Spirit Led Fellowship.cor. Series. Ch.12

SPIRIT LED FELLOWSHIP

1 COR. 12:1-11

INTRO: MOST OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—STORY BOUT A MAN NAMED JED—UP FROM GROUND CAME BUBBLIN CRUDE—OIL—TEXAS TEA. JED BECAME MILLIONAIRE AND MOVED TO BEVERLY HILLS. LIKE OLD JED MANY CHRISTIANS JUST SCRAPE BY SPIRITUALLY FAILING TO REALIZE THE SPIRITUAL WEALTH AVAILABLE TO THEM. HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR DEPOSIT (DOWN PAYMENT) FOR ALL THAT IS YET TO COME.  AND THE SPIRIT HAS GIVEN GIFT (S) TO EACH BELIEVER FOR GOOD OF CHURCH (V.7)  (EX: HOW WOULD  YOU FEEL IF YOU GAVE YOUR CHILD A GIFT & HE OR SHE SAID THANKS MOM & DAD AND THEN JUST LAID THE GIFT ASIDE & NEVER OPENED IT?) HOW DOES GOD FEEL WHEN HE GIVES GIFTS TO HIS CHILDREN & THEY DON’T BOTHER TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE OR PUT THEM TO USE.  THE CHURCH IS A SPIRIT LED ORGANISM—NOT CLUB/BUSINESS/ORG.—THE COR. CHURCH HAD MANY SPIRITUAL GIFTS BUT THEY WERE BEING MISUSED OR MISUNDERSTOOD—SPIRIT BRINGS THOSE GIFT TO SURFACE OF OUR LIVES LIKE BUBBLIN CRUDE OLD JED FOUND.

NOW SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE NOT THE FRUIT OF SPIRIT—THAT HAS TO DO WITH CHARACTER (WITHIN)—THAT TAKES TIME TO DEVELOP—AS WE MATURE IN CHRIST THRU LEARNING/EXPERIENCES WE CHANGE (ATTITUDE/BEVAIOR). GIFTS HAVE TO DO WITH SERVICE—THEY DEFINE WHAT YOU DO  (EX: EVERYONE IS TO WITNESS—SOME HAVE GIFT OF EVANGELISM;  EVERYONE IS TO GIVE BUT SOME HAVE GIFT OF GIVING)

I.                  LEAVE THE PAGAN BACKGROUND

A.   DEMONIC FORCES ARE BEHIND IDOLS—“NOW ABOUT”—PAUL PICKS UP TOPIC THEY WROTE ABOUT—NOTE WORD “GIFTS” IN V.1 IS NOT IN GRK—SHOULD BE “ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATTERS/THINGS/PHENOMENA. SOME THOUGHT CERTAIN GIFTS MARKED ONE AS TRULY SPIRITUAL.  PAUL WANTED THEM TO REMEMBER THEY HAD BEEN LED AWAY BY “DUMB IDOLS”—BUT DEMONIC FORCES ARE BEHIND FALSE GODS/GODDESSES—THRU THOSE DEMONIC FORCES THEY WERE LED INTO PLEASURES OF FLESH & MATERIALISM.  IN SOME WAYS THEY WERE CONFUSING WORK OF HOLY SPIRIT WITH COUNTERFEIT.  (EX: IN COR. WERE SEVERAL CULTS—DIONYSIUS CULT WAS FULL OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY/DRUNKENNESS/ECSTATIC SPEECH.  SO THE WARNING IS “DON’T BE CONFUSED BY SENSATIONAL ACTIVITIES—BE DISCERNING!  NOW TODAY PEOPLE GET HUNG UP ON PROPHECY/ECSTATIC SPEECH/HEALINGS/PREDICTING FUTURE—AND WHEN THE FOCUS SHIFTS TO THESE SIDE ISSUES PEOPLE LOSE FOCUS ON LORD.  SOME OF THESE CULTS USE BIBLE TERMS—MORMONS CLAIM ANOTHER TESTAMENT—AND THESE CULTS FOCUS ON A PERSONALITY/SPECIAL POWERS/CONTROL/MONEY. THEY OFTEN BREED JEALOUSY/STRIFE—IDOLS ENSLAVE/DESTROY.  THE ENEMY SEEKS TO BLIND MIND (2 COR. 4:4—THEY CANT SEE TRUTH WHEN ITS PRESENTED TO THEM—THAT CALLS FOR MUCH PRAYER!)

II.               THE TEST: IS JESUS LORD OF YOUR LIFE?

(EX: LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH)

A.   WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD?  FOR ONE WE ARE TO BELIEVE JESUS IS DIVINE  (HEB.1:3)& FOR ANOTHER THAT HE CAME IN FLESH (1 JN.1:1-4)—NOW THAT CONFESSION COMES FROM HOLY SPIRIT.  BUT  JUST SAYING THE WORDS ISN’T ENOUGH (MATT.7:21)—SO WHAT IS PAUL GETTING AT?  TO SAY JESUS IS LORD IN 1ST CENT. MIGHT MEAN LOSS OF JOB, FAMILY OR LIFE.  THAT IS STILL TRUE IN MANY PARTS OF WORLD TODAY  (EX: FERLEY &  DORA-- CHRISTIANS IN COLUMBIA—THEY HAD 3 CHILDREN & DORA TAUGHT SCHOOL—DORA & HER HUSBAND WERE KILLED BY MARXISTS GUERLILLAS—THOSE GUERILLAS TARGET CHRISTIANS BECAUSE THEY SPEAK AGAINST VIOLENCE AND ENCOURAGE YOUNG KIDS NOT TO JOIN THE GUERILLAS—WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR LIVES KNOWING WHO GAVE THEM REAL LIFE—THEIR CONFESSION WAS GENUINE/SINCERE

B.   THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GENUINE—THIS IS IN CONTRAST TO FALSE RELIGIONS. THE SPIRIT EXALTS & POINTS TO JESUS (ROM. 8:5,9). TO CALL JESUS A GOOD MAN/PROPHET/TEACHER DENIES DIETY AND BLASPHEME SPIRIT’S REVELATION OF TRUTH.  JESUS IS LORD OF ALL THEN & NOW! SATAN IS ENEMY WHO SHOWS UP IN CHURCH—HE LOVES IT WHEN WE PUT EMPHASIS ON WRONG SYLABLE (GIFTS,MONEY, BLDG, ETC). ALL GIFTS ARE NEEDED TO BUILD UP BODY (V.7). ALL GIFTS ARE TO GIVE GLORY GOD—DIVERSE PEOPLE & GIFTS UNDER DIRECTION OF SPIRIT—NOW PAUL WILL FURTHER EXPLAIN THAT UNLESS IS LOVE IS WRAPPED AROUND THESE GIFTS THEY WILL BE EMPTY & USELESS. 

III.           SPIRITUAL GIFTS BUILD UP THE CHURCH

(EX: PICCOLO PLAYER STOPPED PLAYING)

A.   VARIETIES OF GIFTS—THESE ARE NOT NATURAL SKILLS/TALENTS LIKE AN ARTIST/MUSCIAN/ATHLETE. NO, THESE GIFST ARE RESULT OF SALVATION—AT ROOT OF WORD TRANS. GIFT IS “GRACE”—THEY ARE GRACE OR LOVE GIFTS (2 TIM.1:6,7;  1 PET. 4:10) WE DON’T WORK FOR THESE GIFTS OR LEARN THEM  (EX: BRANCHES OF MILITARY)

B.   VARIETIES OF MINISTRIES—THESE GIFTS ARE NOT TO BRING GLORY TO SELF—THEY ARE SERVICE ORIENTED  (EX: BOY IN PLAY-CLAPPING HANDS) SEVERAL CHRISTIANS MAY HAVE SAME GIFT BUT USE IT IN DIFF. WAYS—ONE MAY TEACH CHILDREN AND ANOTHER ADULTS—SOME DO WELL WITH CROWDS WHILE OTHERS EXCEL WITH ONE ON ONE. SOME BUILD SETS/SOME MAKE COSTUMES/ SOME PLAY OR SING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC—THERE IS GREAT VARIETY WITHIN THE BODY—BUT AS PAUL WILL ILLUSTRATE WITH THE HUMAN BODY—IT TAKES ALL THE GIFTS TO MAKE THE BODY FUNCTION AS IT SHOULD.

C.   VARITIES OF POWERS (ENERGIES/WORKINGS)—THE SPIRIT PROVIDES THE ENERGY/POWER TO MAKE THE GIFTS USEFUL/EFFECTIVE. GODS POWER IN US PRODUCES RESULTS—SO THE GIFTS CAN BE SEEN THRU WHAT WE DO FOR CHRIST---AS THESE GIFTS ARE BLENDED TOGETHER LIVES ARE CHANGED/RELATIONSHIPS STRENGTHENED/BELIEVERS MATURE—NO TWO GIFTS ARE ALIKE & NO GIFT PRODUCES THE SAME QUANTITY OF RESULTS. 

D.   THE GIFTS: (EX: PLATE OF DESSERT FALLS ON FLOOR)

1.     SPEAKING WITH WISDOM—APPLYING FACTS OF GOSPEL/WORD TO MORAL SITUATIONS

2.     SPEAKING WITH KNOWLEDGE—THIS IS INSPIRED BY SPIRIT—FACTS PERSON DIDN’T LEARN—N.T. HAD NOT BEEN WRITTEN YET—NEED FOR SPIRIT TO INSPIRE MESSAGE OF GODS WILL/REDEMPTION. TODAY WE HAVE COMPLETED WORD—FOUNDATION LAID—NOT AS NEEDED TODAY

3.     FAITH—TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS—SEEING POSSIBLE WHEN OTHERS SEE IMPOSSIBLE

4.     GIFTS OF HEALING—DIFF OCASSIONS THAT CALLED FOR HEALING—THESE HAPPEN OFTEN IN INDIA/ASIA (GOSPEL FOR ASIA) –SHOWS EMPTINESS OF FALSE GODS. THIS IS NOT ONE GIFT TO ONE PERSON WITH “THE” GIFT OF HEALING

5.     MIRACULOUS POWERS—POWERS OVER NATURE—

6.     PROPHECY—SPEAK GODS MESSAGE—FORTHTELLING & FORETELLING. O.T. PROPHETS ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO LISTEN & FOLLOW SCRIPTURE—TRUE TODAY

7.     DISTINGUISH SPIRITS—MANY CLAIM TO SPEAK FROM GODS SPIRIT BUT SOME SPEAK FROM DEMONIC SPIRITS—DISCERN WHO IS SPEAKING—GOD SOURCE OR FALSE SOURCE (1 JN.4:1)

8.     DIFF. KINDS OF “TONGUES” (LANGUAGES) GLOSSA NEVER USED IN 1ST CENT. TO REFER TO ECSTATIC SPEECH—GRK WORD “RHEMA” WAS USED FOR THAT. THIS IS ABILITY TO SPEAK IN KNOWN LANGUAGE.

9.     INTERPRETATION (TRANSLATION) OF LANGUAGE—NEVER USE TO DESCRIBE INTERP OF UNKNOWN LANGUAGE INTO KNOWN LANGUAGE. 

SO THERE IS UNITY WITH DIVERSITY IN BODY. ALL BAPTAIZED BY ONE SPIRIT INTO ONE BODY—ALL GIVEN ONE SPIRIT.  PAUL GOES ON TO ILLUS. THIS WITH HUMAN BODY.