Gifts of the Spirit 1: Spiritual dynamics and Jesus being Lord
1 Cor 12:1-3. WBC 5/9/4am
SPIRITUAL GIFTS? V1
Interestingly, the equiv of ‘Spiritual gifts’ does not appear anywhere in NT
- sorry to distress you!
- The word ‘Gifts’, spec ‘gifts of grace’ (Charismata, v4) does
o More from Robin, tonight
- But that’s not the word used here. (Nor is it ‘spiritual gifts’)
“So what”, you ask
- actually: so a lot
- the problem with using that term is that people immediately assume that God’s gifts are the, seemingly, more ‘dynamic’ and spiritual ones. So I prefer to use term ‘Gifts of Spirit’ not ‘spiritual gifts’)
o Illustr: certain Pentecostal streams where believe there are only 9 gifts. The ‘dynamic’ ones. The ones mentioned v7-11
= WOW, WOK, faith, healings, miracles, discernment of sprits, tongues, interpretation
Only saw these ones as appear more ‘spiritual’
Missed v27: admin, helping
Roms 12: serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy
1 Cor 7: 7 – singleness
Phil 1:29: suffering! (for it has been ‘gifted’ to you to suffer)
Do you see? That term means you miss out on the breadth of God’s gifts. (So I prefer to use term ‘Gifts of Spirit’ not ‘spiritual gifts’)
- will show: the measure of whether something is a gift or not is not whether it ‘seems’ spiritual
o but whether it exalts Jesus as Lord and builds up the church
You see: these lists of gifts are not ‘spiritual’ nor ‘exhaustive’
- They are ‘representative’ of
o The diversity of gifts the Spirit gives
o The variety of ways He builds His Kingdom & ch
o YOU! You are in here! Your gifts are!
You have a part to play.
Use what God has given you, under His anointing and direction, for Jesus’ glory… for the common good
So- what is the word here, and why the big deal?
- it’s a word ‘pneumatikon’ (= not a tyre curry!)
- you do understand something of this word:
o pneumatic: breath filled, spirit filled, of the Spirit
- = lit ‘spirituals’. “Now concerning spirituals” says Paul
- word = of indeterminate gender so could mean
o spiritual things
o spiritual people
- could be either:
o contrasts 2 people: the one who curses Jesus and the one who says He’s Lord
o the spiritual things that were happening among them
- result is much the same:
Paul is saying: “now, concerning spiritual things, what makes a person spiritual, spiritual dynamics”
- he’s talking about the stuff that was going on in their services etc
- he’s going to give them some sound advice as to what is spiritual, what was from God and what wasn’t
LED ASTRAY V2
So- what was going on? What is the context into which Paul’s speaking? What had these folks been up to?
The lead is given in ‘led astray to mute idols’
- these idols couldn’t speak, but something LED them astray
Basically, prior to becoming Xians they had been involved in Greek mystery religions
- full of spiritual experiences
o in fact: if there wasn’t one, weren’t ‘blasted’, you hadn’t had your spiritual encounter
- moved to states of ecstasy, trance, involuntary action
o all around a pagan idol
- such manifestations were expected, and accepted unquestioningly
That’s why they are into ‘spiritual things’, now
- that’s why Paul deals mainly, directly, with the more ‘overtly spiritual’ things of God
o because that was what they were into
A few observations
- Paul doesn’t criticise them for being into spiritual dynamics
o He wants them to be! In the right way
- Someone seeking ‘spiritual things’ may be seeking God more than we think
o Illustr: ?wrongly have seen ‘new agers’ as the opposition/enemy. Maybe they should be our target?
o Illustr: those seeking ‘spirituals’ don’t look in the church!
Ask Robin. We should show them the real thing!
- Often those most ‘against’ in one sense become the most ‘for’
o Here: these guys are moving I n the power of God!
o Simply expected it. CF Africa: they’ve seen occult power. See God’s power
o Some ‘most anointed’ learnt their openness (and other things) in the enemy’s camp!
- Paul doesn’t waste time saying ‘now you’re a Xian there are no ecstatic experiences, trances etc etc’
o He says: I’ll teach you to discern where something is coming from
o And here’s what you’re looking for: what exalts Jesus
So- here’s the big question: “how do you know if something is from God or not?” “How do you know?!”
- because, prior to becoming Xians, these folks had thought they were freely following their noses as they played with things spiritual
o but in fact they were LED. Led astray
Led by what?
- well, it’s evidence that there are spiritual forces out there that are seeking to deceive
o Illustr: “Oh, I’ll just open my charka and I’ll get whatever’s good’
This world is fallen. So is the spiritual world
o Only assured that when ask God through Jesus you can assume that what you’ll get is good Lk 11;13. 100%
But if not asking Father through Jesus- no assurance
So, behind this is the wisdom that ‘no way so I have to automatically assume that anyone’s spiritual experience is genuine’
- it has to be tested. Even for the Xian: as
- I’ll say more when we come to ‘discernment of spirits’ (3 Oct pm)
o But 3 sources for something that appears spiritual
The HS
My spirit
Deceptive spirit
It’s as relevant today as then: “what is God’s voice, personality, drug induced experience, occult forces”
- Paul says ‘don’t be ignorant about such things’
- And don’t judge by techniques & states- (i.e. ecstasy, trances etc)
o Judge by fruit
And here’s the fruit you are looking for:
JESUS IS LORD (V3)
What you are looking for is whether Jesus is exalted and lifted up and becomes Lord, more, in the individual’s and other’s life
Measure some experiences against this
- the fortune teller
o visitor becomes more bound about the future and dependent on the ‘teller’. Become self-fulfilling curses
o even if genuinely can see the future: it’s not being used under Jesus, for Jesus. At best= forbidden, destructive knowledge
you may need to have that ‘broken’
- the stars
o are they led closer to God? Prob not? Are they led closer to Jesus? He doesn’t even feature
- the ‘spiritual experience’
o some spiritual experiences are not ‘Godless’- but that’s not the test: it’s are they Christless or Christ-centred
o if it’s Christless: don’t trust it
Do you see- I’m not saying there are no spiritual experiences
- there are lots! But the valid ones produce the fruit of Jesus and fruit in their life
- so: does it result in the cry & experience ‘Jesus is Lord’ or cursing? Holiness or dissipation
What was going on here? Who was cursing Jesus and where?
- most likely it is contrasting their previous, pre-xian, experience with their experience now
o maybe they heard ‘Jesus Christ! Jesus be cursed!” in their cults
shows the spiritual source there, eh?!
In today’s context: don’t tell me someone can love Jesus and be blaspheming at the same time
• It hurts me… imagine how God feels!
- Or possibly it was happening IN their context in one of 2 ways
o Maybe a Jew was coming in (I say a Jew as they are the most likely to say this and use the word ‘anathema’ there).. and was saying “I like the spiritual encounter, but forget (curse) Jesus”
Paul says: that’s not of the HS. Jesus IS everything, THE way to God, the focus, aim & gift of God
o OR in their ecstatic spiritual experience the immature believer was making some out of bounds statement
Gal 3: 13 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Got a bit overexcited and said ‘Jesus be cursed’
o Quo: Leon Morris: ‘It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that some excitable and imperfectly instructed Xian had distorted this thought in an ecstatic utterance’
So- Paul is just gently saying ‘God doesn’t do it like that’
Now it’s not saying only someone filled with the HS can say ‘Jesus is Lord’. (ie say it and we know you haven’t got a demon and that you’re a Xian)
- it’s saying: you can’t mean it and maintain it without the HS
So: the aim of the HS is to exalt Jesus. Place Him as Lord
- what does ‘Lord’ mean? In this context
o rejection of other ‘lords’. Idols. Bosses
o that He’s supreme over the Roman emperor (who wanted to be called ‘lord’)
o that He, Jesus, is identical with Yahweh in the OT
instead of saying Yahweh they would say ‘Lord’ and so it’s very significant when Jesus is called Lord!
There are passages in NT that quote the OT and put in ‘Jesus’ in stead of ‘YHWH’
o That He is boss, master.
This was the first creed of the early church and the most foundational thing. As people were being baptised they would say ‘Jesus is Lord’
- and that said it all!
It is the Lordship of Jesus that is important
- that’s the mark of a ‘spiritual’ person. The ‘pneumatikon’
o (not whether they have ecstatic experiences or not- though ‘let’s have them’!)
- that’s the aim and the measure of gifts of the Spirit
o not to exalt the individual
o but to exalt Jesus. Build His people to love Him more
o they are tools to glorify Jesus
ch 12: tools to build the church ‘the body of Christ’
ch 13: (which we’ll cover) to show His character (love- God’s kind of love, not ours)
ch 14: 2 gifts: tongues & prophecy & how they build up Jesus’ body
Being truly spiritual dries one
- yes t o have ecstatic visions etc but not primarily to these things. Certainly not to individualism, worldliness or other-worldliness but to:
o the body of Christ (that’s where spirituality is worked out)
o Jesus as Lord
QUESTIONS?
Think, now: Is he? (how might you s how it? Is that the result and focus of your gifts and experiences?)
Sing: I lift my hands to the coming King
Jesus is Lord, creation’s voice
