867 1 Cor.12.1-11 One and the Same Spirit
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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- One of the amazing blessings that come from Jesus and His sacrificial offering of Himself for us is that He took the platform of sinfulness away from those who are in Him
- Those in Adam, follow Adam’s disobedience; Those in Christ, follow Christ in His obedience – we reflect His nature – we reflect our true head
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- Sadly, we again are witnessing and history has witnessed that those in Adam judge each other with unjust standards
- Now we know that the theory of evolution – despite their desperate denials – led to the woeful treatment of the African people – people of brown & black skin colour
- Martin Luther King in the US was a champion of Christ who cut through that nonsense by holding to the platform of Christ
- His platform was not that of sinful Adam – he refused to behave the way a person “in Adam” would behave
- His plea was: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
- He refused to promote violence
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- However, to think that judging others is all about African people would be wrong
- There are plenty of examples of people judging other people by their background, by their ethnicity, by their job, by their financial situation – Heck, I know that even within the church, different standards are set for pastors & their level of living – but let me explain what I mean
- There’s a saying about churches that I heard in Bible College which the lecturers used in describing this divide in thinking about Pastors & even missionaries - “Lord you keep him humble & we’ll keep him poor”
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- Now I am certain that people have never said that, but I’m equally certain that pastors have experienced that attitude
- One rule for some & one for others?
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- Not everyone is an elder or pastor, but are different standards of living justified for anyone in Christ?
- Or is it the old Adam way of thinking?
- Put it this way, it made be cringe with shock/disgust to think that those televangelists, that I showed you recently, would buy a multi-million dollar jet for themselves to use for the ministry
- But it does make you think – if it is fair to judge a pastor or missionary by what they possess, is it also fair to judge any Christian by those same standards
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- In other words, if a person represents Christ, does it matter whether he is a pastor or missionary, or everyday Christian – don’t we all represent Christ
- Now I happen to believe that modesty as a pastor is appropriate, but I don’t happen to believe that Christians should judge themselves by a different standard, all because they are not in full-time or part-time ministry
- My point in raising this, is that even in this scenario, we don’t judge people as if we were those people – we judge them differently from the way we judge ourselves – “I can have this lifestyle but he or she can’t”
1. Who Are the “Spiritual”?
1. Who Are the “Spiritual”?
- In another way, this same sort of “Adam” thinking is raising its ugly head in Corinth – that some giftings from God are not “spiritual”
Q. What do we mean to say that another Christian is not “spiritual” in their ministry or gifting?
- There are 2 main possibilities that I can think of off the top of my head
1. They are worldly – something wrong with their Christian life
- If they don’t speak in tongues or have anything “spiritual” to offer as some church traditions have it, then they pretty plain & lower on the “Christian” ladder
2. They don’t have the Spirit – to say that they are not “spiritual”, you can be saying that they are not Christian
- The fact of the matter is that if a person does not have the Spirit of Christ, he or she cannot be a Christian – that is true
9 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.
- Most judgements that occur against another Christian is in the matter of their “spirituality” - that is, such & such is not “spiritual”
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- Hopefully, this passage will clear up much of this today
- The problem here in Corinth is over the spiritual gifts - all Christians have been given spiritual gifts
- Some who had the gift of tongues or prophesy were looking down on those who did not have those particular gifts
- It seems that their judgement is that the lesser gifts - the menial ones - are not “spiritual”
- Menial service just doesn’t cut it like speaking in tongues or in other languages
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- Ros & I went to the Cinema in the mid 80’s with our young adults group from our church
- After the movie, we were in the foyer & another group was there from what they called the “Revivalist Centre”
- We got talking but they soon turned to the topic of tongue-speaking
- They asked if we spoke in tongues – to which some of us said, no
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- They then wanted to know why we thought we were Christians if we didn’t speak in tongues
- Our church had been helping us through this issue at the time (it was a hot issue), so we were not unfamiliar with it
- Bottom line is that they believed that we could not be a Christian – or could not be “spiritual” without the ability to speak in other languages (tongues)
- Of course, not all agree that speaking in tongues is our known languages – some say that they are angelic languages
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Q. What is the question the Corinthians are asking their apostle?
- He says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts”
- As usual, he seeks to give them answers to their questions but, unfortunately, often we only hear the answer which doesn’t always make it easy to know the exact question they are asking
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- They have concerns about the spiritual gifts – it seems from the context that they may be questioning the whole notion of who/what is “spiritual” and who/what is not
- For starters, the apostle states the obvious
3 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.
- The contrast is between pagan speaking – in the spirit of a demon as such & speaking in the Holy Spirit
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- The division here is plain – spiritual gifts either have the Spirit of God behind them or they don’t
- The test is in whether the person is a Christian
- The allusion here is pretty clear
- “Jesus is Lord” was the classic statement a candidate for baptism made when they gave their life to Jesus
- The Spirit is usually given at baptism so a person is truly “spiritual” in the sense that they have converted to Jesus & have His Spirit
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- Not so the pagan or Gentile who was led away from Jesus
“Led astray to mute idols”, Paul says
- Chrysostom, in the 4th C. speaks of the Pythia – the woman who sat on the tripod of the god Apollo - this tripod set over a fissure in the rock - at a place called Delphi – the famous place to seek out an oracle (its not far from Corinth)
- How she would be possessed by a demon & be wound up into a frenzied state while foaming at the mouth
Thus intoxicated, she utters frenzied words. I realize that hearing these things has caused you to blush with embarrassment, but the pagans pride themselves on this indecency and madness. -- Chysosthom
- In such a state, she would not have control over herself
- Plato, likewise, said:
“Just as the soothsayers and diviners say many beautiful things but know nothing of what they are saying.”
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- It is hard to imagine that anyone in the Christian church could utter a curse on Jesus
- It is certainly true of the unbelieving Jews – they were happy to utter curses on Jesus & we have evidence of that
- But, probably, Paul was merely pointing out in an extreme way (not literally cursing Jesus) that the inspiration of the Spirit cannot possibly involve anything but the glorification of Jesus & only His people do that, not the pagan
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- As he continues with the rest of this passage, we will also find that their obsession with mirroring the platform of Adam – the pagan ways - causes a disparity & depreciation of all gifts of the Spirit
- In other words, they have elevated tongue-speaking over all the other giftings of the Holy Spirit - a number of hints are given of this:- tongue-speaking is mentioned last in the passage today, as well as Paul’s comments about it in chp. 13-14.
2. Unity in Diversity in the Godhead
2. Unity in Diversity in the Godhead
- From here on in, you will find an emphasis on unity in diversity
- This passage from 4-6 is an interesting catch
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
- You have here, “Spirit, Lord and God”
- The Spirit is the Spirit of God; Jesus is almost exclusively spoken of as Lord in the letters of Paul and Paul speaks of God as God our Father
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
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- We know that God is one- but that within the Godhead, there is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- God is one & there is unity within God – there is divinity
- But there is also a diversity seen
- The Father who empowers them all
- Jesus who was sent from heaven to be a sacrifice for our sin appoints us to ministries or acts of service
- The Spirit who is God’s active & powerful presence in the world
- It is the Spirit who is actively involved with dispensing a variety of spiritual giftings to the church
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- In the Godhead, there are a variety of roles, yet there is a unity
- Funny you don’t see power struggles there in the Godhead do you!
- The Spirit glorifies Jesus & Jesus obeys & glorifies the Father
- Unity in diversity – diversity in roles but the same God
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- We see that, although, the Spirit dispenses a variety of different types of spiritual gifts, it is still the one Spirit who provides them all
Q. The question is raised: Can a person, who does not have them all, be counted a Christian?
Q. Or, Shouldn’t a true Christian have them all?
- Not so, says Paul – a diversity of gifts, to a diversity of people, but the same the one Spirit
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- But what about the speaking gifts like speaking in tongues & prophesying?
Q. Aren’t only these of God & the rest of something lesser?
- Again, the apostle would say, no!
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- Their problem is that they have this fetish for looking at being “spiritual” as being like the raving pagans at the local shrines
- Wow, look at how the god has overtaken them, look how special they are!
- Like the Pythia that was adored all over the known world at that time
- Here is a real manifestation of a god (little “g”)
Q. Oh, & we don’t think that way, do we?
- Of course, cleaning toilets can’t be “spiritual”, surely not!!! (using an extreme example)
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- His point is quite the opposite
- The gifts are not for some self-centred prestige or to bolster a narcissistic ego
- They are to be understood in all there variety & effects as coming from the one Spirit, one Lord & one God
3. Unity in Diversity in the Church
3. Unity in Diversity in the Church
- As we come to this last section, I hope that you locked on to 2 particular emphases here - v.7 & v.11 & they actually bracket the start & close of this last point
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
- Think about this last statement: “just as He wills”
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Q. In what place does contentment belong here?
- If you don’t receive or don’t have a particular gift/ability – which is what this tends to amount to – do you pack up your toys & go home?
- That’s a stinging & blunt way of putting it, but when we think about this, we need to consider the absolute right of God’s Spirit to gift God’s people the way He sees fit
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- Now, Paul writes… “For the common good”
- Is your gift of God for you personally - or for the church?
- We are not talking just about the gifts that are looked upon, by some, only as the “spiritual” gifts
- If it is the case that the Spirit has dispensed spiritual gifts just as He wills, then isn’t there a point where we say: “the will of the Lord be done”
- You have a spiritual gift from God & although it may not be flashy; although, it may not be impressive in the eyes of men & women, it is still “spiritual” & it is still “of God”
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- The Corinthians saw the cross as something to be avoided; Paul saw it as the wisdom & power of God unto salvation
- So often, we tend to reverse God’s thoughts because we are still tied to Adam – both in his death judgement, but also his sinful disposition which impacts our thinking
- Likewise, we are in the world, but desperately trying not to be of the world
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- Here in this section, it seems to show that much of the disagreement over the gifts were in regard to the more supernaturally revealed gifts
- You have here: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits – at the end of the list, tongues & the interpretation of tongues
- Perhaps, they were wondering whether some were speaking by another spirit, or that some were operating in an un-spiritual way
- The fact is, we don’t exactly know what the problem was in Corinth
- But we do know here Paul’s teaching which can help us understand what is true about the Holy Spirit & the gifts He gives
1. The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit
1. The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit
- To be otherwise makes you an unbeliever, as he has already laid out at the beginning of today’s passage
- The distinction between the confession “Jesus is Lord” & “Jesus is accused”
- One is either on Jesus’ side or not
- This has a similar parallel with Jesus’ teaching
49 John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”
- In other words, they are not out to destroy your home, but to help you
- Unlike the devil who is here to kill, steal & destroy
- The point, therefore, is that the church’s spiritual gifts all have as there source, the Holy Spirit – noted here… v.8 “through the Spirit, v.9 the same Spirit, v.9 the one Spirit & v.11 the one & the same Spirit”
- Are you getting the point!
2. All the gifts are “spiritual”
2. All the gifts are “spiritual”
When Hitler was looking for a chauffeur he selected the shortest man he could find and kept him as his driver for the rest of his life. This man was so short that he needed special blocks under the driver’s seat just to see over the steering wheel. Hitler used other people to make himself look bigger than he really was
- The problem of not acknowledging God’s work in other Christians has been a sad one indeed
- Too often, Christians who have, what is regarded as the lesser gifts, have not been shown enough appreciation for their labours
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- All the gifts the Holy Spirit gives are spiritual because He empowers them all,
- There are the more obvious gifts & there are the less obvious ones, but I’m stealing next week’s message here
- Unlike the pagan world that saw only the spirit/spiritual as being good & the flesh/matter as inherently bad/evil, the Christian sees all of life as “spiritual” & all effects of the Holy Spirit – that of speaking or cleaning a toilet – as good
3. All the gifts are distributed by the will of the Holy Spirit
3. All the gifts are distributed by the will of the Holy Spirit
- The gifts are for the common good of the church
- They are not for the personal pleasure or prestige of the one who has them
- If anything, it bears a load of responsibility upon us all to use those gifts for the betterment of the church community
- The reward in heaven will be as great for the one who exercises his or her gift faithfully, irrespective of what type of gift they have been given
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- Paul had his detractors in the church here in Corinth – those who would dispute over what he teaches
- For the tongue-speaking & prophesying elites in this church. He challenges them with this:- right at the end of his teaching on the spiritual gifts
37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.
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Q. How do you know what gift you have?
Q. If I feel I have nothing to offer, what should I do?
- We can explore some of this next week, but you need to consider this
- If it is true that the Holy Spirit has gifted every Christian, then why would you be an exception?
Q. Is it a handy excuse to go about your business untied & unshackled from Christian responsibility?
Q. Or, is it just an innocent & genuine uncertainty about what to do & how to do it?
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- If it is this latter question then, hopefully, I can give you something to work with next week
- But can I encourage you with the saying – “where there’s a will, there’s a way”
- If you are willing, then you have something to work with
- If you aren’t willing, then you need to search your heart as to why you aren’t