Balance

 

Acts 8: 39 – 40

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caeserea.

Let us pray. We ask that every veil is removed from our eyes, ears and hearts and we receive the word of God with gladness, our faith is strengthened and fruitful. In Jesus name, Amen.

Growing up, I always believed that the gifts of the Spirit were more than the 9 that the Apostle Paul by inspiration listed in the book of 1 corinthians chapter 12. I based this belief on the fact that for instance Jesus walked on water, defying a lot of laws of physics; and even Philips teleported by the power of the Spirit. Throw in the effects of the Harry Potter stories, Charles Xavier of the X-men and the power of the ‘force’ in Star Wars; and I was fairly certain I had the innate ability to with my mind bend nature to my will. But I quickly learnt that it is dangerous to color outside the lines of scripture.

This doesn’t mean that those worldly stories are unfounded, they are a part of our natural instinct or desire to reach for the supernatural. However, as a Christian, we know we are a product of the Supernatural – for how else can a man’s spirit be born again? if not for the power of God at work in that person. The life and activities of Jesus shows us well this supernatural living and the Apostle Paul’s nine gifts of the Holy Spirit brings them closer to home.

The Teacher, Norvel Hayes, already wrote extensively on each of the nine gifts of the Spirit and I will just advise that you get his books on them and read them prayerfully.

1 Cor 12: 1 – 11

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Side- bar: As a member of the Anglican Church, once you have been baptized and then confirmed by the Bishop, you have received the gift and person of the Holy Spirit. He is already in you. And all that is left is for you to begin to learn about the Holy Spirit – who he is, why you need him, what he does and so on.

The Holy Spirit being discussed is the same as the Spirit of the Lord prophesied of by Isaiah.

Isaiah 11: 1-2

1A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

We might as well ask for the Spirit of the Lord to rest on us now and again in Jesus name. Amen

In the Church today - the body of Christ is seemingly unbalanced. This is not because God has not made a provision for the balance, but Christians have become ignorant of the spiritual. This may be because everyone is busy with the stress of daily living – (go to work, take care of children etc.) and thus we are all guilty of contracting out our spiritual growth to our pastors and church leaders. But God’s design for the church is that in a gathering of 2 or more souls, the presence of God is fully manifested and the gifts of the Spirit on full display. As one member manifests the gift of word of wisdom, another manifests the gift of word of knowledge and so on. It is best to paste what Apostle Paul says about this here:

1 Cor 12: 12 – 31

12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

This is so plain and easy to understand right? The only question left to ask is this: What is/are the gifts that the Lord has placed in me that is needed in my local church? What if you are the one in whom God has placed the gifts of healing for the benefit your local church? Why are people getting sick and dying around you? How about you, is it not in you God has placed the gift of Prophecy? Why are people lost and without direction around you? Or you, God placed the gift of interpretation of tongues in you, yet now there are so many people who speak in tongues with none to interpret, rendering the message unprofitable to the hearers.

With permission I will say it is because many of us have become eaters only and not caterers in the church, with our only contribution being limited to mostly money and maybe a little administrative activities that many hearts have turned cold towards the Church today. A vibrant church service is not the one with the best sound equipment but the one with the most spiritual contributions in an orderly manner.

We also must begin to ask God about how expressions of the gifts of the Spirit in members can be nurtured and encouraged in an orderly manner – God is not an author of confusion. The Parish Pastors cannot be the only members functioning in the gifts of the Spirit for the entire church, it is too much of a burden on them.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 

Combined with Ephesians 4: 11

In the body of Christ, in this order, there are:

1. Apostles
2. Prophets
3. Evangelists
4. Pastors
5. Teachers
6. Deeds of Power (Miracles)
7. Gifts of Healing
8. Forms of Assistance
9. Forms of Leaderships
10. Various kinds of tongues (Including Interpretation of Tongues)

Thankfully, I must say that in the church (Anglican) today, we have lay men and women who are teachers, who give forms of assistance, forms of leadership and speak in tongues; we only need to now work on the rest for there to be balance.

Love for one another is how we strive for the mastery of these gifts. We must care for one another. For many of us, this writing is not new, it is a reminder and a clarion call. Apostle Paul speaks plainly on Love – the 10^th gift that all must have.

The Gift of Love 1 Cor 13.

1If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

And of course, Apostle John has this to say concerning love...:

1Jhn 4: 7 - 21

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.