The Building Plan: The Tools, Part 2

The Tools Review

Avoid the Ditches

Basics About The Gifts - I Corinthians 12

The Holy Spirit gives you your gift(s) (vs 4)

Jesus gives you the sphere of influence where you are to use your gift(s) (vs 5)

After our faithfulness in doing so, we leave the results up to God. (vs 6)

Everyone has at least one gift (vs 7, 11)

Nobody has all the gifts (vs. 12-21)

All the gifts are necessary and complementary (vs 22-24)

All the gifts are for edification, unity, and care of the body (vs 25-27)

There is no single gift that everyone has received (vs 29-30)

The Tools

Word of Wisdom - receiving a message from God that sheds light on a life situation

Word of Knowledge - receiving a message from God about something going on in someone's life

Faith - Believing God beyond regular faith.

Gifts of Healing - Abilities to provide the means and timing of various healings for the purpose of spiritual healing as well as a demonstration of God’s power over all.

Matthew 9:5–6 NASB95

“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”

Luke 18:41–43 NASB95

“What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

Effecting of Miracles - An act of God intended as evidence of His power and purpose in order to bring glory and recognition to God.

casting out of demons would fall into this category.

Prophecy – sensing a declaration from God over a specific area or special insight into God’s will for someone’s life.

Distinguishing of Spirits - ability to know whether things purported to be of God is in reality divine, human, or satanic.

Various Kinds of Tongues - ability to speak a language without it having been learned or heard before. When plural means known dialects. When singular it means an unknown tongue.

Interpretation of Tongues - interpretation of foreign language spoken. Or explanation of heavenly language spoken.

Tools for the Toolbox, Part 2 (12:28; 13:1-3; 14:6)

We see hints of the lists in Romans and Ephesians here which makes sense.

Corinthians was written first and Paul is dealing with the Corinthian problem while also introducing his teaching on spiritual gifts.

Corinthians (54ad)

Romans (57ad)

Eph (60-62ad)

This would help explain why only 3 of the five leadership gifts from Ephesians are mentioned here.

This teaching from Corinthians gets fine tuned, fleshed out and tailored to fit the situation in Rome and Ephesus as they were written later.

Romans 12 we see prophecy, teaching, service, and administration repeated

In Ephesians 4 we see Apostles, Prophets, and Teacher repeated.

The apostles at that time first preached the Gospel but later, by the will of God, they delivered it to us in the Scriptures, that it might be the foundation and pillar of our faith.

Irenaeus; Jerome

The Apostles and prophets are a class apart, and therefore for people to claim that they are as uniquely and directly and divinely inspired as the Apostles and prophets is to contradict the plain teaching of Scripture.

Walking with God, 124

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Ephesians 2:19–20 NASB95

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

Apostles - Little “a” - missionaries and church planters as the word literally means - one who is sent.

There is a formal office - Given only to the original 12, and one requirement was that the person had to have physically seen Christ risen from the dead.

They had direct authority from God to declare His Word and write Scripture

The word can also be translated as messenger of ambassador and so is applied on a second level with those who ministered with the original 12 and bore witness of Christ.

But there is no continuity of office as there is no place where the churches are instructed to ordain apostles and we see the term for the office of Apostle fade out after the first generation of the church.

So, even though the office is done, the gift continues on.

The best understanding of the gift would be missionaries and church planters as the word literally means - one who is sent.

Paul himself begins to bridge the transition as he is the last big “A” apostle, but he functions as a missionary and church planter.

So it would appear that once the Bible was established, the office of Apostle and Prophet waned away.

They go to preach the Gospel and establish churches.

They go to train up local pastors to shepherd the local flock.

Prophets - Little “p” - Forthtelling. Here’s what God has said and done and may do again. What are we going to do about it?

Just like the Apostles, there was a transition in the office of Prophet.

OT Prophets - God’s Authoritative spokesperson who proclaimed God’s message.

Often Predictive - foretelling.

Here’s what God is going to do based upon the current circumstances.

Spoke under divine influence and inspiration.

There is new revelation and prophecy about future things that have not already been revealed.

NT Prophets were also to convey a message from God to His people as well.

But, it changed to Prescriptive or Descriptive -

There is no new revelation or prediction (prophecy).

Revealed God’s will to the church as the biblical cannon was being completed.

God has already said it and we just proclaim it.

This office also began to fade after the first generation of the church.

Teaching – It is the gift of acquiring knowledge, discovering and communicating spiritual truths, and explaining what God is saying, often through systematic instruction.

Effecting of Miracles

Gifts of Healing

Helps - A gift that sets others free to exercise their gifts in the way God wants them.

Administration - The administrator is the implementer of the vision of the leader. The administrator stresses the organization of the people, while the leader stresses the relationships with the people he’s leading.

Various Kinds of Tongues

Tongues of Men and Angels (13:1) - This would be both known languages of mankind and then an unknown language of angels, which some call a heavenly language. The Gift of the Tongues of men were given at Pentecost, the gift of a heavenly tongue is usually called a prayer language and can be given at any time.

A few notes concerning the sign gifts having ceased. I Cor. 13:8-12

perfection - to teleion means the final destination of the believer, that is, heaven.

It indicates the ultimate goal of heavenly perfection as contrasted with the immediate and merely partial experience of saints on earth.

Some try to suppose that the perfect to come was the Bible in its total form, but the perfection here does not refer to the written word, but to a later event.

In the context of the entire section it is clear that the cessation of these gifts occurs when we are in the presence of the Lord (vs. 12)

Therefore one cannot use this Scripture to imply that speaking in tongues and other sign gifts have ceased.

Interpretation of Tongues

Earnestly Desire (12:31a)

Some think that Paul is being sarcastic here. The syntax could read, but you still are zealous for the “greater gifts”, aren’t you? As in pursuing speaking in tongues.

To which Paul responds, “Even better, I will show you the best way.”

A Still More Excellent Way (12:31b)

Love (13:1-3)

It doesn’t matter how gifted you are, if it is not practiced in love, it is a wasted gift. You are wasting the presence of and power of the Holy Spirit when you use your gift in unloving ways.

Then he opens the examples with speaking in tongues, which we have already discussed enough at this point. But there is more to come in chapter 14.

Know all Mysteries - an intuitive or innate knowledge or understanding of the mysteries of God.

The ability to comprehend the mysteries of God, which in many places in the Bible refer to the revealed truths of the Christian religion.

The word can also denote a spiritual truth couched under an external representation and concealed or hidden unless some explanation is given.

A good example of this are the parables of Jesus.

Understanding the book of Revelation and other Apocalyptic Scriptures.

Giving All My Possessions to Feed the Poor - it is the ability to give away what material things you have to benefit those less fortunate than you.

The Catholic Church would tie this into the vow of poverty that a priest or nun might make.

The word “give” is actually specific to the feeding of others by providing food, implying the spending of funds to do so.

Martyrdom - to deliver myself over to the power of someone knowing that I may experience harm for the sake of Christ.

There seems to be some hinting at future persecutions under Nero and Domitian, but at the writing of I Corinthians martyrdom by burning was largely unknown.

But this does give a nod to how Jesus handled being turned over to the authorities in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Agape

Then Paul goes into the classic teaching on love. (13:4-8a)

This is God’s unconditional love that desires the best for the object of one’s love.

It is a choice of the will to do what’s right for the other person.

This snippet seems out of place. Right in the middle of a discussion on spiritual gifts.

But most people don’t realize that this is done in context of spiritual gifts.

So, the emphasis is that the use and result of the use of these gifts should look like the list he gives.

The character and behavior of the one using the gifts should come across in this way.

not jealous of others gifts

no pride / ego in using them - I’m the best, I’m better than.

not for tearing someone else down - belittle vs. exhortation, condemnation vs. conviction, accountability vs. guilt

not for attention/or self-promotion - look at me!

for score keeping - how many prophecies/words/revelations have you given?

for settling the score - I know something about you and I’m going to use it against you.

not for celebrating unrighteousness or injustice

Which is sad to think that the implication of this is that when the Corinthians were using their gifts, this behavior seemed to be the outcome.

But love should be the most important thing.

The more excellent way (12:31b)

The greatest of the great (13:13)

Worthy of pursuit (14:1)

And in the end, even if you did not have a spiritual gift, loving others as God loved us would be even better than having a spiritual gift.

Colossians 3:14 NASB95

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

1 Peter 4:8 NASB95

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Timothy 1:5 NASB95

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Application

So in closing, I want you to start thinking of the spiritual gifts as God’s way of helping us practically show His love to one another and to the world.

I’m going to come back to this thought in a few weeks.

But for now, Let’s close with this song “Death was Arrested.”

As part of a verse says, and I preached on for Resurrection Sunday, “He makes beauty from ashes”.

In the chorus there’s a line that says, “It’s Your endless love pouring down on us.”

The spiritual gifts practiced in the right way is one example of God’s endless love being poured down on us.

It began at the cross and continues today through the Holy Spirit.

Another line in the chorus says, “You have made us new now, life begins with you.”

The spiritual gifts are designed to be God’s ongoing way of giving us life.

They are a way to bless one another.

Spiritual Gifts = God’s love poured down on us to show His love to the world until we are in the fullness of His love in Heaven.

Spiritual Gifts = God’s ongoing way of giving us life until we experience life to the fullest in Heaven.

Spiritual Gifts = God’s way of helping us bless one another until we receive the final blessing of bliss in Heaven.

Closing Song: Death was Arrested