The Members of the Body Pt. 3

Members of One Another

1 Corinthians 12:1-7 (ESV)

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

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.

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Spiritual Matters

“Spiritual gifts” (Gk pneumatika, derived from pneuma, “Spirit”)

Pneumatika - Spiritual or spiritual matters.

Spiritual gifts are supernatural expressions of the Holy Spirit that work through individual believers for the common good of the church.

Paul addresses the subject of the gifts or “manifestations” of the Holy Spirit given to the body of Christ, the church.

These gifts are special God-given abilities, desires and empowerments meant to honor Christ and build up others in the church.

The gifts are meant to operate according to the needs in the church and the true spiritual desire of the believer exercising the gift or gifts.

Some gifts may operate through an individual on a regular basis, and some Christians may have more than one gift to minister to particular needs. Believers ought to desire “gifts,” not just one gift.

God desires that these gifts continue in operation until Christ returns.

What is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?

“It is the difference in character and gifts of individual Christians which leads Paul to speak of the variety of members, which, though of manifold functions, are equally important to the completeness of the body. It is thus in the manifold variety of the body of Christ, and Christians being members of Christ, who is the head, are members one of another.” - John MacArthur

His purposes for the spiritual gifts are as follows:

1. To show the grace.

Charis - Grace.

That is the root word from where the terms charisma and charismatic came from.

Grace - can refer to undeserved favor, love, help, and spiritual enablement.

It is also given to display the power of the Holy Spirit in the church, public gatherings, homes, families and individual lives.

2. For supernatural signs, miracles and wonders to follow the the preaching of the gospel in order to confirm its power and authenticity.

3. To meet the needs of the church by natural means and to strengthen and build up the church spiritually.

4. To wage spiritual warfare against the kingdom of darkness.

Counterfeit Gifts.

Counterfeit gifts - Satan loves to pervert the gifts of the spirit. He often uses people who disguise themselves as Christians, pretending to be sincere servants of Christ (Mt 7:21–23; 24:11, 24; 2Co 11:13–15; 2Th 2:8–10; True Christians must not believe every spiritual experience, sign or expression.

The Bible teaches that we should “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1Jn 4:1; cf. 1Th 5:20–21).

How the Early Church Operated in Spiritual Gifts.

They did it together.

Spiritual gifts were a major part of the early church’s life and ministry.

“According to the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is the leader, director, and CEO of the church meeting. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us that Christ speaks through His entire body, not just one member. In such a meeting, His body freely functions under His headship (direct lead-ership) through the working of His Holy Spirit.” - Frank Viola

The early Christians believed that Jesus is the very presence of God. that the body of Christ, the church, constitutes a temple.

3 Categories of Giftings.

Revelation Gifts - wisdom, knowledge and discerning of spirits.

Power Gifts - faith, miracles and healing,

Utterance Gifts - prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

One Body. Many Members.

1 Corinthians 12:8-14 (ESV)

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

Sophias - Wisdom.

Wisdom refers to skill in life, understanding and walking in the things of the spirit.

Proverbs 2:6 ESV

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

2. Gnoseos - Knowledge

Knowledges refers to understanding and grasping of the great facts or utterance of spiritual illumination.

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

Pistis - Faith

Faith - Is confidence that God to come through with His promises. It also refers to genuine faith for a particular outcome to come to pass in the midst of great undertakings.

10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

The Working of Miracles - refers to supernatural intervention in the normal function of nature.

Prophecy - is a supernaturally inspired utterance by the Holy Spirit in one’s own native language.

Discerning of Spirits - is a supernatural anointing to discern the source, nature and condition of spirits. Whether human, demonic or divine.

Various Kinds of Tongues - Is an anointing given by the Holy Spirit that enables a person to speak in a language that the speaker has not learned or does not know.

Interpretation of Tongues - Is to interpret in the language of the hearers, by a revelation given by the Holy Spirit.

11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

Suffering Within the Body

1 Corinthians 12:25-27 (ESV)

25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Romans 12:15 ESV

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Conclusion:

1 Peter 4:1 ESV

1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,