Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
OPEN:
It may help to begin with a brief mention of what Spiritual Gifts are not:
1) They are not natural talents.
2) Spiritual gifts are not offices in the church (although they should certainly support and qualify for certain offices: teacher, pastor, evangelist, missionary, etc.).
3) Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit.
4) Spiritual gifts are not the same as the roles all Christians are to perform.
Let's prepare for the conclusion of our discussion of individual spiritual gifts with a reminder of the three categories of spiritual gifts:
Enabling Gifts
Serving Gifts
Sign Gifts
We conclude our discussion by tackling the third category--the Sign Gifts.
Sign gifts when properly used have been signs that attract people to Jesus. In many places, miracles, divine healing, and exorcism have been convincing proofs to the people that there is power in the Gospel. (Old Testament example of Elijah in 1 Kings 18).
Some discount the sign gifts as having passed away, wrongly interpreting the 1 Corinthians 13 passage that says:
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (1 Co 13:9-10)
to teleion = the perfect (neuter)
Sign gifts will cease when prophecy and knowledge ceases. Verse 12, "but then we will see face to face."
Lenski: "Here the incomplete state in which we now live forms the contrast. A complete state will eventually come, to teleion, when we shall attain the goal for which we are now striving.... the great future moment when the goal shall be reached, namely the Parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. Then this entire state of imperfection which is now evident upon the earth will be abolished, for it will have served its purpose. An entirely new way of apprehending, of seeing, of knowing shall take its place.... In heaven we shall know in a heavenly manner" (pages 565-566).
Sign gifts are often more sensational than the other gifts. These have been abused more than the others for that very reason. Satan delights in imitating them to mislead people and cast reproach on the name of Christ's church. We need to develop a correct understanding of them rather than discounting them entirely.
1. Miracles
"to another the working of miracles" (v.10)
1) Christians are believers in miracles.
a) Jesus performed miracles.
b) Peter walked on water.
c) Apostles raised people back to life, healed the sick, and cast out
evil spirits.
2) Miracles are not only natural wonders.
a) Often we fail to see God's miracles when we are spared serious
injury in a terrible accident.
3) Spiritual miracles are of even greater wonder than physical
miracles.
a) What could be more miraculous than a dead heart made alive
again by the power of the Holy Spirit?
- every believer is a walking miracle of God's grace.
4) Those who refuse to believe unless a miracle or sign is performed
are in error.
a) Jesus never accommodated himself to these requests (Lk
11:29).
5) We should not spend a great deal of time worrying if we are not
seeing physical miracles in our church. We are called to walk by
faith and not by sight.
a) We are to believe God even when we do not see any outward
demonstration of His working.
2. Divine Healing
"to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit" (v.9)
"then gifts of healing" (v.28)
"Do all possess gifts of healing?) (v.30)
1) God does heal people in a miraculous way as a result of believing
prayer (James 5:13-15).
2) Many believe that there is no generalized gift of healing but
specific gifts for specific instances of healing.
a) 1 Co 12:9, 28, 30 both gifts and healings are in the plural.
3) Great distress has come to God's people because some well
meaning, but misguided, people have taught that it is God's will to
always heal.
a) They say that divine healing is the redemptive will of God (Isaiah
53:5).
- Literal rendering of that verse in Hebrew: "By His stripes, he
was healed for us."
4) Divine healing is therefore in the sovereign will of God rather than
His redemptive will.
a) This means He heals, delays, or refuses as He sees it is best
for His servant.
- God may respond in one of several possible ways:
(1) He may heal instantly.
(2) He may heal through natural processes He has built into the
body.
(3) He may heal through doctors and medicines.
(4) He may say, "My grace is sufficient for you," as He did with
His servant Paul (2 Co 12:7-10).
(5) He may use the disease as a means to take His child home
to be with Him. This is ultimate healing.
5) Scripture teaches we are to believe in Christ's ability to heal, not
His willingness to heal (Mk 1:40ff; 9:15-29).
3. Exorcism
1) Exorcism is not in any of the New Testament gift lists. Paul used
this ability on his missionary journeys.
a) First, we need to recognize the existence of demons and demon possession.
- Examples abound in Scripture.
b) Second, we do not want to give them more credit than they
deserve.
- A Christian may fall into sin but in no way be possessed by a
demon.
- A Christian may suffer from mental illness and not be
possessed.
- A Christian may be depressed and not possessed.
- These people need counsel and help, but not exorcism.
2) There is not one example in Scripture of a Christian being
possessed by a demon (James 3:11; Mt 12:26,28).
a) A demon spirit and the Holy Spirit cannot indwell the same
personality.
3) The most frequent sources for demon possession in unbelievers
are:
a) A deep involvement in occult practices.
b) A heavy involvement in drugs.
c) Being born into a family that is involved in these things.
4) Demon possession is a reality.
5) When there is proof that possession has taken place, believers
should follow the teaching of Scripture and exorcise them in the
powerful name of Jesus.
a) Demons cannot stand before the blood of Jesus, God's Word,
and the name of Jesus.
b) Never attempt to do this by yourself. You should always gather
together a group of Holy Spirit-filled believers.
c) Be prepared for a struggle and real wrestling in prayer. God is
able and deliverance will come.
4. Tongues and Interpretation.
"to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues" (v.10)
"various kinds of tongues" (v.28)
"Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (v.30)
1) These are the last two gifts found in Scripture.
a) They have been used to cause much misunderstanding and
division in the church.
b) People have tried and continue to try to make these the
evidence of being filled with the Spirit.
2) On the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120,
He gave the disciples the ability to speak languages they had
never learned.
a) There are 16 different regions of the world mentioned, and they
were all hearing the Gospel in their heart languages.
b) The people speaking were Galileans, which caused the people
to be amazed. They were considered "uncultured" people and
there was no natural way they could speak foreign languages
flawlessly.
3) God gave this gift for evangelistic purposes.
"Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy
is not for unbelievers but for believers." (1 Co 14:22)
a) This explanation fits the other times in Acts when it is recorded
that those filled with the Spirit spoke in other languages.
b) It is harder to know what was taking place at Corinth.
4) Corinth was a cosmopolitan city. It is estimated that at one point
Corinth had 700,000 residents; 200,000 were free and 500,000
were slaves.
a) The residents came from many different language groups.
b) Greek was the common language for trade, discussion, giving instructions, etc.
c) Many of the slaves understood enough Greek to get saved. As
they were blessed in a worship service, they testified using their
heart languages. They were freer to express themselves this
way.
- This was causing confusion in the services, so Paul instructed
them that unless someone was there who could interpret what
was said, they should refrain from speaking in a language
others didn't understand.
- When people pray, most often they use their heart language.
5) Commentaries written before 1900 agree that the tongues in Acts
and Corinth were languages spoken on the earth.
a) There is no suggestion of an "unknown" tongue or "prayer"
language among the commentators.
b) Their other explanation is that the believers in Corinth had
been influenced by the mystery religions and that the people
were speaking in ecstatic utterances similar to that found in
paganism.
- There is no reason to accept this because Paul's instruction on
interpretation would never refer to pagan ecstatic utterances.
6) Nowhere in Scripture has this gift or any gift been made the
evidence of entire sanctification or being filled with the Holy Spirit.
a) The Holy Spirit witnesses to the believer's heart so the person
knows that the Spirit has come in fullness.
b) He does not give one gift to all as the evidence of His
indwelling.
7) What about a private "prayer language?"
a) I see no reason to discount this, as long as it falls under the
clear parameters Paul sets for public worship (only when an
interpreter is present).
1 Co 14:1-40
CLOSE:
“Ministering as a disciple of Christ calls for us to know our spiritual gifts because spiritual gifts are the basis for all ministry in the local church.”
(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)
No comments:
Post a Comment