With Elder Elico Manenji
✝️In this chapter the Apostle addresses the issue of different spiritual gifts as given by the Holy Spirit.
Different gifts means different types of services which do not mean different levels of spirituality. Gifts are to edify the body of Christ and never produce competition or jealousy, for the same Triune God works through a variety of people for the spiritual development of all.
Whatever the gifts, they are all given by the Spirit of God, be it the gift of wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, tongues, healing or miracles all work for the good of the church. To others, the Spirit gives unusual abilities such as faith to heal and perform miracles as some speak in tongues and some to interpret tongues so that the hearers can understand what is said. The one God gives all these gifts, and he gives them according to his will.
*1️⃣1 Corinthians 12:1-11- The Spiritual gifts enable the Church to work well and are given by the Holy Spirit.*
⏹️The church at Corinth comprised of both Jews, who were once were exorcists and magicians and went about pretending to work wonders by the Spirit of God and also Gentiles who were once idolaters and blasphemed the name of Christ as an impostor and thus desecrating His name deeming it abominable. The Apostle says, *"However, then, when you knew not God, you did service to them which by nature are no gods"(Galatians 4:8).*
Scripture records that, *"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took on them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches"(Acts 19:13).*
⏫The Apostle says that "No man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, no man under the influence, nor by the power of the Holy Spirit would disown or blasphemy the name of Christ. For the Holy Spirit bear uncontrollable witness to Christ by prophecy, miracles, signsc and wonders from His birth, work of miracles and wonders among the people, His resurrection from the dead and the success of His doctrine among mankind and the effect of the gospel among them contradict to call Jesus accursed. Jesus said, *"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me"(John 15:26).*
⏹️ The Holy Spirit, the Comforter gives spiritual gifts(charismata and charis) for conviction of unbelievers and propagation and the proclamation of the gospel. Gifts (charismata) and
graces (charis) differ greatly gifts are less important than graces. The Apostle says, *" Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached you fell on me"(Romans 15:2-3).*
⏭️The Apostle mentions nine gifts, first:
*I.The word of wisdom* -ability and power of apprehending revealed truth in its relations towards the general field of human thought and human knowledge.
II.The word of knowledge- implies an insight into the several departments of revealed truth, and into their mutual relations towards each other.
*III.Gift of Faith* -an extraordinary illumination of the believing soul, making God and the world so vividly seen and understood to all people.
*IV.Gifts of healing* - ability to cast away sickness and disease.
*V.Gift of miracles* -ability of working by the power of the Holy Spirit to perform unnatural causes.
*VI. Gifts of prophecy* -ability to foretel future events and to explain scripture vividly and clearly leaving no doubt to the hearer.
*VII.Gifts of discernment of spirits* - ability and power to distinguish and differentiate between the true and false prophets or to discern between the real and internal qualifications of any person for an office in the church.
*VIII. Gifts of different kinds of tongues* - ability and power to speak different kinds of human languages by inspiration. Note that even Angels when they visited humans on each spoke the languages of men. Angels visited Abraham, Manoah, Zechariah, Joseph and many others, in all these encounters, they spoke the language of men. Different kinds of tongues are different kinds of human languages and nit anything else.
*IX. Gifts of interpretation of tongues* - ability and power to render foreign languages readily and properly understood into their own language. With such variety of spiritual gifts were the first ministers and Apostles endowed and blessed. The Apostle says, *" For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another"(Romans 12:4-5).*
*"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love"(Ephesians 4:16).*
*2️⃣1 Corinthians 12:12- 31: As the body has many members which have different functions so are the diverse gifts given to the church which is the body of Christ.*
⏹️Above all these gifts were inferior to those in which were shared by all Christians such as grace, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and more importantly faith, hope and charity or love. (We will learn more of these in next chapter.) The Psalmist says, *"Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom"(Psalm 51:6).*
⏹️Different gifts are like different body parts which make up one physical component to wok and function well. As the body has eyes, ears, nose, tongue in the mouth and many body parts, so are different gifts given by the will of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the whole body of Christ, the church. The Apostle says, *" For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body – though many – are one body, so too is Christ"(1 Corinthians 12:12).*
⏭️As gifts, they have no sort of merit in the possessor but rather in the Giver-the Holy Spirit. The gift is not given for the advantage nor for the credit of the possessor but simply for the good and nurturing of the Church at large. The patriarch Job decried lack of support from friends saying, " *Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me, for the hand of God has struck me"(Job 19:21).*
⏫ No gift could be possessed by the heathen outside the Church who cursed the blessed name of Jesus and no gift rendered its possessor independent of others in the holy body of Christ, anything working against this is not from God or the Holy Spirit. The Apostle says, *"So we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another"(Romans 12:5).*
*"Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all"(Ephesians 1:23)*
*🅰️Appeal*
The relationship between Christians and Christ is that they are members of His body, the Church. Christians of all ages consist of His body and every other Christian stands related to the other as a fellow-member. As members of the natural body work together for the benefit of the physical body so members of the body of Christ should also work together for the benefit of the body of Christ, the Church, there should be no jealousy, no envying of one another but all should be in harmony each to his call according to the grace given them. The Apostle says, *"I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus"(1 Corinthians 1:4).* Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712952704
No comments:
Write comments