Holy Spirit - Part 11: The Holy Spirit in the Church

THE PURPOSE OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

In 1 Cor 12 Paul discusses  the proper balance  of the use of the gifts of the Spirit within the church.

In verse 1 the word 'gifts” was added by the translators. Paul used the Greek word “pneumatikos” which means “spirituals”. Paul had been dealing with carnal problems earlier in this letter, and now he was moving into the subject of spiritual things.

In verse 7 Paul tells the Corinthians that these spiritual things are given to every man for profit. God does not give these things so that we can retreat from the world and enjoy them. Instead, He gives them to benefit the whole church. These gifts are not meant to exalt individuals. He gives them so that individuals may use them to exalt Jesus Christ.

The one exception Paul brings to light is the gift of tongues, given to build up the believer and Paul has noted the importance of that particular spiritual gift.

Just as there are many types of gifts (see 1 Cor 12:4-6) so there are many different parts of the body itself and its functions. Paul makes the analogy here that the body of Christ is somewhat like the human body in its construction.

Christ is the head, completely in charge, directing the body. The Holy Spirit is the nervous system of the body, taking the messages from Jesus to the various parts of the body and then coordinating them for smooth operation of the body itself.

Every part of the body has a vital function to perform. Whatever our gift (our portion of the body) we are to function without striving in jealousy of those with other gifts and functions. The Spirit is sovereign in bestowing these gifts and He decides what each believer is best suited to do. All these “spirituals” work closely together when we come together for worship, fellowship, and ministry. 

We should be sensitive to each other, suffering when another member suffers, rejoicing when another member finds joy, remaining in hope that each member understands and is satisfied that the Spirit knows best what we can best do for the Lord.

In Ephesians 4, Paul teaches that the various gifts given are so given to perfect the saints and to edify (build up) the body of Christ. He says that the Holy Spirit is working in the body to bring us to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.

Eph 4:12-13

“... For the perfecting of the saints … for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.

In Romans 12 Paul explains how we receive the gifts of the Spirit, how we can be used of God, and how we can find our place in the body.

Romans 12:1-3

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,  that ye present your  bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable  service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of you mind … … to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think ...”.

We can know God's perfect will for our lives by presenting our bodies to Him “holy and acceptable” and as a “living sacrifice”.

We cannot allow ourselves to be conformed to worldly patterns and we must be transformed to godliness by “renewing our minds”, that is, by seeking God and waiting on Him for direction.

One of the greatest dangers we face is the sin of pride. We need to constantly be aware that God is demonstrating His grace when He uses us, and never forget that we are useless sinners without Him.

THE SPIRIT FLOWS WITHIN THE CHURCH

God directs those He chooses as His instruments to do His will within His world.

2 Chron 16:9

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him...”.

If our hearts and lives are in harmony with the purposes of God, He will use us as channels for His love, power, and Spirit to flow to the needs of the world. The Holy Spirit was given  to help us become aligned with God's purpose and plan.

When we receive salvation we also receive His Spirit to dwell within us, but there is a deeper relationship we can experience.

John 7:37-39

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any  man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow  rivers of living water'. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; cause that Jesus was not yet glorified)”.

We can have the Holy Spirit gushing from our own selves in rivers of living water.

If we are open to God and are walking in the Spirit, His blessings will be manifest in us, seen by others, who will also wish to be conformed to His image as we are when saved, and this view is being consistently perfected by the work of the Holy Spirit.

In verses 8-12 of 1 Corinthians, Paul gives a partial list  of the gifts of the Spirit, all of which are exercised through faith. Through that exercise of faith we come to understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Knowledge is an accumulation of facts. Wisdom is the proper application of that knowledge. Acts 7 teaches that when Stephen stood before the council, the Holy Spirit  gave him the word of wisdom. Acts 23 teaches the same lesson of Paul himself as he stood before the same council. Acts 15 teaches that James was given the word of wisdom when the church needed to settle the Gentile issue.

One of the problems of the Christian life is to determine whether something has come from our own minds (which can be carnal) or has come as inspiration of God.

Peter had this problem when he declared that Jesus was God's Son by the inspiration of the Spirit but was later rebuked harshly by Jesus when Jesus heard the words of Satan come from Peter's mouth (Matt 16:13-23). To help us with this issue, God had allowed the gift of discernment to each believer.

THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT

In Rev 2:2 Jesus commended the church at Ephesus because they could discern spirits properly and their messages correctly. False messages and false teaching must be rejected. We are ofter taken in by false messages or teachers because we do not listen closely enough. Their errors  can be subtle and damning. We cannot be lulled nor weary when such messages appear. Our faith must be well grounded in our knowing God's word by careful Bible study, both by our own study and by group study.

When we listen to the testimony, we should discern whether the messenger is glorifying himself of giving all glory to the Lord for all things.