SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN COMMUNITY LIFE - PART 4

A PASTORAL LETTER

Dear family,

Well, at last we had a message on Sunday that ended with a ‘period’, not a comma! I covered a lot of ground and you will have to download it if you want the main content. For the purpose of this letter I want to focus on my closing comments which were a bit compressed and rushed for clock reasons. Thank you for listening so well and attentively … and patiently.

Someone who was really listening to my message two Sundays ago picked up on something I said and spoke to me about it afterwards. I had said that the work of the Holy Spirit is a necessity to create the unity needed out of such diversity (racial, cultural, political, educational, spiritual, denominational etc.), and that we are invited to recognize and relish the differences among us that Christ then reconciles and puts to work together. The work of reconciliation is a work of the Holy Spirit and one of the ways that reconciliation is experienced and then expressed is in the unity that Paul talks about that is fostered by the healthy function of spiritual gifts, that have three constituent elements: diversity of gifting among each other; equality of concern and honor for each other; mutuality of need of and for each other. The person in question who spoke to me was one of my close African-American sisters and we just had the best conversation rejoicing in the reconciling power of the Spirit in a community committed to the manifestations of “the same Spirit”!

Every major gift list I referenced, comments about two things: about love, and about unity in diversity.
•Romans 12: 5 precedes the list of giftings: “in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others” This rules out ethnocentric independence and individualism but preserves legitimate differences and diversity. Verse 9 concludes the list: “Love must be sincere … Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”
•1 Corinthians 12:12 immediately follows gifts list: “though all its parts are many, they form one body … for we all are baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jew or Greek, slave or free” The follow-up about love is a whole chapter: “If I have the gift of tongues … If I have the gift of prophecy … if I have a faith that can move mountains … if I give all I possess … but have not love … Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts” (14:1)
•Ephesians 4:4 “There is one Body and one Spirit …” This is concluded in vs. 13, 15-16: “speaking the truth in love … the whole body … grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

But my concluding thought was about tongues in particular and a point seldom mentioned: that I believe that there is an inviolable relationship between tongues and racial reconciliation, and that when we exegete what kind of “sign” this gift is, we conclude from the text that it signed the fulfillment of Jesus’ commission of the disciples to bear the gospel to all the nations, beginning with their immediate world of nations bordering the Mediterranean, including Africans, Arabs, Greeks, Jews, Asians, and present-day Europeans. They all heard “the wonders of God in our own tongues” (Acts 2:5-12). Tongues was a sign that not only witnessed to God’s redeeming work for all nations, but was itself the means of communication of that witness to the gospel.

In every incident when tongues are imparted (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6) it is in a multi-racial context, one of cultural and national diversity. God is no respecter of nationality and has no divine toleration for racial superiority and ensuing racism. The gift of tongues is different for everyone. Racial prejudice was the barrier to the Gentiles getting the gospel from the Jews. If there were February 20, 2019 any doubts, Acts 10 settles the matter. It took the vision of the sheet with unclean animals to break the bondage in Peter and prepare him to go to Cornelius’ house. The sheer supernaturalism of this chapter, both through divine vision and voice to Peter, and angelic visitation to Cornelius, tells us that God is absolutely concerned that nobody misses the point, and that He will spare nothing in order for this truth about reconciliation to be relayed and received. It took supernaturalism to break the bondages, manifested in the gift of tongues to Gentiles. The peace of biblical reconciliation is not brokered culturally but supernaturally.

Listen to the text: “The circumcised believers (not just Jewish believers – it is emphasizing the particular badge of Jewry that is circumcision!) who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even (the prejudiced Jews were surprised and could hardly disguise their deeply rooted superior patronizing attitudes of heart) on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” (Acts 10:45-46) What was the conclusion to be drawn from the manifestation of tongues to the Gentiles? The same that Peter drew from the sheet that was dropped on his head. The text tells us: “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation” (10:34) To think or live differently is not just to be ungodly, but to oppose God’s love and His will and purposes, and to oppose the work of the Holy Spirit. From now on in Acts, the address of the gospel is consistently to “men of Israel and you Gentiles” (13:16); “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks” (20:21). If you take racial reconciliation seriously, you will take speaking in tongues seriously, as this gift will be a constant reminder as you employ it in your daily life, that your racial identity is a gift of God but insufficient for your redeemed identity in Christ, and the fact that you need to speak another language to enhance your intimacy with God, will remind you that God is the God of all tribes and nations, and they have something you need! Everyone committed to God’s reconciling purposes when it comes to race, needs to appreciate (and hopefully receive and practice) the gift of tongues as the sign of those purposes. Does that give you yet another timely and relevant reason to desire this gift?

Without spiritual gifts we can neither mature individually or corporately. Ephesians 4:12, following the list of ministry giftings, speaks to corporate growth and maturity: “to prepare God’s people” whilst v13 speaks to personal growth: “until we all … become mature”. If biblical reconciliation is a non-negotiable gospel truth and provision and thus a non-negotiable community value, then we will equally need a personal work of the Holy Spirit as well as a corporate one. The two are always and related. We will covet earnestly spiritual gifts as a manifestation of the reconciling purposes of God among those who are different, equal and in creational mutual need of each other always.

You will embrace speaking in tongues – a sort of circumcised tongue that manifests a circumcised heart that is having all its irreconciliation and prejudice and racial superiority excised by the Holy Spirit. Every day that you use the gift you will be unable to say that your way of thinking and speaking, or your way of living according to your language group, is the definition of your identity. Tongues reminds us that the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation, in our identity in Christ, trumps our natural and national identity, which does not have the final superior word on anything. And we cannot even get superior about our ‘tongue’ because we don’t even know what language it is! Our assurance about who we are is in the gifts of God, not in the generational, racial or national histories of men. So here’s to spiritual gifts in general, and to tongues in particular! All those in favor say ‘yes’ in whatever language you wish. As a Scot, my answer is “Aye!

Pastorally yours,
Stuart

PS: ASK! Ask the Holy Spirit what your gifts are – He gave them (Discover). Ask the Holy Spirit for gifts (Desire). Ask others how they perceive your gifts (Discern together).

Sermon Slides

SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN COMMUNITY LIFE - PART 3

1 Corinthians 12:7

‘‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” As we break this verse down we discover 3 important points that inform us about the purpose of the gifts...

A PASTORAL LETTER

Dear family,

Before church on every second Sunday of the month morning at 8:30a.m. we meet to focus our prayer on Next Generation and in particular the children and youth (123 of them!) who are part of our church community. We also pray for the 50 adults who help in one way or another in the Christian Education and Youth ministries as teachers and aides and pastoral support. Please continue to pray for, bless and encourage Chantal and Khari and Greta, and Monique and the Youth Team, as they pastor and nurture the next generation. But we need more than 5% of the body showing up to pray! There’s prayer every Sunday morning and you have no idea what you’re missing, but those there know they’re missing you. See you there … please? Thank you!

On Sunday I brought a third message on foundations for spiritual gifts. Thank you for your attention and responses. I’m so encouraged by feedback from home-groups. Obviously, I covered too much to fit in this letter but let’s reiterate the last few minutes worth by reaffirming the truths of Paul’s last verse of introduction (1 Corinthians 12:7) “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” As we break this verse down we discover 3 important points that inform us about the purpose of the gifts:

1. REVEALING GOD’S PRESENCE
• The mention of “manifestation” gives the clue. It literally means “shining forth, making something known”. The invisible becomes visible. It also carries the idea of something being carried to the mind and the senses that is unmistakable.
• The idea is that just as a flashlight lights up at appropriate moments because there are batteries within, we can manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit because of the Spirit within. “We do not become the depository or reservoir of omnipotence. We become the yielded channels through which omnipotence manifests itself to meet any emergency of life or ministry.” (McAlister)
• An important associated idea in the word “manifestation” is that of nearness. Gifts are the evidence of God’s nearness, His presence. So it’s not just a matter of power but a matter of presence. God is “on the scene”. Gifts reveal the presence of God.

2. REQUIRING MEMBERS’ PARTICIPATION
• “all of them in all men … to each one is given … to one … to another … When you come together everyone has …” (12:6,7,8,9; 14:26) The point here is not to put down public leadership but to lift up all members to a place of engaged ministry. You cannot miss the emphasis in these passages: each one, everyone, all. It is inclusive not exclusive. “Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” (12:27) The verb form “is given” is present tense. The idea is that the manifestations are for particular immediate circumstances and times and make sense. This raises the anticipation level, and the expectation of members.
• Do you still think that the “each one” cannot/ does not include you? I’m not … I could never…. (Fill in the blanks.) Remember dear-heart, while we were an enemy Christ loved us and chose us, and He continues to do so when we think we’re still not what we ought to be. Of course we’re aware of what is yet to be attained but don’t let that stop you enjoying what has already been obtained.
• Summary: any gift through any member, any time, anywhere.

3. RESULTING IN THE CHURCH’S PROFIT
• Finally, it is all “for the common good” Second to the glory of Jesus is the good of the church community. This message is consistently and repeatedly presented: for strengthening, encouraging and comfort, for instruction, for self-edification, for building up the church and blessing others.
• Chapter 13 about love is the key in the heart of it all. Our desire for the gifts becomes a yardstick for our love for others and our desire for their blessing. Openness to the Holy Spirit is not primarily for our well-being but for the good of another. Your understanding and experience of the gifts is not a private affair. They are going to be premised on your committed involvement and incorporation in the body of Christ. It is impossible to read these chapters (12-14) and not be convinced that spiritual gifts are a community experience not just an individual one. Familiarity with the gifts should increase with the deepening of familial bonds. The question, “Do I have the gifts?” has no meaning unless we also ask “Do I want to profit the body? Packed into the phrase “the common good” are two ideas: benefiting and bonding.

Let me conclude by saying again that Paul presents the gifts as something in the church not something just in the individual. They are not for private benefit. We are called to speak to the body not at it. Gifts are bestowed because you are an essential member of the body. If you become disconnected you become dangerous. In the body, our legitimate individuality is submitted. If it isn’t it will become an individualism that will be discordant and disruptive.

Next week we will take a helicopter ride over the 9 manifestation gifts. Meanwhile I hope you have gleaned something from this introduction that makes the whole subject matter desirable and achievable, and if you forget everything else, that: they are for blessing the Lord Jesus Christ; they are for blessing people with the ministry of Jesus Christ and they are for building the church of Jesus Christ

This should all be very liberating for us. We’re in it together. Gifts are an inextricable expression of our worship and become absolutely necessary for our work. They are not:
• TOYS: for charismatics to play with and feel good about themselves
• TRINKETS: cosmetics to make us look good and feel more superior and spiritual but they are:
• TOOLS: for building the body and blessing Jesus.

So, as I blessed you at the end of the service:
• Stir up the gift that is in you
• Do not neglect the gift that is in you
• Covet earnestly the spiritual gifts

And in the words of 2 Timothy 1:6, “fan into flame the gift of God which is in YOU”!

Your greatest fan,
Stuart

SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN COMMUNITY LIFE - PART 2

Calvin writes: “People are guilty of quenching the Spirit when instead of fanning the flames of their spiritual life more and more as they should, they make God’s gifts void through neglect.”

A PASTORAL LETTER

Dearest family,

On Sunday for D-Day I did the second of an intended four messages under the general title ‘Towards a theology of spiritual gifts’ with the focus very much on the relation and function of spiritual gifts to community life. If you are a member of the COSC community and have missed either of the last two messages then I would strongly encourage you to listen to them in order to be part of the “everyone” that Paul has on his mind when addressing this subject to the Corinthians.

There’s always a challenge in making room for the Spirit for all the reasons I suggested. (CONTROL, CULTURE, CONFORMITY, CONSENSUS, COMPROMISE, CONCERNS, CRITICISM, CONFUSION, CASUALNESS, CARELESSNESS) The things that make for room do not come naturally: letting go, relinquishing control, walking by faith, being filled with the Spirit. Of course, this does not pre-empt the need for three things: godly order, sensitive pastoral leadership, AND congregational discipline. In 1 Corinthians 14, please note Paul’s concerns:

• for intelligibility and meaning (tongues vs. prophecy) The goal is “that everyone may be instructed and encouraged” Zeal and enthusiasm can ride over these concerns and quench the Spirit as easily as neglect and laziness.

• for order: 14:26 ff “one at a time … keep quiet … in turn … spirits of the prophets subject to the prophets” v40 “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” The practice of spiritual gifts assumes the preservation of godly order. Paul’s desire is for diversity in unity, freedom in order, creed in charismata.

• for discernment: 1 Corinthians 14:29 says “weigh carefully what is said.” Paul’s heart in all this was to preserve liberty through faithfulness, and prevent license through falsehood. He was absolutely passionately committed to gifts that “build up the church” (14:12) Godly testing, evaluating, discerning, proving – helps preserve the Spirit’s fire. It is not a wet blanket as it is often perceived. We’re not primarily judges but encouragers of the gifts. Testing is not for the purpose of limiting but loosing; for instruction not correction; for excellence not exclusion; for love not legalism; for building up not pulling down.

There is a godly balance between testing and trusting in a Christian community. Of course, there will always be folks who avoid or evade the community context and treat the gifts as a personal matter and an individual possession. They often claim a right to express based on their own view of themselves and their gifting. A failure to receive them equals rejecting the Lord. This is dangerous ground. That is to fail completely to discern the gifts: their very nature and purpose. That route, that appears to be passionate for the gifts, will be as divisive as the one that seeks to suppress them, and thus divides the body, by separating the community member from the gift and most importantly, the gift-giver.

To test and trust we need: pastoral leaders who are open and sensitive to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and who trust congregational giftings, congregants who trust the leadership’s discernment, and leaders and congregations who commit together to mature in the manifestations and testing of the gifts of the Spirit. This is not a threatening exercise or a mysterious process. I suggested some tests that need to be applied that are rooted in scripture.

1. THE TESTS OF FAITHFULNESS
a. To the person of Jesus: Who’s in charge? Who gets the glory? Jesus Himself said that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth and glorify Him (John 16:13-14) “Test the spirits … this is how … every Spirit that recognizes that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:1-3) This is very particular when it comes to prophecy, as Jesus Himself is the Word – thus it must be consistent with His voice (His teaching) and His personhood (His character).
b. To the grace of the gospel: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” (Galatians 1:8) There must be no contradiction or variance with the truth of the gospel, the faith once delivered.
c. To the truth of scriptures: “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures” (Acts 17:11). We live in a culture of drive-thru sermons, and anecdotal preaching, where the scripture is often the illustration for the story rather than the other way round. If we don’t do the text, we won’t discern the trouble.

2. THE TESTS OF FRUITFULNESS
a. Character and conduct of the person: “Watch out for false prophets … by their fruits you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15) What we do is qualified by who we are. There are false motives: money, reputation and power (Balaam). There are distinctions between fruits and gifts: being and doing; required vs. desired; everyone to bear ALL the fruit but not necessarily exercise ALL the gifts; fruit at all times vs. specificity of gift manifestations.
b. Evidence of edification: “Everyone who prophesies speaks for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort … he who prophesies edifies the church.” (1 Cor. 14:3) Test of Ephesians 4:29- A for appropriate, B for beneficial, C for constructive
c. Submission to leaders and congregation: As Augustine put it, gifts only have meaning as they serve the community not the leader or the one ministering. Gifts are for the church and not an individual possession. The fruit of this Paul says (14:31) will be “order and peace”.

Can the Holy spirit be hindered or quenched in our public services? Yes. Who can be responsible? All of us, from a controlling or complacent leadership to a lazy, unparticipating, and unprepared congregation.

We do not want to quench the Spirit:
• for His sake – withstanding His affections and withholding ours
• for their sake – breaking fellowship, not building the body
• for our sake – withdrawal of His gracious influence in our lives
There are two basic ways to quench the fire:
• Do something: that extinguishes, smothers, diffuses, silences, stifles it
• Do nothing: ignore it, don’t engage it. “Where there is no fuel the fire goes out.” (Proverbs
26:20)

Usually with most of us it is not an either/or but a both/and. Calvin writes: “People are guilty of quenching the Spirit when instead of fanning the flames of their spiritual life more and more as they should, they make God’s gifts void through neglect.” It’s not “O dear I let the fire go out” but “O no I refused to feed it.” But of course we were feeding something – our pride and insecurities, our pleasures and preoccupations, our self-pity and our miseries, our vanities and our appetites. Feed the fire! DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT’S FIRE.

Pastorally yours,

Stuart

SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN COMMUNITY LIFE

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

Examining the manifestation and function of spiritual gifts in the public, corporate life of a community.

A PASTORAL LETTER

Dearest family,

On Sunday we began a conversation together about the manifestation and function of spiritual gifts in the public, corporate life of a community of faith like ours. How many of you found it easier to list the 9 fruits than the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit? If so, what is that telling us?

After commenting on the pre-existent attitudes and experiences that many people bring to supernatural gifts of the Spirit, I suggested that when all is said and done, there are two equal dangers that we might face.

1. An uncritical acceptance of anything that goes: Not all manifestations are equal or necessarily spiritual. They can be fleshly. To mean well is not necessarily to minister well. But we are not in the dark because there are specific scriptural tests that invite us to “prove all things and hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

2. An unspiritual response to the Giver, the Holy Spirit: There can be so much focus on the gifts that there is a failure to discern whose gifts they are. It is sad and bad when there is a failure to discern his personhood and we irreverently treat the Holy Spirit as if our domestic or spiritual valet, or we talk impersonally about the Spirit as if it is a quantifiable juice, essence, liquid, or vapor. Whenever we separate gift and giver the latter is always is always dishonored. Again, the Holy Spirit is a person – not an influence or atmospherics.
• Can be lied to (Peter to Ananias - “You have lied to the Holy Spirit!” Acts 5:3)
• Can be resisted (Stephen - “You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:51)
• Can be insulted (“How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished …
who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29)
• Can be grieved (“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” Ephesians 4:30)
• Can be quenched (“Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Thessalonians 5:19)

You cannot hurt a power, a principle, or a proposition but you can hurt a person. Those most familiar with charismatic renewal need to heed this as much as those who oppose the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There can be a hurt Spirit even where there are gifts manifested. There’s nothing worse than a proud gift user. Our counseling rooms are filled with hurt people – what about a grieved or quenched Spirit?

TWO SPECIFIC WARNINGS
1. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30) How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? Let me suggest some ways:
a. failure to recognize his person: what I have just been referring to – treating the Holy
Spirit as less than he is or as more than he is (ignoring or idolizing).
b. failure to remember his purpose: “sealed for the day of redemption” – not cooperating
with the work of the Holy Spirit which is to keep us, mature us, use us and prepare us for
what is yet to come
c. failure to realize his presence: insensitive to his workings, undiscerning of his
operations
d. failure to respect his purity: forgetting it’s the HOLY Spirit – hardening of sin and of
conscience
e. failure to respond to his promptings: avoiding conviction, disobeying his leading,
resisting his nudges
f. failure to receive his provision: The Spirit makes available to us all that Jesus has
received from the Father, including gifts and graces – given to enable and empower us to be
what Jesus wants us to be – and we then determine what we will and will not consider
relevant to us, applicable to us, desirable for us, needful for us?

2. “Do not quench the Spirit…” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Paul is responding to Timothy’s report of what issues the church was dealing with. The section in which this verse appears (vs12-22) is dealing with congregational issues: church leadership, church relationships and church worship and prayer, including the manifestation of spiritual gifts. Paul doesn’t just talk about what the Spirit does for us but what we can do to the Spirit. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire – do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Calvin is right though when he says “The warning not to quench the Spirit has a wider application than just despising prophecy.”

What we must not miss here is that the first thing the textual context demands that we address is not just a personal response to the Spirit but a corporate / community / congregational response. The reference to prophecy tells us as much. It is possible to quench the Spirit in our public services. This has nothing to do with whether the service is liturgical or non-liturgical, Episcopal or Pentecostal – they can both be equally rigid and controlled so there remains no room for the Spirit to be expressed through other than the leaders of the service. The fact is that everyone should have “a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation” (1 Corinthians 14:7).

I went on to mention some categories of factors that can be quenching in services: control, culture, consensus, conformity, concerns, criticism, confusion. I suggest you re-listen to the message to get the details, and if you were absent on Sunday, which many of you were, then because of the community implications, I urge you to catch up with the conversation and listen to what was shared.

Before we start talking about specific gifts, let’s make sure that our relationship with the Holy Spirit is in good standing, both personally and corporately, and that we are neither grieving or quenching his person or his work.

Immediately following the injunction not to quench the Spirit, Paul says, “Test everything.” (v21) The lack of spiritual testing fosters disorder and confusion, and even false teaching that leads to questionable behavior and practice, and soon, before you know it, anything goes. Confusion always follows the failure to discern flesh from Spirit, but also the immature from the mature. Testing will not quench what is genuine and will not attribute to the Spirit what is false or fleshly. This of course assumes those present who are trustworthy to so test and discern. So what tests are we talking about? Come Sunday and find out as we continue our chat about this, fueled by a desire for a healthy community life.

Pastorally yours,

Stuart

Prayer Focus -January 2019 - Addiction