the comments on the last post were really helpful in framing some thoughts of agreement and response... Yes, we all have different parts in the Body, and different communities may frame up application of different gifts in different ways, depending on the gifts of administration, helps, teaching, etc, among them... That's wonderful.
In our meetings, there has been ample opportunity for the use of supernatual gifts. We have a format, a context, a history that lends itself easily to the use of spiritual gifts WITHIN the boundaries of Love...
When someone has a word of prophecy, it is in order for them to share it, for us to look at scripture around it, and for the community's leaders/elders to test it and implement actions around the message...
You see, as far as our meeting style is concerned, we've taken 1 Cor. 14:26 as a cornerstone for our philosophy of ministry... "So, my dear brothers, what conclusion is to be drawn? At all your meetings let everyone be ready with a psalm or a sermon or a revelation, or ready ot use his gift of tongues or to give an interpretation; but it must always be for the common good." The Common Good is the bottom line. We are christians who prepare ourselves to share in the meeting, together... Our meetings are simple: prepare a meal, eat it, clean up, sing, pray, share in the Word and the gifts...
Around such meetings is rising a culture of proximity: people moving into the neighborhood to be near each other.
From such love rises a sense of mission: people moving toward the lowly/poor in their sphere of influence, as they see themselves in such people... as they recognize Jesus in such people...
from such life rise the behaviors of love, otherwise known as holiness... (Gal. 3:15) "...be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in WORKS OF LOVE, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself."
So, "the common good", in avoidance of "self-indulgence", will keep us safe from hurting each other with our gifts. Isn't that the danger when the Lord grants power to us? We can end up using our powers to subjugate each other, to elevate ourselves! This is poisonous and violent in nature. But we were intended to use our powers for good (or for awesome)! That is realized when our hearts intend "the common good", and to "serve one another".
Let's guard against the desire to stake our claim in the meetings of the faithful! Be afraid! Don't let yourself glory in God using you! Whether it's one thing, or another, always set apart christ as Lord in your heart. Never take assurance or self-stock in whether or not God uses you! There are many who are used of God who will never see the kingdom.
Look at mat 7: there're those who prophesy, do miracles, cast out demons--people who set people free! Who will never enter into rest!
Look at luke 10:17-20: the real reason to rejoice in this world is because it's not our home and none of it holds any power over us, since we're HIS!!!
So, as we exercise spiritual gifts, let's remember Jesus in mat.6, where he warns us to avoid making a show, or playing to a crowd. Let's "eschew" (push away from us) all "ostentation" (showiness) in the use of any of the gifts the Lord gives us.
Don't forget to encourage each other daily to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, clinging to Jesus in our hearts, leaning on Him in each other! There are too many who live like the Church is a club.
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totally. here's the thing with praying in tongues: i simply CANNOT find any place in the bible that describes EVERYONE as having it! in fact, i find quite the opposite: paul says everyone is definitely NOT supposed to have it, or else we would be puffed up with pride, not depend on anyone (let alone JESUS!), and on top of it all look really goofy to the world. this past week it was argued that when paul gives his little set of rhetorical questions about spiritual gifts, what he MEANS is that tongues shouldn't be used by everyone in the public sphere...right...so then why didn't paul just SAY that? he very specifically describes public worship in other places; if that's what he meant, don't you think he would have SAID that?
ReplyDeletegifts are meant to build up, to love, to serve. they are used to help those in need (ironically that's ALL of us!) and often unconsciously they help the individual. how? they show us that no one person has ALL the gifts, no one really can do it on his/her own. i've seen this really clearly in my life lately. it's neither healthy to pretend like we've got every spiritual gift, nor to pretend like we don't have any. God simply doesn't judge the way we do...(there's hope for me yet!!) we judge in terms of the result, the bottom line; he judges the heart. that's how thieves, whores, and swindlers always seemed to catch the eye of Jesus...and the self-righteous always caught the sharp edge of his tongue.
yeah man, let's use ALL our gifts, small or great, flashy or modest, to build up the body. let's encourage one another to lay down our pride or fear and let God use the individual HE made; not the one we think we're supposed to be or the one the world says we should be. embrace diversity...rejoice in the wide spectrum of color, talent, and creativity the Lord has used in his creation, especially his children. keep in mind...lew mentioned (paul did first) only using our gifts to BUILD UP. who? the body. not our own egos (that's hittin me now) or our own pride. my gifts aren't meant for me. they're meant for you. and it goes full circle. i go last, you go in front of me, and Jesus is at the head. let's go there.
i do find the apostle saying, "I wish you all spoke in tongues..." in that chapter. This is surely because it builds up the person who does it. Let's all be hungry for that kind of thing!
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about the part where you say, "paul says everyone is definitely NOT supposed to have it."
I see that not everyone has it.
I read that not all do it.
I hear Paul desiring it for all.
I recognize that there are greater gifts.
But there doesn't seem to be a major problem with everyone having it.
Now, everyone going BERZERK with ecstatic stuff in a meeting of the church, that's not okay by the Scriptures. Definitely not.
but what about the use of this spiritual blessing in song, during the worship time of the church? I understand that people aren't to clash with each other in the use of this gift. I understand that we're not to crowd out the clear, upbuilding delivery of the prophetic word with ostentatious glossalalia... but what about the "Spirit Songs" of Col. 3:16 and 1 Cor. 14?
I'm not afraid of disagreement, division, or trouble in these things. Let's let down our guards and really talk about it. I'll be bold to say that it would do all our hearts a lot of good to have prayer languages. This is clear in scriptures! It'd also bless the socks off men and angels alike for us to really throw down intimacy with the Lord in our worship times...
These are things that aren't FORCED on you by hype, but must be taught and encouraged. Honestly, they're good things... there's so much good news here for all. God has blessings in store...
Focus on the cross. Jesus died for you. Live for him. This stuff comes in His perfect timing, as we lay our lives down in submission to Him...
Know this: we're a long way from disorder in our meetings. we're safe here to experiment in spiritual giftings. Here, we can seek the Lord together, and learn how to pray for one another, use tongues, listen for words of prophecy, heal, all the stuff of the Bible...
So be bold to lay hold of Jesus today. He has loved you so much. Don't let go of Him. He'll never let go of you. He loves you. He really does!
tongues, tongues...tongues...
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