Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661
Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org
OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”
Nobleton Community Church
Date August 11, 2024
Text TEXT: I Corinthians 12:27-31; 14:1-4
Pastor Paul Lehmann
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that God gives spiritual gifts to the church for the common good of the saints (1 Corinthians 12:7) and to empower her mission to evangelize the world (Luke 24:48–49; Acts 4:29–31; 1 Corinthians 14:24–25).
The most familiar lists of these gifts are in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. But the Corinthians list includes the most controversial gifts of the Spirit: healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues and their interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:9–10). On the back of your bulletin you have the list of the 9
Manifestation gifts and their function. And it’s in the context of teaching on these gifts — particularly the two most controversial gifts, prophecy and tongues — that Paul twice tells us to “earnestly desire” them, adding, “especially that [we] may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1). He leaves us no room to wiggle out of pursuing uncomfortable gifts.
I know that some wonderful, sincere Christians believe that these most controversial gifts did not extend beyond the closing of the New Testament canon. I am not here going to argue for the gifts’ continuation, even though I believe wholeheartedly that they do continue. Some resources list the “prooftexts” that are used to support ceased activity. I assume what the Holy Spirit-inspired New Testament authors assumed: The spiritual gifts would function in healthy, Holy Spirit-empowered churches until Jesus returns (1 Corinthians 13:9–12).
The questions I want to address are:
why should we desire these gifts and how should we pursue them?
Because the Bible Commands Us To
The most fundamental reason we should desire these gifts is that the Bible commands us to: “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.” Paul says this in the same sentence he says, “pursue love” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Both are Holy Spirit-inspired imperatives.
No one disputes that we should continue to love one another. There is no command that is clearer in the New Testament (John 15:12). But neither would anyone dispute that loving one another is very hard. Love may not be controversial in the church, but its demands are very intimidating and it is often manipulated and abused.
Likewise the spiritual gifts are intimidating, some even strange, and all of them can too be manipulated and abused. All spiritual gifts are potentially dangerous, even the less controversial ones (think of the damage done by false teachers and deceptive administrators).
In a sense, handling spiritual gifts is like handling dynamite — dynamis is the Greek word for “power” often used when referring to the Holy Spirit. When used rightly the gifts are explosively loving. When used wrongly they are explosively destructive. It’s tempting not to use them at all.
The early Christians also felt this way after damaging experiences. That’s why Paul had to say things like, “do not forbid speaking in tongues,” “do not quench the Spirit,” and “do not despise prophecies” (1 Corinthians 14:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:19–20). It was tempting to not use these messy gifts.
But in commanding us to pursue love and to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, the Bible commands us to handle dangerous things. And they are commands. Neither were options in Paul’s mind and they should not be in ours either. God has purposes for these gifts that make them more than worth the danger.
Because Spiritual Gifts Are Given to Help Us Love One Another
Pursuing love and desiring spiritual gifts are not disconnected. These gifts are given to the church to help us love one another. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that each Christian is a unique member of Christ’s body and therefore each has a unique function and receives unique gifts that benefits the “common good” of the body (1 Corinthians 12:7, 12, 29–30).
The Spirit doesn’t give us gifts in order that each of us gets our self-important moment in the spotlight. He gives us gifts so that for the greater glory of Christ we are able to pursue love through serving one another. This way no one is to think that he is not needed or that he doesn’t need anyone else (1 Corinthians 12:15, 21). The more honorable members have no place to boast and the less honorable members have no place for shame (1 Corinthians 12:22–26).
Love is the aim of the spiritual gifts. It is possible to possess and exercise impressive spiritual gifts without love. If we do, we are “nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).
But it’s also true that if we neglect any particular spiritual gift, if we don’t earnestly desire and pursue them, we will neglect some aspect of love and so fail to glorify Christ. Some kind of edification will not happen. We need the Spirit’s empowerment to strengthen the saints and see unsaved people “delivered . . . from the domain of darkness and transferred . . . to the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).
We are to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 and
14 as a means to pursue the love Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13.
What Does Earnestly Desiring Spiritual Gifts Look like.?
Earnestly desiring the spiritual gifts looks like desiring them.
For the most part, the Bible is not a how-to manual. It holds out treasure to us and bids us to seek it out (Proverbs 2:4–5). Desire is the test, for desire fuels the quest. That is a key to understanding much in the Bible.
What do you do when you really want something? You don’t wait around for someone to deliver it nicely packaged, fully assembled, and ready-to-use. You go looking for it. You start asking questions of knowledgeable people. You read and watch and listen to a lot of information. You ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). If you really, really want it, you consider it worth the hard work of figuring things out and working till you get it.
That’s what earnestly desiring spiritual gifts looks like. But here are a few things for starters:
Begin with the Bible. Soak in 1 Corinthians 12–14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. Read the book of Acts over and over until it ruins you for your worldly comfort and pursuits and fuels your desire to experience the reality of the kingdom you read there.
Pray. If you’re tired of anything less than knowing the fullness of the Spirit and seeing the kingdom of God advance, —-your discontent and desperation will drive you to pray the kind of prayers the Lord loves to answer.
Consume Sound Teaching and Testimonies. These will fuel your desire as well as increase your knowledge.
Meet a Need. The spiritual gifts are not fireworks for our oohs and aahs. They are mainly given as means to extend love and the grace of God to others. Taking steps for the sake of Christ to love others whose needs extend beyond our capacities puts us (and them) squarely in the path of God’s grace. When we’ve asked God to help us walk on water, we must then get out of the boat.
Now let’s consider two of the Charismatic or Manifestation Gifts that are listed on the back of your bulletin, and which are projected this morning.
The Apostle Paul includes in his list of Spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12:
MIRACULOUS POWERS AND FAITH Then in verse 28 we read; “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, (missionaries – sent ones- those who plant churches) *second prophets, third teachers then WORKERS OF MIRACLES. (Acts 12:1-17) Peter’s miraculous escape from prison.
We see miracles first in the Old Testament. God did miracles through Elijah (I Kings 17). He multiplied the flour and kept the oil from running out, then when the widow’s son died, God raised him from the dead through Elijah. God did miracles with the weather. No rain for 3 ½ years, then he prayed and it rained .
God still does this today. He holds back rain after prayer so that the Gospel can be preached. He did this time after time in The Congo It seems that our daughter Karen has faith when it come to praying it won’t rain. This is ironic because she enjoys sitting and watching a nice slow soaking rain. However probably the first time she prayed that it wouldn’t rain was on her wedding day. They were going to have some pictures taken outside. Rain was predicted, and the storm clouds began to form. She prayed that it would rain, and the black clouds went away and the sun came out. Then here in Florida, when our grandson (Eric’s youngest Ryder) was celebrating his 5th birthday outside by a swimming pool. Once again we saw the black clouds gathering and threatening rain, like it seems to do every afternoon in august, and even lighting. Well she prayer again that it wouldn’t rain. The clouds went away and the sun came out with no interruption to our little party.
Karen and I played tennis together a few years ago against a couple of men from my son’s church. One of the men couldn’t come, so she was my partner. We no sooner got to the courts and the black clouds came. Then It began to sprinkle. She prayed Lord please make the rain stop so we can play some tennis this evening. It continued to rain a little bit more, so I prayed too and reminded God of Karen’s prayer. After a couple of minutes, the rain stopped., the sun came out, and we had a great time.
Now some would say that these were all just coincidences, but it has happened so much for us that I believe that God intervened with the weather just as much today as he did when he calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee. I have read commentators who insist that there is no where in the New Testament that God gives us authority over the weather. —-Hold it! Not true. When Jesus was asleep in the boat and was awakened by the disciples because of the storm, his first words to his disciples after he calmed the storm in Luke 8:25 (this miracle is in 3 of the Gospels) —“Where is your FAITH?” Now if we aren’t supposed to be able to calm storms—-He would never have said that.
FAITH is another gift mentioned in this list of 9. It isn’t saving faith that we must have to trust Jesus as our only Savior. Or even faith to believe that he will supply our needs our protect us, but rather a special faith that believes God is going to do a specific thing at a specific time. Like George Muller who having nothing in the house to eat for the orphans he cared for, and while he was praying at the table and thanking the Lord for the food that isn’t there —yet—and then a knock at the door reveals someone who says they had prepared too much food and thought they could use it. That’s the kind of special miracle faith we are talking about.
Then there are miracles through ANGELS. I know that some of you have experienced this. Either through someone who just showed up at the right time, or even an angel in human form that helped you, and then they disappeared. There are two extremely special events I want to share with you again. You may recall the account of Stan and Connie Hotalen who served with us in the Congo. Their daughter Kristen who was about 4 years old at the time, was playing in the ront yard, but had bent down by the back car wheel to get a ball when her dad started to back up, not knowing she was there. The car knocked her down and it ran over her head. When she got up she asked her dad; “ Daddy who was that big man that lifted up the car?” The tire marks were ingrained for a brief time on her head. There was absolutely no brain damage, no retardation in any function of her brain. She is a perfectly healthy woman today. We saw her a few years ago when we drove up to Toccoa Falls GA to visit.
Angels protected a missionary home in the interior of the Congo, during the uprising after independence. A band of rebel soldiers had intended to steal a vehicle and supplies from the house and rape the women, but stopped suddenly. Some years later these missionaries saw one of the young men that was part of the Rebels that were there that night. The missionary asked him, why they all left that night instead of attacking them. The man said, that was our intention but when we saw the huge guards that surrounded your house we were about 8 feet tall holding flaming swords. When the missionary went back to the States on furlough and told this story, a man in the congregation said that on the night he was talking about was a Saturday and about 2:00pm E.S.T. 8:00 Congo time a group of 50 of us men felt led to have a prayer meeting for your protection because we heard about some of the things that were happening in the Congo. Were they transported in the Spirit there? Did the Congolese soldiers see angels symbolically, one for each of the men praying? Whatever happened in the Spirit world, it was a MIRACLE.
It was reminiscent of the account in the Old Testament when the Israelites went to battle. Elisha followed Elijah, and the mantle of God’s prophet was upon him and he received a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah. When King Aram attacked Israel with an army of horses and chariots, Elisha was not afraid. His servant reported that they were surrounded by this army. Elisha told his servant “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.: Then Elisha prayed. “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see. The Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (II Kings 6: 16:17)
My account of about 20 young Congolese who rescued Ron Julian and me from drowning. They disappeared within about 10 seconds. This happened with the time change when my mother was awakened to “pray for me”
If we are in the habit of praying for people whom the Lord lays on our hearts, He knows He can trust us to pray for someone in a Chrises. That’s when Miracles will happen.