11:2-16
An air of independence has arisen especially among the women.
2. Proper heart and order for observing the Lord’s Supper 11:17-34
An atmosphere of disunity continued to manifest even during communion.
3. Proper understanding of the matters of the Spirit 12-14
An attitude of superiority and selfishness hindered the work of the Spirit among them.
Introduction
Christianity is about Jesus Christ and those connected to Him by faith and the baptism into His body. As we will see next week, the Holy Spirit places every believer into vital union with Christ and His body. Without the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ there is no power.
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. Zech. 4:6
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Acts 1:7-8
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, Ephes. 3:20
Where is that power that accomplishes far beyond all that we ask or think? Where is the power of the church to effect changes in lives and in the community around us? What is different about the church than any other “service” organization? What can we accomplish that the world can’t accomplish? What does this power of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers, look like? What keeps the church of Jesus Christ (what keeps Chico Alliance Church) from being the agent of change and bearer of good news God designed it to be?
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim. 3:1-7
“Deny” = to say, “no!” to disown, to refuse. We have replaced power with learning. We have substituted doing with knowing. We have allowed the ambitions of self to crowd out the acts of the Holy Spirit. We even embrace all the trappings of godliness but live powerless lives when it comes to the “matters of the Spirit.” Beginning today I want us to take a fresh look at the genuine work of the Holy Spirit among the body of Christ. It is the work of the Spirit that empowers and energizes the church. It is the work of the Spirit in bringing about truly changed lives that makes the church different than any organization on earth. Only God can change a heart. What does that work look like? In the “matters of the Spirit” we will first explore the issues from the perspective of the giver, the Holy Spirit. Next week we will look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the body from the perspective of the individual.
a) The Operation of the GIVER in the body 12:1-11
Paul lays down four basic truths regarding the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.
(1) Don’t be ignorant about the “matters of the Spirit.” 12:1-3
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
Perhaps because of something asked in their letter to Paul, he detected an information deficit among the believers of Corinth regarding the things of the spirit. “Spiritual gifts” is a translation of the Greek word “pneumatikos” which simply means “things or matters of the spirit.” The word “gifts” does not appear in the original. In fact I have come to think that a very narrow view of this aspect of the Spirit’s work in the body of Christ is derived by separating out “spiritual gifts” as some technical operation. “Matters of the Spirit” has to do with the workings or operation of the Holy Spirit among the church of God. This passage then focuses on the operation of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ which is far more extensive than “spiritual gifts”. The focus then becomes the work that the Spirit does among us rather than some “gift” we receive from Him to make us feel spiritual. I believe such a focus lent to the way Paul addressed the problem of a particular manifestation of the Spirit the way he did.
First, Paul reminded them of the basic operation of the Spirit among believers.
Second Paul reminded them the focus of such work among them was for the common good not for the individual.
Third Paul summarized the greatest, most ultimate life changer of them all – love.
Finally Paul addressed the specific issue of disorder and imbalance.
The word translated “unaware” is the Greek word “agnoeo” from which we get our English word “agnostic”. It is their word meaning “to comprehend” with a negative put in front of it making it to NOT comprehend. They were ignorant of the true operation of the Holy Spirit among God’s church; namely, as we will discover latter, an overemphasis on “speaking in tongues”. Paul wanted them to understand that the core of the Christian life has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Romans 8:9
It is not our intellectual assertion that makes us Christian.
It is not the size of our Bible or the church we attend that makes us Christian.
It is the PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit that brings about the spiritual changes necessary to call us Christians.
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7
Until the Holy Spirit comes into one’s life, people are driven and led around by a different spirit. Those without the Holy Spirit take their directions from another spirit. Every “religion” involves an indwelling spirit that directs people’s beliefs and behavior. Many people seek “spirituality” because it is our nature to be drawn to the spiritual.
There are many different spirits who compete for allegiance. Paul called them to remember what it was like before the Holy Spirit.
You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
They all had experienced “spirit” manifestations. They all knew what it was like to say evil things and vigorously affirm their allegiance to the idols they embraced. They remembered the spiritual ecstasies in the pagan temples. They remembered ecstatic utterances inspired by evil spirits associated with idols. Only the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus.
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
Paul boldly asserted that without the Holy Spirit one cannot publicly affirm Jesus to be their Lord. On the flip side anyone who has the Holy Spirit will not be able to slander Jesus. In the culture of the Corinthians to “say” “Jesus is Lord” was more than just words. This was an external confession of an inward reality. Paul called on the Romans to believe in their heart and confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord.
Such a confession against the screams of the unholy spirits would have been impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit. One, on the other hand, could technically “say” the actual words but not as a confession of the heart without the internal work of the Holy Spirit. He wanted them to realize that the indwelling Holy Spirit enables them to embrace Jesus as Lord. The presence of the Holy Spirit would also make it unthinkable to say anything derogatory concerning their Lord. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the members of the body was vital to the function of the body. So the first point concerned their need for proper information; not to be ignorant of spiritual matters. Both the Holy Spirit and evil spirits operate in the spiritual dimension. Some of their “effects” may be similar but their purpose is diametrically opposed. How does the Holy Spirit work? What is His role in the body of Christ?
(2) The Holy Spirit operates in three arenas 12:4-7
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
? Gifts (aptitudes)
? Ministries
? Effects
The Holy Spirit energizes believers in three specific arenas. I feel that this verse clears a great deal of confusion related to the topic of spiritual gifts today. Rather than lump everything as a spiritual gift, we need to discern what is a “gift” or aptitude, what a ministry is and what is an effect. Looking at this and the only other three passages regarding “gifts”, through this grid, enables us to better grasp how the Holy Spirit actually functions in the body of Christ. The only passages that talk about this aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work are found here in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4.
SPIRIT-IMPARTED APTITUDES
When I think of spiritual gifts, I usually picture a personal present intended for my enjoyment and use. The gift part is actually misleading.
In fact the word translated “gift” is the same word as translated favor, free gift, a gift of grace. It comes from the root for the world “grace”. What the Holy Spirit does in regard to individual believers is not a self-pleasing present to be enjoyed by the receiver but a grace based aptitude or ability to be employed by the receiver for the common good of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit enables each believer with a special aptitude to function in His body to bring health and growth. This Spirit-imparted aptitude gives that believer a particular bent or drive necessary for the body to function properly. There are varieties of aptitudes or drives endowed by ONE Spirit.
Romans mentions seven specific functions that I would categorize as aptitudes or gifts. Each aptitude is based on levels of grace given to EVERY believer.
? Aptitude for prophecy
? Aptitude for service
? Aptitude for teaching
? Aptitude for exhortation
? Aptitude for giving
? Aptitude for administration
? Aptitude for mercy
The heath and growth of the body depends on these areas to flourish in balance.
We need those who will boldly proclaim the word of the Lord.
We need those who will tend to the everyday physical necessities of the body.
We need those who will keep us tied to the truth of the Text.
We need those who will apply truth to life.
We need those who will generate funding for ministry.
We need those concerned with order and direction.
We need those who are touched by the needs around us that demand attention.
These aptitudes cause us to have a certain bent or “hot button”. These aptitudes cause us to focus on a particular area of need in the body. There are a variety of aptitudes distributed to believers. There are also a variety of ministries designed by the Holy Spirit.
SPIRIT-DESIGNATED MINISTRIES
The word for ministries is the word “diakonos” which had the idea of serving or ministering. The relationship then between an aptitude and a ministry is the relationship between an athletic aptitude and a football player. The “ministry” is the particular area one invests their aptitudes.
Scripture details some ministries but I do not believe that they are exhaustive. Ephesians mentions five specific Spirit-designated ministries.
Apostolic ministry
Prophetic ministry
Evangelistic ministry
Pastor/Teacher ministry
Servicing ministry
The second half of this passage mentions some specific ministries.
Apostolic ministry
Prophetic ministry
Teaching ministry
Signs and wonders ministry
Serving ministry
Administrative ministry
Tongues ministry
Like I said, this is not an exhaustive list. As the need arises the Holy Spirit may designate and empower other ministries. So the Holy Spirit imparts a variety of aptitudes. The Holy Spirit designates and empowers a variety of ministries. Finally, the Holy Spirit manifests a variety of supernatural effects in the course of ministry.
SPIRIT-GENERATED EFFECTS
These are supernatural effects brought about generated by the Holy Spirit as the need arises in the course of one’s ministry. The word used here is the Greek word “energeo” from which we get our English word energy. The Holy Spirit supernaturally energizes those in ministry enabling them to function in a way not otherwise possible. A partial listing of Spirit-generated effects is listed in the following verses.
(3) The Holy Spirit generates specific effects through individuals for the common good 12:7-10
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
What follows then here is not a list of gifts but of “effects” or “manifestations” or examples of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural energizing of believers for ministry.
NOTICE
These manifestations are not to make the individual feel good or proud or more spiritual than others but FOR THE COMMON GOOD. The work of the Holy Spirit is to build the body. The energizing ministry of the Holy Spirit is ALL related to people. None of these things relates to personal edification.
Notice Ephesians 4:12-16
Any time the manifestations of the Holy Spirit become individual, they drift outside God’s plan for the body. All these things are for the building of the body to the glory of God.
Peter reminded his readers…
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11
The verses that follow specify some of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit given to individuals for the common good.
For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
The word of wisdom
The works of knowledge
Faith
Power for healing
Power for miracles
Prophecy
Distinguishing of spirits
Kinds of tongues
Interpretation of tongues
A wide variety of effects – the SAME Holy Spirit!
(4) The Holy Spirit chooses who and how to energize according to His desire NOT ours. 12:11
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
Lest there be any confusion…Even though there are a variety of functions energized by the Holy Spirit in individuals, it is the same Spirit that energizes each of those individuals according to HIS will. Whenever you strive for a particular aptitude, ministry or manifestation (effect) you are outside the will of God. We must focus on our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes care of what is needed when and by whom.
What should we know about the “matters of the Spirit”?
1. Don’t be ignorant concerning the spiritual realm.
2. The Holy Spirit operates in three arenas – aptitudes, ministries, effects.
3. The Holy Spirit generates specific effects through individuals for the common good.
4. The Holy Spirit chooses who and how to energize according to His desire NOT ours.
APPLICATION
What would a church function by the energy (work) of the Holy Spirit look like?
? There would be those concerned about being in touch with God’s word and lovingly communicating that word to the rest of the body.
? There would be those anxious to see that the church was clean and maintained and people were well cared for.
? There would be those careful to see that each aspect of ministry kept in tune with the principles of the word of God and that we would not be lead astray into false teaching.
? There would be those with the skill of applying truth to life and helping people see steps of action and correction that would lead to life change.
? There would be those enabled and blessed by God to fund any ministry or need that God called us to do.
? There would be those with a special ability to keep things moving smoothly and in order.
? There would be another group of people especially sensitive to needs among us and able to especially minister to the hurting.
People with these aptitudes would be involved in ministries of church planting, proclamation of the truth, evangelism, shepherding and teaching, organizing and leading teams, healing ministries, ministries of serving others.
? In the context of these ministries we would observe times when supernatural wisdom would be imparted to deal with a tough situation. Just the right words would be spoken to expose sin or give direction.
? We would observe those offering innovative ideas and concepts that would meet needs of the body.
? We would observe an outpouring of faith to believe God for dreams and directions that move us closer to His purposes.
? We would see people healed on every level of life.
? We would experience miraculous events unexplainable except the power of God.
? We would experience discernment to know when Satan has gained a foothold in the church or an individual.
? We would share words of encouragement from God by those inspired to speak.
Along with these things would be a myriad of other effects blocked only by our own unwillingness to let the Holy Spirit control our life and church.
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Galatians 3:2-5
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
If we (and all Christians do) live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
What about the moving of the Holy Spirit in a church?
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:29-35
