A call for prayer for Egyptian Christians and for the Russians marching against Putin today. Both are faced with tyranny and seemingly impossible tasks.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
THE DELUSION OF POWER
Hark back to the notion of the flesh against the Spirit.
Recall the temptations. Take it now. Take it now without having to suffer. You can be like God. Follow me and I will make you rich. Prove you are God's son. Does the Word really say that? You won't die.
Every temptation is a half truth or a warping of the truth.
We spent some time on the gifts, the offices and attitude. Now let's get down to the dirty work and deal with the battling sins and the warping of the attitude by further understanding the nature of our salvation and that it is the diametric opposite of the sin nature.
We'll use the three passages on the gifts mentioned at the end of our last post and work through those.
Note: Paul discussed th Corinthians disorderliness of the Lord's supper among the Gentile believers at Corinth, the divisions of the wealthy by their not sharing their food with those who couldn't bring much and misbehavior when the bread and wine are offered, some eating the bread because they are hungry instead of waiting for the mutual blessing. The value of the act when not in accordance with Jesus' wishes is lost.
1Co 12:1 But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
2 You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power.
They were idol worshipers. Thus some of their belief followed them into Christianity and they were falling back to the attitudes that the rich were better than the poor and that the offerings were for the sole blessing of the self, for the flesh's gratification.
3 So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
When someone speaks by the Holy Spirit, he will bless the Lord and not say something that curses God, something that reduces Jesus to less in the minds of the people. The implication is that divisive actions and anyone suggesting them is not speaking by the Spirit. Claims of better by the rich are not from God. Claims of better by the rich created a feeling by the poorer of competition, of striving to have something that made them better, or at least feeling better. Of tongues being elevated by them.
4 Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord.
6 And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.
7 But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good.
8 For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit:
9 To another faith in the same Spirit; and to another the power of taking away disease, by the one Spirit;
10 And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues:
11 But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is.
12 For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ.
13 For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but a number of parts.
15 If the foot says, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; it is no less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same.
17 If all the body was an eye, where would be the hearing? if all was hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him.
People are different. They have different gifts. But God has given to everyone something to enhance the others around them, not to belittle other's or their gifts, or their money or their place in the world. Everything, even the money of the rich is given to help others. See below.
19 And if they were all one part, where would the body be?
Imagine one giant eye trying to get somewhere or one giant leg somehow moving with no brain to direct it.
20 But now they are all different parts, but one body.
The body of CHRIST. Not Buck or Brenda or Bill or anyone but Christ.
21 And the eye may not say to the hand, I have no need of you: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;
23 And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;
24 But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;
25 So that there might be no division in the body; but all the parts might have the same care for one another.
26 And if there is pain in one part of the body, all the parts will be feeling it; or if one part is honoured, all the parts will be glad.
We all have a place, a gift, a reason for being here. We are to be happy for our place and serve the body.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it.
28 And God has put some in the church, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those with wonder-working powers, then those with the power of taking away disease, helpers, wise guides, users of strange tongues.
29 Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders?
30 Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?
31 But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit.
I was told that last sentence should go with the LOVE passage. Paul's intends to show those who have valued their gifts over using them for the church that they are wrong. It is not a mistake or mere happenstance that Paul opens with that comment that they were idol worshipers. Idol worshipers focus on one aspect or one of many gods and make it the center of their worship. The flesh desires its own satisfaction over blessing others. Let's expand on that when we arrive in 14.
And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.
(BBE)
13:1 If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell.
2 And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me.
4 Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride;
5 Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil;
6 It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true;
7 Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.
8 Though the prophet's word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end.
This is thought to be justification that the gifts ended. To me, it seems instead the type of comment made that things change and come to an end in this world. But God is love, the essence of love, the person of love more than love itself, the completion of all love. Though everything we receive as the gifts and everything we perceive as the blessing cease, still the love of God will endure in we who are saved. Still God will be with us. Still, we will be with Him.
9 For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet's word gives only a part of what is true:
10 But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary.
11 When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child.
12 For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me.
13 But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
(Understand that every word we speak is only partly understood, even this sentence :). Understand that every victory is only in part. We hold no ground of our own power and we stand only with the weapons of God if we choose to be armed, if we cultivate the use of the weapons. But the power of the weapons grows only with the growth of the God's love in our lives. Paul wants us to seek love for the completion of the Spirit in us.
(Their behavior, all of it, was not producing personal fruit of the Spirit. If love is not there, recall we talked about one interpretation of Galatians saying it should read:
(Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love: joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,
23 Gentle behaviour, control over desires: against such there is no law.
(BBE)
(Instead of the comma, a colon, meaning that the other attributes all stem from love. Paul's expansion on love here makes that seem likely and, at the least, makes it the prime fruit, even as using it as the lead fruit in Galatians implies. Paul calling it the greatest solidifies that argument.)
14:1 Go after love; still desiring to have the things which the Spirit gives, but most of all that you may have the prophet's power.
(Seek to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your actions, in you life. Seek that production over any gift. You can only do that by walking in the Spirit and your lack of proper use of the gifts is an indicator you are not walking IN the Spirit, certainly not in the HOLY Spirit and your behavior in the misuse of gifts does not demonstrate love either. If love is not produced the act is clearly wrong. )
(Previously we talked about the prophet's power being the proper interpretation of the Word and expounding in intelligible language on God's Word. THIS is an act of love, in building up the body, in exhorting and strengthening others. )
2 For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things.
3 But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength.
4 He who makes use of tongues may do good to himself; but he who gives the prophet's word does good to the church.
5 Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church.
6 But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching?
7 Even things without life, having a voice, such as a music-pipe or other instrument, if they do not give out different sounds, who may be certain what is being played?
8 For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight?
9 So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air.
10 There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.
11 But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me.
12 So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church.
"Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the great anthropologists of the twentieth century, differentiates between magic and religion. Magic is a system in which people endeavor to gain control over spiritual forces in order that they might obtain what they want. Magic is a means of gaining the power to dictate what the spiritual forces do. Contrariwise, religion is a system where people surrender themselves to spiritual forces so that they might be servant through whom those spiritual forces can minister to the world."
from The Power Delusion by Anthony Campolo, Jr.
I would suggest one of the great powers of New Age and other false religions is their ability to misdirect those service energies toward false gods, meaning the services are perceived as actually serving the giver. In fact, that is the betrayal of followers of most religions, the idea of a relationship with the church for the personal salvation of the person, rather than aiding in that person's relationship with God.
Campolo again:
"...there is a great deal of magic in the church which passes itself off as religion. People are looking for the right formula to get their prayers answered. There are those who try to bargain with God. They offer to do certain things for God to obligate Him to do certain things for them.
...
"The time has come for us to turn away from that form of religiosity which Malinowski properly calls magic. Prayer must not be reduced to playing power games with God. True religion is not manipulating God but being surrendered to His will and to his service. In true religion, God is able to use us to bless others. That is why James wrote his epistle:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)"
1Co 14:13 For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense.
14 For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind.
IF. This is that big if that implies maybe Paul didn't use a "prayer language" but was using this as an example. "If I played in the NFL, I would be a running back." is vastly different from "WHEN I played in the NFL..." Some modern translations make it seem that Paul is saying he did this. But, in context, it seems to even imply that the praying Paul talks about is IN corporate meeting.
15 What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind.
16 For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying?
17 For your giving of the blessing is certainly well done, but of no profit to the man without knowledge.
I am more than a little deaf from working in factories for four decades. I have to be careful to always ask about what someone is saying in the factory because I sometimes can't understand when other machines are going nearby me. I can't imagine someone having a message from God for me and stating it in gibberish and then leaving me with my mouth agape wondering what was said.
18 I give praise to God that I am able to make use of tongues more than you all:
19 But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.
20 My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth.
21 In the law it is said, By men of other tongues and by strange lips will my words come to this people; and not even so will they give ear to me, says the Lord.
22 For this reason tongues are for a sign, not to those who have faith, but to those who have not: but the prophet's word is for those who have faith, and not for the rest who have not.
23 If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced?
24 But if all are teaching as prophets, and a man without faith or knowledge comes in, he is tested by all, he is judged by all;
25 The secrets of his heart are made clear; and he will go down on his face and give worship to God, saying that God is truly among you.
26 What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.
27 If any man makes use of a tongue, let it not be more than two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let someone give the sense:
28 But if there is no one to give the sense, let him keep quiet in the church; and let his words be to himself and to God.
29 And let the prophets give their words, but not more than two or three, and let the others be judges of what they say.
30 But if a revelation is given to another who is seated near, let the first be quiet.
31 For you may all be prophets in turn so that all may get knowledge and comfort;
32 And the spirits of the prophets are controlled by the prophets;
33 For God is not a God whose ways are without order, but a God of peace; as in all the churches of the saints.
( 34 Let women keep quiet in the churches: for it is not right for them to be talking; but let them be under control, as it says in the law.
35 And if they have a desire for knowledge about anything, let them put questions to their husbands privately: for talking in the church puts shame on a woman.)
Paul has been talking about orderliness. In the Middle East, even today, women and men sometimes attend services with a partition between the genders. The Greek church may well have been the same way. If so, even today, the uneducated women often call across the partition to ask what is being said and what it means. This is more a societal problem than a "women are lessers" comment. Women then were uneducated as a norm by discrimination and child bearing responsibilities. This has nothing to do with talking in tongues except as part of disruptions from myth worshipers carrying over.
36 What? was it from you that the word of God went out? or did it only come in to you?
37 If any man seems to himself to be a prophet or to have the Spirit, let him take note of the things which I am writing to you, as being the word of the Lord.
38 But if any man is without knowledge, let him be so.
39 So then, my brothers, let it be your chief desire to be prophets; but let no one be stopped from using tongues.
"Do not forbid" comes from the King James. The gift was allowed BUT allowed with proper usage as the following indicates.
40 Let all things be done in the right and ordered way.
(BBE)
From Bible .org. a non-Pentacostal perspective:
https://bible.org/article/speaking-tongues
This is not the final chapter to be written on the subject of speaking in tongues. Men (and women) will be having their say until our Lord returns to settle this matter once and for all time. It is difficult to say how, when and where the modern tongues movement began. In the many pamphlets and books I have examined opinions differ. We do know that the phenomenon of tongues-speaking is widespread, and it is likely that no issue in Christendom has caused as wide a split in its ranks in modern times as has speaking in tongues.
...
Eph 4:1 I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behaviour is a credit to the position which God's purpose has given you,
2 With all gentle and quiet behaviour, taking whatever comes, putting up with one another in love;
3 Taking care to keep the harmony of the Spirit in the yoke of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you have been marked out by God in the one hope of his purpose for you;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.
7 But to every one of us has grace been given in the measure of the giving of Christ.
8 For this reason he says, He went up on high, taking his prisoners with him, and gave freely to men.
Again: one body, one Lord, the Son from the Father giving everything for us, us to give evertything to each other and the Lord for the Mission.
9 (Now this, He went up, what is it but that he first went down into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who went down is the same who went up far over all the heavens so that he might make all things complete.)
We hear here about Him going to the dead and taking up the ones who were in Abraham's Bosom, the ones who were destined to go to Heaven but were in the waiting place, waiting for Christ to come to them. Which He did.
11 And he gave some as Apostles, and some, prophets; and some, preachers of the good news; and some to give care and teaching;
12 For the training of the saints as servants in the church, for the building up of the body of Christ:
Given for the training and for building up the body. The OFFICES are given to build up the Body, NOT the officer. Anyone claiming an office anyone elected to an office, anyone thinking of an office...They are responsible to build the Body, to edify others, to seek the gifted and utilize the gifts for the Church. You are responible to bring it every time, to work FOR the Body.
13 Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:
14 So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error;
15 But saying true words in love, may come to full growth in him, who is the head, even Christ;
16 Through whom all the body, being rightly formed and united together, by the full working of every part, is increased to the building up of itself in love.
17 This I say, then, and give witness in the Lord, that you are to go no longer in the way of the Gentiles whose minds are turned to that which has no profit,
18 Whose thoughts are dark, to whom the life of God is strange because they are without knowledge, and their hearts have been made hard;
19 Who having no more power of feeling, have given themselves up to evil passions, to do all unclean things with overmuch desire.
20 For this was not the teaching of Christ which was given to you;
The flesh calls to the flesh. This is the seduction of sex, money and power, the call of comforts. Things of the old life remain there to call to us. the Flesh gets regenerated EVERY day as we go. If we remain in the teaching, it grows in regeneration. If we cling to the things of the past, it falls backward and becomes more powerful.
21 If in fact you gave ear to him, and were given teaching in him, even as what is true is made clear in Jesus:
22 That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which has become evil by love of deceit;
It becomes obvious that the flesh follows after deceit and is not put off by it. Following a well-known liar then seems to be an act of the flesh. Satan being a well-known father of lies.
23 And be made new in the spirit of your mind,
24 And put on the new man, to which God has given life, in righteousness and a true and holy way of living.
We must "put on" the "clothes" of our new life. The armoring of the weapons of the Spirit are key. hence that discussion form Ephesians 5 which follows this prep. But we want to dwell a bit on that notion of holy and righteous living. We find it in koinonia, the Greek word for community the wraparound notion of our "body."
John's first letter gives us a stepping off point:
1Jo 1:3 We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ:
(BBE)
So we have heard from Pete, from Paul, from James and now John in his letter repeating the gist of his quotations from Jesus in his pre garden of Gethsemane speech. Jerry Bridges uses this as the opening quote in his book, True Community: the Bibical Practive of Koinonia.
He asks the question "What is biblical community?" and proceeds to answer it in great detail:
"To answer that question, we need to explore the meaning of koinonia and its most common English translation, the word fellowship. ...in it's different grammatical forms, is actually translated several ways in the New Testament: for example, participation, partnership, sharine and, of course, fellowship. In Christian circles, the word fellowship has come to mean the exchange of pleasantries `over coffee and cookies at church, or the social functions of our high school and campus minisgtry groups, Thus is not the meaning of fellowship in the New Testament.
"The first occurrence in the New Testament...in Luke's account of the beginning of the New Testament church on the day of Pentecost. As a result of Peter's sermon, about 3000 people believed in Christ. Luke sayzs: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, the the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42)
"We are not surprised that these new believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to prayer. But the fellowship? It would seem strange to include fellowship...if (it) meant no more than Christian social activity. (Bridges then offers the NASB version of the 1 John quote:
"...a relationship that consisted of sharing together the very life of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They understood that they had entered this relationship by faith in Jesus Christ, not by joining an organization. (My emphasis. W) and they realized their fellowship with God logically brought them into fellowship with each other. Through the union with Christ, they were formed into a spiritually organic community...As William Hendrickson said, "Koinonia, then, is basically a community-relationship...
"It is a spiritually organic relationship that forms the basis of true Christian community...But biblical community goes much deeper than sharing common goals, though it ultimately involves that. Biblical community is first of all sharing a common life in Christ. It is when we grasp that truth that we are in a position to begin to understand grue community.
"(It) also means sharing together in the sense of partnership...Plato spoke of the dissolution of a koinonia-a business partnership. Luke used (it) to refer to the partnership of Peter with James and John in the fishing business...
"Where as relationship describes believers as a community, partnership describes them as a community in action."
They had a common objective to be accomplished
"...the objective of glorifying God. Just as all believers are united together in a community relationship, so we are all united together in a partnership to glorify God. God is glorifies when Christians grow in Christlikeness and when unbelievers are brought into the kingdom..."
Note these stress what we have been stressing, the donning of the armor and the mission. and the
Spirit doing both through us.
But Bridges carries this further:
"The second primary meaning of New Testament koinonia is sharing with others what we have. Just as sharing together has two sub-meanings (relationship and partnership) so sharing with has two sub-meanings. The first is called communion with one another..." (Beyond the Lord's Supper) "it is here used to mean communicating intimately, or sharing with one another on a clsoe and spiritual level. It may mean mutual sharing of believers of what God has taught them from the Scriptures, or it may mean a word of encouragement from one believer to the other."
Here we see that the gifts of the Spirit amplify the things nature to the Christian community and that the things the Spirit amplifies ARE the things natural to the community.
Bridges again:
"How different is our present-day concept of fellowship? Take those typical times of "coffee fellowship." We discuss everything else except the Scriptures. We talk about our jobs, our studies, our favorite sports teams, the weather-almost anything except what God is teaching us from His Word and through His workings inn our lives. If we are to regain (that) concept of fellowship within the community, we must learn to get beyond the temporal issues...and begin to share with each other on a level that will enhance our spiritual relationships with one another and with God."
This last one will likely surprise some of you who haven't read Acts: Sharing material possessions.
For some USA Christians this would be the stepping off point. "Thanks but no thanks." There are some I have read whose major concerned amounts to God giving things and money to THEM and I hear that preached on a LOT of Christian TV. Or give to get. "If you give. God MUST multiply it by 100." they say. God doesn't have to do anything. God will also increase your persecutions:
Mr 10:28 Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel's sake,
30 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
(ASV)
From http://www.letusreason.org/biblexp69.htm a very logicalinterprettion of this in light of what
Bridges says about our relationships:
Many use this hundredfold as money sown has the promise to receive a hundredfold return.
This is a carnal interpretation of the scripture. These scriptures do not even mention money.... the promoters of this give to get formulae have made good use of this by distorting its meaning.
If this is literal- then what of persecutions, there is a promise of 100 fold of persecutions attached to this promise. So what really is the intent of this passage.
The Scriptures says hundredfold of houses....mothers, fathers, children, land etc. How many do you know who have a hundred houses- a hundred mothers or a hundred children? What this means is that we gain a whole new family, it’s related to fellowship and sharing of the brethren. As we leave our family as a security to follow Jesus, and he becomes our priority and our supplier of needs. Manifold blessings are given to those who follow the Lord sacrificially. We have a hundred times the “value” of all we forsake, the favor of God in relationships.
Many homes will be opened to God's servants and the many new relationships in the household of God. Houses and lands are accommodations wherever we go for the gospel sake. We come into the family of God and gain a bigger family. God’s promise of provisions for being in the family is eternal rewards now and the life later. It continues through eternity. The persecutions came from those who forsook the comforts of their lives to follow Jesus. In ancient times there was a price for their allegiance, they could lose their job and often times face death. Those who have left all for the sake of Christ do find themselves among genuine Christians; spiritual relatives.
V.30. [In this time] In this life. In the time that he forsakes all. The world to come, in the original language, is the coming age. It refers to the Messiah's second advent and the events connected with it, and his position in the Millennium.
To settle whether this is about financial gain; if we go back to the preceding verses the spirit of the text makes the context clear. In vs.17-22 a rich man comes to Jesus asking how to have eternal life he points to the commandments of which he replies that he has kept them since he was young. Jesus sees he is sincere in his pursuit and loved him by saying the one thing that was hindering him: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” V.22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. vs.23 Jesus then makes the statement how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God the disciples are astonished he then makes it even clearer that it is hard for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. vs.25 “It is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those use this as a hundredfold return are gravely mistaken. It means to give away your abundance to those in need so you won’t be trapped by trusting in riches for your security in life and you will have treasure in heaven. There may be many surprised when rewards are handed out and they see others rewarded for giving much less than they did. Jesus is not concerned about amount but our motives. If you gave and were recognized by everyone-You already received your reward. The Pharisees motives were to be seen by all to make them look spiritual as if they were sacrificing. These were wrong motives.
Godliness is profitable “for all things,” having the promise of the life that is sufficient for now, and for that which is to come.
The important thing about that giving IS the motives. Bridges repeats the dimensions of fellowship:
"Community relationship
Partnership
Communion
Sharing material possessions
"The first two are dimensions of koinonia as sharing together, the second two as sharing with one another. It is because we share together a common life in Christ that we are called on to share with one another whatever we have, both spiritual and material resources."
25 And so, putting away false words, let everyone say what is true to his neighbour: for we are parts one of another.
I would suggest we sometimes lie to ourselves about things and that also makes our relationships iffy meaning it is vital for our friends to tell us the truth as they see it and for us to return the favor in the right circumstances of safe relationship circles, meaning prayer meetings and friednship circles can no longer be the favorite home of gossips and must be patroled by the members, meaning they stop every hint of gossip from anyone, gossip beig one way some people establish themselves as powers in the church.
26 Be angry without doing wrong; let not the sun go down on your wrath;
27 And do not give way to the Evil One.
Hold ground again. Use the weapons. Resist. We hear that word a lot from the liberal side of the political spectrum. Apply it to your spiritual life.
28 Let him who was a thief be so no longer, but let him do good work with his hands, so that he may have something to give to him who is in need.
29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for giving necessary teaching, and for grace to those who give ear.
30 And do not give grief to the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were marked for the day of salvation.
31 Let all bitter, sharp and angry feeling, and noise, and evil words, be put away from you, with all unkind acts;
32 And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you.
You are in a relationship. Think of it as a marriage of friendships. Think of partnership again. No partner betrays the other and expects there to be a continued relationship.
Romans 12:1 For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.
2 And let not your behavior be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.
The flesh is refreshed but the mind IS flesh, thinks like the flesh. The flesh seeks the flesh and seeks the comfort of the flesh as opposed to the relationship. We see the numbers on divorce rising in the churched. We now surpass the non-churched population (I will no use the terms "saved" or "unsaved" as there are church goers who have not accepted Christ as their Savior and those who are saying having a mother who blesses her son makes him saved. There are also churches who say their membership means salvation or being christened as a baby makes you saved. These mean that a LOT of people attending church may well not have a relationship with Christ and so not have the Spirit talking to them about relationships.) If we do not follow the Spirit, we will follow the flesh. In every case of our quotes related to walking by the Spirit, there is the opening volley against walking in the flesh, for walking with truth, telling the truth, walking in the Spirit with the weapons, knowing what your walk and another's walk will look like by the fruit.
3 But I say to every one of you, through the grace given to me, not to have an over-high opinion of himself, but to have wise thoughts, as God has given to every one a measure of faith.
Egomaniacs seldom have good relationships except with emotional masochists. The saved should be neither.
4 For, as we have a number of parts in one body, but all the parts have not the same use,
5 So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another;
6 And having different qualities by reason of the grace given to us, such as the quality of a prophet, let it be made use of in relation to the measure of our faith;
7 Or the position of a Deacon of the church, let a man give himself to it; or he who has the power of teaching, let him make use of it;
8 He who has the power of comforting, let him do so; he who gives, let him give freely; he who has the power of ruling, let him do it with a serious mind; he who has mercy on others, let it be with joy.
MacKnight on the Epistles:
Romans 12:8
Or if they fit him for exhorting, let him employ himself in exhortation. He whose gifts fit him for distributing the church’s alms, let him do it with honesty, disinterestedness and impartiality: he whose gifts fit him for presiding, let him do it with assiduity and prudence: he whose gifts qualify him for taking care of the sick, the afflicted, the imprisoned, and of widows and orphans, let him perform these services with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without deceit. Be haters of what is evil; keep your minds fixed on what is good.
10 Be kind to one another with a brother's love, putting others before yourselves in honour;
As Bridges noted above.
And on love: Ellicott's Commentary For English Readers on 1 John 4. We see the take on love from John again in agreement with Paul:
The connection with the paragraph on the trial of the spirits is very obvious: “every one that loveth is born of God;” so that the quality and quantity of our affection will be the best gauge whether we have the spirit of truth or of error. The absence of love is ignorance of God, for real knowledge of Him imparts His nature. And if any ask how we know of His love, the answer is that it was seen in His Son. In sending Him, He loved us without any love on our part. Our relation to God reminds us that we must have the same love to each other. The fact that God cannot be seen is an additional reason for mutual affection among us; for brotherly love is the demonstrable proof of His presence, and of the growing completeness of the work wrought by His love in us. The Spirit Himself, through whom our love would come, confirms the reality of God’s indwelling. And these spiritual emotions and developments are not illusory, for they are guaranteed by the ocular and oral evidence of the Apostles to the historical Person of Christ. So the result of all this will be perfect and fearless confidence. To sum up (1John 4:19): our love to God springs from His to us; hatred of our brother (or the absence of love for him) is the denial of all love for God; and for this duty we rest not on our own deductions only, however true, but on His plain command.
11 Be not slow in your work, but be quick in spirit, as the Lord's servants;
12 Being glad in hope, quiet in trouble, at all times given to prayer,
Prayer is talking to the Father and the Son with whom we have relationships. If you don't talk to your wife, you will eventually see the cracks in the relationship open wide. Think of that bride relationship we have with Jesus and get the message. Talk to your first love.
13 Giving to the needs of the saints, ready to take people into your houses.
Jamieson, Fausset Brown:
13. given to hospitality--that is, the entertainment of strangers. In times of persecution, and before the general institution of houses of entertainment, the importance of this precept would be at once felt. In the East, where such houses are still rare, this duty is regarded as of the most sacred character [HODGE].
Again see Bridges above.
14 Give blessing and not curses to those who are cruel to you.
THIS is the one that the Spirit definitely enables.
From All About God: http://www.allaboutgod.com/forgiving-others.htm
BECAUSE (And this is important, too.) WE are to love our enemy. Meaning our relationship to them is as important as all the other relationships. How do we get them saved without a relationship? So we have all these points which show how to have a Godly relationship with the unGodly.
15 Take part in the joy of those who are glad, and in the grief of those who are sorrowing.
Empathy. Jesus took our sins on himself. When there was suffering, he felt that suffering and took it away with healing and with kind words or precise words as with the woman at the well
16 Be in harmony with one another. Do not have a high opinion of yourselves, but be in agreement with common people. Do not give yourselves an air of wisdom.
Matthew Poole;
Ver. 16. Be of the same mind one toward another: this exhortation respects not so much unity in judgment, as in affection: q. d. Bear the same good respect to others, as others bear to thee; let there be a mutual agreement in your desires and good wishes one for another: see Ro 15:5; Php 2:2; 1Pe 3:8.
Mind not high things; i.e. things above your capacities and callings. Take heed of ambitious aspirings: remember what David said (one every way above you) in Ps 131:1.
Condescend to men of low estate: the word low only is in the Greek; the other words are put in by our translators: and it may be referred, either to things, and so it answers to high things, in the foregoing clause; or it may be referred to persons, according to our translation; and then the sense is, that we should not despise our poor brethren, but stoop to the lowest offices of Christian kindness.
Be not wise in your own conceits; this seems to be taken from Pr 3:7: see Ro 12:3.
17 Do not give evil for evil to any man. Let all your business be well ordered in the eyes of all men.
18 As far as it is possible for you be at peace with all men.
https://www.gotquestions.org/friendships-unbelievers.html
Question: "Is it good to have close friendships with unbelievers?"
Answer: As Christians, we have to constantly face temptations and the attacks of the world around us. Everything we see, read, do, hear, put in our bodies, etc., affects us somehow. That's why, to maintain a close relationship with God, we have to put aside our old ways of doing things—the things we watch on TV, old bad habits (excessive drinking, smoking, etc.), the activities we participate in, and the people we spend our time with. People are divided into only two categories, those who belong to the world and its ruler, Satan, and those who belong to God (Acts 26:18). These two groups of people are described in terms of opposites all through the Bible; e.g., those in darkness/those in the light; those with eternal life/those with eternal death; those who have peace with God/those who are at war with Him; those who believe the truth/those who believe the lies; those on the narrow path to salvation/those on the broad road to destruction, and many more. Clearly, the message of Scripture is that believers are completely different from nonbelievers, and it is from this perspective that we must discern what kind of friendships we can really have with unbelievers.
The book of Proverbs has a few wise verses on believers befriending non-believers: "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (12:26). We should stay away from foolish people (13:20, 14:7), from people who lose their temper easily (22:24), and from the rebellious (24:21). All these things represent those who have not been saved. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). First Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company corrupts good character. Unbelievers are slaves to sin (John 8:34), and Christians are slaves to God (1 Corinthians 7:22). If we become deeply involved (either by friendship or a romantic relationship) with non-Christians, we are setting ourselves up for turmoil. It can (and does often) cause the Christian to stumble in his walk, fall back into a sinful life, and also turn others away from God (by misrepresenting God and Christianity). Another detrimental effect of closeness with unbelievers is our tendency to water down the truths of Scripture so as to not offend them. There are difficult truths in the Word of God, truths such as judgment and hell. When we minimize or ignore these doctrines or try to “soft pedal” them, in essence we are calling God a liar for the sake of those already in the grasp of Satan. This is not evangelism.
Although these close relationships are not recommended, it does not mean we turn our noses up and ignore unbelievers, either. Second Timothy 2:24-26 tells us that as servants of the Lord, we are to be kind to and not quarrel with anyone. We should gently teach those who oppose the truth, and be patient with difficult people. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father.” We should serve unbelievers so that they may see God through us and turn to Him in praise. James 5:16 says that there is great power in the prayer of a righteous person, so bring your concerns for unbelievers before God, and He will listen.
Many people have been saved because of the prayers and service of Christians, so don't turn your back on unbelievers, but having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can quickly and easily turn into something that is a hindrance to your walk with Christ. We are called to evangelize the lost, not be intimate with them. There is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers – but the primary focus of such a relationship should be to win them to Christ by sharing the Gospel with them and demonstrating God’s saving power in our own lives.
19 Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
20 But if one who has hate for you is in need of food or of drink, give it to him, for in so doing you will put coals of fire on his head.
Now keep in mind that the "coals" thing has to do with his own conscience rising to scald him, not like you should do it to make him burn. The act will stir him toward salvation.
https://www.gotquestions.org/friendship-evangelism.html
friendship evangelism Question: "What is friendship evangelism?"
Answer: Friendship evangelism as a method of bringing people to Christ or sharing the gospel of Christ has several meanings and connotations. Some people believe that friendship evangelism requires Christians to become friends with unbelievers, establishing a relationship before attempting to address their need for a Savior. Some see friendship evangelism as living a solid, righteous life—a living testimony—before others so that they desire that kind of life and ask how to achieve it. At that point, the gospel is shared. Still others believe that living a righteous life in the world is evangelism enough and that no further efforts are necessary. The theory is that unbelievers will be so convicted of their need for that kind of life that they will seek God on their own. What does the Bible say about friendship evangelism?
Each of the three above-named methods of friendship evangelism falls short of the biblical method of evangelism. The first method, becoming friends with unbelievers in order to gain enough credibility so they will listen to the gospel, fails to recognize several important biblical truths. For one thing, believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14–17). The essence of friendship is mutual respect and affection based on agreement on basic life principles. But can a believer really have such a relationship with an unbeliever? In light of James 4:4 and Ephesians 5:11, such a relationship is not biblical. The unsaved person is part of the world, which hates God and the people of God. How can such a person have affection and respect for believers, who are part of the kingdom of God? Are we to be friendly towards unbelievers? Absolutely! Are we to have intimate relationships with unbelievers? Biblically speaking, no.
Furthermore, neither Jesus nor the disciples practiced this type of friendship evangelism. Jesus didn’t limit His gospel presentations to His friends and relations. He preached to complete strangers the message of repentance from sin and salvation through Him. He sent His disciples out two by two, and they “preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). If people refused to listen to them, Jesus instructed them to “shake the dust” off their feet and move on to the next town. He never encouraged them to settle down for a few months and develop friendships with those who rejected His message. Nor did He tell them to avoid quoting Scriptures so that their hearers wouldn’t be offended or turned off to the gospel. He knew that the “message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18) and that most people will reject that message, no matter how friendly the manner in which it is presented. Christ was rejected by the world, and He told us to expect the same reaction (John 15:18–20).
What about the method of “evangelizing” through our living testimony? There is no doubt that we are to live righteous lives before the watching world, and there certainly is power in the testimony of a life transformed by Christ. A classic example of this is Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–42). Jesus was able to tell her everything about her life, including the sin she was living in now. Jesus, in His infallible way, gave her the gospel, and, of course, she believed. John 4:39 picks up the story: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers” (John 4:39–41).
Everyone in that town knew this woman and the sordid life she lived. What caused them to believe in Christ was not only her words about Jesus, but her transformed life. She was a living testimony to the power of the gospel of Christ. So impactful was the change in her life that they knew something miraculous had happened, and they asked Jesus to remain with them, which He did for two days, preaching the same gospel of repentance and the offer of the living water of eternal life through Him. “And many more believed because of his word” (John 4:41). In this instance, both the preaching of the Word of God and the testimony of a life changed by that Word bore the fruit of repentance.
But was the woman’s changed life sufficient to bring others to the Savior? No, but it was the impetus for them to seek more information. Can we today expect that our lives will be sufficient testimony to convince unbelievers of their need for Christ? The problem that arises in this third type of friendship evangelism is that too often the lives of Christians are not a good witness of the Lord and Savior we profess to know and serve. Too often the world sees in us more of a reflection of them than a reflection of Christ. To rely exclusively on the “living testimony” of redeemed sinners who, while saved by grace, still battle the flesh on a daily basis—without the testimony of the truth of Scripture—is to handcuff ourselves in a way the Bible never bids us to do. Not even the most well-lived life can compare with the power of the Word of God. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).
Clearly, the biblical method of evangelism is the faithful proclamation of the truth of Scripture in conjunction with the living testimony of those who have been changed by that truth. When Jesus went about teaching the gospel message of salvation, He taught love and forgiveness, being kind and compassionate. But He went to sinners in order to convict them of their sins. A case in point is the very Samaritan woman we’ve been talking about here. Remember . . . the very first word Jesus said when He began His ministry was “Repent!” “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’” (Matthew 4:17). We are commissioned to bring that same message to the world, speaking the truth in love from a heart changed by the Savior.
21 Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil by good.
And that last exhortation sums up what all that the Apostles have said and what I've been repeating all along. I'll repeat it and leave you to consider it, to ponder the weapons, the gifts, the seductions of the flesh even in the church and the fact of our being in relationships with EVERYONE,
https://www.wycliffe.org/
https://www.google.com/search?q=Wycliffe+Bible+Translators&newwindow=1&sa=X&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgecToyi3w8sc9YSmbSWtOXmM04-IKzsgvd80rySypFNLgYoOy5Lj4pLj0c_UNSkxNUoorNBikeLiQ-DwA7VM2v0oAAAA&tbm=isch&imgil=4f36_JB1BF-OKM%253A%253BDmaulFw7VViokM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.gospelherald.com%25252Farticles%25252F63139%25252F20160324%25252Fwycliffe-bible-translators-press-on-despite-murder-of-4-associates-translate-new-testament-into-four-languages.htm&source=iu&pf=m&fir=4f36_JB1BF-OKM%253A%252CDmaulFw7VViokM%252C_&usg=__55kyMJZomoKWiyye6gRJ1mrzl-4%3D&biw=1366&bih=662&ved=0ahUKEwipv7WH68nTAhVKzIMKHb3ECKMQyjcItQE&ei=zp0EWamgE8qYjwS9iaOYCg#imgrc=4f36_JB1BF-OKM:
Hark back to the notion of the flesh against the Spirit.
Recall the temptations. Take it now. Take it now without having to suffer. You can be like God. Follow me and I will make you rich. Prove you are God's son. Does the Word really say that? You won't die.
Every temptation is a half truth or a warping of the truth.
We spent some time on the gifts, the offices and attitude. Now let's get down to the dirty work and deal with the battling sins and the warping of the attitude by further understanding the nature of our salvation and that it is the diametric opposite of the sin nature.
We'll use the three passages on the gifts mentioned at the end of our last post and work through those.
Note: Paul discussed th Corinthians disorderliness of the Lord's supper among the Gentile believers at Corinth, the divisions of the wealthy by their not sharing their food with those who couldn't bring much and misbehavior when the bread and wine are offered, some eating the bread because they are hungry instead of waiting for the mutual blessing. The value of the act when not in accordance with Jesus' wishes is lost.
1Co 12:1 But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
2 You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power.
They were idol worshipers. Thus some of their belief followed them into Christianity and they were falling back to the attitudes that the rich were better than the poor and that the offerings were for the sole blessing of the self, for the flesh's gratification.
3 So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
When someone speaks by the Holy Spirit, he will bless the Lord and not say something that curses God, something that reduces Jesus to less in the minds of the people. The implication is that divisive actions and anyone suggesting them is not speaking by the Spirit. Claims of better by the rich are not from God. Claims of better by the rich created a feeling by the poorer of competition, of striving to have something that made them better, or at least feeling better. Of tongues being elevated by them.
4 Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord.
6 And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.
7 But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good.
8 For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit:
9 To another faith in the same Spirit; and to another the power of taking away disease, by the one Spirit;
10 And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues:
11 But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is.
12 For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ.
13 For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but a number of parts.
15 If the foot says, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; it is no less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same.
17 If all the body was an eye, where would be the hearing? if all was hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him.
People are different. They have different gifts. But God has given to everyone something to enhance the others around them, not to belittle other's or their gifts, or their money or their place in the world. Everything, even the money of the rich is given to help others. See below.
19 And if they were all one part, where would the body be?
Imagine one giant eye trying to get somewhere or one giant leg somehow moving with no brain to direct it.
20 But now they are all different parts, but one body.
The body of CHRIST. Not Buck or Brenda or Bill or anyone but Christ.
21 And the eye may not say to the hand, I have no need of you: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;
23 And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;
24 But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;
25 So that there might be no division in the body; but all the parts might have the same care for one another.
26 And if there is pain in one part of the body, all the parts will be feeling it; or if one part is honoured, all the parts will be glad.
We all have a place, a gift, a reason for being here. We are to be happy for our place and serve the body.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it.
28 And God has put some in the church, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those with wonder-working powers, then those with the power of taking away disease, helpers, wise guides, users of strange tongues.
29 Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders?
30 Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?
31 But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit.
I was told that last sentence should go with the LOVE passage. Paul's intends to show those who have valued their gifts over using them for the church that they are wrong. It is not a mistake or mere happenstance that Paul opens with that comment that they were idol worshipers. Idol worshipers focus on one aspect or one of many gods and make it the center of their worship. The flesh desires its own satisfaction over blessing others. Let's expand on that when we arrive in 14.
And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.
(BBE)
13:1 If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell.
2 And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me.
4 Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride;
5 Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil;
6 It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true;
7 Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.
8 Though the prophet's word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end.
This is thought to be justification that the gifts ended. To me, it seems instead the type of comment made that things change and come to an end in this world. But God is love, the essence of love, the person of love more than love itself, the completion of all love. Though everything we receive as the gifts and everything we perceive as the blessing cease, still the love of God will endure in we who are saved. Still God will be with us. Still, we will be with Him.
9 For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet's word gives only a part of what is true:
10 But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary.
11 When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child.
12 For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me.
13 But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
(Understand that every word we speak is only partly understood, even this sentence :). Understand that every victory is only in part. We hold no ground of our own power and we stand only with the weapons of God if we choose to be armed, if we cultivate the use of the weapons. But the power of the weapons grows only with the growth of the God's love in our lives. Paul wants us to seek love for the completion of the Spirit in us.
(Their behavior, all of it, was not producing personal fruit of the Spirit. If love is not there, recall we talked about one interpretation of Galatians saying it should read:
(Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love: joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,
23 Gentle behaviour, control over desires: against such there is no law.
(BBE)
(Instead of the comma, a colon, meaning that the other attributes all stem from love. Paul's expansion on love here makes that seem likely and, at the least, makes it the prime fruit, even as using it as the lead fruit in Galatians implies. Paul calling it the greatest solidifies that argument.)
14:1 Go after love; still desiring to have the things which the Spirit gives, but most of all that you may have the prophet's power.
(Seek to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your actions, in you life. Seek that production over any gift. You can only do that by walking in the Spirit and your lack of proper use of the gifts is an indicator you are not walking IN the Spirit, certainly not in the HOLY Spirit and your behavior in the misuse of gifts does not demonstrate love either. If love is not produced the act is clearly wrong. )
(Previously we talked about the prophet's power being the proper interpretation of the Word and expounding in intelligible language on God's Word. THIS is an act of love, in building up the body, in exhorting and strengthening others. )
2 For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things.
3 But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength.
4 He who makes use of tongues may do good to himself; but he who gives the prophet's word does good to the church.
5 Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church.
6 But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching?
7 Even things without life, having a voice, such as a music-pipe or other instrument, if they do not give out different sounds, who may be certain what is being played?
8 For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight?
9 So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air.
10 There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.
11 But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me.
12 So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church.
"Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the great anthropologists of the twentieth century, differentiates between magic and religion. Magic is a system in which people endeavor to gain control over spiritual forces in order that they might obtain what they want. Magic is a means of gaining the power to dictate what the spiritual forces do. Contrariwise, religion is a system where people surrender themselves to spiritual forces so that they might be servant through whom those spiritual forces can minister to the world."
from The Power Delusion by Anthony Campolo, Jr.
I would suggest one of the great powers of New Age and other false religions is their ability to misdirect those service energies toward false gods, meaning the services are perceived as actually serving the giver. In fact, that is the betrayal of followers of most religions, the idea of a relationship with the church for the personal salvation of the person, rather than aiding in that person's relationship with God.
Campolo again:
"...there is a great deal of magic in the church which passes itself off as religion. People are looking for the right formula to get their prayers answered. There are those who try to bargain with God. They offer to do certain things for God to obligate Him to do certain things for them.
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"The time has come for us to turn away from that form of religiosity which Malinowski properly calls magic. Prayer must not be reduced to playing power games with God. True religion is not manipulating God but being surrendered to His will and to his service. In true religion, God is able to use us to bless others. That is why James wrote his epistle:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)"
1Co 14:13 For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense.
14 For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind.
IF. This is that big if that implies maybe Paul didn't use a "prayer language" but was using this as an example. "If I played in the NFL, I would be a running back." is vastly different from "WHEN I played in the NFL..." Some modern translations make it seem that Paul is saying he did this. But, in context, it seems to even imply that the praying Paul talks about is IN corporate meeting.
15 What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind.
16 For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying?
17 For your giving of the blessing is certainly well done, but of no profit to the man without knowledge.
I am more than a little deaf from working in factories for four decades. I have to be careful to always ask about what someone is saying in the factory because I sometimes can't understand when other machines are going nearby me. I can't imagine someone having a message from God for me and stating it in gibberish and then leaving me with my mouth agape wondering what was said.
18 I give praise to God that I am able to make use of tongues more than you all:
19 But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.
20 My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth.
21 In the law it is said, By men of other tongues and by strange lips will my words come to this people; and not even so will they give ear to me, says the Lord.
22 For this reason tongues are for a sign, not to those who have faith, but to those who have not: but the prophet's word is for those who have faith, and not for the rest who have not.
23 If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced?
24 But if all are teaching as prophets, and a man without faith or knowledge comes in, he is tested by all, he is judged by all;
25 The secrets of his heart are made clear; and he will go down on his face and give worship to God, saying that God is truly among you.
26 What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.
27 If any man makes use of a tongue, let it not be more than two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let someone give the sense:
28 But if there is no one to give the sense, let him keep quiet in the church; and let his words be to himself and to God.
29 And let the prophets give their words, but not more than two or three, and let the others be judges of what they say.
30 But if a revelation is given to another who is seated near, let the first be quiet.
31 For you may all be prophets in turn so that all may get knowledge and comfort;
32 And the spirits of the prophets are controlled by the prophets;
33 For God is not a God whose ways are without order, but a God of peace; as in all the churches of the saints.
( 34 Let women keep quiet in the churches: for it is not right for them to be talking; but let them be under control, as it says in the law.
35 And if they have a desire for knowledge about anything, let them put questions to their husbands privately: for talking in the church puts shame on a woman.)
Paul has been talking about orderliness. In the Middle East, even today, women and men sometimes attend services with a partition between the genders. The Greek church may well have been the same way. If so, even today, the uneducated women often call across the partition to ask what is being said and what it means. This is more a societal problem than a "women are lessers" comment. Women then were uneducated as a norm by discrimination and child bearing responsibilities. This has nothing to do with talking in tongues except as part of disruptions from myth worshipers carrying over.
36 What? was it from you that the word of God went out? or did it only come in to you?
37 If any man seems to himself to be a prophet or to have the Spirit, let him take note of the things which I am writing to you, as being the word of the Lord.
38 But if any man is without knowledge, let him be so.
39 So then, my brothers, let it be your chief desire to be prophets; but let no one be stopped from using tongues.
"Do not forbid" comes from the King James. The gift was allowed BUT allowed with proper usage as the following indicates.
40 Let all things be done in the right and ordered way.
(BBE)
From Bible .org. a non-Pentacostal perspective:
https://bible.org/article/speaking-tongues
This is not the final chapter to be written on the subject of speaking in tongues. Men (and women) will be having their say until our Lord returns to settle this matter once and for all time. It is difficult to say how, when and where the modern tongues movement began. In the many pamphlets and books I have examined opinions differ. We do know that the phenomenon of tongues-speaking is widespread, and it is likely that no issue in Christendom has caused as wide a split in its ranks in modern times as has speaking in tongues.
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The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the distribution of these gifts. Following the listing of the gifts, Paul adds, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). No one person has all the gifts, nor are we to seek the gifts. We must be careful that we do not confuse the Spirit as a gift to the believer with the gifts the Spirit gives to believers. Every believer has received the gift of the Spirit, but not every believer has received the gifts which the Spirit bestows.
The Meaning of Speaking in Tongues
In my travels many persons have approached me with questions about tongues. Some of them ask about its meaning. The term that is used to identify the tongues movement is “glossolalia,” made up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalia (speech). It therefore means speaking in languages or tongues. Glossology is that department of anthropology which has to do with the study and classification of languages and dialects.
The word glossa appears in the Greek New Testament not less than fifty times. It is used to refer to the physical organ of the tongue as in James 3:5; once in reference to the flames of fire shaped like tongues (Acts 2:3); at least once in a metaphorical sense when referring to speech as in the statement, “my tongue (speech) was glad (joyous)” (Acts 2:26). As far as I understand the remaining usages of the word it always means a language.
When our Lord predicted the gift of tongues (the only mention of tongues in the four Gospel records) He said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). The adjective “new” (Gr. kainos) can only mean they were going to speak in languages new to them, that is, languages they had not learned or used until that time. If I say the Russian language is “new” to me, I do not mean that I never knew there was such a language, but rather its use by me is new to me because I can neither speak it nor understand it when I hear others speak it. On the other hand the German language is not altogether “new” to me because I can both read and speak it with a small degree of understanding.
In Acts 2:4 Luke uses a different adjective when he says, “they began to speak with other tongues.” The word “other” (Gr. heteros) simply means that they spoke in languages different from the normal language they were used to. The context substantiates this. Notice the surprised reaction on the part of the hearers—“And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:7,8). Every man heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:6). Here the word “language” is the translation of dialekto from which our word “dialect” comes. The two words glossa (tongue) and dialektos (language) are used synonymously, making it obvious that the disciples were speaking in known languages other than the language native to them. In verses 9-11 the languages are then identified. It was a miraculous phenomenon which enabled the disciples to speak in languages which they had never learned. Here in this Acts passage we have tongues-speaking in its pure and unperverted form as God gave it.
The following verses in the Book of the Revelation should be examined carefully (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). In each passage where the word “tongue” is mentioned it means one of the languages associated with the various nationalities and races. I see no reason why anyone should raise a question as to the tongues in those passages in Mark, Acts and Revelation meaning languages.
But the more serious problems arise in the interpretation of the twenty-one references to tongues in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. There are those who tell us that the tongues in First Corinthians are ecstatic utterances not known in any country on earth. They base their conclusion on the term “unknown” which appears in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, and 27. But the reader of this chapter in God’s Word must not fail to observe that the word “unknown” in every place where it appears is in italicized letters, which means that it does not occur in any Greek manuscript but was inserted by translators. The Holy Spirit did not direct Paul to write that the tongue is unknown.
I find no warrant for changing the meaning of tongues in First Corinthians. In every other place where the word is used it means languages. Why then should the meaning be changed in First Corinthians? I know of no textual license that will warrant changing the meaning of the word. All the usages of tongues in Paul’s treatment of the subject refer to foreign languages. “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into air” (1 Corinthians 14:9).
There is no reason for anyone to speak except to converse intelligibly. The Greek word laleomeans “I speak.” The word is never used for mere sound or noise. Nor is it used for a mere mumbling or muttering of unintelligible gibberish. The tongues-speaking in the New Testament was in the native languages of hearing people. The supernatural phenomenon which took place at Pentecost was the exercise of a gift whereby many people from many countries, gathered at Jerusalem, heard God’s message in their own language. This was indeed a miracle of God.
It would be an arbitrary and strange interpretation of Scripture that would make tongues-speaking in the New Testament anything other than known languages. There is no trace of Scriptural evidence that tongues were ever heard by anyone as incoherent, incomprehensible babbling.
The Ministry of Speaking in Tongues
At this point in our study we shall pursue an examination of the reasons why God gave the gift of speaking in tongues.
First, to communicate the Gospel message. With unmistakable clarity Paul says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not . . . ” (1 Corinthians 14:22). The word “sign” (Gr. semeion) in the New Testament is often associated with the conveying of a Divinely-given message to unbelievers. This is the emphasis in John 20:30, 31 where we read, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” The signs (miracles) were never performed without purpose, but because of the message they communicated.
The true function of the gift of tongues is “for a sign . . . to them that believe not.” To exercise the gift when unbelievers were not present would be exercising the gift above the purpose for which it was given. The gifts were never given for the self-satisfaction or self-glory of the recipients. The one upon whom the gift was bestowed was merely an instrument through whom God wanted to communicate His message.
Because of the abuse and misuse of tongues in the Corinthian Assembly Paul states its purpose. The spiritual immaturity of the saints in Corinth called for instruction, so in the middle of his discourse on tongues he writes, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14:20). The Greek word for “men” (teleios) means mature. In their misuse of speaking in tongues they were showing their immaturity, a behaviour pattern which characterized the believers at Corinth. The Apostle reminded them that they remained “babes in Christ” (3:1).
Their failure to grow up spiritually resulted from their neglected study of the Scriptures. The Epistle to the Hebrews stresses this point. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14). Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2). One will find confusion and license where the study of God’s Word is neglected.
Now let us return to 1 Corinthians 14:20. Immediately upon rebuking them with the words, “Brethren, be not children in understanding,” Paul adds, “In the law it is written . . . ” (Vs. 21), thereby pointing out their weakness, namely, their failure to acquaint themselves with that which was written in the Old Testament Scriptures. They had failed to study God’s Word, therefore they had become victims of arrested development.
Speaking in tongues was a gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, but it, or any other gift, can be misused. Speaking in tongues was no mark of spirituality, because the Corinthian church was unspiritual, having manifested carnality (3:1-3) and even gross sin (5:1). And so Paul points them to a Scripture they should have known, saying, “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord” (12:21).
Paul is here referring to a prophecy God had given through Isaiah. The nation of Israel had failed to heed God’s message which He gave through their own prophets, so the Lord told them that at a future time they will hear His message through tongues (languages) other than their own. “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people “ (Isaiah 28:11). Thus Paul sees in this Isaiah prophecy the gift of tongues as a sign to Israel. The words “this people” in Isaiah 28:11, in its context, can refer only to Israel. The abuse of tongues-speaking in Corinth did not arise from the belief in speaking in tongues, but rather in the neglect of the Scriptures which teach its proper use.
This purpose of the gift of tongues, namely to communicate God’s message to Israel, is verified in the three passages in Acts where speaking in tongues is mentioned. In Acts 2 tongues-speaking was used as a missionary or evangelistic tool in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11. There was no need for the disciples to learn other languages before they could communicate the Gospel. God overcame the language barrier through the miracle-gift of tongues. On the day of Pentecost there were “Jews out of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). And when the disciples “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4), the hearers responded with the question, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:8). Observe that they were “Jews” from other countries who spoke many languages and dialects, and yet each heard the Gospel in his own tongue. Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled.
In Acts 10:46 the second mention of speaking in tongues occurs. The occasion again was to communicate the Gospel, this time for the purpose of effecting the conversion of Cornelius and his house. This event cannot be totally disassociated from Pentecost because Peter, when relating this experience, said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). At the house of Cornelius tongues-speaking was a sign to Jews at a time when the Gospel was being communicated (Acts 10:44-46).
In Acts 19:6 there appears the third passage in Acts in which speaking in tongues is recorded. Again its purpose was missionary and evangelistic. When Paul came to Ephesus he encountered twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Ghost when (not since) you believed?” (Acts 19:2, see the R.V.). These at Ephesus considered themselves to be Christians because they had heard through Apollos the message of John. You see, there is a belief unto salvation and a belief that does not result in salvation. The latter is a mere academic, intellectual belief that even Satan and the demons have (James 2:19. cf. Mark 5:7). Doubtless there are people today who have an historical faith in Jesus Christ as a man and even the Son of God, but who have not been saved. Paul suspected that such was the case with the disciples of John whom he met at Ephesus. When he learned they were not saved, he told them they must trust Christ for their salvation. We can understand the confusion they might have experienced, therefore some evidential sign was necessary. “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). Again the purpose for speaking in tongues is obvious, namely, to communicate the Gospel message.
These are the only instances of tongues-speaking recorded in the Bible, except the passage in First Corinthians. None of the later Epistles mention speaking in tongues. The gift was used only in the transitional period between Law and Grace. The sign gifts continued through the period of the Apostles while the New Testament was in the process of being written.
Second, to confirm the Gospel message. It was not merely a communicating sign but a confirmatory sign as well. When the Apostles used the gift of tongues it was because they did not have what you and I have today, the completed Word of God, God’s full and final revelation to man. When they went about preaching the Gospel, their message was confirmed by the exercise of the sign gifts. Tongues-speaking vindicated both the message and the messenger. “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). If one could find an Apostle living today who saw the bodily-resurrected Lord Jesus, he would not be exercising the sign gifts because he would have what you and I have, and what Peter, Paul and John did not have, the completed written Word of God. Now that we have the Scriptures we do not need miracles to confirm God’s message.
Signs were for the Jews rather than for Gentiles. “For the Jews require a sign . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Repeatedly it was the Jews who asked for a sign. “Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee” (Matthew 12:38). Again, “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16 :1). “Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?” (John 2:18). “They said therefore unto Him, What sign shewest Thou then, that we may see and believe Thee? What dost Thou work?” (John 6:30). All these who asked for a sign were Jews, and their insistence upon signs will at last be their sad undoing.
During the Tribulation the Antichrist will appear, “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (II Thessalonians 2:9), and at that time many Jews will be deceived into receiving the Antichrist as their Messiah.
Let us who are Christ’s not be seeking signs as did the unbelieving Jews. We who are the Lord’s have the Holy Scriptures, so let us “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Whenever the gift of tongues was exercised Jews were present, tongues-speaking being used either to communicate the Gospel or else to confirm to the Jews that the Gentiles were worthy of salvation and should therefore have the Gospel also. Such confirmations are seen in Acts 10:45 and 19:6. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:20).
If anyone denies the message of God’s written Word today, there is no other court of appeal. In the days of the Apostles, the New Testament being yet unwritten, the Holy Spirit supported their message by accompanying it with signs. But after those holy and inspired men completed writing the New Testament, such confirmations were no longer necessary. The rich man in Hell asked Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead that he might witness to his five unsaved brothers, hoping that such a sign (or miracle) would lead them to repent. But Abraham replied, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:27-31). The Pentecostal sign ushered in a new age before the New Testament was written. But if men reject God’s inspired Word now, they need not look for any supernatural signs.
A significant New Testament passage which adds to the fact that the sign gifts were given to confirm the Gospel message is Hebrews 2:3,4:“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will?” If the Epistle to the Hebrews was written between 65 and 70 A.D. it would be obvious that the people to whom the message was “confirmed” with signs and gifts were that generation immediately following our Lord’s death.
The Mistakes About Speaking in Tongues
As an introduction to this part of our study, I want you to see Paul’s introduction to the subject of spiritual gifts. And incidentally, this is the only place in the entire Bible where spiritual gifts are discussed. The Apostle writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). In the Authorized Version the word “gifts” is in italicized letters, telling us that it did not appear in any of the Greek manuscripts but was inserted by translators. Paul actually said to the Corinthians, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about pneumatica” (the spirituals), meaning of course the spiritual gifts.
Now the Corinthians were not ignorant of the fact of the spiritual gifts, for the Apostle had already said to them, “Ye come behind in no gift” (1:7). When he said, “I would not have you ignorant”, he was not speaking about their ignorance of the existence of the gifts, but rather about their ignorance of the right exercise of the gifts. They were well informed as to what the spiritual gifts were, but they were ignorant about the proper use of the gifts, as is evidenced by the mistakes they made in their exercise of them.
Before Paul launches into a discussion of the spiritual gifts, he reminds them of how easily they were led astray. He says, “ye know that ye were gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led” (12:2). In substance he is saying, “Before you tell me about your experience let me remind you of your lack of spirituality (3:1), and therefore your inability to discern between the Holy Spirit and false spirits” (2:15). Because they were carnal, “babes in Christ” (3:1), their exercise of the gifts were self-induced by fleshly energy, not by the Holy Spirit. All Christians do not use their gifts properly, so that a Christian’s use of a gift might not be in accord with the Word of God. Mistakes can be made by any of us in the exercise of a gift.
(1) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is unscriptural teaching which says that all who are baptized by the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. The Scriptures state emphatically that all saved persons have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . . ” (1 Corinthians 12:13). All the believers at Corinth received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, however all did not speak in tongues. The question asked in verse 30, “Do all speak with tongues?” is so phrased so as to convey the expected answer, “No.”
The baptizing work of the Spirit is not an experience in the believer subsequent to salvation. Rather it is that act of the Holy Spirit which joins the believing sinner to the Body of Christ. More emphatically, there is no other means whereby one can become a member of the Church which is Christ’s Body. All saved persons have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, but not all saved persons speak in tongues. The baptizing work of the Spirit places the believer in the Body positionally.
Be careful that you do not confuse the baptism of the Spirit with the command to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). All believers share equally in this position in Christ and thus share equally in union with Him. There is only one experience of baptism by the Holy Spirit but there can be many experiences of being filled with Spirit. Paul said that not all of the Corinthian Christians spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5), and yet he stated clearly that all had been baptized with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(2) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is an evidence of being filled with the Spirit. All believers are commanded to “be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), but nowhere in Scripture are believers commanded to speak in tongues. A Christian can be under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues. There are numerous instances when the disciples were filled with the Spirit but did not speak in tongues. See Acts 4:31 and 13:9-11. To be Spirit-filled is to be Spirit-controlled. Are we to believe that the thousands of mightily used men and women of God who were among the world’s best missionaries of Christ’s Gospel and Bible teachers were never filled with the Holy Spirit because they never spoke in tongues? Perish the thought!
Can one know if he is filled with the Spirit? Look at one verse in the Bible where the command to be filled with the Spirit is recorded. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:18-21). Three things are mentioned as evidence of being Spirit-filled; a joyful heart, a thankful heart and a submissive heart. Nothing is said about speaking in tongues. To sum it up in one word, Christlikeness is the manifestation of being filled with the Spirit, and the Scriptures do not tell us that our Lord ever spoke in tongues.
(3) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit results from being filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23 and includes nine characteristics. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” None of the sign-gifts are included in this nine-fold cluster of fruit. The Christian who is filled with the Spirit will manifest the fruit of the Spirit apart from ever having spoken in tongues. As a matter of fact, in Ephesians and Galatians, where the fullness and fruit of the Spirit are discussed tongues-speaking is not mentioned once. Moreover, in the list of gifts mentioned by Paul, gifts that the ascended Lord bestowed upon His Church, the sign gifts are omitted. “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
All Christians should be filled with the Spirit and all are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, but not every Christian has all the gifts. Spirituality does not depend on speaking in tongues. God’s goal for every child of His is to be Spirit-controlled, but that goal does not include speaking in tongues. No Christian need ever feel that he is lacking in spirituality because he has not spoken in tongues. Quality of life is the best evidence of the fullness and fruit of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptizer was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), yet this Spirit-filled man did no miracles and never spoke in tongues (John 10:41). But he was so Christ-like that people who were looking for the Messiah were led to ask of him, “Art thou the Christ?”
(4) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is an evidence of one’s faith. To the contrary, the persons who seek signs and sign-gifts show their lack of faith. It is a sin for any Christian to seek for signs before he will believe God’s Word. As was pointed out earlier in this study, “tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22). So you see, the Christians at Corinth were showing that they were weak in faith, and possibly some who identified themselves with the believer had never been saved. The person who seeks any sign, whether it be speaking in tongues or any other sign-gift, is either a babe in Christ or an unbeliever.
Thomas is an illustration of a disciple weak in faith who would not believe without seeing. After our Lord arose from death, He appeared to the disciples. “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:24, 25). Thomas was like the Corinthians, weak in faith, demanding to see the sign (miracle) before he would believe.
Eight days later the Lord appeared again. “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless but believing.” (John 20:27). The doubting Thomas needed a sign, so the Lord appeared to him so that he would not continue without faith. And then He said to Thomas, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The Christian who will study the Bible and believe what it says will walk by faith, not by sight or sound.
(5) It is a mistake to seek the gift of speaking in tongues. It is clear that not all in the church at Corinth spoke in tongues. Why didn’t they? The Apostle says, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit . . . for to one 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 divers kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Please note that the gifts were given “as He (the Holy Spirit) will,” not as we will, “as it hath pleased Him” (vs. 18), not us. The reason why all the Christians did not have the gift of tongues is because all of the gifts are divinely bestowed. The Spirit divides and distributes to each believer his own gift. Not one of us is capable of choosing his own gift. The Spirit will not give a gift according to our desire and the way we pray. Don’t try to tell God which gift He should give to you. We are but members of the Body, and no one member has any right to tell the Head what to do.
It would have been a mistake for the Corinthians to seek the gift of tongues because it is the least of all the gifts. Where the gifts are listed twice in 1 Corinthians 12, in each instance tongues and their interpretation are placed last (verses 8-11 and 28-30). Note the careful wording in the latter passage: “First . . . secondarily . . . thirdly . . . after that . . . ” The least to be desired comes at the bottom of the list, the scale being according to importance and usefulness. The minor place of tongues is further stressed in 1 Corinthians 14:1, 5, 6, 19. The modern cult of tongues would have you believe that this gift is the only one that really counts and that every Christian ought to have it. The Corinthians erred in overemphasizing the gift of tongues as the most coveted gift of all. To them tongues was the prestige gift, hence its misuse and abuse at Corinth.
Paul charges them with such misuse of the gifts in 12:31. When he writes, “But covet earnestly the best gifts . . .” he is not exhorting or commanding them, as the imperative mood might indicate. Rather he is issuing a statement of fact, as is suggested in the indicative. In substance he is saying, “You are selfishly desiring the more spectacular or demonstrative gifts.” The word “covet” is not used in a good sense, but in a bad sense, that of self-seeking. “You are not satisfied to be a foot, concealed in a stocking and shoe; you want to be an eye. You want to be seen and heard.” And then the Apostle adds, “Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal “ (1 Corinthians 12:31,13:1).
A young man who claimed to have the gift of speaking in tongues told me that the biblical basis for his doing so was 1 Corinthians 14:4, namely, self-edification. But this is both selfish and wrong. Paul did say, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself” (14:4), but then he added, “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church” (14:12). The gifts were given for the edification and profit of the entire Body of Christ, not merely one member. “The members should have the same care one for another” (12:25). Self-edification is contrary to the principle of love as taught in Chapter 13, for “love seeketh not her own” (13:5). The gifts were given for the common good of all (12:7).
This is my personal peeve: The self-edification movement. If I have a gift, it is meant for you. Your gift is meant for that girl over there. Her gift is meant for that girl and that guy. The idea of self edification is NOT what a gift is about. Paul says that very plainly. That tongues can gratify the talker if it is used wrongly. Yet that is taken and twisted to say it should be used for self edification. It is like saying you have the gift of healing so you should use it to heal your hangnails and don't need to use it to cure the cancer in another believer.
Unlike the writer above, I still think it is a sign gifts for today to be used in proper order to speak to the unsaved that may be in the congregation when translated. We see the sign gifts more often on the missionary field, again as signs where the Gospel is beginning to be preached. Those who say they were meant as a sign of the Gospel and are therefore passed miss that the Gospel is not everywhere, that the Word still is being translated to other nations and tribes, that it is not yet done. I can see the objections being made in the older areas of the Bible but being from one of those areas does not mean that it is still strong which the USA and the English speaking world show since more evangelists get sent to America than are sent out of it. One wonders if the fact money is to be made here sometimes might make brgn some people in.
Eph 4:1 I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behaviour is a credit to the position which God's purpose has given you,
2 With all gentle and quiet behaviour, taking whatever comes, putting up with one another in love;
3 Taking care to keep the harmony of the Spirit in the yoke of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you have been marked out by God in the one hope of his purpose for you;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.
7 But to every one of us has grace been given in the measure of the giving of Christ.
8 For this reason he says, He went up on high, taking his prisoners with him, and gave freely to men.
Again: one body, one Lord, the Son from the Father giving everything for us, us to give evertything to each other and the Lord for the Mission.
9 (Now this, He went up, what is it but that he first went down into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who went down is the same who went up far over all the heavens so that he might make all things complete.)
We hear here about Him going to the dead and taking up the ones who were in Abraham's Bosom, the ones who were destined to go to Heaven but were in the waiting place, waiting for Christ to come to them. Which He did.
11 And he gave some as Apostles, and some, prophets; and some, preachers of the good news; and some to give care and teaching;
12 For the training of the saints as servants in the church, for the building up of the body of Christ:
Given for the training and for building up the body. The OFFICES are given to build up the Body, NOT the officer. Anyone claiming an office anyone elected to an office, anyone thinking of an office...They are responsible to build the Body, to edify others, to seek the gifted and utilize the gifts for the Church. You are responible to bring it every time, to work FOR the Body.
13 Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:
14 So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error;
15 But saying true words in love, may come to full growth in him, who is the head, even Christ;
16 Through whom all the body, being rightly formed and united together, by the full working of every part, is increased to the building up of itself in love.
17 This I say, then, and give witness in the Lord, that you are to go no longer in the way of the Gentiles whose minds are turned to that which has no profit,
18 Whose thoughts are dark, to whom the life of God is strange because they are without knowledge, and their hearts have been made hard;
19 Who having no more power of feeling, have given themselves up to evil passions, to do all unclean things with overmuch desire.
20 For this was not the teaching of Christ which was given to you;
The flesh calls to the flesh. This is the seduction of sex, money and power, the call of comforts. Things of the old life remain there to call to us. the Flesh gets regenerated EVERY day as we go. If we remain in the teaching, it grows in regeneration. If we cling to the things of the past, it falls backward and becomes more powerful.
21 If in fact you gave ear to him, and were given teaching in him, even as what is true is made clear in Jesus:
22 That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which has become evil by love of deceit;
It becomes obvious that the flesh follows after deceit and is not put off by it. Following a well-known liar then seems to be an act of the flesh. Satan being a well-known father of lies.
23 And be made new in the spirit of your mind,
24 And put on the new man, to which God has given life, in righteousness and a true and holy way of living.
We must "put on" the "clothes" of our new life. The armoring of the weapons of the Spirit are key. hence that discussion form Ephesians 5 which follows this prep. But we want to dwell a bit on that notion of holy and righteous living. We find it in koinonia, the Greek word for community the wraparound notion of our "body."
John's first letter gives us a stepping off point:
1Jo 1:3 We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ:
(BBE)
So we have heard from Pete, from Paul, from James and now John in his letter repeating the gist of his quotations from Jesus in his pre garden of Gethsemane speech. Jerry Bridges uses this as the opening quote in his book, True Community: the Bibical Practive of Koinonia.
He asks the question "What is biblical community?" and proceeds to answer it in great detail:
"To answer that question, we need to explore the meaning of koinonia and its most common English translation, the word fellowship. ...in it's different grammatical forms, is actually translated several ways in the New Testament: for example, participation, partnership, sharine and, of course, fellowship. In Christian circles, the word fellowship has come to mean the exchange of pleasantries `over coffee and cookies at church, or the social functions of our high school and campus minisgtry groups, Thus is not the meaning of fellowship in the New Testament.
"The first occurrence in the New Testament...in Luke's account of the beginning of the New Testament church on the day of Pentecost. As a result of Peter's sermon, about 3000 people believed in Christ. Luke sayzs: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, the the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42)
"We are not surprised that these new believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to prayer. But the fellowship? It would seem strange to include fellowship...if (it) meant no more than Christian social activity. (Bridges then offers the NASB version of the 1 John quote:
1 John 1:3New American Standard Bible (NASB)
3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.)
"In both Acts 2:42 and in 1 John 1:3, the New English Bible translates koinonia as "sharing a common life." This is the most basic meaning of koinonia, or fellowship. It is sharing a common life with other believers-a life that, as John says, we share with God the Father and God the Son. It is a relationship, not an activity."...a relationship that consisted of sharing together the very life of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They understood that they had entered this relationship by faith in Jesus Christ, not by joining an organization. (My emphasis. W) and they realized their fellowship with God logically brought them into fellowship with each other. Through the union with Christ, they were formed into a spiritually organic community...As William Hendrickson said, "Koinonia, then, is basically a community-relationship...
"It is a spiritually organic relationship that forms the basis of true Christian community...But biblical community goes much deeper than sharing common goals, though it ultimately involves that. Biblical community is first of all sharing a common life in Christ. It is when we grasp that truth that we are in a position to begin to understand grue community.
"(It) also means sharing together in the sense of partnership...Plato spoke of the dissolution of a koinonia-a business partnership. Luke used (it) to refer to the partnership of Peter with James and John in the fishing business...
"Where as relationship describes believers as a community, partnership describes them as a community in action."
They had a common objective to be accomplished
"...the objective of glorifying God. Just as all believers are united together in a community relationship, so we are all united together in a partnership to glorify God. God is glorifies when Christians grow in Christlikeness and when unbelievers are brought into the kingdom..."
Note these stress what we have been stressing, the donning of the armor and the mission. and the
Spirit doing both through us.
But Bridges carries this further:
"The second primary meaning of New Testament koinonia is sharing with others what we have. Just as sharing together has two sub-meanings (relationship and partnership) so sharing with has two sub-meanings. The first is called communion with one another..." (Beyond the Lord's Supper) "it is here used to mean communicating intimately, or sharing with one another on a clsoe and spiritual level. It may mean mutual sharing of believers of what God has taught them from the Scriptures, or it may mean a word of encouragement from one believer to the other."
Here we see that the gifts of the Spirit amplify the things nature to the Christian community and that the things the Spirit amplifies ARE the things natural to the community.
Bridges again:
"How different is our present-day concept of fellowship? Take those typical times of "coffee fellowship." We discuss everything else except the Scriptures. We talk about our jobs, our studies, our favorite sports teams, the weather-almost anything except what God is teaching us from His Word and through His workings inn our lives. If we are to regain (that) concept of fellowship within the community, we must learn to get beyond the temporal issues...and begin to share with each other on a level that will enhance our spiritual relationships with one another and with God."
This last one will likely surprise some of you who haven't read Acts: Sharing material possessions.
For some USA Christians this would be the stepping off point. "Thanks but no thanks." There are some I have read whose major concerned amounts to God giving things and money to THEM and I hear that preached on a LOT of Christian TV. Or give to get. "If you give. God MUST multiply it by 100." they say. God doesn't have to do anything. God will also increase your persecutions:
Mr 10:28 Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel's sake,
30 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
(ASV)
From http://www.letusreason.org/biblexp69.htm a very logicalinterprettion of this in light of what
Bridges says about our relationships:
Many use this hundredfold as money sown has the promise to receive a hundredfold return.
This is a carnal interpretation of the scripture. These scriptures do not even mention money.... the promoters of this give to get formulae have made good use of this by distorting its meaning.
If this is literal- then what of persecutions, there is a promise of 100 fold of persecutions attached to this promise. So what really is the intent of this passage.
The Scriptures says hundredfold of houses....mothers, fathers, children, land etc. How many do you know who have a hundred houses- a hundred mothers or a hundred children? What this means is that we gain a whole new family, it’s related to fellowship and sharing of the brethren. As we leave our family as a security to follow Jesus, and he becomes our priority and our supplier of needs. Manifold blessings are given to those who follow the Lord sacrificially. We have a hundred times the “value” of all we forsake, the favor of God in relationships.
Many homes will be opened to God's servants and the many new relationships in the household of God. Houses and lands are accommodations wherever we go for the gospel sake. We come into the family of God and gain a bigger family. God’s promise of provisions for being in the family is eternal rewards now and the life later. It continues through eternity. The persecutions came from those who forsook the comforts of their lives to follow Jesus. In ancient times there was a price for their allegiance, they could lose their job and often times face death. Those who have left all for the sake of Christ do find themselves among genuine Christians; spiritual relatives.
V.30. [In this time] In this life. In the time that he forsakes all. The world to come, in the original language, is the coming age. It refers to the Messiah's second advent and the events connected with it, and his position in the Millennium.
To settle whether this is about financial gain; if we go back to the preceding verses the spirit of the text makes the context clear. In vs.17-22 a rich man comes to Jesus asking how to have eternal life he points to the commandments of which he replies that he has kept them since he was young. Jesus sees he is sincere in his pursuit and loved him by saying the one thing that was hindering him: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” V.22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. vs.23 Jesus then makes the statement how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God the disciples are astonished he then makes it even clearer that it is hard for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. vs.25 “It is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those use this as a hundredfold return are gravely mistaken. It means to give away your abundance to those in need so you won’t be trapped by trusting in riches for your security in life and you will have treasure in heaven. There may be many surprised when rewards are handed out and they see others rewarded for giving much less than they did. Jesus is not concerned about amount but our motives. If you gave and were recognized by everyone-You already received your reward. The Pharisees motives were to be seen by all to make them look spiritual as if they were sacrificing. These were wrong motives.
Godliness is profitable “for all things,” having the promise of the life that is sufficient for now, and for that which is to come.
The important thing about that giving IS the motives. Bridges repeats the dimensions of fellowship:
"Community relationship
Partnership
Communion
Sharing material possessions
"The first two are dimensions of koinonia as sharing together, the second two as sharing with one another. It is because we share together a common life in Christ that we are called on to share with one another whatever we have, both spiritual and material resources."
25 And so, putting away false words, let everyone say what is true to his neighbour: for we are parts one of another.
I would suggest we sometimes lie to ourselves about things and that also makes our relationships iffy meaning it is vital for our friends to tell us the truth as they see it and for us to return the favor in the right circumstances of safe relationship circles, meaning prayer meetings and friednship circles can no longer be the favorite home of gossips and must be patroled by the members, meaning they stop every hint of gossip from anyone, gossip beig one way some people establish themselves as powers in the church.
26 Be angry without doing wrong; let not the sun go down on your wrath;
27 And do not give way to the Evil One.
Hold ground again. Use the weapons. Resist. We hear that word a lot from the liberal side of the political spectrum. Apply it to your spiritual life.
28 Let him who was a thief be so no longer, but let him do good work with his hands, so that he may have something to give to him who is in need.
29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for giving necessary teaching, and for grace to those who give ear.
30 And do not give grief to the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were marked for the day of salvation.
31 Let all bitter, sharp and angry feeling, and noise, and evil words, be put away from you, with all unkind acts;
32 And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you.
You are in a relationship. Think of it as a marriage of friendships. Think of partnership again. No partner betrays the other and expects there to be a continued relationship.
Romans 12:1 For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.
2 And let not your behavior be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.
The flesh is refreshed but the mind IS flesh, thinks like the flesh. The flesh seeks the flesh and seeks the comfort of the flesh as opposed to the relationship. We see the numbers on divorce rising in the churched. We now surpass the non-churched population (I will no use the terms "saved" or "unsaved" as there are church goers who have not accepted Christ as their Savior and those who are saying having a mother who blesses her son makes him saved. There are also churches who say their membership means salvation or being christened as a baby makes you saved. These mean that a LOT of people attending church may well not have a relationship with Christ and so not have the Spirit talking to them about relationships.) If we do not follow the Spirit, we will follow the flesh. In every case of our quotes related to walking by the Spirit, there is the opening volley against walking in the flesh, for walking with truth, telling the truth, walking in the Spirit with the weapons, knowing what your walk and another's walk will look like by the fruit.
3 But I say to every one of you, through the grace given to me, not to have an over-high opinion of himself, but to have wise thoughts, as God has given to every one a measure of faith.
Egomaniacs seldom have good relationships except with emotional masochists. The saved should be neither.
4 For, as we have a number of parts in one body, but all the parts have not the same use,
5 So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another;
6 And having different qualities by reason of the grace given to us, such as the quality of a prophet, let it be made use of in relation to the measure of our faith;
7 Or the position of a Deacon of the church, let a man give himself to it; or he who has the power of teaching, let him make use of it;
8 He who has the power of comforting, let him do so; he who gives, let him give freely; he who has the power of ruling, let him do it with a serious mind; he who has mercy on others, let it be with joy.
MacKnight on the Epistles:
Romans 12:8
Or if they fit him for exhorting, let him employ himself in exhortation. He whose gifts fit him for distributing the church’s alms, let him do it with honesty, disinterestedness and impartiality: he whose gifts fit him for presiding, let him do it with assiduity and prudence: he whose gifts qualify him for taking care of the sick, the afflicted, the imprisoned, and of widows and orphans, let him perform these services with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without deceit. Be haters of what is evil; keep your minds fixed on what is good.
10 Be kind to one another with a brother's love, putting others before yourselves in honour;
As Bridges noted above.
And on love: Ellicott's Commentary For English Readers on 1 John 4. We see the take on love from John again in agreement with Paul:
The connection with the paragraph on the trial of the spirits is very obvious: “every one that loveth is born of God;” so that the quality and quantity of our affection will be the best gauge whether we have the spirit of truth or of error. The absence of love is ignorance of God, for real knowledge of Him imparts His nature. And if any ask how we know of His love, the answer is that it was seen in His Son. In sending Him, He loved us without any love on our part. Our relation to God reminds us that we must have the same love to each other. The fact that God cannot be seen is an additional reason for mutual affection among us; for brotherly love is the demonstrable proof of His presence, and of the growing completeness of the work wrought by His love in us. The Spirit Himself, through whom our love would come, confirms the reality of God’s indwelling. And these spiritual emotions and developments are not illusory, for they are guaranteed by the ocular and oral evidence of the Apostles to the historical Person of Christ. So the result of all this will be perfect and fearless confidence. To sum up (1John 4:19): our love to God springs from His to us; hatred of our brother (or the absence of love for him) is the denial of all love for God; and for this duty we rest not on our own deductions only, however true, but on His plain command.
11 Be not slow in your work, but be quick in spirit, as the Lord's servants;
12 Being glad in hope, quiet in trouble, at all times given to prayer,
Prayer is talking to the Father and the Son with whom we have relationships. If you don't talk to your wife, you will eventually see the cracks in the relationship open wide. Think of that bride relationship we have with Jesus and get the message. Talk to your first love.
13 Giving to the needs of the saints, ready to take people into your houses.
Jamieson, Fausset Brown:
13. given to hospitality--that is, the entertainment of strangers. In times of persecution, and before the general institution of houses of entertainment, the importance of this precept would be at once felt. In the East, where such houses are still rare, this duty is regarded as of the most sacred character [HODGE].
Again see Bridges above.
14 Give blessing and not curses to those who are cruel to you.
THIS is the one that the Spirit definitely enables.
From All About God: http://www.allaboutgod.com/forgiving-others.htm
Forgiving Others
Forgiving Others - Direction from God
Forgiving others may seem to be a choice, and in one sense it is a choice, but God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has given us specific direction in numerous Scriptures, all of which can be summed up in just one word -- forgive! God's Word says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25). "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).
God is saying that it is in our own best interest to forgive! He is not talking about what is in the best interest of the person who needs to be forgiven. We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other person. A spirit of unforgiveness complicates and compromises our daily walk with God. Forgiving others releases us from anger and allows us to receive the healing we need. The whole reason God has given us specific direction is because He does not want anything to stand between us and Him. God's love for us is beyond our comprehension. Forgiving others spares us from the consequences of living out of an unforgiving heart.
Forgiving others does not carry with it a single decision that we need to ponder. God has not qualified one sin as being more grievous to Him than another and He has not qualified one sin committed against us as warranting forgiveness and another not. For example, God is not saying, "If a person lies to you or steals from you, you should forgive him, but if they abuse you or harm your child, you can hold them in unforgiveness." He is saying to forgive everyone, always, and do it immediately.
Forgiving others may seem to be a choice, and in one sense it is a choice, but God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has given us specific direction in numerous Scriptures, all of which can be summed up in just one word -- forgive! God's Word says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25). "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).
God is saying that it is in our own best interest to forgive! He is not talking about what is in the best interest of the person who needs to be forgiven. We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other person. A spirit of unforgiveness complicates and compromises our daily walk with God. Forgiving others releases us from anger and allows us to receive the healing we need. The whole reason God has given us specific direction is because He does not want anything to stand between us and Him. God's love for us is beyond our comprehension. Forgiving others spares us from the consequences of living out of an unforgiving heart.
Forgiving others does not carry with it a single decision that we need to ponder. God has not qualified one sin as being more grievous to Him than another and He has not qualified one sin committed against us as warranting forgiveness and another not. For example, God is not saying, "If a person lies to you or steals from you, you should forgive him, but if they abuse you or harm your child, you can hold them in unforgiveness." He is saying to forgive everyone, always, and do it immediately.
Forgiving Others - A Personal Story
Forgiving others often takes time. Amy was no longer living with her alcoholic and abusive husband Tim, but she had not been able to forgive him for the 32 years of abuse that she had experienced. She knew she should forgive him, but she could not bring herself to do it. She did not feel he deserved her forgiveness. This went on for several years until one day in a counseling session with Amy, I asked her to listen with her heart and be open to anything the Lord might say to her. During that quiet time, the Lord helped Amy see that He loved Tim, while disapproving of Tim's actions. The Lord made it clear to Amy that the abuse was not her fault. As she looked up from her quiet posture, she related how all of the reasons why she should not forgive were no longer valid. I asked if she was ready to forgive and she said yes.
Amy's recognition that the Lord truly loved Tim, while disapproving his actions, caused her to have a change of heart. When she made the choice to forgive Tim, the feelings that had been compromising her life-anger, resentment, fear, misunderstanding, and confusion-left her heart. Forgiving Tim brought peace to Amy's heart.
Forgiving others often takes time. Amy was no longer living with her alcoholic and abusive husband Tim, but she had not been able to forgive him for the 32 years of abuse that she had experienced. She knew she should forgive him, but she could not bring herself to do it. She did not feel he deserved her forgiveness. This went on for several years until one day in a counseling session with Amy, I asked her to listen with her heart and be open to anything the Lord might say to her. During that quiet time, the Lord helped Amy see that He loved Tim, while disapproving of Tim's actions. The Lord made it clear to Amy that the abuse was not her fault. As she looked up from her quiet posture, she related how all of the reasons why she should not forgive were no longer valid. I asked if she was ready to forgive and she said yes.
Amy's recognition that the Lord truly loved Tim, while disapproving his actions, caused her to have a change of heart. When she made the choice to forgive Tim, the feelings that had been compromising her life-anger, resentment, fear, misunderstanding, and confusion-left her heart. Forgiving Tim brought peace to Amy's heart.
Forgiving Others - The Divine Example
We have a divine example for forgiving others! God knew that man needed forgiveness, so He sent His Son Jesus to deliver all of mankind from the eternal consequences of their sins (1 John 4:9-10). Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Jesus not only had the power to forgive, but to grant us the ability to forgive others just as we have been forgiven.
We have a divine example for forgiving others! God knew that man needed forgiveness, so He sent His Son Jesus to deliver all of mankind from the eternal consequences of their sins (1 John 4:9-10). Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Jesus not only had the power to forgive, but to grant us the ability to forgive others just as we have been forgiven.
Forgiving Others - Personal Action
Forgiving others often starts as a decision of surrender-an act of our will. This surrender invites God to begin working in our lives in a deeper level, allowing God to heal us. Just as with Amy, we can ask God to enlighten us with the understanding that we need to fully forgive from our hearts. We simply need to make the choice to be open to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Remember, forgiveness does not justify the deed or the person, it does not provide God's forgiveness for their actions, because only God can do that. While nothing can undo the past, we can do something about the condition of our own present and future. Forgiving others makes a way for our own healing to begin.
If you are willing to forgive, but you are unsure how, consider the prayer below:
Father God, I need your help and your insights. Today I have gained a better understanding of forgiving others and with your help, I fully forgive from my heart. Just as you have freely forgiven me, I forgive them. Father, I ask you to forgive me for hurting others out of my own hurt and to heal my relationships with others. I pray all of this in Jesus' precious name and by whom all forgiveness and healing was made possible. Thank you for loving me in ways I'll never comprehend. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Forgiving others often starts as a decision of surrender-an act of our will. This surrender invites God to begin working in our lives in a deeper level, allowing God to heal us. Just as with Amy, we can ask God to enlighten us with the understanding that we need to fully forgive from our hearts. We simply need to make the choice to be open to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Remember, forgiveness does not justify the deed or the person, it does not provide God's forgiveness for their actions, because only God can do that. While nothing can undo the past, we can do something about the condition of our own present and future. Forgiving others makes a way for our own healing to begin.
If you are willing to forgive, but you are unsure how, consider the prayer below:
Father God, I need your help and your insights. Today I have gained a better understanding of forgiving others and with your help, I fully forgive from my heart. Just as you have freely forgiven me, I forgive them. Father, I ask you to forgive me for hurting others out of my own hurt and to heal my relationships with others. I pray all of this in Jesus' precious name and by whom all forgiveness and healing was made possible. Thank you for loving me in ways I'll never comprehend. In Jesus' name, Amen.
15 Take part in the joy of those who are glad, and in the grief of those who are sorrowing.
Empathy. Jesus took our sins on himself. When there was suffering, he felt that suffering and took it away with healing and with kind words or precise words as with the woman at the well
16 Be in harmony with one another. Do not have a high opinion of yourselves, but be in agreement with common people. Do not give yourselves an air of wisdom.
Matthew Poole;
Ver. 16. Be of the same mind one toward another: this exhortation respects not so much unity in judgment, as in affection: q. d. Bear the same good respect to others, as others bear to thee; let there be a mutual agreement in your desires and good wishes one for another: see Ro 15:5; Php 2:2; 1Pe 3:8.
Mind not high things; i.e. things above your capacities and callings. Take heed of ambitious aspirings: remember what David said (one every way above you) in Ps 131:1.
Condescend to men of low estate: the word low only is in the Greek; the other words are put in by our translators: and it may be referred, either to things, and so it answers to high things, in the foregoing clause; or it may be referred to persons, according to our translation; and then the sense is, that we should not despise our poor brethren, but stoop to the lowest offices of Christian kindness.
Be not wise in your own conceits; this seems to be taken from Pr 3:7: see Ro 12:3.
17 Do not give evil for evil to any man. Let all your business be well ordered in the eyes of all men.
18 As far as it is possible for you be at peace with all men.
https://www.gotquestions.org/friendships-unbelievers.html
Answer: As Christians, we have to constantly face temptations and the attacks of the world around us. Everything we see, read, do, hear, put in our bodies, etc., affects us somehow. That's why, to maintain a close relationship with God, we have to put aside our old ways of doing things—the things we watch on TV, old bad habits (excessive drinking, smoking, etc.), the activities we participate in, and the people we spend our time with. People are divided into only two categories, those who belong to the world and its ruler, Satan, and those who belong to God (Acts 26:18). These two groups of people are described in terms of opposites all through the Bible; e.g., those in darkness/those in the light; those with eternal life/those with eternal death; those who have peace with God/those who are at war with Him; those who believe the truth/those who believe the lies; those on the narrow path to salvation/those on the broad road to destruction, and many more. Clearly, the message of Scripture is that believers are completely different from nonbelievers, and it is from this perspective that we must discern what kind of friendships we can really have with unbelievers.
The book of Proverbs has a few wise verses on believers befriending non-believers: "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (12:26). We should stay away from foolish people (13:20, 14:7), from people who lose their temper easily (22:24), and from the rebellious (24:21). All these things represent those who have not been saved. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). First Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company corrupts good character. Unbelievers are slaves to sin (John 8:34), and Christians are slaves to God (1 Corinthians 7:22). If we become deeply involved (either by friendship or a romantic relationship) with non-Christians, we are setting ourselves up for turmoil. It can (and does often) cause the Christian to stumble in his walk, fall back into a sinful life, and also turn others away from God (by misrepresenting God and Christianity). Another detrimental effect of closeness with unbelievers is our tendency to water down the truths of Scripture so as to not offend them. There are difficult truths in the Word of God, truths such as judgment and hell. When we minimize or ignore these doctrines or try to “soft pedal” them, in essence we are calling God a liar for the sake of those already in the grasp of Satan. This is not evangelism.
Although these close relationships are not recommended, it does not mean we turn our noses up and ignore unbelievers, either. Second Timothy 2:24-26 tells us that as servants of the Lord, we are to be kind to and not quarrel with anyone. We should gently teach those who oppose the truth, and be patient with difficult people. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father.” We should serve unbelievers so that they may see God through us and turn to Him in praise. James 5:16 says that there is great power in the prayer of a righteous person, so bring your concerns for unbelievers before God, and He will listen.
Many people have been saved because of the prayers and service of Christians, so don't turn your back on unbelievers, but having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can quickly and easily turn into something that is a hindrance to your walk with Christ. We are called to evangelize the lost, not be intimate with them. There is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers – but the primary focus of such a relationship should be to win them to Christ by sharing the Gospel with them and demonstrating God’s saving power in our own lives.
19 Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
20 But if one who has hate for you is in need of food or of drink, give it to him, for in so doing you will put coals of fire on his head.
Now keep in mind that the "coals" thing has to do with his own conscience rising to scald him, not like you should do it to make him burn. The act will stir him toward salvation.
https://www.gotquestions.org/friendship-evangelism.html
friendship evangelism Question: "What is friendship evangelism?"
Answer: Friendship evangelism as a method of bringing people to Christ or sharing the gospel of Christ has several meanings and connotations. Some people believe that friendship evangelism requires Christians to become friends with unbelievers, establishing a relationship before attempting to address their need for a Savior. Some see friendship evangelism as living a solid, righteous life—a living testimony—before others so that they desire that kind of life and ask how to achieve it. At that point, the gospel is shared. Still others believe that living a righteous life in the world is evangelism enough and that no further efforts are necessary. The theory is that unbelievers will be so convicted of their need for that kind of life that they will seek God on their own. What does the Bible say about friendship evangelism?
Each of the three above-named methods of friendship evangelism falls short of the biblical method of evangelism. The first method, becoming friends with unbelievers in order to gain enough credibility so they will listen to the gospel, fails to recognize several important biblical truths. For one thing, believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14–17). The essence of friendship is mutual respect and affection based on agreement on basic life principles. But can a believer really have such a relationship with an unbeliever? In light of James 4:4 and Ephesians 5:11, such a relationship is not biblical. The unsaved person is part of the world, which hates God and the people of God. How can such a person have affection and respect for believers, who are part of the kingdom of God? Are we to be friendly towards unbelievers? Absolutely! Are we to have intimate relationships with unbelievers? Biblically speaking, no.
Furthermore, neither Jesus nor the disciples practiced this type of friendship evangelism. Jesus didn’t limit His gospel presentations to His friends and relations. He preached to complete strangers the message of repentance from sin and salvation through Him. He sent His disciples out two by two, and they “preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). If people refused to listen to them, Jesus instructed them to “shake the dust” off their feet and move on to the next town. He never encouraged them to settle down for a few months and develop friendships with those who rejected His message. Nor did He tell them to avoid quoting Scriptures so that their hearers wouldn’t be offended or turned off to the gospel. He knew that the “message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18) and that most people will reject that message, no matter how friendly the manner in which it is presented. Christ was rejected by the world, and He told us to expect the same reaction (John 15:18–20).
What about the method of “evangelizing” through our living testimony? There is no doubt that we are to live righteous lives before the watching world, and there certainly is power in the testimony of a life transformed by Christ. A classic example of this is Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–42). Jesus was able to tell her everything about her life, including the sin she was living in now. Jesus, in His infallible way, gave her the gospel, and, of course, she believed. John 4:39 picks up the story: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers” (John 4:39–41).
Everyone in that town knew this woman and the sordid life she lived. What caused them to believe in Christ was not only her words about Jesus, but her transformed life. She was a living testimony to the power of the gospel of Christ. So impactful was the change in her life that they knew something miraculous had happened, and they asked Jesus to remain with them, which He did for two days, preaching the same gospel of repentance and the offer of the living water of eternal life through Him. “And many more believed because of his word” (John 4:41). In this instance, both the preaching of the Word of God and the testimony of a life changed by that Word bore the fruit of repentance.
But was the woman’s changed life sufficient to bring others to the Savior? No, but it was the impetus for them to seek more information. Can we today expect that our lives will be sufficient testimony to convince unbelievers of their need for Christ? The problem that arises in this third type of friendship evangelism is that too often the lives of Christians are not a good witness of the Lord and Savior we profess to know and serve. Too often the world sees in us more of a reflection of them than a reflection of Christ. To rely exclusively on the “living testimony” of redeemed sinners who, while saved by grace, still battle the flesh on a daily basis—without the testimony of the truth of Scripture—is to handcuff ourselves in a way the Bible never bids us to do. Not even the most well-lived life can compare with the power of the Word of God. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).
Clearly, the biblical method of evangelism is the faithful proclamation of the truth of Scripture in conjunction with the living testimony of those who have been changed by that truth. When Jesus went about teaching the gospel message of salvation, He taught love and forgiveness, being kind and compassionate. But He went to sinners in order to convict them of their sins. A case in point is the very Samaritan woman we’ve been talking about here. Remember . . . the very first word Jesus said when He began His ministry was “Repent!” “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’” (Matthew 4:17). We are commissioned to bring that same message to the world, speaking the truth in love from a heart changed by the Savior.
21 Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil by good.
And that last exhortation sums up what all that the Apostles have said and what I've been repeating all along. I'll repeat it and leave you to consider it, to ponder the weapons, the gifts, the seductions of the flesh even in the church and the fact of our being in relationships with EVERYONE,
https://www.wycliffe.org/
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