Spirituality and Spiritual Gifts

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 STUDY NOTES SPIRITUALITY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES FAITH IN THE WISDOM AND POWER OF GOD INTRODUCTION Peter tells us that all things of the earthly realm will be destroyed, 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter closes the chapter encouraging us to grow spiritually, 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever.Amen. As Christians we must have a desire to live a stronger spiritual life day by day (more Christ-like) All that is of God is eternal and that which is identified as “Spirituality” is of God As Christians we must understand “Spirituality” or “that which is spiritual” Paul instructs us as Christians to have a desire for the “deep things” of God (1 Cor 2:10) “Spirituality” is when the wisdom of God is communicated to us through the Holy Spirit Living with an understanding of the wisdom of God is living in the “Power of God” Paul presents to us the “Power of God” which works through the “Power of the Spirit” And when the “Power of the Spirit” is working in us, that is known as “Spirituality” 1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. Paul begins with “and I” which places him on the same level as all brethren Paul came to Corinth as a believer, as a living example of the truth that he taught “Brethren” are those who have been “born again,” born of the Spirit (John 3:3,7) Because they were “brethren” they gathered-together to study God’s Word (Acts 2:42-47) We gather-together to study God’s Word, but then what? We must not miss the importance of “when I came to you” Christians are to come together as “brethren” and then “go” to those who are not There was no church in Corinth when Paul came, he came that there might be “brethren” There was no church until there was “brethren,” the church is made up of “brethren” There were brethren in Corinth because Paul came to Corinth with the “Gospel” There will be no “new” brethren in Prairie Grove Baptist until brethren go with the Gospel The purpose of Paul’s missionary journey was to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, 1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; They are born of the Spirit because they “received” the “gospel,” then they were “brethren” Paul now speaks to them and teaches them because they had received the gospel, 1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. A “vain” life is a life without purpose, Christians are “saints,” those set aside for God’s purpose Paul wanted them to learn and live according to God’s purpose for their life, that is Spirituality But the message of the gospel was first, 1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and there is no other gospel, Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Page 1 of 6 How important is the gospel truth? Paul wanted to be sure that we understand what he said, Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. The truth is, there is only one gospel of salvation because there is only one Savior, Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. He is the living Savior, 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Because Christ is alive, Christians are alive in Christ, Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. For Christians to live “In-Christ” according to the scriptures is known as “Spirituality” The truth of the gospel and the spiritual life of the saved is why Paul went to Corinth Read the account of Paul’s ministry in Corinth in Acts 18:1-18 He remained in Corinth for 18 months teaching the Word of God, Act 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Wherever Paul went he taught the full counsel of God, Act 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (God’s plan and purpose for us) God wants us to know “the counsel of God,” that is why it is written in the Bible Paul now shares with them the way he felt when he first came to Corinth (1 Cor 2:1) Paul said, I “came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom” Paul did not come presenting himself as a man of prominence, power, and authority A good speaker using flowery phrases and fancy words can be very impressive (charisma) Paul did not come presenting himself superior or on a level above everyone else He did not come to talk about how great and powerful he was, or what great things he had done Paul did not come in the wisdom of man’s words, 1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (Without the cross the gospel is without meaning) Paul came to present himself as a testimony of the cross and the power of God (what God did) Paul did not come to seek glory for himself, he came for God to be glorified in him, 1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. “Or of wisdom” means that he did not come with the thinking or insight of man’s wisdom He did not attempt to persuade them with a man’s superior speaking ability Paul did not desire to be the best speaker ever heard or to turn their attention upon the messenger Paul’s desire was to speak of the greatest message ever heard and turn their attention upon it His goal was not to turn their attention upon him but to draw their attention to Jesus Paul knew that as a man he was not eloquent enough to present the Person of Jesus So, Paul did not come to Corinth depending upon his human abilities to present Christ He came with a testimony of “Faith in the Power of God” “Declaring unto you the testimony of God” Some translations will read “mystery of God” instead of the “testimony of God” Either one speaks the same truth, it is the revealed message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ The mystery that God has revealed through Christ, or the testimony revealed through Christ Paul spoke with the sincerity of his mind and the conviction of his heart Paul preached what the power of God had done for sinful man through His Son Jesus He proclaimed what the power of God had done for him personally through his faith in Jesus His testimony was of God, Paul was living proof of the truth of “Spirituality” All because of his personal experience of “Faith in the Power of God” The power of God works through the preaching of the cross, 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to Page 2 of 6 them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. So, Paul must preach “Jesus Crucified,” and he must preach it in the power of God 1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Paul came to Corinth with his mind set upon presenting the cross of Jesus Christ In verse 1 he said that he did not come to Corinth to be the center of attention According to verse 2, Paul came to Corinth that Jesus might be seen and heard through Paul Paul always preached the truth of the scriptures, as he did in Thessalonica, Act 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, (At that time Old Testament, the Gospel is found in the OT and NT) Paul did not just talk to people, he persuaded and proved to them the truth of scripture Paul preached Jesus is the “Christ,” Act 17:3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. Jesus died on the cross because He was the “Christ,” Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (The “Anointed One;” the “Messiah”) Jesus told His disciples the fact of His death and resurrection, Mat 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Paul preached to them the truth of “him crucified,” the cross of Jesus, the “must” of the Gospel The “must” of the new birth requires the “must” of the cross, Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (the cross) Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Joh 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die. (Jesus died on the cross) We must point people to the cross in-order for them to be saved Once they are saved, they must be taught spiritual truths which come through faith in the cross 1Co 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. “Weakness” can refer to bodily diseases or physical ailments, physical weakness Another meaning is a limitation, the inability to produce results, which is the meaning here “Fear” has the meaning of a deep and reverential sense of accountability to God or Christ “Trembling” is the result of weakness and fear, the thought of the inability to produce results Some say that Paul is presenting himself in a state of poor physical health Or he is describing a weak physical voice that someone might not hear But “weakness” is referring to Paul’s human nature, identifying his natural power Paul did not depend upon his natural abilities to preach the gospel, he must be “Spiritual” He just said that he came to declare plainly, openly, loud, and clear, “Jesus crucified” Paul did not speak with a weak mind, a weak heart, or a weak voice when preaching Jesus He spoke in a strong voice desiring for all to hear and a fear that they might not hear Paul is not describing a poor state of health, or a lack of courage, or physical fear When he said, “and in fear and in much trembling,” he was not shaking in fear of man Paul was not physically afraid to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ Before Paul came to Corinth he had been beaten and put in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:16-40) Even after being mocked, beaten, and jailed he was not afraid to speak for Christ, to preach Jesus Even in prison Paul was not afraid to speak loud enough for all others to hear, Act 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. He had been run out of Thessalonica and Berea, but he continued to preach Jesus (Acts 17) Paul is not describing a poor state of health, or a lack of courage, or physical fear Paul had no fear of serving God among the Corinthians, Paul was not afraid to serve God He was afraid of not serving God, he knew why he was in Corinth Page 3 of 6 Paul was aware of the task of his ministry he was sent to preach the gospel in Corinth Paul trembled as he realized that he was the one God had sent to tell them about Jesus Paul trembled at the importance of his mission he knew the “must” of his message He knew that he must preach that the cross of Jesus is the only way of salvation He did not fear being stoned his fear was that they might not listen and reject Jesus The lost must believe in Jesus and receive Jesus or they will die and go to hell (John 3:18) Paul feared for those who were lost, he trembled at the thought of them going to hell What has happened to such a fear in our churches today? Among Christians today? Do we really believe in Hell” Do we believe that our lost family and friends will go to Hell? Every Christian has been saved in-order to serve God and represent Christ, Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Just like Paul) The meaning of “work out” is an achievement or an accomplishment (Which Paul desired) Our work is to fulfill the purpose of our salvation, we are to attain the goal by working it out We are to put into practice the working out of what God has worked in Paul tells us to work out our own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Just like Paul) This is not the “fear” of a cowardly spirit, it is not referring to a spirit of terror This is not lack of courage or physical fear, it is living with a sense of accountability toward God It refers to reverence, respect, honor toward God, which comes from thinking right about God His point is that when we work out our salvation we do so with God in mind (Spirituality) Realizing that our confidence cannot be in the flesh and that we must completely trust God Realizing that we cannot “work out our salvation” through our natural personal abilities It cannot be done in the realm of the flesh alone because “that which is flesh is flesh” (John 3:6) Within our own personal ability, our human nature, we are weak and inadequate We know that only God can save us from sin and only God can strengthen us to stand against sin “Fear and trembling” are not that which causes us to hide from God but to seek God We must spend time in prayer and in God’s Word and we must be filled with the Holy Spirit Scripture instructs the Christian to live their life for Christ regardless of where we live 1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: Paul prayed that his choice of words and the way he spoke would not be of man He did not want to say what man would say or why man would have said it Paul wanted his words to be “preaching” words, he said, “and my preaching” Words that came from a mind set upon God’s Word and shared with the heart of God It was called “preaching” because it was the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Paul knew God had called him to preach, Tit 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; His words were “preaching” words coming from a heart committed to preaching His preaching “was not with enticing words of man's wisdom” Paul was not depending upon the persuasive powers of man to influence their decision His message was not a well-organized and memorized high pressure sales pitch of man’s ability It was not the use of worldly attractions and worldly entertainment to get their attention Which is often used today by churches to increase their attendance, to give people want they want Paul knew that without the presence of the Holy Spirit there would be no spiritual power present Preaching must be “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” This is the only time this word “demonstration” is found in the NT The word means to “point out,” show forth, to exhibit or expose to view Page 4 of 6 Which resulted in conclusive proof, compelling, and convincing proof In a court of law, the word “demonstration” would refer to that which stood as legal proof Presenting evidence beyond the shadow of any doubt, demanding agreement with what was stated Paul preached depending upon the Holy Spirit to make it plain and to make it powerful There was no doubt about it, his preaching was not of man alone There was a presence of power beyond that of man in the preaching of Paul There is no power of salvation in the worldly wisdom or worldly words of man The proof that Paul’s message was not of man was the presence of the power of the Holy Spirit And people had to agree that this power was not of man because of the way lives were changed Such a transformation of the life of a person could only be of God and not man The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful, Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The Thessalonians witnessed an example of the power of the gospel, 1Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (Spirituality) The convincing evidence that the gospel is the word of God and not man is within believers, 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. (Spirituality) The Holy Spirit proves the power of the Gospel through those who believe it Man says, “show me” and I will believe it,” but God says, “Believe it” and I will show you There must be living proof throughout our church of the power of God and the gospel 1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. The word “that” refers to Paul’s purpose from the very beginning of his time in Corinth This verse explains to us what Paul meant in, 1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. Paul was not trying to draw attention to himself, he was not seeking self-glory Verse 5 tells us what Paul meant in, 1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Paul knew that he must draw their attention to the cross of Jesus and Christ crucified Verse 5 tells us what Paul was saying in, 1Co 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. Trembling at the thought of someone thinking there was another gospel, Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Paul always feared that people would believe those who attempt to change the gospel, Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Paul preached the only gospel, Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Which must be received, Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. “Your faith” does not refer to a mere mental acceptance of who Jesus really is “Your faith” is the life that you live because you have received Jesus as your Savior Faith cannot rest in the persuasion of man, but in the conviction of the Holy Spirit Faith in man will change from man to man as the next man comes along Faith based upon human logic will fail with the changes of life that man faces Our faith must stand “in the power of God” Verse 5 tells us what Paul meant in, 1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: Page 5 of 6 Jesus upon the earth was the manifestation of God’s power, Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: There is the power of God at work when the people of God gather as the church, 1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians must witness through the power of the Holy Spirit, Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Witnessing is not man talking, it is God speaking through the Holy Spirit in the Christian “After that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, you shall be witnesses” (Spirituality) Christians must experience the power of the Spirit in-order to live Godly, 2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: CONCLUSION The preaching of the Gospel is not limited to preachers, all Christians are to preach the Gospel Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? The “preacher” is one who makes a public proclamation, here proclaiming the gospel Since the gospel is for “all” to hear, “all” of the saved must preach the gospel for “all” to hear That is the way God has planned for the lost world to hear the gospel, Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. The end of the age has not come yet, the preaching of the gospel must not end yet Page 6 of 6