Address—C. Hendricks
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1St Corinthians 12 verse one. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
You know that you were gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led.
Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed.
And that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all.
For to 1 is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another faith, by the same Spirit to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another, the working of miracles to another prophecy.
To another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these workers, that one in the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is 1 and have many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body?
Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.
And have been all made to drink into one spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the hole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members, everyone of them, in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no system in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps governments, diversities of tongues, are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles, have all the gifts of healing.
Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you.
A more excellent way I'd like to take up.
In these two evenings, I'd like to take up these 3 chapters, 12/13 and 14, and I think there's a much needed truth in these chapters. And tonight we'll look at this 12TH chapter.
Where we have the Spirit of God prominent.
As the one who not only has been given to us.
To indwell us.
And to make our bodies his temple. But He also gifts us. He also manifests His power in our lives in the way of spiritual gifts. And each one has a gift.
Each one has a gift that says.
In verse 7, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man.
To profit with all. Well, he begins now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Notice the word gifts there is in italics. It's literally now concerning spirituals.
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It's the spiritual manifestation of the spirit functioning in the members of the body that he's going to speak about. He said I would not have you ignorant, but before he gets into the the the actual gifts and the actual differences and diversity that there is in the body of Christ, he brings before them what they were. You know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led.
Very important that he reminds them of what they had come out of when they were unsaved and in their Pagan religions. They were Gentiles carried away to the dumb idols as they were led. They were led by demons. They were not led by the Holy Spirit. This is what characterizes Christianity. These are truths that we know so well that we sometimes fail to appreciate.
What Paul is bringing before these Saints, that.
Occurrence that had been saved out of paganism.
Out of the system of religions that worship idols and that were.
There were many gods and there were many Lords, and there were many spirits that controlled them and animated them. They were led to worship dumb idols under the leadership of demons.
So he says, Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, these idols that cannot hear, nor see, nor speak, just dumb idols made by the hands of men. In the just back up a moment in the 8th chapter, he he says in verse 4, as concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols. We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other.
But one, that's Christian knowledge, Christian truth, that's something they had to learn as they came out of this, this system of religion that had a multiplicity of gods and there were many Lords and many demons, many spirits.
Verse 5. For though there be are that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be God's many and Lords many in the religion from which they had been saved, but to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and 1 Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things.
And we by him. And so he reminds them, going back to chapter 12 now.
He reminds them of where they were and what they were in ******* to. They were in ******* to those dumb idols carried away unto them as they were led by these evil spirits that keep men in *******.
And then He gives them that which they needed to know, so that they could discern what was really the working of the Holy Spirit, who had indwelt them and had formed the one Body and had equipped them for ministry in that body. He gives them what was characteristic of the Holy Spirit and what is characteristic of these evil false spirits that they had been led by when they were just Gentiles in the flesh.
Wherefore verse 3. Now I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. That is, if anyone says anything against the Lord, Jesus speaks ill of him is not being led by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the key things that they could use to detect when they were being led and controlled by the Spirit of God and when they were being led and controlled by some.
Spirit, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. He always, always glorifies the Lord Jesus. He said that in John's Gospel. He said, He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. So that's one of the key things that they would need in order to tell what Spirit was moving them.
And this is a great need to test what spirit is in operation in.
Professing Christian meetings.
No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord.
But by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, so the Spirit of God will never say anything against the Lord Jesus, and he will always acknowledge his Lordship. He'll always acknowledge who he is. Give him his place, the place that God has given to him, God has made him both Lord in Christ. And the Spirit of God that sent down here will bear testimony to that glorious fact that he is Lord, Jesus is Lord.
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And every knee is going to bow to him, and every tongue is going to confess.
To God the Father, that He is Lord.
And the Spirit of God is here to enforce that.
So no one that says anything against the Lord Jesus in any way calls him accursed or speaks I'll of him.
The one who does so is not led by the Holy Spirit. There are meetings where people speak in tongues and others have been present and they happen to to know the language that was being spoken and they said that what was being uttered was blasphemy. Well, that's a that's a very strong indication, isn't it, from this verse here, that that was not a speaking by the Spirit of God. Buddhist monks speak by speak in tongues.
Speaking in tongues, there's no evidence that one is under the control of the Holy Spirit.
So it's important that He establishes what marked the spirit leading and these other spirits that might lead. The spirit always calls Jesus Lord the Holy Spirit and never says anything against His person. Now in verse 4, there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. Notice in verse 4-5 and six. In verse 4 we have the same spirit. In verse 5 we have the same Lord.
And in verse 6, we have the same God. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. That's another thing that was very important to be established. The fact that there were all these very gifts operating in the body of Christ. They should not draw the false conclusion that there were different spirits that were animating those that were so active. And that is that it was a multiplicity of spirits because there were many, many gifts, he says. Various gifts.
Diversities of gifts, but only one Spirit. The same Spirit, the same Spirit is operating in this brother and in this brother, this sister and this sister.
And it is in Christianity, it's the one spirit to us. There is one God in the Father and 1 Lord Jesus Christ. And then he goes on to say there are differences of administrations. That's a little hard word to to get the force of it means services, ministries. One brother will have a ministry to to go to a certain area and to minister to those who are in this part of the city.
Or he may have a ministry for children. Or he may have a ministry for.
Those that are shut, insurance or whatever it might be, but it's the same Lord. Different ministries, different services, different administrations, but it's the same Lord. Each one is serving the same Lord. Whereas in paganism, out of which they had been saved, there were many gods, there were many Lords and many spirits. So it's important to establish to these Corinthian believers.
That it's the same spirit that is operating in all these different members of the body of Christ.
And they're all serving the same Lord, and it's the same God that is operating.
Everything according to His will. That's what it says in verse 6.
There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all, not different gods, not this God directing this work and another God directing this work. That's what they were used to, different Lords, different gods, and different spirits. But in Christianity there's just one spirit, the same spirit operating in all these different members, and each one serving the.
Lord and God, the same God operating each one in all these different operations according to His blessed will, but the manifestation verse seven of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all you will get that same truth will look at it in Ephesians 4. It's stated a little differently, but it's the same truth stated a little differently in Ephesians 4 verse 7, but unto every one of us.
Is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Again, there in Ephesians 4, Christ is the exalted head of the church, and He's the giver of the gifts. But this verse says unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That is, He gifts each one. And here in our seventh verse of our chapter, the manifestation of the Spirit in this chapter, it's not the Spirit so much as the giver of the gifts, but the one who is operating in those gifts.
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Christ gives the gifts and the Spirit is the manifestation of the Spirit. It's His power that is working in these gifts.
What is a gift? The gift, the spiritual gift is the spiritual power. It's not natural ability, but it's given according to the natural ability of the person. But the gift itself is a spiritual power given by God himself and energized by the Spirit of God. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all. Now notice he goes now into some of these gifts. 4 to 1 is given by the Spirit.
The Word of Wisdom.
To another the word of knowledge by the same spirit.
How he stresses that through this context, it's the same spirit that is giving to 1, the Word of wisdom to another, the word of knowledge to another, faith by the same spirit to another, the gifts of healing by the same spirit. They were not to make the mistake, I say it again, of looking at these very gifts and saying it's different spirits that's operating here. No, it's the same spirit, the one spirit In Christianity there is but one.
The Holy Spirit.
To another the workings of miracles. To another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits.
To another, diverse kinds of tongues, to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these, all these different gifts. And this is not a complete list. We get another list in Romans 12.
And in Ephesians 4, the gifts there are persons where here.
The gifts are more spiritual powers that is given to us in the energy of the Spirit.
But it says in verse 11 all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit known as the emphasis 1 Spirit, the same spirit that operates in you, operates in me and operates in in in her and so on. All these work at that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Notice how in this passage.
Where we have the, you might say the machinery that is operating in the assembly, the gifts given, empowered of the Spirit. In the next chapter, we have the chapter on love. It's often lifted right out of its context and people forget what it's set in. You can have a beautiful diamond and it's beautiful all by itself, but when it's set in in a beautiful ring and enhanced by that.
It's far more beautiful than if it's not viewed as in the setting where it belongs.
And so First Corinthians 13, the love chapter often lifted right out of its context and applied in a very general sense, it has to do with the exercise of spiritual gifts.
Spiritual gifts and in the 14th chapter you have the machinery in operation.
You have the gifts functioning, and there were a lot of things at Corinth that needed to be addressed and corrected, but we're not going on correctly. But here in this chapter, we have the gifts spoken of empowered, of the Spirit, and everyone in the body has one of these gifts, has a gift, maybe more than one I believe the apostle Paul had.
Probably all of the gifts. That's very rare that one person possesses them all.
Certainly he was a teacher. The Epistle to the Hebrews proves that There he's a teacher. He's not. He doesn't write as an apostle, but he writes as a teacher.
And his epistles to the.
Gentile assemblies, he writes as an apostle.
And a prophet.
And he was a pastor, He was a shepherd. I have been among you as gentle as a woman takes care of her, a mother takes care of her own children, and so on. He reminds them what he was like, and he was their spiritual father. I have begotten you through the Gospel. So he had many gifts. He had the gift of tongues. He spoke probably in tongues more than any of them, but He did not flaunt that.
Did not use that in a way that would bring glory to himself and this is what they were doing at current, but we'll get into that tomorrow night. Tonight we're on the 12TH chapter. Let's just dwell a little bit on the gifts that are mentioned. Verse 8 to 1 is given by the Spirit, the Word of Wisdom.
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And then to another, the word of knowledge by the same spirit, the word of wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. Notice it says the word of it doesn't say wisdom and it doesn't say knowledge, but the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. What's the difference? Well, let's take knowledge. It's easier to get a hold of that. A person might have a lot of knowledge, but if he doesn't have the word of knowledge, he's not able to express it in a way that is edifying for.
For the Saints, so the word of knowledge is a gift of being able to convey the knowledge or the wisdom, the word of wisdom that one has to to prosper and to bless and to edify the assembly to another the working of miracles. Well, verse 9 to another faith by the same spirit. Well, we we all have faith. We wouldn't be saved if we didn't have faith. But here he's Speaking of faith as a special.
And there are some that launch out into a path of service where it requires an abnormal amount of faith and just complete trust in the Lord in in furthering the work and prospering. And I think of as a good example of one who had no doubt, I believe the gift of faith was George Mueller. He had his orphan homes and he was constantly in dependence upon the Lord to supply the needs of.
Children and to supply their food and clothing and so on. He never told anyone about his the needs. The only one he told was the Lord. He did tell him and the Lord of course knew. And the Lord always met the need. Well, there was one who had the gift of faith.
Uh, certainly a gift I do not have, but some have it where they can just enter into a, a work completely trusting the Lord to supply all the needs and that requires this gift, it would seem to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit. These gifts are gifts given by the Spirit the person doesn't have them for for just the time and then.
He doesn't have them again. I believe these gifts are certainly the the Word of Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge.
Are things that don't just come upon one.
For a particular occasion, but those gifts are given.
A teacher, for instance, has the gift of the Word of knowledge so he can impart the truth of Scripture and make it understood to those to whom he is speaking.
The wisdom would be needed more in a pastoral sense, you might say, to be able to bring the just the right word to bear on a particular situation, that one is dealing with the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.
The Apostle Peter had that. The Apostle Paul had that gift.
Doesn't mean that having it, that every time they were confronted with a case that needed healing, that they healed them. That doesn't mean that either, because the gift is one thing. The the exercise of the gift in the communion of the Holy Spirit is another thing.
And what the Saints at current, the mistake that they were making, especially in the sign gift of tongues was I have the gift of tongues. Therefore I am going to use that gift. And the idea that because one has a gift that he must be heard or that gift must be exercised on every occasion where the Saints come together is absolutely false. It has to be under the leadership and control of the Holy Spirit.
The one thing is to have the gift and the other is to use the gift under the the communion and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That those are two distinct things. So one might have the gift of healing, but that doesn't mean that he would.
On every occasion healed, it would depend upon the leading of the Spirit. Verse 10 to another, the working of miracles. These are sign gifts. Some of these that are mentioned here are sign gifts.
They were used, they were especially prominent in the early church to authenticate the word of God and to to back it up. This was a testimony that was of God. It was given of God. And so it was backed up by these sign gifts and the miracles and healings and even speaking in tongues.
To another the working of miracles. To another prophecy.
Telling forth the word of God and sometimes they actually predicted some future events. We we get that in the book of Acts. We see that occasionally a prophet would arise and speak of some event that would take place. Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem and and he was told that.
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That he would he would be bound at Jerusalem. I think it was Agabus that prophesied that way.
But he went again. He went anyway out of his affection for his brethren after the flesh. And then he goes on to say to another discerning of spirits.
I remember the story that Brother Earsman told us years ago when I was in Oak Park. He told about Robert Grant, that he was the brother of Frederick Grant.
And he was dearly beloved of the Saints. Very, very loved, beloved brother.
And he evidently had the gift of discerning spirits.
There was a man that came into the little meeting where he was Robert Grant.
And he, he was Dis, he was bringing in things, he was a very charismatic type of person and.
Very winsome in his demeanor and so on, and the Saints were taken up with him. But Robert Grant discerned there was something wrong.
And in a reading meeting, Robert Grant said to him, You can't say Lord Jesus.
And he said, you say that I can't, That's right. I say, you can't say Lord Jesus. And he stuttered and stammered and he tried to pronounce the words, but he could not frame them and pronounce them. And that delivered the Saints from him. He was really a false.
Teacher and he had come in to mislead the Saints, and this Brother Grant had the gift of discernment, and he challenged him publicly and exposed him publicly. Now that's the power of the Spirit. They were. Those were early days when the Spirit was not grieved, and before the divisions which racked the testimony, the effects of which we still keenly feel.
The Spirit when he's not grieved, how wonderfully he works.
While he worked there.
Discerning of spirits to another diverse kinds of tongues.
And to another, the interpretation of Thomas and he sets, he sets this all in proper perspective in the 14th chapter. Notice the interpretation and the the gift of tongues. And the interpretation is placed last on the list. There's so many today that put these gifts first.
And put the other gifts, which are more for the edifying of the Saints and the building up of the body of Christ, they put them last. That's just the opposite to what God does.
But all these worketh at one in the self, same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. Now as you read this passage, where is the one man minister? Well, he's not here. It's to 1 is given by the Spirit, the Word of Wisdom to another, the Word of knowledge to another, faith to another, this and that and the other gift, each one having some gift to every one of us, is given.
A gift and the Spirit of God. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all, not one man.
So this passage if rightly understood and entered into.
Very strongly speaks against the common practice that we see around us in so many church bodies. I'm not saying that the men that that had these groups are not gifted men. Many of them are very gifted men. Very gifted probably have greater gifts than any amongst us, but the principle that they're operating upon is not according to scripture in in certain areas.
And then he in verse 12 he talks about the the one body for as the body is 1. He uses the figure of the human body here to represent to illustrate the truth of the body of Christ as the body is 1 and have many members.
And all the members of that one being many are one body. So also literally that ought to read were refers back to the day of Pentecost. Were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. So the baptism of the Spirit formed the one Body which had never existed before.
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And there's just one, and that body on earth is called the Christ, given his name because united now to him, the glorified head in heaven. And then he goes on and develops some beautiful thoughts connected with this body, for the body is not one member, but.
Our many gifts.
But one Lord, 1 Spirit, one God. The body is not one member.
But many if the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, Is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ears shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? That's something we should never do. We should never look around and see how that the brother so and so has a gift. Oh, I wish I had that gift and I don't have that gift. So I'm nothing. And the gift that I have is insignificant and meaningless. And but this is the very thing that he's saying. Don't do that because every member in the body.
We needed an essential in order for there to be a body. The body doesn't consist of 1 member, even if it's the most important and prominent member in the body. No, it's not a body then.
And if the ears say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Of course not. If the whole body were an eye, very important member, the eye, where were the hearing?
And if the whole we're hearing, where were the smelling?
You can't have a body with just one member. This is what you have in some of the.
Arrangements of men that are out that is out there you have a body composed of 1 member almost.
And the others are just spectators. They're not part of this functioning of the Spirit of God In this chapter, it's the Spirit of God functioning through every member in the body. It's not one member that is assuming all of the gifts and doing everything, but it's every member contributing as lead of the Holy Spirit. Wonderful, wonderful picture if the whole body were an eye where the hearing of the whole were hearing where the smelling. But now hath God set the.
Everyone of them in the body as it hath pleased him. So never complain about the place that you occupy in the body, because God has set you there to function there. And you're the only one that can do it. You're the only one that can perform the particular function that God has for you to perform in the body because God has set you there to perform that function. And if you're not there to perform it or if you kind of.
Fall out by the wayside because you say I'm not important.
And you get discouraged.
Then you're not functioning and in this beautiful functioning body that we have here, here we have the ideal picture.
According to God's thoughts, every member of the body being capacitated by the Spirit of God to function in some way for the general good and blessing of the whole body. It's not one member doing everything, or two, or three, but every member in the body having something to do which is for the good of all.
Now hath God set the members, everyone of them, in the body as it hath pleased Him. It's not a board of elders deciding what you're going to do and what you're going to do and what another is going to do. It's God setting the members in the body as it's pleased Him. God is the one that's working All in all, and each one is serving the same Lord, and each one is energized by the same Spirit. But it is.
Varied members and varied gifts functioning in this body for the good and blessing of all. That's the picture.
That we have here beautiful picture and how it all works in harmony.
Man feels, falsely, that if we leave it up to the Spirit of God to do it, it's going to be confusion and justice. The opposite is true.
When man gets in there and interjects his thoughts and imposes his arrangement in the House of God, that's not order, that's confusion, because it's the order of man and the order of man is really confusion. It's not the mind of God. If we live it up to God the Holy Spirit to function, to cause us to function as he leads us. And then of course that implies that we have to be in the in the current of the spirits thoughts. We have to be in the communion of the Holy Spirit.
To really work, but when we are it works most beautifully.
We see that, we experience that. I know we've all felt that Lord's Day morning at the breaking of bread when there's no, there's no visible leader, there's no one that stands up or that's prominent in any way. This is an address tonight and one is giving the address, but another night another brother could give the address and so on. There is not a one man ministry here because we recognize the truth of this passage that we're looking at.
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But large day morning, we're all together and the Spirit of God is the one that uses so and so to give a hymn and other to give praise, another to read a scripture. And nothing is prearranged. All led and directed and guided by the Spirit of God. It's the most beautiful meeting that there is as we give him the praise and the worship of our hearts. And we have but one object before us, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, to remember him in his death most wonderful.
Well, here we have.
The functioning of gifts, largely morning. It's more the functioning of our priesthood, everyone being a priest, but here it's the functioning of gifts. Gifts.
Now God has set the members, everyone of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. Verse 19. And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members yet? But one body. This is so important for these Saints that were saved out of hedonism, where there were many gods and many Lords and many spirits, that though there is this diversity in the church, it's still one body. And it's 1 spirit that's controlling everything. And it's 1 Lord that is the head of everything, and it's one God that's working everything. This is so important to establish. And so he brings this before them over and over again.
And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee. No, not one of us can say to another, I don't need you, we don't need you. Everyone in the body of Christ is needed. God has set each one to perform a certain function which no one else can perform, just as He's done that in our human bodies. The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of they, nor again the head to the feet I have no need of.
You, nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be the more feeble, are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable upon these we bestow more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. We clothe the more unseemly parts of the body, and the more seemly parts we leave exposed, like the face and the hands, and the rest is clothed. And those that are the less honorable upon these we bestow the more abundant honor. And so God has.
Has so spoken here an indication that in the body of Christ it's the same way? Those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we be still more abundant honor, and our uncommonly parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God hath tempered the body together. It's God who has done this. Not any organization of man, not any church group, not.
That but God himself hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. And it's important to remark here that we're not reading from Ephesians. Ephesians presents the church in its universal character, the universal church the world over, composed of every believer on the face of the earth. But he's talking about a local church at Corinth, the Church of God, which is at Corinth, and he's giving instruction. We have these two epistles.
1St and 2nd Corinthians to give us instruction.
How to function locally in a locality, and here we have the instructions so beautifully given to us. God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked that there should be no system in the body.
But that the members should have the same care one for another.
Oh, what a wonderful truth that is, that as members of the body of Christ in a locality, every member has that care for every other member.
And in the realization we need you, we cannot do without you. You are important. Don't ever think you are not important when it comes to this because God has set you in the body as it is pleased Him. He has tempered the body together, blended each one together in the body to perform.
Only what he can perform or she can perform for the good of all the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. It's talking to a sister just where I left in in Gresham.
And she said don't you think that the trials that we're going through. They're not just for us the ones that are going through it, but they're for the whole body. I said absolutely. Therefore, the whole body of Christ. Many of them are many of God's choices. Saints are being put through the severest trial had a visit with dear Phil Rogers and he just his face just beams and he.
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So weak and yet so happy in the Lord, that trial that's not just for that family.
Well, that's for the whole assembly and they feel it all and they all suffer with him. And so it is as we enter in to the trials and the difficulties that.
Our fellow members of the One Body go through in our local assembly. How beautiful. If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or if one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
How wonderful. And that is in in activity. And it will be so if Christ is before us.
Now in verse 27 he says now ye are the body of Christ. The article shouldn't be there.
Ye, our body of Christ, Christ and members in particular, they weren't the body of Christ. That would include the whole church universal. But that's not the view here, he says. You locally are characteristically the body of Christ. That's the ground upon which they met.
That's that's what they were. They were the local assembly at Khan was the body of Christ at Quran.
And they composed that they represented the body in its entirety. And so he says, ye our body of Christ.
And members in particular.
Each one a member.
Each one important, each one having a gift, each one under the control and leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Each one serving the same Lord, each one a part of this working and operation of God that worketh all things for His own glory.
And God hath set some in the Church first.
Apostles. Secondarily prophets.
Thirdly, teachers after that miracles.
Then gifts of healings.
Helps. Or that little word helps that includes so many.
Some would say, well I don't see that I have any of these gifts, but what about helps? You can always be a help.
And I like to think when someone asked me, well, how can I find out what gift I have, this is the answer I give. You may have a better answer, but Mary said to the servants in the at Cana of Gala and kena there.
Yeah, she said. Whatsoever he sayeth to you, do it.
And whatever the Lord says to you, do it. He will never ask you to do anything that is out.
Of harmony with the gift that you have. And if he gives you a work to do, do it.
And you will be exercising the gift that the Lord has given you. And if you're faithful in that, you can grow in that and you may be given more. God had set some in the church, first apostle, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings helps governments.
Diversities of tongues.
Now notice the tongues is put last the Corinthians. The mistake they were making was they were making way too much.
They're giving way too much importance out of that gift. And the apostle puts it last, and he deals with it most beautifully in the 14th chapter. But before that, we have to have the 13th chapter. And the principles that he brings out about love would govern how those gifts are to operate for the good and blessing of all. He asks questions in verse 29 and 30, and the answer to every one of his questions is no.
There's no question about the answer.
Because in the Greek language from which this is translated, it's put with the negative in the question, which means that the answer is, is there's no question about the answer. The answer is no. You could render it not all are apostles and not put it as a question, not all our prophets, not all our teachers, and so on, because that's the force of it. Are all apostles? No. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. And so on. Are all workers of miracles.
Have all the gifts of healing. Do all speak with tongues, do all interpret. Answer to every question is no. So those that would teach that if you haven't spoken in tongues, teach today that if you haven't spoken in tongues, you don't have the Spirit. They don't know their Bible. They don't know their Bible because even when the gift of tongues was active in the early church, even then not everyone spoke in tongues.
Paul said that he did. He spoke in tongues more than all of them.
But not everyone spoke in tongues, that that is not an essential mark of having the Holy Spirit. That's a false teaching. Not all spoke in tongues and not all interpreted. But he says covet earnestly the best gifts. Now, the best gifts are those which are for edification and blessing. He brings that out in the next chapter, The Way of Love.
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Is always in service to 1's brethren.
The way of love is to exercise your gift so that it does the most good and blesses the most people.
And does not exalt yourself.
They were using it just the opposite of that.
Covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way, a more excellent way than just the exercise of gift under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And that's the way of love that he develops in the chapter 13. Well, these are wonderful principles that He's given us.
And this assembly at Corinth saved out of hedonism.
Where they worshipped idols, false gods animated by various spirits and had different Lords that they serve.
But in Christianity, there's just one God, just one Lord and one Spirit. It's the same God, same Lord, and the same spirit that each one is serving.
And seeking to please, but there are many gifts and there are many members, but there's just one body. Now these are the truths that he brings before them. And then he he gave at the outset of this chapter. And we have to remember that, especially when we go into chapter 14. What is the, what is the characteristic feature of being?
Led by the Holy Spirit, and that is to glorify Christ, to honor him, never to call him accursed, but to give him his place of lordship, call him Lord. And if another spirit is operating, that won't happen. That won't happen.