pickledilly

John preached a message of repentance, and that was the purpose of his baptism. It was not a baptism of forgiveness or salvation, for that was yet to come through the Christ who was soon to be revealed. It was a baptism of preparation specifically for the Jews who humbled themselves to repent of missing the heart of God in all their law-keeping and who grieved over becoming a self-righteous, disobedient, and proud people. John called and baptized them into self-examination and a purification that prepared them for faith in the Way of grace and truth that would come through Christ, the Light who would supersede their Law given through Moses. The Jews had been awaiting Messiah for centuries, and to think that He was soon-coming must have been a compelling force for repentance for many as John warned them to make themselves ready - and merely a draw for some who got caught up in an emotional expectation. Those who honestly took this message to heart were the ones who became the first believers unto salvation in the newborn Church before the gospel message was offered to the Gentile world.

Jesus Christ stands unique in all of history. His physical birth made the invisible God, who is spirit, visible to man, who is flesh. His birth is the only time eternal God confined Himself in a human body and was born into the world, not as a beginning point of existence but as a beginning point of execution of the plan of redemption - a plan that triune God had intentioned before creation began. John does make a clear distinction between God the Father and God the Son. This was after having declared in vs.1 that Jesus Christ the Son is the Word who was with God from the beginning, and is God. This reveals God first as a dual personhood (with the Spirit later revealed as the third person in vs.32). All 3 divine persons are equal in power and authority as eternal self-existence God. This confirms the use of the plural form of God’s Hebrew name (Elohim) in Genesis 1:1, which was also confirmed when God said “let us create man in our image…in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). God exists in a Trinity.

First of all, I would guess that since the religious leaders considered themselves to be the guardians of the Jewish people and the ultimate experts on Jewish prophecies, they considered it their duty to investigate a man who was attracting such attention among the people and going all around baptizing them (an action only ascribed for religious leaders). John was proclaiming a message about preparing the way for someone coming after him – someone of superior rank who existed before him. I wonder if the terminology he used may have been similar to what Jesus later used when He said He existed before Abraham, terminology which had clear implications of deity to the Jews. Bur for sure, the religious leaders knew their prophecies spoke of three specific people that were to come in conjunction with their deliverance promised by God – the Christ, Elijah, and the Prophet. They would want to know if one of these had arrived or if someone was claiming to be one of them. Either way, it’s obvious they were threatened right from the start. I don’t think that was rooted in a desire to protect the purity of God’s Word or to defend the Jewish people from falsehood. They arrogantly had great privilege, power, authority, and control over the people, and they were indignant at any perceived danger to their position. John clearly understood his mission. He was simply a precursor to the greater One who would follow him. He bore a simple message: straighten up your ways and purify your hearts to prepare for the coming of the Lord. He baptized those who received that message with genuine repentance. This declaration was sure to cause intense and ongoing conflict with the religious establishment.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.” 1:14 “No one has ever seen God; The only-begotten God [unique, one-of-a-class, only-born-God], who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” 1:18 Jesus Christ is the Person of God who humbled Himself to take on human flesh and came into the world bearing the fullness of God. I see at least three primary reasons for this. 1) Through His unique life as God come to earth as a baby born in human flesh, He became the revealing of God to man, the only way that we could see the glory of God. He is the only way we can know grace and truth from the mind and heart of God. Jesus would have been unqualified for this purpose if He was not pure and holy, with the unbiased/undefiled perfection, attributes, knowledge, and wisdom that are inherent only to God. (Leviticus 20:26; Isaiah 43:15; 1Peter 1:16) 2) Through His crucifixion death, He became humanity’s substitute who stood in our place of judgment for our rebellion and transgression against God. He conquered the wages of human sin, which is the rightful penalty of eternal death/separation from God. His very human blood was given in order to atone for our sin and secure the right to offer us forgiveness and salvation from destruction. But His blood would have been useless for our eternal redemption if it was not completely untainted by sin, and there is none other who is righteous and capable of accomplishing this. The Father would not have raised Jesus from physical death if the sacrificed blood had been unacceptable. (Hebrews 7:26-28; 9:12-14,22) 3) Through His resurrection, He became the victory for humanity to be transformed from being the perishable and mortal creatures that we are in our unredeemed state. Jesus can offer this because He is imperishable and immortal, which is only true of God. (1Timothy 1:17) If Jesus was not truly God, if He only came in the pretense of “becoming flesh”, then we would only have the pretense of salvation through Him. (1Corinthians 15:14) How have I personally experienced His grace and truth? Hard to know how to begin to answer that question without writing a book! One of the greatest “markers” of divine grace in my life is a peace that is not natural (Philippians 4:7). Through an intact but difficult 41-yr. marriage, through the diagnosis of a serious chronic health issue for my daughter, through the years of praying to see my son come to faith in Christ, through the loss of employment, through the highs and lows, trials and failures, joys and sorrows of 60 years of life – He has given me a foundation of peace that so often has made no sense. If I had no other evidence of His presence with me, that would be sufficient. The truth of His Word has transformed my life, as my focus has turned from unsatisfying self-desires and unattainable self-preservation to a desire to discern and honor the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2) and a faith in Him and His Word that leads to victory (1John 5:4b). His Word has given me calm hope, clarity, steady direction, strength, confidence, and an unwavering path to follow. That is something worth having in this anxious, insecure, unreliable, volatile, destructive, shifting, uncertain world we live in! My life has been filled with opportunities and blessings – and abiding JOY - because of God’s loving grace and unalterable truth.

Forgiveness with redemption from sin is a gift secured by Jesus and given by the Father. Any time you are given a gift, you must accept possession of it and personally receive it in order for it to truly be your own. To receive Jesus Christ is to accept Him as who His very name declares Him to be – the one-and-only Anointed One of God who came to earth to become the exclusive Way that bridges the great impassable gap between holy God and sinful man. It is to let go of any confidence or hope in yourself for salvation and rest the full weight of your confidence and hope on who He is and what He has done to make this possible. It is a sure and certain trust/belief with one’s heart, as opposed to an intellectual belief with the mind alone. We often believe things that we may not actually depend on. But the meaning here is to believe with a confident faith that becomes the foundation that shapes our thoughts, words, actions, motives, desires, and hopes – the entirety of our lives and futures. Those who receive and believe in Jesus are welcomed and accepted in a new spiritual relationship as we become born of the spirit as God's children. Before this, we were spiritually dead, but with this transformational believing, new spiritual life is birthed in us by the Holy Spirit. This re-establishes the spiritual relationship/connection with God that He created us for. And as members of God’s family, we have the assured hope of eternal life with our Father in heaven. God has not provided any other way for those who do not receive and believe in Jesus to be given the right to have this new life and relationship. They remain in spiritual deadness, outside the family of God.

John the Baptist had one primary purpose: not to be light, but to bear witness of the Light. His specific ministry was to call the Jewish people to repentance in preparation for the revealing of Messiah, the Light of the world who is the Glory of God, who was already in their midst. As believers, we are now actual vessels of the Light. Not only are we to proclaim and testify about the Light, we are to bear witness to Him by living out the life of Christ generated by the Light placed within us. We’re called to be like a beacon on a hill or a candle in a candle stand, not hidden but out in full view casting the Light of Christ in all directions, in all situations, at all times. That is not always, even usually, welcomed or embraced. John the Baptist suffered imprisonment and death, and we will be certain to face challenges and attack from the darkness as well. Oh, for the courage and faithfulness of John the Baptist! Oh, for the lack of concern for self and the ultimate concern for the way, truth, and life of the Light! Make us willing, Lord, to put it all on the line for You! Please give us the stanch conviction and unflinching resolution to represent Christ boldly, no matter the cost.

Jesus pre-existed the beginning of creation. John clearly stated in these verses and others that Jesus was with God as a part of the triune Godhead before anything was made. Everything that was created was made through Him (therefore, He Himself could not have been created, but is the self-existent I AM). Yes, Jesus is fully God! Jesus is identified here by the name of Logos, the Word. This distinguishes Him as the expression of the mind and thoughts of God to His creation. Jesus is the One who communicates what God has to say to us. There is such power in The Word that what He speaks contains the energy and capacity to create, to infuse life. The Word took on human flesh and came to earth to show us who God is and to speak only the mind of God to us. This makes every word He has spoken to humanity of utmost importance and every action He took of unequaled significance.

In Deuteronomy 11:26 God set before us the 2 choices for humanity: a blessing for those who obey His commands and a curse for those who do not. Jesus clarified that the greatest command of supreme importance is the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4: to love God with one’s entire heart, soul, and mind. Paul reminds us that the curse is on anyone who does not come to love this way and display that love through obedience. ESV translates his words as “let him be accursed.” I don’t think Paul was pronouncing a curse; he was saying that any person who does not/will not love God remains under a curse already pronounced, and we must let that alone. I find myself praying more and more with Paul, “Our Lord, come!” Paul invited the Lord Jesus Christ to return soon, knowing that in that event all will be settled and completed for the redeemed. There will be no more distortion of truth, no more violation of justice, no more perversion of love, no more impure worship and false idols, no more battles with the flesh, no more night of the soul! I think he wanted to remind us to keep our sights focused firmly on Christ, our hearts set on the pure message of the Gospel, and our minds made up to faithfully persevere until He comes.

Continuing steadfast in the face of opposition first requires that you trust your leader. A person who doubts God is more likely to bail out. Second, you must understand your core mission and its objective. You need to know what you believe in and what you're really called to do (as opposed to what you think you want to do). Third, you must be completely surrendered to it. No sticking your toes in the water or jumping back out when things get a little turbulent or you get tired of it. We’re called to be “all in” for the distance. Fourth, rather than draining energy by diverting attention to the opposition, you must keep your focus on your source of power and direction that only comes through the Spirit. Set your mind on the Answer, not the problems. Fifth, you must know how to combat fear. The only remedy is the consistent and conscious application of faith. God’s love for you is trustworthy, His Word is reliable and true, and the hope of His promises is absolute and sure. Opposition certainly does almost always accompany success. When you take steps forward in faith to advance God’s kingdom, our spiritual enemies are antagonized and stirred up to come against you in an effort to stop any progress. This can come as a head-on assault of problems and roadblocks directed right at the mission, or it can come in a more subtle way as the enemy exploits weaknesses in people close to you who then cause trouble in your personal life as a distraction. It truly is important to understand that this is spiritual warfare. I have recently been invited to participate in a ministry with teens that I’m very excited about. The day before I went to meet the director, my husband flew off the handle over something he misinterpreted and stirred up volatile emotional conflict. It was a full week before I knew he was ready to hear what I had to share about this ministry. Without a doubt, I know that the Enemy was using my husband’s undisciplined emotions in an attempt to discourage and divert me (this is a chronic pattern that I’ve learned to recognize). My husband isn’t evil, but in the heat of emotion, he loses all awareness of how he’s being manipulated. Discerning this is important because I understand the true source of attack and am better able to rightly pray and speak against it. (That doesn’t make it much easier to tolerate, but at least I understand it.) Satan will use everything available in his attempt to derail a genuine follower of Christ who is steadfast and obedient to the mission. But the good news for us is that this Enemy is already defeated! He cannot stand against the spiritual weapons of God (Eph.6:10-20). And greater is Christ in me than he that is in the world!

When we make plans without giving consideration to the fact that it is ultimately the Lord who is in control, we are being self-centered, prideful, and over-confident. We are relying on our own logic, reasoning, knowledge, desires, and plans. There is nothing wrong with making plans; Scripture actually teaches us to think ahead and consider the cost in any endeavor. But we are to do that with a conscious awareness/acceptance that the Lord just might redirect us or change those plans, and we must include submission and flexibility!

Paul gave us important insights about grace-giving in this verse. 1Cor.16:2 is almost always used in the context of exhorting Christians to tithe, but this isn’t talking about law-keeping at all. Paul was teaching about Spirit-led free-will giving. He laid out a wise plan for those who are following the Spirit’s leading. First, we aren’t to be random or careless in our desire to give. Many times we respond emotionally to a need or to the Spirit’s prompting, and then within days we’ve talked ourselves out of it. Paul says make a decision to do this and then consistently set aside something each week (in your own keeping, not at the church) so that when the time comes to collect the contribution you are already prepared. It’s somewhat like deciding to make a payment each week into a fund to be used by the Spirit. Second, Paul says that we’re not in a competition or under any obligation to give what anyone else is contributing. We’re only called to give in proportion to how the Lord has prospered us in any given week. No percentage is assigned here, only that we are to evaluate our blessing and then give accordingly to help those less fortunate (the Holy Spirit isn’t limited by percentages!). Third, waiting until the last minute will likely mean you’ll be under-prepared when needs arise, you’ll have less to give, and you’ll receive less blessing in your giving. And I think that it probably reveals an insecure or stingy or undisciplined attitude about giving to others. And Paul indicated it also puts the recipient in a more awkward position of having to ask for the gift, rather than being able to freely receive thoughtful assistance that has been given deep consideration with deliberate preparation. This gives me a mental image of celebrating a family member's birthday with whatever you can scrounge up around the house at the last minute rather than with a gift you carefully thought about and secured ahead of time.

Serving the Lord is both the ultimate high of joy and the ultimate low of discouragement at times. It is exhilarating to be properly in step with the Lord, serving wherever He leads and places us. Even when the work is “simple” or “ordinary” or demanding, we can find satisfaction. And then there are the lows. Sometimes it’s because things come against us as we are making an impact for the kingdom of God. I’ve heard it said that if you’re not experiencing opposition you must not be on the right track! But most of the time I think such discouragement is self-induced. Often, we take on things – even good things – that the Lord never actually directed us to do, or we’re out of His timing in doing them. And so when the challenges come, we’re operating in our own power/ability and quickly run out of steam as the flame starts to sputter. Discouragement often sets in as we begin to listen to others around us who are doubtful, critical, jealous, etc. Sometimes we start to get weary in the effort if our personal expectations aren’t being realized. Paul knew all about battling discouragement. His counsel is to faithfully keep our focus set firmly in the right place. If we’ve been led by the Spirit into what we’re doing, then we are doing the work of the Lord, not of our own. Keeping that perspective helps strengthen the heart when discouragements, missteps, roadblocks, and oppositions come our way because God won’t ever abandon us when we’re doing what He had led us to do. Our core motivation must be to persevere in love and obedience, and remembering this clarifies the doubts and confusion. Even when all our labors seem pointless, they are never in vain. They are being used to build God’s kingdom, to bring joy to the Father’s heart, and to release rewards beyond our wildest dreams. Paul reminds us to stick with it - because our efforts will all be worth it in the end!

What a glorious chapter! And verses 51-52 are the specific description of how our hope of glory will be completed. All believers, first those who have died and then those still alive on earth, will be instantaneously transformed at the sounding of the trumpet call to come home. All that is perishable and mortal will be changed to imperishable and immortal in an amount of time so quick it cannot be further reduced. All traces of our Adamic nature will be gone as we will finally come into spiritual perfection and be made fully like Christ! This is joy and encouragement to the world-weary soul because it is the fullness of all we hope for and await in Christ. Everything we’ve ever longed for, every promise God has made to believers will be realized! THAT will be the time when faith and hope are no longer needed or relevant and will truly pass away into history. Our lesson here refers to this happening at the time of Christ’s coming. Just to clarify a point, I do not believe this appearing of Christ when the Father sends Him to gather His Bride is the same event as His second coming when, in His role as King of kings, He leads the charge from heaven to begin the final battle against evil and actually steps down onto the earth (Rev.19).

The core of the gospel is so very simple, really. Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One sent of God) who died for humanity’s sin/rebellion against God, was buried and sealed in a tomb, and was raised from death on the third day – all in complete accordance with the prophecies of Scriptures written centuries before. His resurrection was validated by numerous appearances to His beloved friends and a multitude of followers. Paul said here that this truth is the most important part of the Gospel message. Change any component of that, and you’ve abandoned/perverted accurate reality.

There is a faith unto salvation; Romans 10:10 tells us one must believe whole-heartedly in a way that transforms our thinking and leads us to confess Christ as our Savior. That’s just the beginning of the faith journey toward all that God has secured for believers as a result of this salvation. We are still human beings, but with a new spiritual nature that must be developed/fully incorporated into our lives by the Holy Spirit within us. Agreement and obedience to His instruction, correction, and guidance is our part – and that has to be solidly rooted in steadfast assurance, conviction, confidence, and reliance of the truth and promises of the Gospel (perseverant FAITH!). Salvation and faith are inseparable. (The interesting thing is that they are both gifts of God, with one being given to us as something only He can accomplish and the other being given to us as something only we can utilize.) Salvation through the resurrected Christ is the basis for our redemption from sin and restored relationship with God. We must believe and trust this in the profound way that impacts everything, as it becomes the substance of what we’re willing to lean our whole lives on. Faith is an active element, not a static one. It is essential to how we engage in this status of being saved. Receiving pardon and being rescued from the penalty of sin is a one-time event. Our typical view of salvation basically sits there. But being delivered from sin itself is an ongoing life-long process of being saved, and I think that’s what Paul is talking about when he said “you are being saved” (ESV and Interlinear). We don’t automatically gain that full victory in our earthly lives when we accept Christ. We have to grow into our new identity in Christ as we learn to be the saved person we actually are. As deeper facets of the truth of the gospel are revealed, accepted, and applied we are gradually but constantly being rescued and delivered from the stubborn deceptive aspects of the old sin nature of our flesh. And this difficult progression of dying to self so that Christ lives greater in us demands vibrant and active faith to strengthen/sustain us all along the way toward completion. Throughout our daily lives we have to engage our trust in what God has said, done, and promised as the end result of salvation! Salvation is a state of being, but it’s a status that cannot yet be fully realized. On earth, we can only see that future glory through faith. Faith is crucial to living in obedience and anticipation of this fullness that will be manifested according to God’s perfect timing. God will not let go of a single one of His children, and we each must individually determine that, by faith, we won’t let go of following Him.

In a corporate setting, neither prophecy nor speaking in tongues is allowed in my church. Even if they were, it would be doubtful that our pastor would allow time for an orderly exercise of these gifts in large meetings. He does prefer to tightly control our services, and there have been many times when I sensed a missed opportunity for the Spirit to take over. In small groups, there is more encouragement and acceptance of sharing insight/revelation in discussion participation, but I don’t think calling it prophecy would be accepted. And I surely desire the Lord’s wisdom in this matter, but at present I understand tongues as a gift to be exercised for proclaiming God’s Word and His Gospel in situations where people are present who need to hear it in their language that differs from our own.

Paul directed both those who would speak in a tongue and those who have a word of prophecy to exercise their gifts in a restrained and orderly fashion. No more than two or three were to speak either way. To those who spoke in tongues, he said that there must be interpretation or they must not speak publicly. To those who prophesied, he said that their message was to be weighed and considered by the hearers. I believe it is important that Paul differentiated hymns, lessons, revelations, tongues, and interpretations. Who knows how we would benefit today if we met together with such freedoms to exercise our spiritual gifts! I think the Lord would do exactly what Paul has described in 1Corinthians and Ephesians in strengthening our bonds of unity, enlightening our understanding of His Word, encouraging us in times of stress and disillusionment, developing our spiritual maturity, and growing us in love. I believe most pastors are afraid of this much release of control.

I absolutely agree that Paul valued speaking in tongues. Without that spiritual gift, he could never have proclaimed God’s Word and shared the Gospel with all the varied language groups he encountered in his missionary travels. But I just don’t see anywhere in Scripture that explains it as a gift for personal use or edification. I understand 1Cor.14:2 as a caution that God is the only one who will be able to understand any foreign tongue spoken through the Spirit’s gifting to a group of people who don’t understand that language and therefore cannot gain any benefit. Vs.4 is a caution to a person who does that in public, as Paul identifies it as a prideful display of self-indulgence. Vs.17 continues the caution that others are to be built up whenever the gift of tongues is exercised. Anything led/empowered by the Spirit is spiritual. I have not “spoken in tongues”, but I know and can sense the difference in offering prayer, praise, and thanks out of my own flesh and offering them in the spirit. I believe that a person can simultaneously pray, praise, and thank in one’s own language AND be in the spirit. I don't see where any foreign language is required or encouraged in order to be spiritual. 1Cor.14:14 cautions that praying in a foreign language without interpretation is unproductive to your own understanding, as you have no discernment of what you are saying. Vs.15-17 directs us to engage our capabilities of reason and intellect as we sing praise and give thanks to God in the Spirit. What this says to me is that when we communicate with the Father and express our hearts to Him, it is not fruitful in our lives if we have no understanding of what we say. We aren't ever instructed to separate body, soul, and spirit in some way as we worship. And when we speak to others, it should be in terms that they can understand. Speaking in a foreign tongue is not some requirement for this or evidence of the Spirit’s presence. All spiritual gifts were/are given for the common good of the Body (12:7), for the purpose of building up the Church (14:12), for equipping believers in ministry as we’re unified and matured together(Eph.4:12-13), for enlarging our love (Eph.4:16), and as a sign (Gk. meaning = distinguishing mark, confirmation, authentication of the Lord and His purposes) for unbelievers (1Cor.14:22). Scripture identifies spiritual gifts – including tongues – in the context of the Body, not individuals. As to 14:21, I believe Paul included this reminder of Jewish history from Isaiah 28:11 as an illustration of his current point that God can/does use foreign languages to communicate His Word. God accomplished something specific in Israel this way, and while for a different reason, He still had/has important purposes to accomplish through the Church. The Corinthians were ignoring God’s purposes for spiritual gifts and were picking out the flashiest and most impressive one for their own immature purposes (1Cor.3:1).

The Greek meaning of this word “prophesy” in vs.1-4 is “I foretell, prophesy; I set forth matter of divine teaching by special faculty” [strong’s], or "speak forth" in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling [HELPS Word Studies]. The concept here to me is one who is speaking divine truth in the power of the Spirit. This wouldn’t just mean foretelling some future event, but giving forth some spiritual truth with divine insight about where it leads in the future. This spiritual gift is of great importance to God’s people. Verses 3-4 make it clear that the Church, as the Body of Christ, is built up and strengthened, encouraged and empowered, consoled and heartened by the exercise of this gift by those who possess and use it rightly. The gift of tongues is not designed or meant for this type of ministry to the Body. Rather than advancing the Word of God and building the Kingdom of God, the Corinthian church was evidently using that gift for personal reasons to look spiritual in a prideful impressive display. Even if this was some meaningful exercise to the individual, it was of no benefit in building up the Body. (And this type of public expression is outside the parameters Paul described as the purposes for spiritual gifts.)

Gifts of the Spirit are given for a specific purpose – to edify the Body of Christ and to build the kingdom of God through spreading the Gospel. Once that mission has been completed and the Church has been received by Christ as His Bride, the need for those spiritual empowerments will be over. Faith and hope will no longer be necessary, as believers will fully realize and receive all that has been promised to us and all that we have had confident expectations of. Love, however is completely different and unique, because love is not a thing to be had, it is a Person who endures for eternity! (1John 4:8, 16) As we are spiritually made in the image of Christ, it is an innate quality, not an endowment or action to take.

I’ve never had this settled before, having been told by our pastor that this does refer to the completed Canon of Scripture but not fully accepting that. This explanation was given as support for the concept that the “apostolic gifts” of prophecy and tongues has passed. However, I do think this time/state of perfection is more likely referring to the time of Christ’s return to earth. When we keep vs.10 in context with what comes immediately before and directly after it, it definitely is set in terms of a future time or condition when all is revealed, we are in the direct presence of Christ, and we have full knowledge/understanding of all things we were unable to fathom in our humanity. As to gifts of prophecy and tongues in our world today, I believe there is much misuse and misplaced understanding. Paul is clear that they are not for personal edification, but for the building of God’s kingdom and spreading of the Christ’s Gospel message, even to places of unfamiliar languages. I certainly cannot judge anyone's intent or experience, but what I’ve seen has appeared very emotional and centered on self, not spiritual or beneficial to the Body.

Probably the number one thing on this list that I struggle with is irritability. I’m on the go with “things to do and people to see” so much of the time that I sometimes get frustrated with people who “just don’t get it”, or drag their feet or put up obstacles. I have to remember that those frustrations do not make it OK to then be irritable or unloving when I get home! Prayer is certainly an important answer, as it causes me to refocus priorities and to humble myself before God as an imperfect person myself. Staying in the Word and walking in the Spirit definitely affect my mindset, help me to recognize when I’m going off-track, and enable me to make a better choice in my attitude.

It won’t matter how many spiritual gifts are manifested in an individual if that person violates the supreme Law of Love, first for God with all that you are and then for others. That love keeps us humble to guard us from prideful endeavors, and rightly focused to keep us dependent on the Spirit’s power and leading. The natural flesh can never accomplish spiritual works! I do think there can be a showy display of works through self-effort and errant motives that can look impressive, but the outcome can never be all that God intended and can never delight His heart, please Him, or accomplish His will. This makes me think of comparing old TV reception with a “rabbit ear” antenna to today’s hi-def TV reception. The antenna picture came through and looked fine, but it was never really true-to-life. It “got the job done”, but there were occasional interruptions of the signal and static interferences. But HD is a whole different experience! The colors are truer, details are sharper, and the images far superior. The old days of static interference are gone. It’s so realistic you feel like you’re there! That’s seems a little bit like the difference in trying to operate a gift of the Spirit without truly being of the Spirit as opposed to actually working with the Spirit in His empowerment. The efforts of the first may look adequate, even impressive, to the world, but will be like noisy distracting static. Only the submitted efforts of the second will impress the LORD, benefit His spiritual kingdom, and bring us into sharper spiritual clarity and reality. We won’t become more spiritual by chasing after gifts of the Spirit and seeking to employ them. And that seems a futile effort, really, since the Spirit gives His gifts according to His wisdom, will, and intent – not our desires. We will grow in spiritual maturity as we seek God and His kingdom above all else because that spiritual kingdom includes the development and growth of spiritual fruit in our lives. So it would be the Fruit of the Spirit that makes us more spiritual.

Sometimes believers start to think that we have gifts/abilities that are superior to others and we’re something so special there’s no real need for anyone else. But no one person could ever be capable or sufficient to oversee, execute, and provide all the necessary functions and purposes of the Body of Christ! Once we let go of that prideful opinion of ourselves we recognize the truth of this scripture – that His Body is comprised of many members who are each uniquely given natural talents and spiritual gifts that are different from each other but all important and useful to God for His master plan and for unique needs within the Body. When we don’t encourage believers to discover and develop their spiritual gifts, or when believers sit back and ignore/refuse/neglect them, the entire Church Body loses out and suffers as those needs of the Body go unmet. Everyone has a “part to play”, just like every part of a physical body has a reason for existing. No one is superfluous or unnecessary in the work of building up the Body and fulfilling our mission to declare the gospel to the whole world. To accept the idea that anyone can just sit it out or coast through would be like accepting the idea that you can cut off a foot or rip out fingernails or stab yourself in the abdomen without suffering any pain or consequence or loss. Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t just about how God has a good plan and future of blessing for us; it’s also about how God has a good plan and future of purpose for us. Every believer who does not use their spiritual gifts = unmet needs and purposes within the Body and God’s Kingdom. And that person will likely have a stagnant spiritual life. So, if everyone had a priority of employing our spiritual gifts, yes, the entire congregation – and the entire universal Body – would be much richer. We would grow in unity as we each focused on how we are intended to fit into God’s overall plan together. Practical needs would be better addressed for those who are experiencing difficulties in life. Imagine the impact the church would have in our communities through such profound, and unbiased demonstrations of authentic love and support toward each other! We would all gain greater spiritual knowledge, wisdom, faith, wholeness of body and spirit, discernment, and understanding of Scripture through the ministries of brothers and sisters who are spiritually gifted in those areas. I think our unity and influence would be a force that can’t be ignored and a magnet for the unsaved to see what God is truly like and really all about. The gospel message of salvation would surely be more effectively shared and spread.

1Corinthians 12:11 identifies 5 lessons about the role of the Spirit in spiritual gifts. 1. The Holy Spirit of God is the only source of all spiritual gifts and the power to activate/employ them. We’re created with the personalities and raw natural talents that complement the spiritual gifts God intends for each of us, but there is nothing of ourselves that can generate, manifest, or utilize those gifts for spiritual purposes. 2. All spiritual gifts are distributed by the Spirit. He allocates them according to His intentions for each individual and the needs of the Body of Christ. 3. All are chosen for and allotted to believers by the Spirit. He determines what is assigned to whom, and when. Spiritual gifts and their combinations may vary during our lifetimes. 4. Every individual believer receives a minimum of one gifting from the Spirit. No one is left out! 5. Every gifting is given by the Spirit according to the Father’s will and plan for the life and purpose of each believer. Gifts of the Spirit aren’t given to enhance human will, plans, purposes, or desires.