Today we are going to put our faith to the test
What good is faith unless you use it , and how can you use it unless you know how it works?
There are so many supernatural events that are going on behind the scenes right now that Paul writes us that he doesn’t want us to be unaware of them ,
This is one of my favorite things about God.
Because I know that God is constantly ,almost in secret , behind the scenes fixing the problems we face.
We can’t always see it but somehow, someway He straightens things out and somehow, someway He makes them all work out .
This is what faith is,
Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is knowing that God is working on me and my situation right now , behind the scenes , where I can’t see , and knowing He is because some way somehow He makes everything work out.
1Corinthians 12: 1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3Therefore 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.
What Paul is saying is I want to show you how God is working in your lives, in ways you didn’t even know .
First he says for one moment I want you to remember that life you left behind, the things you used to think were important . How you used to act and trash talk about others .
Remember when you didn’t know God , you weren’t even aware of Him, but whenever something new came along, wether it was a movie or a car or a phone , you dropped everything and it was a must have.
But then he asks this simple question ,
Where are those things now?
How did those things , those must haves help you out of your hard times .
Where are they in your valleys, did any of them they ever answer your prayers.
Where were they in your darkest time? Remember how lonely it was?
Then he says, use your common sense for a moment.
Each and every time you cry out for help, it is the Spirit hears your voice and delivers it up to God
In your lowest moments, in our weakness, and panic, when we don’t even know how to pray, the Spirit interprets our hearts delivering the message to deep for words
1Corinthians 12: 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Each person is unique and special, each person, each creation is an absolute work of art by God
But here is where it really gets wild,
The more bizarre , the more strange people seem the better it all things work.
Peter calls us peculiar people
When your situation seems makes no logical sense, and things are upside down and backwards, open your eyes and expect the unexpected
Have you ever been in a horrible place , I mean a day when everything possible is blowing up
And then all of a sudden the weirdest, the most oddest person shows up
And you say oh no , not now
God sends a mad scientist to fix our crazy situation
God will use the most coarse people to put ypour bad situation back on course
Who is God going to send into a fire, someone who can’t take the heat or someone who has already been burned,
Fearless people who stare in the face of danger and say back off I got this
If you suffered a great personal loss God doesn’t send someone who cant identify, he brings you someone who can first hand know exactly where you are
God uses all kinds of people in all kinds of His ministries
The Greek word for ministry is diakonía
It means Spirit-empowered service , guided by faith
"the Lord's inbirthed persuasion"
God knows what you need before you even ask and the Spirit sends someone with a full knowledge lead by the Spirit for His work
1Corinthians12:8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10and 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. 11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
The Spirit is Army headquarters handing out missions and along with that the equipment to achieve the desired outcome.
There is a girl over there that needs understanding compassion Go
There is a man that needs healing GO
There is another that is under attack by Spirits and needs protection , Go
There is another who has lost everything, and needs hope. Go
There is someone who is so bad that needs a miracle
And all these missions and these gifts are inbirthed , they became part of you when you were born again,
They are just as natural as being born with your arms and legs
1Corinthians 12:12For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
This is here it gets crazy
Because each of us is now a part of his resurrection body
The old labels we once used to identify ourselves - labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free – no longer apply . Because now we have become part of a bigger picture because God is the God of the big picture
We are part of something larger so we need to start thinking big , this is what we agreed to when we got baptized . That we surrender to his authority
1Corinthians 12:14For the body is not one member, but many. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a partof the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?18But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20But now there are many members, but one body. 21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,25so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
God is saying you are only as good as your weakest link.
That just like the body there are parts that get all the attention , but the real important parts , the ones that are vital good makes more important .The foot says I want to be like the hand because the hand gets all the rings and manicure and cream .
You could live without your fingernails being polished , but without the foot your stuck .
In fact every vital part , every life giving part of the body is hidden .
Would you rather have a good heart or good hair ?
The outside appearance you could survive without but without the heart your dead
31But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
1Corinthians13:1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
