God's Grace Shining Through The Darkness - Romans 11:1-6

Romans 11:1-6 "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."

Introduction:

I'll never forget the first time I saw a car with the new sort of halogen headlights that are common place today. The light was blinding, and targeted. The particular night in which I was driving was dark, rainy and foggy. Despite the darkness, those halogen headlights cut through the darkness, the rain and the fog. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is often likened unto light shining in the darkness (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-6). The Gospel's ability to cut through spiritual darkness and to reach the human heart is all do to its source in the Light of the World - The Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:9-13). As we read Paul's words about the nation of Israel and his burden for their salvation, he references an episode in their history involving the prophet Elijah. 

Elijah's ministry is recorded in 1 Kings 17-2 Kings 2. Elijah ministered in a time in Israel's history where spiritual darkness abounded in the court, the temple and the home lives of the people. In perhaps the greatest mountain top experience of Elijah's ministry - his defeat of the prophets of Baal atop Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18:20-46) - we see Elijah's moments of despair as a flees in the aftermath of that public confrontation. Fleeing for his life from the threats of Queen Jezebel, 1 Kings 19 portrays Elijah fleeing some 100 miles to Mount Horeb. 

Elijah had lost all hope. The darkness he fought for so long had pressed into his soul - threatening to capsize his faith. He requested of God to take his life in 1 Kings 19:4, only to have an angel minister to him with food (19:5). Once more the angel would come in 1 Kings 19:6-8, urging Elijah to eat - since the journey was too great for him. 

Elijah arrives at Mount Horeb. As a prophet, Elijah was called to speak for God. In desperation, Elijah needed to hear from God - and He did. Elijah's complaint in 1 Kings 19:14 concerned his alleged isolation: 

"Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

God then responds in 1 Kings 19:15-18 with a new assignment for Elijah and the words we find quoted by the Apostle Paul:

"The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Notice how God's grace cuts through the darkness in the verses above:

1. We see first and foremost the calling grace of God - summoning Elijah back to his senses, reminding him of who he is and Whose he is, in 1 Kings 19:16. God's grace never excludes the will of man. 

2. Next we find the grace of God's prophetic word in 19:17. Who would have the last word in Israel as to how things were going to go? Not Jezebel! Not those in power! Such people can only act to the degree God permits them to act. Furthermore, God even makes mention of what will be Elijah's successor. The prophetic power of God's Word will continue unabated. 

3. Then thirdly we see the grace of election in 1 Kings 19:18. God had set aside 7,000 - a remnant - or as Paul describes it in Romans 11:5-6 "In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." 

On this third point, the Baptist Faith & Message describes God's gracious choice as follows:

"Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility."

So we see then God's grace, in all its refracted colors, shining through the dreary days of Elijah and igniting hope in the Apostle Paul. The Gospel shines forth its light into every alley way - urging all men, without exception, to believe, repent and be saved. God's initiative and calling shines forth to draw sinners to a saving knowledge of the truth. God's graces of His calling, His Word and gracious choice are a three-braided rope of grace, never bypassing but beckoning the human will to respond to such amazing grace.

God is ever reaching out through the darkness to those who are spiritually blind, spiritually deaf and who are at odds with Him. God's work of salvation is His work and thankfully, no matter how dark it may get - the Gospel's candle dispels the darkness. As the Gospel shines through the darkness, to the heart open to truth - a free decision issues forth (John 3:11-12; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul's point is that His hope for the salvation of His fellow Israelites rests with God (Jonah 2:9). He urges. He pleads for them to believe, repent and be saved. So it is with all that are brought into contact with the Gospel. Would it be that they respond to God's grace shining in the darkness.

P3 - Be a Blessing with your spiritual gifts - Concentrate on worship

1 Corinthians 14:26  "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Introduction
Over the last two days we have considered the importance of being a blessing with the spiritual gifts. God the Holy Spirit has gifted the body of Christ with gifts to answer the call He gives to be a blessing. We have noted that in order to be a blessing with the spiritual gifts, one must...

1. Avoid self-centered Christianity when it comes to the gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:1-19

2. Build-up others through the gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:12-25

As we have been unfolding the above thoughts, we have also attempted to expound on Paul's discussion of the gift of tongues. Such a discussion provides a major backdrop for these themes, and thus must be explored. We have attempted to handle all the pertinent Biblical passages on tongues (Acts 2,8,10,14 and 1 Corinthians 12-14) in such a way as to show their unity in the scripture. We have noted that tongues is referring to the Spirit-given ability to deliver the Gospel in a previously unlearned language. We've also commented that as the church of the living God is established, the gift of tongues will virtually cease, if not cease all-together. As a general pattern, this writer believes based upon our prior studies of 1 Corinthians 12-14 that one ought not to expect to see a genuine gift of tongues with its partner gift "interpretation of tongues" in areas firmly established with the preaching of the Word. In addition, we also noted that what is often claimed to be tongues today is in fact a different phenomena all-together, and thus is not the same as Biblical tongues. 

Today we conclude out blog series on how the gifts are to be used to bless others by noting how we ought to use them to concentrate on worship to God.

The gifts of the Spirit are to be used to concentrate on worship to God
As we focus once more on Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 14, we find him switching gears in 1 Corinthians 14:26 from describing what the Corinthians have been doing to prescribing what they ought to be doing. 1 Corinthians 14:26 reads -  "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." As we labored to show yesterday, using our gifts to be a blessing to others entails edifying or building each other up in the faith. 

Dr. John MacArthur has wisely noted that whenever God prescribes behaviors in the Bible, He always prefaces His prescriptions with sound doctrine. Now whenever we think of Paul's foregoing discussion in 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, he has been describing the misapplication of tongues by the Corinthians, and how such as led to low-levels of edification in the church and high-levels of self-centered Christianity. Paul wants to lay out the importance of concentrating on worship by way of appropriate use of the gifts in these verses. Below we can note the following points as to how we can do this today...

1. Humility - 1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Notice what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:31-33  "For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." Paul of course uses tongues and prophecy as examples, but the wider principle is clear: that whenever we exercise our gifts in the church or for that matter, outside the church and in the world, we ought to do so with Christian humility. Such humility before God positions us to be empowered by His grace to be more effective in His service (1 Peter 5:6-8). Moreover, humility brings us closest to the heart of Jesus, whom we are to imitate and follow (see Philippians 2:4-11; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 3:6).

2. Atmosphere. 1 Corinthians 14:34-40
This last section of 1 Corinthians 14 is perhaps the most widely discussed and at times, controversial section in Paul's letter. The concern of Paul in this final section has to do with orderliness or atmosphere in the church body. What is the meaning behind Paul's prohibition on women "speaking" in the church? The immediate context suggests that there might had been instances where women were practicing tongues freely or somehow contradicting their husbands who had exercised a gift of prophecy or exhortation. Certainly such practices by the particular women at Corinth would had led Paul to censure their actions. But then Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:34 that per the Law of God (Genesis 3:16) and the pattern of worship in all the churches, such an injunction by Paul is laid forth pertaining to women. 

Perhaps the most balanced commentary that I have read that gives multiple scriptural support is the Bible Knowledge Commentary: 

"Whether the admonition for silence was directed to all women (cf. 11:2–16) or only to those who were married may be debated. The word translated women (gynaikes) was used to refer to women generally (as in all 11 occurrences in 11:3–15), or to unmarried women (e.g., 7:34), or to married women (e.g., 5:1; 9:5; and all 14 occurrences in chap. 7 except once in 7:34). The context alone aided the readers in distinguishing between the alternative meanings." 

The commentary continues on:

"Two indications strongly suggest that married women were in view in this passage. The first is the word submission (hypotassesthōsan, v. 34). When it occurs elsewhere in the New Testament with specific reference to a woman, it always refers to a married woman who was to be subject to her husband (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1, 5)."

If we consider what Paul says elsewhere in his letters on the boundaries drawn on how men and women are to function in the church, he is drawing such lines along marital lines in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. With respect to the distinctions we find in passages like 1 Timothy 2:8 or 1 Timothy 3:1, the boundary lines there would be drawn more so along ecclessiastical lines, allowing women much liberty in the ministries they can do with one exception: the pastorate. It is vital when discussing issues of gender in the church, that we don't draw the lines too tightly nor cast them asunder. 

To perhaps dig further in seeing the positive direction Paul is trying to aim these comments, we must consider what is brought into the church from godly marriages. Paul's remarks on women and their husbands in 1 Corinthians 14 is for the sake of keeping a proper atmosphere of worship. If the husband loves his wife like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:22-33), then the wife will want to follow his lead and be the fragrance of grace that causes others to admire the marriage. To bring such a loving atmosphere from the home into the church is the ultimate intent of Paul in these instructions. 

Thus as Paul closes out this major chapter of 1 Corinthians 14, he notes in verse 40 the reinforcement of maintaining decency and order in the church, which is the responsibility of all concerned. Hence, concern for worship will ensure that the those who are exercising their spiritual gifts are a blessing indeed to both God and people. 

P2 - Be a blessing with your spiritual gifts - building up others and understanding the gift of tongues

1 Corinthians 14:12 "So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church."

Introduction
Yesterday we began considering the importance of being a blessing to others by way of the spiritual gifts. God has so gifted believers and His church with gifts so that they can be a blessing to others. We discussed briefly the subject of tongues and the warnings Paul gave to avoid the self-centered tendencies that the Corinthian believers we practicing. We closed out noting how whether one is a Pentecostal/Charismatic Christian or whether one is a non-Pentecostal/Charismatic Christian, self-centered tendencies can still occur. The former group of Christians can tend to over emphasize certain gifts at the expense of others (what we see occurring in 1 Corinthians 14), whereas the latter group of believers can risk under-valuing the gifts all-together, and thus being uninformed (which Paul aimed to correct from the onset in 1 Corinthians 14. 

The overall goal of these posts is to hopefully shed some light on what can be the difficult chapter of 1 Corinthians 14. Overall, the hope would be to encourage all Christians to exercise their gifts in such a way as to bless others. We've already noted the need to avoid self-centered expressions of the gifts. Today, we want to consider the second way in which we can be a blessing - namely building up others.

Building up others by way of our gifts is at the heart of being a blessing with our gifts
 1 Corinthians 14:5 sets the tone of the chapter with these words: "Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying." That term "edification" has to do with "building up", or "reinforcing" someone else in their spiritual walk with Christ. To be a blessing to other people with respect to our spiritual gifts has the goal of edification and thus, praise and worship to God. As a matter of fact, this idea of "building up others" or "edification" dominates the horizon of 1 Corinthians 14 (see 1 Corinthians 14:3,5,13,17 and 26). Thus when we say to "be a blessing" in the realm of spiritual gifts, we are saying to use our gifts to "edify others", which achieves the ultimate goal of "glorifying God". 

Certain passages bear out the importance of edification in the body of Christ:

Romans 15:2 "Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification."

We then find the following statements in Paul's letter to the Ephesians....

Ephesians 4:11 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers". 

Why did God give these offices or gifts? Notice Ephesians 4:12 - "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

So what benefit comes when the church-body is "built-up" or "edified"? Dr. John MacArthur comments on what we read in Acts 9:31:

And so then, we are committed to edifying.  We meet together to edify.  You say, “But what happens with evangelism.  Well, how do we reach out if all we do is edify the saints?”  Well, it’s very easy to see the answer to that if you look at Acts 9:31.  Even if you don’t look at it, I’ll read it to you.  Acts 9:31 says this: “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified.”  All right.  The churches were doing what they should have been doing.  They were being edified or built up to maturity."

MacArthur then continues on....


"Now watch.  “And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were” what?  “Multiplied.”  You see, growth is a result of edification.  As the church is built up, it will reach out and evangelism will be a by-product."

What exactly were the Corinthians doing that was not edifying? What exactly is tongues in 1 Corinthians 14?
To answer these two questions, we will answer the second in order to arrive at an understanding of the first. A definition of the gift of tongues, as so understood from studying passages such as Acts 2; 8; 10; 19 and 1 Corinthians 12 & 14, refers to a supernatural ability to speak a previously unlearned language in instances of evangelization of unreached people groups. It appears that this particular gift's use ranges from extreme infrequency (for who is anyone to limit God) to total disuse as one goes further away from the apostolic era. 1 Corinthians 13:8 hints at this general pattern with respect to Biblical defined tongues.  As a general pattern, once the Gospel has sufficiently saturated a given people group, more typical methods are employed by God: such as Bible translation and missionaries that are trained to go to such areas. 

Now we know that the tongues of 1 Corinthians 14 is a previously unlearned actual language, rather than escatic speech, by what Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 "There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. 11 If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me." The term "barbarian" was used in the first century to refer to those who did not speak Greek. Corinth was a major cultural center of the ancient world that preserved and promoted Greek and Roman culture.1 

So with the gift of tongues so defined, what can we say was occurring at Corinth with respect to this gift? The Corinthians were attempting to use tongues in such a way as to promote themselves. If anything, they may had been trying to replicate what was the common pagan practice of ecstatic speech. Whatever the exact manner of their use of this gift of tongues, the Corinthian church's use of the gift was leading to a decline in the overall health of the church body.  

Can 1 Corinthians 14 be a proof text for "praying in tongues" or "second-blessing theology"?
This particular point cannot be avoided, since in today's contemporary church scene we find theologies promoting "praying in tongues" and "second-blessing". As I noted in yesterday's post, I was at one time in my early Christian walk involved with both Pentecostal and Charismatic expressions of the Christian faith. Many friends and pastors have and still are very dear to me. At times I suppose I tend to be more charitable towards Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians due to the many, many ways God uses them. With that said, it is important to judge our experience by God's word, rather than God's word by our experience. 

When we view the so-called "gift of tongues" practiced in both Pentecostal and Charismatic church bodies in light of the above discussion, we find a different sort of phenomena all-together. Pentecostal believers associate tongues as a form of prayer language; whilst Charismatic believers view "tongues" as an initiatory experience into the full-range of the miraculous gifts. 

These trends and interpretations of tongues is different from the tongues we see in the scripture, and thus, for this author at least, would suggest that whatever we may call the phenomenon it is not strictly speaking the Biblical gift of tongues. It would seem that these otherwise well-meaning Christians could be calling a "right-intentioned" practice by the wrong label. No one can argue that in many cases and in many-such churches, prayer and faith in God answering prayer is far more emphasized than in non-Pentecostal/Charismatic church bodies. 

With that said, we musn't confuse practical benefits with a theological stance that lacks insufficient scriptural support. 2  To suppose that Paul is talking of a different sort-of-tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 from what we see in Acts 2,8,10 and 14 is to unnecessarily divide the Bible's teaching on tongues.3 

Closing thoughts:
It is so important that we not miss the forest of 1 Corinthians 14 (namely, the need to be a blessing to others with our gifts) for the big trees in the chapter (tongues and other issues). Certainly we need to grasp what tongues is and how we need to understand its place in the Bible and our 21st century scene. With that said, Paul lays out principles for ensuring that we use the spiritual gifts to build-up others, which is why he expounds at length on correcting what were misuses of tongues. 

Endnotes

1. Noted commentator R.C.H Lenski comments:

"We also see that what Paul describes here refers to foreign languages. The speaker uses his 'voice' when he is speaking the language that is incomprehensible to Paul. The very term 'barbarian' settles the point regarding the voice that is used in speaking a foreign language and thus also in the...case when a member of the church similarly uses his voice in speaking with tongues (foreign human languages).

2. To put it clearly, it would seem far less probable to see a genuine exercise of true Biblical tongues and its attendant gift of interpretation in today's world, given that God employs either more ordinary methods of propagating the Gospel or other spiritual gifts to achieve the Great Commission. Paul's insistence upon "praying with his spirit and mind" in 1 Corinthians 14:15 and the need to use our gifts to build-up others in 1 Corinthians 14:3,5,12,17 and 26 would appear to show the Pentecostal/Charismatic treatments of 1 Corinthians 14 to be in question.

3. To show how one must make the tongues of Acts and 1 Corinthians 14 distinct phenomena for the Pentecostal and Charismatic interpretation to work, two examples will be given from the literature. The "International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements" (Zondervan, page 786), notes in its discussion on tongues as "initatory evidence" for the Pentecostal experience of a "second-blessing": "At the same time, this individual dimension was not to be confused with the expression of the gift of tongues in corporate worship (1 Corinthians 14). Secondly, the Pentecostal theologian Guy P. Duffield in his volume: "Foundations of Pentecostal Theology", page 337, notes in a comment on "kinds of tongues" in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11: "This is literally "kinds of tongues" (Greek gene glosson). The term "kinds" doubtless refers to the fact that there are "new tongues" and "tongues of men and angels" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Some tongues are human languages, as on the Day of Pentecost (to show that the gospel was for all races and nations); some tongues are of heavenly origin (of angels, used for praise and prayer where the mind is superceded: 1 Corinthians 14:2; Rom. 8:26,27)." As can be seen in these two sources, the teaching on the gift of tongues becomes distinguished between the two main bodies of texts (Acts and 1 Corinthians 14). 

P1 - Be a blessing with your spiritual gifts - 1 Corinthians 14:1-19

1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying."

Introduction
Over the past several weeks I have written off and on on the subject of spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. The links below are to those posts which specifically give an outline to those chapters, as well as a summary of their main points:

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/08/p1-outline-1-corinthians-12-14-gods_13.html

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/08/p2-outline-of-gods-supernatural-gifts-1.html

In those posts we looked at how the Apostle Paul expresses how every Christian is supernaturally gifted by God, how one can discover their gifts and the various categories of gifts found in the New Testament. These particular topics were the focus of 1 Corinthians 12. In 1 Corinthians 13 we looked at how God's love is the priority, the practice and the power in effective exercise of the spiritual gifts. No matter what the gift, if the Christian fails to rely upon and express God's love to others, then whatever else we may say about the gifts will be in vain. 

Today's post is an attempt to begin understanding the the most difficult chapter of the section on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14 - namely chapter 14 itself. What is prominent in Paul's material is of course his exposition on the gift of tongues, prophecy, proper conduct and principles for exercising the spiritual gifts. Many people have found this particular chapter of 1 Corinthians to be the most difficult due to two things: 

a). The complex elements that were at play at Corinth that led to Paul's corrective remarks. Clearly there was misuse and abuse of the gift of tongues. It is vital to understand what exactly Paul was communicating in order for us to apply this chapter to today.

b). The prior century of the Pentecostal, Charismatic and Third-Wave movements that have swept through nearly every denomination throughout the world. The mixture of legitimate and questionable practices and theology makes exposition of this chapter even more difficult. If for anything, the need for sound explanation of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is needed in our day. 

The main point of 1 Corinthians 14 - "Gifted to be a blessing"
In as much as the main subjects of 1 Corinthians 14 has to do with tongues, the function of men and women in the church and the way in which our church services ought to function - all of these topics serve a backdrop to Paul's overall concern: how to be a blessing with the gifts God has given.  How is it that we can use our gifts to be a blessing to others?

Avoid self-centeredness
This was the problem at Corinth. The Corinthians had taken the gift of tongues and began to both abuse it and misuse it. The abuse came in the form of using it for a different purpose than which it was intended by the Spirit of God. Often our Pentecostal and Charismatic brothers will attempt to distinguish between the tongues of the Book of Acts and those found in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Particularly, 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 is taken to be a prescriptive pattern for Christians today as to advocate some "second-blessing" or "baptism in the Holy Spirit" as evidenced in speaking in tongues. But a closer look at 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 will reveal that Paul is not "prescribing" some sort of "prayer-language" theology or "second-blessing" experience subsequent to salvation. Instead, Paul is being "descriptive" of what missteps were occurring at the Corinthian church. The abuses going on at Corinth was in taking the gift of tongues out of its evangelistic use in Acts 2,8,10 and 19 and co-opting it for some private form of self-edification. These abuses, and thus misuses, were leading the Corinthians to view the gift of tongues as the superior of the gifts. In reality, the gift of tongues is described by Paul as the lesser of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 14:5. The gift of tongues was taken to be a badge of pride and had resulted in church services that demoted God's word, God's glory and edification. 

Paul is correcting two extremes in 1 Corinthians 12-14
Perhaps readers may be thinking that non-Pentecostal or non-Charismatic Christian bodies are immune from these tendencies, or even worst, some may think I'm picking on modern-day Pentecostal and Charismatic brothers. I must hasten to add that I still to this day have many dear friends and know wonderful pastors and church leaders who are involved in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Moreover, some of the positive contributions made by those movements (reminding the church of the need for the Holy Spirit's ministry as well as some of the wonderful hymns and choruses sung today) are not to be forgotten. Let me say that as one who began their Christian walk in Pentecostal and then later Charismatic Christianity, the self-centered tendencies were there, which, I would say, were the results of some well-meaning people over emphasizing one gift at the expense of the others. Although I don't advocate a "second-blessing" or "prayer-language" theology, I still admire the way my dear Pentecostal/Charismatic brothers and sisters prize the value of prayer and seeking of God. 

What am I saying? As a Christian and a pastor in a non-Pentecostal and non-Charismatic denomination, the dangers of self-centered Christianity are not any less. If anything, non-Pentecostal and non-Charismatic groups can greatly under-value the gifts due to self-centered thinking. Paul's aim in these three chapters is to correct what can be two ditches in the realm of the spiritual gifts. Corinth was guilty of over-emphasis on one gift (tongues), which is the issue we find him dealing with in 1 Corinthians 14. In 1 Corinthians 12, he begins his discussion by alerting others to "not be ignorant" about the gifts. It would seem that all-too-often, most churches barely talk about the gifts or at least possess an adequate Biblical understanding of such. If anything, both ditches can be avoided when we remember to exercise and express God's love through the gifts. 

Closing thoughts: the dangers of being self-centered in our exercise of the gifts
And thus, when we consider the need to avoid self-centered Christianity in our use of the gifts, Paul's words apply to all Christians today, whether they be Pentecostal/Charismatic believers or their non-Pentecostal/Charismatic contemporaries. The principle of avoiding self-centered Christianity not only applies in the realm of the specific gift of tongues, but also to how we practice any of the gifts. I will close out today's post with three dangers that come with self-centered expressions of the gifts, and why we as Christians must avoid it in order to be a blessing to others:

1. Self-centered Christianity makes for less effective Christianity. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

2. Self-centered Christianity lessens the value of the Word. 1 Corinthians 14:6-12

3. Self-centered Christianity limits the gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:13-19

What the Lord's Table and Spiritual Gifts have in common

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." 

1 Corinthians 11:29 "For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly."

1 Corinthians 12:12 "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ."

Introduction:
Paul is writing to the church at Corinth on a host of various topics. In 1 Corinthians 10-11 he addresses various issues relative to the observance of the Lord's Supper. Then, in 1 Corinthians 12-14, we find Paul addressing the important topic of spiritual gifts. Although the Lord's supper and spiritual gifts may be different subjects, there is a vital common ground shared by both - namely in how the gifts and the supper relate to the church as the body of Christ. Moreover, to consider the body of Christ must necessarily include it's head and Lord - Jesus Christ. Today's post aims at meditating on this common ground shared by the Lord's Supper and the spiritual gifts.

1. The Lord's Supper demonstrates the body of Christ, the gifts define the body of Christ - thus both depict Christ and His church
As we consider 1 Corinthians 10-11, we note how Paul reminds his readers of the importance of the Lord's Supper. In 1 Corinthians 10 we find him paralleling the Lord's Supper as a sign for demonstrating the reality of Christ and His church, just as the various festivals in the Old Testament signified the reality of God's covenant with Israel. Concerning Israel in this regard, the commentator Albert Barnes notes: 

"Behold Israel - Look at the Jews. The design here is to illustrate the sentiment which he was establishing, by a reference to the fact that among the Jews those who partook of the same sacrifices were regarded as being one people, and as worshipping one God." 

With respect as to how the Lord's supper demonstrates the reality of the body of Christ connected to its head - Jesus Christ, Matthew Henry comments: 

"Did not the joining in the Lord's supper show a profession of faith in Christ crucified, and of adoring gratitude to him for his salvation ? Christians, by this ordinance, and the faith therein professed, were united as the grains of wheat in one loaf of bread, or as the members in the human body, seeing they were all united to Christ, and had fellowship with him and one another."

The Lord's table serves to demonstrate the reality of the church that is composed of all who have been truly born again, who profess faith in a Risen Lord as their head. So then, how do we define the organic life of the church body. If the supper demonstrates such, then we find the gifts given by the Holy Spirit as a means of defining the body. In the opening passages quoted in today's post, 1 Corinthians 12:12 indicates how the gifts serve to highlight the church's diversity and unity among the members. Each member is distinct with regards to their gifts, and yet they all form one harmonious whole. Such gifts outline the spiritual gift finger-print of each local church, which in turn points to the head - Jesus Christ. 

When we consider the Lord's supper and the gifts together, we find that they work in respectively demonstrating and defining the body of Christ as in connection with its risen and ascended Lord. Let's note one more point of common ground between the Lord's table and the spiritual gifts....

2. Both the supper and the gifts show the church's dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ
We've seen how 1 Corinthians 10-11 and 12-14 depict the relationship that Jesus Chris t has to His body - the church. Jesus of course retained his human nature and physical body (albeit a glorified, resurrected one) following His resurrection and ascension (see Luke 24; Acts 1:11-14). The metaphor of the church as the "body of Christ" represents the logical and mystical union all Christians have with the Lord Jesus Christ. Such truths as that of the Lord's supper and the spiritual gifts highlight the Lordship of Jesus over His church. 

In this second point, we now see our dependence upon Jesus Christ in both the Lord's supper and the gifts. Such dependence is communicate by the language of "eating and drinking". The Apostle Paul unifies both the Old and New Testaments by first commenting on how Israel of old ultimately depended on Christ as He was in His pre-incarnated presence among them in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 "and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ." Then Paul uses this same "eating and drinking" language to describe the church's dependence upon Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:16 "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" 

Jesus Himself would often use this imagery to describe the disciple's relationship of dependence and union with Him in texts such as John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” So the Lord's supper is a sign that signifies this mystical reality shared between Christians and Christ. When we partake of the elements, it is we ourselves in whom Christ dwells by the Person of the Holy Spirit. They are symbols for sure, but not just bare ones. We are as it were participating in and with our Lord Jesus Christ, performing what the Psalmist describes as the walk of faith in this "eating and drinking" language of Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" The Lord's supper unquestionably shows the dependence the church has upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

But now do the spiritual gifts communicate this same idea of dependence? They do. When one comes to 1 Corinthians 12:13-14, this language of "eating and drinking" is found yet again with respect to the gifts: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many." The great Baptist commentator John Gill notes: 

"(I)f they are regenerated and sanctified, they appear equally to belong to Christ, to be of his body, and have an equal propriety in all immunities and blessings belonging to his people (see Colossians 3:11). And have been all made to drink into one Spirit; are all partakers of the same graces of the Spirit, as faith, hope, love, &c. and daily receive under his guidance, direction, and influence, out of the same fulness of grace in Christ, from whence they draw and drink this water with joy; and all drink the same spiritual drink, the blood of Christ, whose blood is drink indeed."

Closing thoughts
So in meditating on the common ground shared between the Lord's supper and spiritual gifts, we have found two main themes between them:

1. Both depict Christ's relationship to and over His church.

2. Both show the dependence the church has upon her head - the Lord Jesus Christ

Both the Lord's supper and the gifts remind us that we cannot separate our understanding of the church from the head - Jesus Christ. He is the Lord and Savior of His people and they ever depend upon Him. May we as followers of Jesus Christ look to Him today as Savior, Lord and treasure as we exalt Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Discovering your spiritual gift fingerprint - the results of your spiritual gift test

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.

Discovering your spiritual gifts
Whenever a Christian wants to discover what spiritual graces or gifts God has given them, it is sometimes helpful to take a spiritual gifts test.  As you study the Bible's teaching on spiritual gifts, three areas are used by God in developing every Christian: their calling, burdens and opportunities.  In yesterday's post I gave the reader the second part of the spiritual gifts test that evaluates a Christian's gifts in the realm of their abilities.  In this third part of the test, you will be answering questions pertaining to the area of your God-given opportunities. Think of a spiritual gift test as a compass to point you in the right direction.  I would encourage the reader to read the next several days of blogs, since today's post is the third and final leg of the spiritual gift's test before moving into the part where you begin to discover what gifts you may have. 

AN IMPORTANT THOUGHT BEFORE YOU MOVE TO THE LAST SECTION!!

Now that you are done answering the questions, go onto the last section of this test and tally up your answers.  Remember that the results of this test are just suggestions of gifts or areas of ministry for you to look at in discerning your spiritual gifts.  Getting involved in the ministries of the church and serving others is vital in having a true accurate picture of what the Lord has gifted you to do.

Discerning what your gifts might be

Directions: Place the answers you circled in the appropriate box under each set of responses.  Then add each column and write the answer below.  Note the highest numbers and second highest totals to discern your own personal gift combinations. 

PART ONE: ADD UP THE NUMBERS OF YOUR RESPONSES

Questions:                 1        2        3        4       5       6      7      8     9      10    11    12    13    14     15   16   17  18

Calling

Abilities

Opportunities

TOTAL NUMBERS

PART TWO: LOOK TO SEE THE GIFT BELOW EACH TOTAL NUMBER

              

PART THREE: DISCERN WHICH GIFTS YOU MIGHT HAVE

What gift (s) did you rank highest?

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

What gift(s) did you rank second highest?

________________________

________________________

________________________

________________________

Note: It is up to you whether you want to share your findings with your Pastor or other Mature Believer, or whether you keep the results to yourself.  The important thing is that you begin serving God and further explore just how He has designed you with His calling, your abilities, and opportunities.  

Discovering your spiritual gifts by way of your opportunities

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.

Discovering your spiritual gifts
Whenever a Christian wants to discover what spiritual graces or gifts God has given them, it is sometimes helpful to take a spiritual gifts test.  As you study the Bible's teaching on spiritual gifts, three areas are used by God in developing every Christian: their calling, burdens and opportunities.  In yesterday's post I gave the reader the second part of the spiritual gifts test that evaluates a Christian's gifts in the realm of their abilities.  In this third part of the test, you will be answering questions pertaining to the area of your God-given opportunities. Think of a spiritual gift test as a compass to point you in the right direction.  I would encourage the reader to read the next several days of blogs, since today's post is the third and final leg of the spiritual gift's test before moving into the part where you begin to discover what gifts you may have. 

Directions: At the end of each question circle the numbered response that best reflects how you really feel: 1=Never; 2= Once in a while; 3=Many times; 4= Always.  

The Gifts looked for in this test (Look back at the day before yesterday's post for definitions): Missionary, Reformer, Soul winner, Shepherd, Teacher, Leader, Communicator, Exhorter, Hospitality, Helps/Service, Administrator, Encourager, Giver, Mercy, Wisdom, Knowledge, Discerner, Intercessor

OPPORTUNITIES = “What I desire God to bring, has brought or is bringing into my life”

                                                                                                                                      Please circle 1 answer

1. I desire to be involved or look to be involved in some type of missions trip                                                                                 1 2 3 4

2. I desire to or have served in aiding a person or a group as to where God is leading them                                                            1 2 3 4

3.  The Holy Spirit has given successful attempts in reaching my unsaved loved ones/friends                                   1 2 3 4

4.  I desire to or have shared a message from a pulpit or went on visits with the pastor                                                                    1 2 3 4

5.  I desire to learn how to teach God’s word or have led a Sunday School class/Bible Study                                                          1 2 3 4

6.  I want to lead a ministry, am being asked to lead or have led in an area of the church                                                                    1 2 3 4

7.  I have been or am being asked to present an idea to a group or the church                                                                               1 2 3 4

8.  I want to reach out to or have made efforts in strengthening other believers in their faith                                                           1 2 3 4

9.  I desire to, have or will be opening up my home to people that I just met                                                                                 1 2 3 4

10. I desire, have or will be getting involved in a service project for the church                                                                                     1 2 3 4

11. I desire, have or will be coordinating an event or ministry in our church                                                                                1 2 3 4

12. I want to, have or will be visiting or sending encouragement to people I know are in need                                                            1 2 3 4

13. I am willing, have or will be giving a sizeable gift to a missions project or church ministry                                                            1 2 3 4

14. I desire, have or will be reaching out to unfortunate or hard to reach people                                                                         1 2 3 4

15. I am open to, have or will be giving counsel to people on making godly and wise choices                                                             1 2 3 4

16. I’m compelled, have or will share insight from God’s word that addresses specific needs                                                    1 2 3 4

17. I desire, have or will be prayerfully observing the spiritual nature of a situation or person                                             1 2 3 4

18. I desire to grow deeper in prayer, learn from others how to pray, and minister by prayer                                              1 2 3 4