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 4, 2024
Text TEXT: I Corinthians 13: 1-13
Pastor Paul Lehmann
In chapters 13 and 14, the Corinthians had gotten this aspect of church life just as wrong as they had gotten everything else … but Paul still gives them encouragement and hope that their church can learn to thrive in their spiritual lives — just like we, as a church and as individuals, want to thrive in our ministry to one another and to the world around us.
Most of you are aware that I Corinthians chapter 13 is the great love chapter of the Bible, or at least you have heard verses 4-7 of that chapter quoted at weddings at least : Verse 13– “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.”
Last week Pastor Wayne talked to us about the practical, motivational gifts in Romans 12 and we saw how LOVE is vital when exercising your gift. The Apostle Paul emphasizes in our text how important LOVE is when using supernatural manifestation gifts too. Two weeks ago we talked about I Cor. 12 where we saw there were 9 manifestation gifts. Some theologians and pastors talk about more than these 9 gifts, and that is possible, but as I see it from the separation of practical gifts given by the Spirit and the 9 gifts mentioned in verses 7-11 these are the ones that are the manifestation or “sign” gifts. Verse7: “Now to each on the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given” —–
1.A message (or Word) of wisdom, to another
2,a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit., to another
3 faith by the same Spirit, to another
- gifts of healing by that one Spirit,, (verse 10 continues) to another 5.miraculous powers, to another
6 prophecy, to another
- distinguishing between spirits, to another
- speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to another
- the interpretation of tongues.
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
There are still those today who insist that the above gifts are not for us they ceased to have any importance for the church, since now we have the New Testament the Word of God. Let me be clear; there is nowhere in scripture that would support that position, and more and more theologians and pastors are beginning to see that the position we call THE SECESSION DOCTRINE is only based on tradition, and the fact that they haven’t seen or experienced any of the sign/manifestation gifts.
One of the key passages they have always used to support that position is in I Cor. 13: 8-10, teaching that the “perfect” that is come is The Word of God –the Bible, but they ignore the fact that the rest of the passage shows that Paul isn’t talking about the Word, (the perfect—Greek teleios simply means “end, purpose or completion.” but the fact that we don’t know everything now. (It’s like looking through a bronze mirror like they used to use), but then when we see Christ face to face we will know, and be fully known. Then the gifts won’t continue in eternity, but faith, hope and love will.
When we pick and choose which spiritual gifts we will accept and others we refuse to accept, we are no different than the liberal scolars who say that some parts of the Bible aren’t for us.
Another flaw in the argument for the gifts ceasing is apparent with a narrow definition for prophecy and apostleship. We ended two weeks ago with saying that prophecy usually means: declaring forth the Word of God. That’s what the prophets of the Old Testament did. But on occasion they fore-told the future for individuals such as kings. When we think that there is no place for that in the church today, we miss, why Paul is including it separately in the ministry gifts. Some accept Pastor, Evangelist or Teacher without a problem, but not Prophet or Apostle. We need to realize that sometimes God gives a Word of prophecy for an individual or the church, and if it isn’t contradictory to the Bible we shouldn’t despise or reject it. God will confirm it in our hearts too if it is of him.
The summer of 1965, Jeannene and I were team leaders for Operation Mobilization in France, we discovered that some young men, not on our team, but others, would see a girl that they really liked and got along with very well. At the end of the two months they would say to the girl, “the Lord told me that we were meant to be married!” Of course she would respond; “Well until he tells me that, it isn’t going to happen.”
So, any kind of declaration in the form of a prophecy, must be judged by the one who receives it. First, it must be Biblical, and secondly, it must ring true in the other one’s heart.
A word or message from “a Prophet” isn’t equal to the inspired Word of God. Prophecies given today are not the same as how God inspired those to write Scripture. It is simply given to encourage and guide someone or the church, to accomplish God’s will for ministry. The Spirit of God will often give guidance through circumstances, personal counsel, and inward persuasion. This specific guidance does not contradict Scripture. God might also lead us through dreams, visions, or prophetic words. These must be checked, of course, to see if they are contrary to Scripture, for it alone is the sole rule of doctrine and practice. Besides prophecy,
Sometimes God confirms what he sends in a dream, by scripture which leads someone to know Jesus Christ as Savior. This happened to a woman form Algeria in France when we worked with Muslims there.
It is very easy to empty the gift of prophecy of its unique, immediate and distinctive content. It then becomes nothing more than sanctified common sense.
In Ephesians 4:11 we see Christ himself gave us both Prophets and Apostles. This often sends a red flag up to people when someone calls themselves a Prophet or an Apostle. Personally, since that word simply means sent one, I prefer the term Missionary. We always think that the term referred to only the 12 Disciples. But then why is it listed as a ministry gift? Because it only means “one who is sent by God for the task of establishing the church”
Now we need to stress that, as with the ministry of the first Apostles, so with the Prophets who with them became the foundation of the church, their authority is unique and unrepeatable.
Whatever Paul means in encouraging the gift of prophecy, he does not suggest that any Christian can be on a par with those original prophets as organs of divine revelation. Any subsequent manifestation of this gift must be submitted to the authoritative teaching of the original apostles and prophets, as contained in the Canon of Scripture.
Some evangelicals have little place for the Holy Spirit today at all. They have lost the Reformational balance of the Spirit and the Word. Instead of being allowed to work as friends, (so to speak), the Spirit and Word have been set as enemies working against each other. But Christians need both the Spirit and the Word.
As Dr. Donald Gee has said, “All Word and no Spirit we dry up. All Spirit and no Word, we blow up. With the Spirit and the Word, we grow up.”