L5 Slides Notes Transcript 25 Nov. PDF

I Corinthians LESSON 4 & 5 1 Problem #9 Abuse of the Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 12-14 2 Experiences of the Divine This church is abusin...

I Corinthians LESSON 4 & 5 1 Problem #9 Abuse of the Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 12-14 2 Experiences of the Divine This church is abusing the spiritual gifts Tongues in Acts The thing about being Pentecostal: The Resurrection All pentecostals can move from one Acts 2:4 part of a city and move from church Two Defining Experiences: Acts 10:46 to church and country to country and everybody will look a little different. Salvation and Spirit baptism Acts 19:6 People try to tame it down and There is a lot of pentecostalism. God through his grace extends to us his love squeeze it out But no matter where you go, we will Acts 2 The Embarrassment of the Divine share 3 important issues: Tongues 1. The Resurrection (without the Prophesy Azusa Street/Globalisation of resurrection we have no experience - if you take the resurrection out, our Miracles Pentecostalism faith is gone) Healings Tongues as our prayer language 2. Salvation experience (1st experience) is central to our faith Visions and dreams Tongues as our praise language 3. Spirit Baptism (This is the 2nd Exorcism Tongues and interpretation (1 Cor. experience) - The infilling of the Holy Spirit) If you give the devil a foothold in your life, 12-14) He will come right in. 3 In addition to the above is Prayer, it is a gift: It is a pipeline, directly from us to him. Speaking in tongues is an evidence of the Holy Spirit - This is evident in pentecostals Paul is the first person to bring the gospel to the Greco-Roman world and they tip the Roman world upside down Problem The Corinthians were abusing the spiritual gifts in worship, especially speaking in tongues. For those who spoke in tongues, most were considered more spiritual than those who didn’t. These individuals were speaking in tongues, trying to give a message in tongues and thought they were more spiritual than others. Ecstatic and other supernatural experiences were They get into competitions and then there are divisions. the measurement indicators for spirituality. 4 The Greeks were obsessed with the mystic and They made their own God. They have a God for everything you can dream of the mysterious—the culture of the Corinthians before they were saved. The Corinthian abuse of spiritual gifts had led to chaos in the church. 5 Overview Chapter 12: The diversity and unity of the gifts. Chapter 13: Love is the central factor in the operation of the gifts. Chapter 14: The proper use of the gifts. 6 Spiritual Gifts “Charismata”: the bestowal of gifts. This is a divine gift that is poured out over your life. This is something that cannot be worked up to. The practice of spiritual gifts filled the Corinthians with pride, arrogance, and a sense of superiority. Paul used the term “charismata” to demonstrate that the Spirit’s ministry in the church was because of the grace of God. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you have received it, why do you boast as though it were not a gift?” (4:7). What have you received that you did not receive by Grace? All that you are experiencing have nothing whatsoever that has to do with your spirituality. It is a gift from God. 7 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 8 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 9 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 10 The Spiritual Gifts (12:1-11) There are 9 gifts of the spirit and in Romans 12 there are 7 more gifts There are many gifts but one Spirit. Word of wisdom Prophecy Word of knowledge Discerning of spirits Faith Tongues Gifts of healings Interpretation of Working of miracles tongues “The Spirit works in all of these, distributing to each person individually as He will.” It is the spirit that gives this and not the person that has it. It is the Lord using you and operating through you 11 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 12 Just as a body has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, … 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 12 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of The point that Paul is making here is that the gifts we have is exercised for the good of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the community and not to do it for ourselves. the sense of smell be? Tongues is not more important than the other gifts we need everything else, the ear, the eye, 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every etc has access to these gifts of the spirit and they belong together corporately and come from the spirit. one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 31 And yet I will show you the most excellent way. 13 The church is as a human body and every member is important (12:12-31). Unity in the body of Christ: Pauline views of the church. The church’s total dependence on the death and resurrection of Jesus. The church’s unity in expressing itself in mutual brotherly/sisterly help and love. The Body of Christ is like a human body. All parts are important. A more excellent way… 14 1 Corinthians 13 A More Excellent Way The Love Chapter Paul is struggling with this congregation and he realises that he doesn't have anymore to say than to talk about Love. 15 1 Corinthians 13: A More Excellent Way 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing. 16 4 Love is patient, and is kind; love does not envy, love does not brag and is not arrogant. 5 Love does not behave itself unseemly, does not seek her own, is not provoked, thinks no evil (does not take into account wrongdoing) and 6 rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 17 8 Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 18 12 Fornow we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as also I am known. 13 And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 19 The Gospel of Ethical Behavior (Spittler) The Corinthians speak in tongues and practice the supernatural gifts, but they tolerate Here is a church that is seemingly spiritual but yet they tolerate with divisions, sexual immorality, greed and idolatry. divisions, sexual immorality, greed, and idolatry. The Corinthians talk about wisdom and knowledge, but struggle with the centrality of a crucified Messiah. 20 Paul places zeal for and operation of the spiritual gifts, within a theological and ethical framework. The chapter is magnificently written—used in weddings and in love songs. But Paul does not lose his purpose for writing by contrasting Corinthian spirituality with an authentic biblical spirituality. 21 Paul’s Outline: A More Excellent Way (12:31) Whatever is done in the church for the wrong reasons is never right. Paul divides this into 3 parts: The superiority of love (13:1-3) The characteristics of love (vv. 4-7) Love never fails (vv. 8-13) Chapter 13 describes love as the basic This is the way that we should live and how we should worship undergirding power to control worship in general and spiritual gifts in particular. 22 Love is Superior (13:1-3) Paul is fighting the abuse of the gifts in worship. The Corinthians believe that religious experiences make them better than others. There is no advantage to operate all the gifts if there is not love. Note the parallels to five of the gifts: 23 If I speak in the tongues … and have not love … If I have the gift of prophesy … If I understand all mysteries … If I have all knowledge … If I have all faith and have not love … If I give all my money … If I sacrifice my body and have not love … All of this is for NOTHING… absolute waste.. It is for nothing. It is the Love of God that validates the spiritual gifts in our lessons. The love of God shed abroad in our heart is what validates all spiritual gifts (Rom. 5:5). 24 Characteristics of Love (13:4-7) Love is patient—patient with people—because God is patient with people. Patience is not indifference or passiveness. Patience is active. Love is kind—lots of Christians are good, but not kind. Kindness is trusting people in a way they don’t deserve. Love is not jealous—begrudging others for what they have. 25 Love doesn’t brag—not puffed up. Spiritual mirror-gazing sometimes called preaching or testifying. “If you have to tell people you’re good, you probably aren’t!” (Spittler). Love is not rude—some people are good and right, but just plain rude. Love is not selfish—“My way or the highway!” Work in best interests of others. 26 Love is not quick tempered—first reaction is who you are. “Zero anger”. When we are through with people, God’s love is still working. Love is not resentful—or “not retaliatory…”. Every time a person does something wrong, we keep track. God doesn’t treat you like this, don’t act that way with others. Love does not find pleasure in wrong-doing of others—gossip. 27 Love rejoices with the truth—not easy to do. God’s love doesn’t hide the truth. Love believes all things—takes God at His word. Trust others until you can’t. Love keeps hoping—never writes people off. Love can endure anything—love is more concerned to mend the hurt, not drag old things out. 28 Love Never Fails (13:8-12) When Christ forgives, he forgives immediately when you repent. “When that which is perfect …” Puts all in eschatological setting. Of all gifts, love There is a great day coming in the future. is the greatest. Therefore, we should look at what will last which is Faith Hope and Love Paul is thinking about gifts that are temporary— not in heaven. Love is the thing that will last. When these gifts are no longer needed, they shall be discarded. 29 Chapter 12 ends, “I will show you a more excellent way”. Chapter 14 begins, “Pursue love as your aim”. Chapter 13, “A more excellent way”, fits perfectly in between. “A church without love is dead.” 30 1 Corinthians 14 Proper Use of the Gifts Does it Edify? Paul is saying that we still need the gifts and God operates through us. Here we look at the proper use of the gifts and the one question we need to ask is that if it edifies. 31 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 (selected) 1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit. 2 Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 5Iwould like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. 32 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. 13 For this reason, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 33 26 Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. 39 Therefore,be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. 34 Guidelines for Edification and Order Edification Does it glorify Christ as Lord? To confess Jesus Christ is a criteria of spirituality. Does what you do show the world how wonderful God is? Does it edify or build up the church? (1 Cor. 14:26) Does is build up and make the church stronger? Proper use of the gifts can uplift worship and speak to the heart of the unbeliever. Improper use of spiritual gifts can repel unbelievers. Biblical Order The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet (1 Cor. 14:32). The gift that the Lord has given to you doesn't take you over, you control it. It doesn't take you over like 'ecstasy' 35 We are not better than them when we move in the spirit. The argument is I am better than I would have been if I have the spirit. Don't have an arrogance about you. How do we know if something is in order? Sometimes, you can't say it exactly, but you'll know when you see it. When you stop using or domesticate the use of the spirit gifts, that is called the embarrassment of the spirit. Where there is fire there will always be wildfire, so you have to manage them. The So What? Love is the basic ingredient. The theological key There is not one thing in scripture that forbids corporate worship. is the “body of Christ”. So if it edifies in worship, go for it! Spiritual manifestations are gifts of grace. The church is a charismatic community. 36 The experiences of the divine are essential to the life of the Spirit in the church. The embarrassment of the divine results in no power and sooner or later, death. The privileged are bound to one community with the weak. 37 Problem #10 The Resurrection of the Dead 1 Corinthians 15 38 Problem The last question of the Corinthians: “What about the resurrection of the dead?” was perhaps their most important. Some of the Corinthians were denying the resurrection of the body. The body posed great difficulties for the Greeks. They considered the body to be evil, and worse, the resurrection of the physical corpse struck them as gross. Besides, they argued, their spirit was saved, who wants this rotten body anyways!? 39 The Context Death and Dying in the Ancient World Greek Beliefs Fanciful myths Extinction Pleasure Principle Absorption Another view is that we are absorbed into the great beyond and we just float… Immortality of the soul, not resurrection of the body This is a jewish belief.. the sadducees and pharisees don't believe in this. Jewish Beliefs Sadducees Pharisees 40 Paul’s Outline The Basis Paul writes this in 3 parts: The resurrection of Christ (15:1-11). The Certainty of the Resurrection (vv. 12-34) The Resurrection Body (vv. 35-58) How are the dead in Christ raised? (vv. 35-41) What kind of body will it be? (vv. 42-49) When will the body be raised? (vv. 50-58) 41 The Resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15:1-11) 1I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word, I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, 5 and he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 42 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church. 10 But by the grace of God, I am what I am. 43 Comment Basis for the Resurrection (15:1-11) The Tradition “For I delivered unto you that …” (v. 3). The Creed Christ (crucified), died for our sins, buried, raised on the third day, appeared (ascended). 44 Five Post-Resurrection Experiences Ours is based on historical facts Not based on what someone said Christ appeared to Peter, the Twelve, to 500 at the Paul goes through a list of appearances same time—most still alive, to James, to the Appearances are so powerful because many of these people are still alive! So this would be apostles, and then to me (Paul) also. historical proof that people are testifying. here are 100s of people who were a part of Jesus death and resurrection. Christological Starting Point Died, buried, raised, seen (ascended)—the heart of the Gospel. Without the resurrection, faith is empty. 45 The Certainty of the Resurrection (1 Cor 15:12-34) 12 If it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are false witnesses for we have testified that God raised Christ from the dead. 46 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If we only have hope for this life, we of all people are are to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep … 47 24 Christ will destroy all dominion, authority, and power. 25 will put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 29 Now if there is no resurrection, the dead are not raised at all, 32 Ihave no more hope than those who say: “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be misled … 34 Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning … I say this to your shame. 48 Comment If you believe this that Christ is not raised from Certainty of the Resurrection (15:12-34) the dead and like Christ, our body is not raised from the dead, it is pitiful! The resurrection of the body was a logical outcome Then our preaching is empty and we are liars. from the resurrection of Jesus. We will still be in our sins and still lost. Those who have gone before your family, they are gone. Paul argues, “Let’s assume there is no resurrection” This is heart of the gospel (vv. 12-19). Preaching is meaningless; our faith is empty (v. 14). We are liars (v. 15). We are still in our sins (v. 17). The dead in Christ are lost (v. 18). We Christians are most pitiable (v. 19). 49 Comment Paul reverses the argument: When Christ returns, his people shall be raised and death will be conquered (v. 23). The domain of death has been invaded. Christ broke the chain (vv. 20-29). The logical result of believing in the resurrection (vv. 30-34). 50 The Resurrection Body (1 Cor 15:35-58) 35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed. 38 But God gives the seed, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. What kind of body? 51 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. 52 Comment How are the dead raised? (vv. 35-41) God’s power. God has the power to give the right kind of body that the believer needs. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that raised us from the dead. God is God and there is no need for logical understanding for us. He has redeemed us. What kind of body will it be? (vv. 42-49) Nobody truly knows. Jesus when he was raised from the dead, they didn't recognise him but then they did. So Paul The eternal body (our new spiritual body) is also does not know and therefore doesn't elaborate on it but it is a physical body and it appropriate just as in this life, the physical body is is transformed and glorified. appropriate. The body is raised, transformed, and glorified into a resurrection body. 53 When will the body be raised? (vv. 50-58) Is it when I die? When is it? The time of the resurrection is at the Second Coming of Christ. Also known as "The Blessed Hope", the second coming of Christ. Human frailty will be changed. When Christ returns, many believers will be dead; others will be alive. How is that? When you die, your soul is with the presence of The dead in Christ will be raised up (and be joined with our souls and be transformed and the Lord but in the second coming, your body will glorified. changed) so they will never die again. Those who are living shall also be changed so they will never die. 54 What happens when we die? Death is the separation of the soul and the body. The body goes into “the dust”. The soul and spirit continue to exist. Your soul never dies… it is who I am, your person. At the Second Coming and Resurrection of all believers, our bodies are raised from the dead and we will attain immortality (glorification of our The body is a container and will waste away and turn into dust until the second coming of Christ. In bodies). that resurrection, then our bodies are returned and will never die again. 55 The Intermediate State What happens to our soul between the time of death and the resurrection? We go to be “with the Lord” and “immediate happiness” (Luke 16:22, 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:6, 8). What doesn’t happen: Our souls are not held somewhere waiting to be purged. Our souls don’t wander around as part of the spirit world. Our souls don’t go into a deep sleep. 56 The Second Coming of Christ and the resurrection of all believers. There will be a sudden, personal, visible, bodily return of Christ (Matt. 24:44). We should eagerly long for Christ’s return, the time of which is unknown (Matt. 25:13). We should live under that expectation that God is coming back soon. The Second Coming of Christ and the God made us to love life and not fear death Resurrection of all believers is the central event in Christian eschatology (mentioned 300 times in the New Testament). 57 “The Blessed Hope” of the Church includes the resurrection of believers who have died and their translation together with those who are alive in the Second Coming of the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Rom. 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52). The bodies of believers who have died will be raised from the dead and reunited with their soul at the Second Coming of Christ (glorification). The Resurrection of the body is the completion of redemption. 58 The So What? We are the apple of his eye and the treasure of his By denying the resurrection of the body, the hands, we matter to God and we are the ultimate of God's creation. It matters that we hold creation in Corinthians were denying the importance of the our body. world that God had created. Humans were the ultimate of God’s creation. The resurrection is necessary to hold creation and redemption together. 59 In a culture that evades telling the truth about death, the teaching of the resurrection is more than a breath of fresh air. The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead in Christ affirms the moral significance of why it matters what we do with our body. 60 Our preaching must be grounded in the resurrection. Our preaching must be rooted in grace. No one but God can do this (the resurrection). Our faith is based on historical events: the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and His soon-return. Resurrection means that eschatology must be at the heart of our preaching. 61 Problem #11 The Collection 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 62 The Problem Now concerning the collection … (the famine This concern for the poor is central to his ministry. fund). The famine fund was designed to help the church in Judea during a time of extreme hunger. The famine fund was a special free-will offering taken up regularly that was separate than offerings given for operations of the local congregations. From his first missionary journey, he has done a special offering that is not part of the tithes to set it aside for the widows, for the people who are See also 2 Cor. 8-9 and Gal. 2:10. hurting in Jerusalem. 63 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me. 64 Context Agabus, the prophet, had prophesied that a great famine would occur (about 10-12 years after the ascension). The famine took place during the reign of Claudius Caesar who ruled from 41-54 AD. 65 The famine fund was close to Paul’s heart, even from before he started his missionary journeys (See Gal. 2). Paul presented the project to the churches in Galatia (16:1)—Antioch in Pisidia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding areas founded during his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). And to the Macedonian churches in Greece—Philippi, Berea, and Thessalonica, founded during his second missionary journey (Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:1-5); and now in Corinth (Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:1-5). 66 Paul returns to Jerusalem with Barnabas—in his defense before Felix, Paul says, “Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation and offerings” (Acts 24:17). 67 Paul and Giving Propempo—to speed on a journey—only used in connection with traveling Christians in the New Testament. “Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos” (Titus 3:13). “Perhaps I will stay with you for the winter for that you may send me on my way wherever I go” (1 Cor. 16:6). Send Timothy on his way (1 Cor. 16:11). 68 “Respect such people as Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaia for they have supplied everything that was lacking on your part. Therefore, acknowledge such men” (1 Cor. 16:16-18). “Instruct those who are rich to do good; to be rich in good deeds, to be generous, willing to share—so they may store up for themselves treasures …” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). “When I go to Spain … to be helped there on my way by you.” (speed me) (Rom. 15:24). Paul’s theology of giving: If you could see … You are co- laborers … 69 The So What? A global perspective. Compassion and kindness in the community of faith. Support for those who go and an equal share for those who send. 70 The End of the Story Paul writes 1 Corinthians and sends the letter with Timothy. Timothy brings back bad news. Paul makes a “painful visit”. They openly rejected Paul even as an apostle. Paul writes a “severe letter” and sends it with Titus. All is well. Paul writes 2 Corinthians. From Corinth, Paul writes Romans. 71 SOT ADM 2024 BIB353 I & II Corinthians Problems in a City Church Lesson 5, 25 November, Transcript Evening everyone it's good for us to be back together certainly for me, I feel wonderful, and I've had a diJicult couple of weeks but it's behind me. I am sorry we had to do some juggling on the times we met or meet so I appreciate you making those changes on my behalf. Myrna and I celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary this week. 55 years seems like a long time when you say it that way, but we we've been together since we were 16. So, we've really enjoyed that entire life together and look forward to the future. Well, the doorbell ring and we went to the door and there's this delivery from a restaurant. It is two meals of steak and lobster with a note from City Harvest Church so thank you. I mean the church has always been so thoughtful. Certainly, if you've been following the last three months and if you listen to the second Corinthians that I taught for the Bible study and now ﬁrst and second Corinthians and then my sermon, you've heard a lot of me in these last few weeks. We'll give you a break after this. But we we are rejoicing about what the Lord is doing with um the school, just this wonderful expression of uh students who are anxious to learn about lower. building downside for me is that I would love to be able to meet with each one of you. So we could um I could get to know you, get to know your name, get to know a little bit about you. And over the future I trust that I'll be able to do that uh, at least for for some of you. I am used to teaching where I know every single person and um um I I I know from your feedback that uh you've been very responsive, but I really, really appreciate it. Well, our last lesson today on uh Corinthian’s ﬁrst and second Corinthians, I'll cover a little bit of second Corinthians in my lectures today. And I'll um and I'll refer to them. so that you're able to watch the videos, especially where it's pertinent. If you by chance have already watched the videos or were in my second Corinthian search by Bible study, you be the bother. going to any further than that. um let's get into ﬁrst Corinthians and um let me just review a little bit of the story. Paulo Corinth, probably about 49, eighty, uh let's say Paul Gives saved about 36 and that we just have to give a guess. 368 goes to Corinth This his second missionary journey and um he moves along and goes to Philipi and Thesslonica. all of these um other places, but um I think goes to Corinth and Ephesus. Well, this store our story takes place on Paul's next missionary journey, which is week or missionary journey, uh three. He makes the same round and he goes emphesis and he sets up his headquarters in Ephesus and from there he begins this correspondence and this interchange with the Corinthians. Paul's been 18 months here. He knows everybody by name. This is not some. relationship that it's impersonal pal everybody in this church he knows their kids. He is very familiar with them and they start from zero and um by the time this happens they' probably about maybe four years old in this congregation. So when Paul comes, he sets up an emphasis on his third missionary journey and he receives a news that the Corinthians are having some real problems. One of them is there this incestuous man that we've talked about Paul writes them this previous letter. We know that for ﬁrst Corin 59 that it's now lost, but he he gives very explicit instructions about what they should do they ignore him. Then word comes to Paul of issues that are happening in the church, like they're ﬁghting, the divisions and these divisions among them, they're over all kinds of issues. Some are over most of them are about class. The issue has to do with something spiritual, but they're divided according to class in most cases. So they're ﬁghting like crazy, but some would think they're better than the others and they've got this wild idea of what it really means to serve the Lord. We know from Paul's writings that this is a congregation that has been blessed. They have been blessed with every spiritual gift, and basically they're amusing them all. And so Paul hears all this information about they're ﬁghting, they're dividing up. They somehow think, especially probably the wealthier crowd thinks that they have inside information because they have been ﬁlled with the spirit. Therefore, they' half way to have it. They're free from all of the constraints of the world and of society, and they can live however they want, and what's more, people who can't do what they're doing are not a spiritual. That sort of is a theme that will run through. Paul, hears about more problems with the incestuous man they're taking each other to court, and some of them are even going to prostitutes. Then he receives a letter from the Corinthians and they don't really ask Paul. What do you think? What do you think? They are sort of telling them what they think and at that point ignoring what Paul thinks. So we get this letter on marriage and we get these eschatological women, more divisions who think they are too spiritual to be in a marriage relationship, and so Paul addresses that and then he takes upon himself to address all of the other kinds of scenarios. Then there is id problems where um the strong uncertainly again, the emperor class, recognize we' believers There are no gods in mate sacriﬁced ids. gods do not exist. Therefore will eat up which all well feel like, and the weak who probably are brand new believers see these upper end people eating meat sacriﬁced idols, and it's causing them to stumble. um, sort of like a person can say they're drinkers and um they've struggled with that. And the ﬁrst thing that happens is you oJer them a drink and they come right oJ the wagon and blues everything they have. That's sort of the situation. And so the issue here becomes, can I still do this and be a Christian? Paul refuses to give rules always, if Iesia with context, so Paul wants people to think for themselves in light of what Christ has done for us, how should we behave? So that becomes a theme then our last one we talked about women and their role in the church. and spent some time on the Lord's Supper, which I think is um one of the most important chapters, uh probably in scripture, along with chapter 15 that we're going to deal with tonight. There abusing the Lords supper the wealthy are coming early. They're having their own sort of like ﬁrst class and economy class in the airport are on airlines and they just have it divided up. So that leads us now to problem number 10, which has to do with spiritual gifts, and we are all pentostles or I would assume most of us are at least. And so these next three chapters, 12, 13 and 14 are going to deal, ﬁrst of all, the problem, and then with how they should proceed when they practice the spiritual gifts and tuck them between chapter 12 and chapter 14 is this unusual chapter that all of us know well, just not in this context. It's the love chapter. if I don't have love, I can speak in tongues and men at a angels, and it's like sounding brass and tinkings symbol, and then pickles for 13 verses that are brilliant, magniﬁcently written. This is some of the best scripture as far as just high level. What's interesting is that the Corinthians continually criticized Paul about these not uh suJiciently deep enough, he stumble if he's not a big, great speaker, um in retrospect when they listen in the letter and see what Paul is written in chapter 13., they should have realized that the Paul has no equal. It just magniﬁcent. Then the um actually, that's the night problem. The tenth problem is um the resurrection. This is chapter 15, and I'll spend some time, maybe a whole session tonight on the resurrection because without the resurrection, we have no hope. Without the resurrection, our faith is dead as the doorell. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, we do not have salvation, so Paul is going to really at this point and the struggle is going to come same issues as before. We're so spiritual that our souls are drifting around already in the high levels of heaven practically. Who cares what we do with our body? It's it's just rotten. And so that's chapter 15 and then I'll close with just a few minutes on the 11th problem, which is really not a problem they have brought up. Paul brings it up on the collection for the poor. And as you look at second crises, you realize this one is a huge problem and it divides this group and sets them up against Paul. So what we happen ﬁrstians, really, and second Christianians is a look into an urban congregation that we should be able to identify with. All of these problems we have a class problem, a social class problem. We have often a gender problem, male and female is macho and that wants to run everything. We have an ethnicity problem where we want everyone to look like us and um we can struggle sometimes to cross those lines as far as race and ethnicity, and then in for friendizers, a slave and free problem. These are four main issues that will run through parentrinthians and through Paul's theology, runs through this theology is pneumatology, that is his teaching on the Holy Spirit. We're gonna see that and the gifts tonight where how you see the future, how you see the present has everything to do with how you think theologically. So here's what Paul's instructions are when you ﬁnd this Luke gives it to us an ax and then Paul covers this often throughout is when Jesus, when you bring Jesus to an new place and you plan to church, here's what Paul says, this church is healthy when these barriers are broken down, and he makes the point they are only broken down by the power of the holy Spirit. So that's where we'll pick out tonight on chapter 14 so if we could start my slides, the abuse of the spiritual gifts on chapters 12 through 14 next slide. And I should mention something about my slides, not so much this page, but the rest of it. I have blown up so big, so I can read them. and it just makes them ugly. But loses the format um and so the people putting these together, I just sort of ruined the way that it's laid out. But hopefully you get the point. What happens then I get this great big font, which means a scripture you could put on one page maybe spread over three, but if you' just being patient. But here's where I want to start with. This church is abusing the spiritual gifts. I want to talk right at the front end about being Pentecostal and I've titled this page the experience of the divine, which I got from a New Testament theologian lieut Timothy Johnson. He talks about the experiment, the the experience of the divine and the embarrassment of the divine. So let me begin with all Pentecostus and you can move from one one part of the city to another to another, go from church to church, country to country, and everybody will look a little bit diJerent. There are a lot of let's call them panticostalismms, which is wonderful. It means that the gospel is common and takes the shape of of that culture under the guidance of the spirit. So it's sort of like water that ﬂows, it takes its shape from whatever is holding it. So that's one of the shrinkes. But no matter where you go, we're going to share three important issues. One is the resurrection. The resurrection for us and I mentioned this at the front end is critical. If we do not understand and don't really value the resurrection, we're still, if we think, well, this is Bible talk. Without the resurrection, we have no experience. Without the resurrection and the use Paul's words, you should be pitied, you are pathetic because you take the resurrection out our face is dead is gone. umtimes, especially when I teach freshmen, I would teach theology 101 for ears with a whole thing they group freshmen. And I only asked this question once. I never asked it again. Here's the question I asked, if you discovered the resurrection didn't happen. Would that impact your faith and I asked to see a show of hands and I expected that no one would respond, but like half the class puts up their hand on the reason I didn't ask it again is that's embarrassing without the resurrection we do not have anything to stand on. We lose it all, so the resurrection is critical. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. the God who has raised Christ from the dead will also raise us from the dead, those sort of go together. So it's just 40 days after the resurrection that we get the outpoint of the holy Spirit in next chapter 2, where they're gathered together um 120 and they experience this power of the spirit. What that Aun does, especially for this early community is give them the absolute assurance. Jesus is risen. Jesus is at the right hand of the father. Our story is absolutely true. and then comes to deﬁning experiences for all of us, salvation. We're lost. We can't ﬁnd our way out. We have no way to conquer the death problem, the sin problem, but God through his grace extends to us his love, through his the cross and resurrection, we are able to have salvation. Jesus Christ bears our sins on the cross. He does for us, but we can't do for ourselves. The salvation experience. Now if you're Pentecostal, most of us are, the salvation experience is what is central to our faith, not the baptism and the Holy Spirit experience. That one's important. I'll talk about it, but what is central is Jesus, the cross, the resurrection that is what central and then out of that comes his second deﬁning experience that I just talked about inact to and that one has to do with the spirit. This um outpouring in a chapter two. And it's the second experience. Our ﬁrst experience is salvation, and the Holy Spirit is that work in our salvation, Absolutely. But after that comes a second deﬁning experience for Pentecostals, and that is this inﬁlly of the holy Spirit, Jesus has promised in the gospels, in fact, Luke makes a very strong point. He lays out of the structure for acts, where Jesus says, I will send you the Comforter. You will have power from on high. So this baptism of the Holy Spirit acts two, um and I'm not going to do this except a mention it. It treats tongues. It treats prophecy, miracles, healings, visions, and dreams, casting up the devil, and on along with casting out the devil comes ﬁghting the devil. The devil is alive and well. that's something that the Corinthians have complete amiss. They think, well, they're redeemed they're above all of that. You give the devil an opening in your life and he just come right in. And so we have this umorcism I call, because it's a lot easier to write exorcism than casting out devoubles. There is another emphasis that is really not one of the gifts, but is central and that is prayer. These are all linked to prayer. We are created in God's image. He is stamped his image upon us, and he has given us a pipeline directly from us to him. We don't have to go through mediators, we just go into the presence of the heavenly Father and talk to them. And he talks to us. That is the only way communication takes place with the divine is through this channel of prayer. So it is critical. Well, in acts two comes this issue of being ﬁlled with the spirit that is evidenced by speaking in tongues. Now, you see, I've listed three scriptures here where on three occasions, acts, two, I think acts 10 has to do with um Cornelius Peter and his proudder with Cornius, the Gentile, and the power of the spirit that are saved in that sea maint ﬁlls the spirit and then x 19 with the emphasis on this is what Christ has done. We see the outpouring of the spirit. All these three come with are associated with speaking in tongues. There's two other cases in acts, where it is implicit. So as Pentecostus, we see this as evidence of the Holy Spirit. Now, I don't care if you see it as well, initial evidence, or you just see it as evidence. What I know is that when someone speaks and tongues, we know they've been ﬁlled with all the spirit. So we'll leave the rest up to the Lord. I don't know what's happening in people's lives. I don't know what the spirit is doing. I don't know how much he is and dwelled, but I do know that when it overﬂows, tongues will be the evidence. What happened? when Paul leaves on his ﬁrst missionary journey, he's the ﬁrst, um that extends the gospel to the cracical Roman world. Hem and a small man are at the tip of the spear, and within a generation, they tip the Roman empire upside down. one of the well, not one of the greatest revival and all of history. But by the time we end that ﬁrst century, things are getting stale, and soon in the emphasis on the spirit, we don't read that we don't know much about it and they're sort of 1900 years of block. And then comes the Azouza Street revival in 1906. Now, I think I'm and I'm going to make a point. Why did it fade and this is an important point for us as Luke Timothy Johnson says, it's the embarrassment of the divine. When people hear us speaking in tongues, um, they may think, what in heaven's name is this? or us believing in divine healing and all these miracles? And so we try to tame it down. I call it the domestication of the power of the spirit. and so that we're not embarrassed, and the best way to not be embarrassed is squeeze it out. Don't let it happen and so much of our the world that enjoyed this aoa street revival, that is taking place where the Pentecostal side is somewhat dead. When that happens, and we squeeze it out, we lose our power. and faith without the power of the spirit is dead. So we need to live out there on the edge. This is the street revival, 1906, the outcouring of the spirit emperor three years. People come to aua street from all over all over the world in fact, and are there for a week or two weeks or the surfaces never stop? They go every day all day all night, and who's ever leaning oJ and it's not anyone. It's just the spirit moving. And people are ﬁlth holy spirit. And something absolutely dramatic happens within two months, this little band has sent out emissaries all up the west coast of the United States, like California, Oregon, Washington, within four months, it is moved to the Midwest and then to the east coast, like New York. The Azoua street viival begins in April by Christmas. There are expressions there are either missionaries or people from areas who have visited and experience this divine outpouring, where we see it in India, Japan, China, Philippines. I call it the globalization of Pentecostalism. In fact, I have a book that I've done with a couple of colleagues called the globalization of Pentecostilism, where it has gone absolutely global. where the real move and the spirit is taking place is in the nonwestern world, where Pentecostalism has come and people are experiencing it and they haven't yet domesticated it. So I urge you keep that spirit up and for it to keep going. We are in one of the greatest times of the spirit. Do you know, in 1906 Pentecostas were a baker's a dozen. That's a saying that um where we're like 12 people and throw one in for good measure. That's a baker's dozen. uh we're just this handful of people. Do you know, according to some of the most recent ﬁgures, we now number 600 million Pentecostals, one of the great grassroots movements, secular or spiritual in history. often over the last home 30 years, I have been invited to speak at even secular universities because they want to understand what is with this grassroot movement. I did the session I remember with the um all the Anglican bishops they come together every year for the Lambeth conference every ten years, and they pick a list of topics, and one of the topics was Pentecostals they are problems for us. whether us is prop from the London school of economics who happen to be on the committee and he said, you know, that's not a very good academic way. Why don't we invite a real Pentecostal to address all of the bishops and so they gathered together all of the bishops as the head person in each of the countries. And if I did me on and now the title was Penecostals, o are they? It was a wonderful experience. I thought, you know, I'm going to write a really strong academic paper. This is in my ballpark and they can read it, but I'm only going to have one shot. And so they can read my paper, but by the large, I'm going to preach it. And um the next morning it was one of the bishops who spoke for the group, bought up and said, we have decided we need to ask and cost us for foriveness. This is one of the most wonderful things, and um it was just a wonderful experience. I would get invitations I did a session at the University of Southern California. I did in all kinds of places about this movement. What makes it so spectacular. I'm only learning now about Asia. And um I mean, I didn't have any experience as it related to Asia. I'm a Pentecustal scholar, but my emphasis has always been in Latin America, not even in the US, Latin America. So I am learning and I am experiencing some of the most wonderful moments of my life, as I worship with you as I get to know this part of the world, as I can see what the Lord is doing, this gift of the Holy Spirit among us is something that is precious. Now, almost always I yet asked the question about tongues. and the question will be, when we all gather together for worship, we all speak in tongues. doesn't the Bible say one at a time and at the most three so I mean, divide up what we're talking about with tongues as an experience. Tongue serves number one as our prayer language. I can speak to the Lord in tongues. I don't even understand what I am saying, but the spirit bears witness and it's my spirit communicating with the spirit of God. and that prayer line and the spirit It trouble befalls you. I'm what comes out of your mouth? For me, it'salkies or I don't know what to do. This is a crisis and I just don't even know what it's to say and I will speak in tongues. It's my prayer language where my spirit and the Lord's spirit are insane. tongues is also our praise language, that is, we praise the Lord personally in church or wherever it we speak in tongues as a corporate body is our prayer, language, expressed in public, so in church, for example, where everybody is worshiping together and speaking in tongues, that is our praise language. And there's all kinds of biblical stuJ that I can practice this up. What Paul is talking about and for Grinthians is not this, whether he is talking about this someone who stands up in a meeting and gives a message and tongues, and that if it's a message in tongues, there's supposed to be an interpreter. as Paul as if there's no interpreter, it's just nonsense. No has any idea of what's happening. That is what Paul is dealing with. He's dealing with the other gifts, but especially with this one on tongs because the crimpings have just gone wild with this. all the wants to give them instructions as how this works. If everybody's jumping up at the same time and everybody's got a word, it is complete chaos. And if people come in, they're think, you're crazy, that is the issue that we're dealing with as we go into ﬁrst Corinthians 14. So next slide Here's the problem I mentioned is they're abusing spiritual gifts in their worship, especially speaking in tongues. Again, not corporately, no problem. It's these individuals who get up and give these messages and tongues, they believe the more they do that the more spiritual they are, their more spiritual than everybody, remember in the ﬁrst four chapters we kept seeing this arrogance over what they believe they had received. And so anything that is like ecstatic or supernatural, experiences, um, that highlighted it. Half of them, they made up. but this idea that I'm living up in such a level that I can do this. And so they give a competition. There's divisions, they'd get in a company who can do this the most? Complete chaos next line. So here is one of the reasons this has become such a problem. The Greeks out of which the Corinthians come, the Greek culture, they are obsessed with anything that's mystical, with mysterious especially as it relates to religion, they create their own gods and make make them why not. There's a god for everything you can dream of the pantheon of gods and they have all these wild ideas as to what these gods do half of them are misbehaved, and so believe and half the help that their gods to behave, anything that is mysterious, what called a mystery religions, and these proliferated, not just through Greek culture, but across the gracoman world, and so that's the culture out of which these Crinthians were saved, and they're bringing with them certain elements of their culture. I talked, I think, um in past about continuity, this continuity. When we go with int a group and we're sharing the good news, we don't want it to change things that don't need to be changed. That just creates confusion. It ends up in legalism and a bunch of rules, and it just kills our message. So we want to leave culture alone as much as possible. But there are times when culture ﬂashes with scripture, and that's what the may need discontinuity, where no least you can't live together. there needs to be you need to stop We're shipping idols. You need to stop this idea of this ethereal experience. It clashes with the good news, as Paul says, there's just one message, and that's Christ and him cruciﬁed nothing else counts for anything, so they are abusing these gifts um and we can understand they're bringing their culture with them with the mysterious and the mystical. And so they're trying to be more mystical than anybody else next line. So here's an overview as to where I'll go with these three chapters. The diversity and unity of the gifts there are will treat probably nine of the gifts, but if these are in competition with each other, they just tear the community of faith apart. That's the issue Paul is going to deal with in chapter 12. In chapter 14, he's going to talk about the proper use of the gifts. And between, is what we call the love chapter chapter 13 and it is the central factor in the operation of the gifts. We know all of us know chapter 13 in people who don't know the Lord, know chapter 13, we was in a dinnings, there songs written about it. but the reason we have it is because Paul is going to put it between 12 and 14 for a very good reasons, and that is on the gifts and the administration of the gifts, it's hopeless. I don't have anything that will work for you unless you can learn to love one another. So chapter 13 is marvelous. So let me um move into this and I'll go about ten minutes and we'll take the break. So the next slide. Charismatic. A charisma is a gift of divine gift that's bestowed by the Spirit. It's not something you can work up. It is something that is the line. It comes from god and poured out over a life. I um, in second Corinthians, if you watch the ﬁrst episode on divine comfort, that is one of the ways is the Lord um lays a gift upon us in the midst of the worst time he doesn't necessarily think deliber us. He gifts us with his divine comfort so we can see our way through. I thinking in like lesson four of secondrinians, I talked about divine generosity. That is also a charismatic gift that the Lord gives. So the practice of spiritual gifts um they're working opposite what they're supposed to do inorence. They're failing people with pride, they're arrogance, and they have this sense of being superior. All of these are upside down what the gospel should do in a community. And so from chapter four, Paul raises this a couple of times. What have you received? that you did not receive by grace. all the faints you celebrating your salvation, your spiritual experiences, that the Lord has blessed you with the gifts have nothing whatsoever to do with your spirituality. These are gifts from the power, although the spirit. If you want to measure what a Christian should look like, we'll see that in chapter 13 with the fruits of the spirit, but the gifts of the spirit come from outside next side so I I'll have um you read and what I've done is I I've selected verses because there are a lot of verses. So I often don't have all of them. And sometimes I'll read the long section together, just for sake of keeping things together, keeping this a sink. So here are the ﬁrst 11 verses of chapter 12 sort of in an abbreviated style.. This couldens of the 12 and this one now about the gifts of the spirit, I do not want you to be uninformed. verse two you know that when you were pagans, you were inﬂuenced and led astray to mute idols. Thusfore, there are diJerent kinds of gifts, but the same spirit distributes them, ver ﬁve there are diJerent kinds of service, but the same law, ver six. they are diJerent kinds of working, but in all of them and in every one, it is the same god at work, the seven now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good. Thus it to one that is given through the spirit, a message of wisdom to another, a message of knowledge by means of the same spirit, to another, faith by the same spirit, to another gives of healing by that one spirit does 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in diJerent kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues verse 11. all these are the work of one and the same spirit, and he distributes to them each one just as he determines. Okay, let's take a look here. I think I have underlined the nine gifts in those passages. So what we have at least was the word of wisdom, alerted knowledge, faith, gifts of he, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation, so this is what we call the nine gifts of the spirit. I I am not going to go into how each of these work. I want to deal with how they're being misused. um These are not the only gifts, by the way, spiritual gifts in scripture. Romans 12 we have seven more gifts, and these gifts are like the gift of teaching, the gift of encouragement, the gift of service or we could also able that as the gift of hospitality. There are seven of those, but here is a key to all of these, the spirit works in all of these, so in other words, these are all by the spirit, and it's the spirit who uses an individual and allows them to participate in something that is marvelous. Next line um before I go to that next slide, I'm going to talk a bit about all of the gifts and I may have it in a later slide. All of the gifts are resident in the wholey spirit, not in the person. Sometimes the Lord will use the person quite a bit as saying the gift of miracles or the gift of healings or whatever. But um it's the spirit who gives these and it's not the person. So just because the Lord is used me and say a gift of healing doesn't mean necessarily I have the gift of healing. It means the Lord is used me. operating that gift. They all belong to the spirit, and they all parts of what the spirit is trying to do so reading these 12th through third one in the long passage but I think I've I've shortened it. That's going against 12 and lesselve, just as a body has many parts, but all its many parts form one body. verse 15. Now, if the foot should say, because I'm not a hen and I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. The 16th, and if the years should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body. It would not for that reason stopping part of the body. The 17th if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were inure, where would the sense of smell be? Thus a dimmed, but in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be verse 19 if they were all one part, where would the body be 20? Yes it is there are many parts, but one body.us 27. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ver 31 and yet I will show you the most excellent way. At the point that Paul is making here is that the gifts that the resident in the spirit when we exercise them, we do it in the good of the community. We don't do it for ourselves. It has nothing to do with our own spirituality. It has to do with the spirit ministering to the community. And it's not the Corinthians surely thought tellingues was the most important of all of the gifts. Paul wants to make the point. I speak in times more than all of you, and I hope you speak in tongues, but tongues is not more important than the other gifts and he uses this example of the body. He looks at the point, I believe the ear, the eye. We need all of these. It's the function as a healthy body. That is why the spirit has poured these out. Every community when we gathered together has access to these gifts of the spirit, but through not about us they're not about us, and when we pull it out and make it about us is like taking the eye out of the body or the ear out of the body. These belong together corporately, and they come from the spirit. Note this am more excellent way, and then let me see the next slide. OK. Paul ends chapter glove and this is a good place for me to break. He ends chapter 12 after he'sipping these instructions on the the gifts and he lists them what they are, how they're being abused, and how they should function in the community of faith. I should mention that think of church like city harvests where there are thousands and thousands. usually where these gifts should be operative is in the sound groups. we can't do a lot of these gifts when there's thousands of people. um, but in these smaller groups, I could spend some time telling your stories about someone who's had a word an knowledge or someone who thought they had a word in all age and abused the life out of it. but wonderful experiences when it is the lord speaking. Chapter 12 ends with let me show you a more excellent way. I can give you all theseractions Paul has. I can lay all this out for you and it won't count. You keep doing the same thing unless you understand a better way to go about it, and he calls it the more excellent way the love chapter chapter 13 and so this is where I'll take the break. and it's um nine o'clock for you. So let us come back at nine ten and I'll do chapter 13 and 14. Maybe I'll get into 15, but I'll certainly get chapter 13 and 14 done in the next hour. So we'll see you back in ten minutes., you don't have to mention on this section what verse is, what, just read it as one story and then we'll talk about it. Paul is struggling with this congregation. They're arrogant. They think they got a corner on the gifts that they're more spiritual, and he realizes I don't have anything. It's that I can say that will change the situation other than what I'm going to say in this chapter. And so here it is though I speak with the tongues of an and of angels. though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become a sounding bras or a tingling symbol, and though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing, and though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it proﬁts me nothing. Love is patient. love is kind. Love does not envy. love that does not break, and is not arrogant. Love does not behave of itself un seemingly does not seek her all is not provoked thing is no evil, does not take into account longoing, and rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, beliefs or things, hopes or things, endures or things Love never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall ﬁll, whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away, for we know impart and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall pass away, but when I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known, and now abides faith, hope, love these tree, but the greatest of these is love. And it's just absolutely beautiful. I think um if you lead a Bible study, a cell group, um this chapter 13 is just wonderful to do just the study on chapter 13. And you work through um some of the structures that Paul has here. And I'm going to try to lay that out for you. Here's the church that struggles with the supernatural, but they tolerate divisions, immorality, greed, idolatry, ﬁrst Crinthians are the Corinthians talk about wisdom and knowledge, and when Paul deals with a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom, he isn't referring to anything they are thinking. But they struggle with the centrality of the cruciﬁed siah, as Pentecostals, let us never lose the focal point. It's all about Jesus. It's all about the cross. We've been redeemed and we have received this wonderful gift that empowers us to get along in unity to overcome sin and to share the good news. So in the next slide, the um Paul divides this into three parts and um I'm just trying to see, give me in the next slide. The divides it into three parts, and if you notice well turbillingurbane was reading, the ﬁrst three verses are about the superiority of love. Then chapters 4 through seven give us the characteristics of love, and then Paul ends with love never fails. Paul describes in this chapter the basic understanding to power that should control our worship and the way that we live next line. So he wants to treat this abuse in worship. He um knows they have all these religious experiences, but they see it as something to do with themselves. So note the parallels to ﬁve of the gifts in the ﬁrst three um verses. So let's go to the next slide. Here's the ﬁrst three verses. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, it is as tinkling brass and sounding simple. If I have the gift of prophecy, if I understand all mysteries, if I have all knowledge and all faith and I don't have love is for nothing if I give all my money to the poor and give of everything I have and I have not love is for nothing. absolute waste is for nothing. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts is what validates the spiritual gifts in our presence. So Paul wants to he had several of the gifts here, tongues, um wisdom and allledge, faith, um even if I had all of this and not love, it counts for nothing next slide now the characteristics of love and in these are four or ﬁve, six and in these four verses allives 13 characteristics, and so I'm going to work through those. I lost the slide up here. I'm back. I think it was 53 years ago. I'm in my ﬁrst class as an undergraduate student, and I am taking ﬁrst grantings. and my professor becomes a wonderful mentor to me over the next 50 years, is teaching, and much of what I have here are from my notes of what I got in this class, and then another scholar who is an older scholar's passed on to be with the Lord and I don't use them a lot for academics, but he was one of the great Greek scholars. And I work a little from him. My professor was Russ Spetler, who became the provostatuller theological seminary for 20 years and one of the leading new Testament scholars in the world. And um William Barkley was the old devotional writer, who just manages the Greek words I'm not a Greek scholar. So I have to depend on them. So that's where bunch of this material comes from. Note 13 things. This is what love looks like. Baster Conley spoke about love in his Saturday and Saturday sermon, and how important love is in everything we do. Here Paul is going to talk about what that love looks like. C easy for us to say we think of love of everybody. What does it look like? and so he lays it up. Love is patient. That means your patient with people because God is patient with people, not necessarily because they deserve it. They may not deserve it. It doesn't matter. God is depatient with us. It puts up with all kinds of nonsense from us. He has all kinds of patience, and so all is saying this patience. this is ongoing, this is active. It's not impatient for this week. It means as a characteristic of love that comes out in our life. Love is kind of all the ones I'm going to mention, this one really can drive the others. Lots of Christians are good. They're just not kind. Some of the people who are at church every time the door is open, they are in the middle of everything. They're good. They've done all the right things, but they can be meanest can be. not with love. Let me tell you a story about highness and I may have told the story to you already. I don't remember, but it's when I tell often because it has it with kindness. When I was a teenager across the street from us in this big house lived a drunk, he lived by himself. Iarleyly ever remember turn seeing lights in the house. He'd go in, but I don't remember ever seeing the lights and he scared the life out of me. when I would especially in the winter, I would go to a hockey game and it's a small towns that you could walk everywhere. and I'd go to the hockey rank and after it maybe be 10 o'clock at night and I'm making my way home. And I had to go down the main street and then make a right turn and go straight to our house. On that main street at that turn was a hotel bar. And it must have closed at ten because outcomes this drunk. His name is Hermann. I called him Hermann the drunk and he would get a few steps behind me and just mumble away and say things that scare the life out of me. I could not get away from Herman if I sped up, he sped up, if I slowed down, he slowed down, had no idea what this person was me. Well, if you knew my parents, they were shy, they were quiet, but if ever they there was a gift of service or of hospitality, my parents exhibited that gift all of the time, and so somebody showed up at church um I think I can say this one because this is sort of restricted group. We had one family in church had 17 kids. Well, that just made the Sunday school. But can you imagine 17 kids and they had numerous kids around my age? And my parents are always have these kids over. um We didn't have a thing in common, but that was my parents, Ike come home when night after hockey and I walk in to the front door into the kitchen and there is Hermann the Durant, sitting at the table he's drunk as as can be. My dad is giving a coJee trying to sober him up or my mother's giving him coJee and my dad's telling him about the Lord. So when Hermann, the drunk leaves, I've had about enough of these kind of people in our home. I didn't want my friends to see. And so I didn't often get upset like this, but this time I did and I remember saying to my parents, why does every loser you can think of show up at our house? My dad's response is one that absolutely changed the directory of my life. He said because that's what Christians do. Kindness. That's like. Let doesn't brag. This next line and I remember I got from the professor and I can't even hear as a voice. It's not puJed up. He would use that, not puJ dot and this next line was from him too. It's like spiritual mirrored like gazing, often called preaching or testifying. If you have to tell people you're good, this is my proﬁt, if you have to tell people you're good, you probably aren't. So this bragging, it is wonderful to talk about what the lord has done through you. Those are great testimonies, but when you make it sound like you did it, you're just like the Corinthians. Careful on that self- promotion. It sounds like the church at corn, ranking. Love is not rude. Some people are good. They're right they're just rude. um you know, just being right is not good enough, just being good is not good enough. How't we treat people? What we say when we are rude, we just negate the fact that kindness and all of the other characteristics love it's not rude. Love's not selﬁsh. There are always people like this who they want to work together, but it's here's a saying, it's their way or the highway. In other words, it's all about what they decide they set it together, and let me mention this sometimes even when we reach out and minister to people if we give them what we want to give, rather than want what they need, the selﬁsh. I want to do what I like. It makes me feel good selﬁsh, ﬁnd out what people need, whether or not it's something that is good for you, and then do it. Love is not selﬁsh next line. Love is not quick tempered. you wanted to test your spirituality, and no hair as Paul works. He's gone through the gifts of the spirit that the Corinthians are so proud about, and he's saying, forget about proud. you did nothing to earn these. They are all gifts of the spirit. Here he's talking about the fruits in the spirit isn't what your life should look like when you're a spirit ﬁlled person and the power of the spirit will help you to do this love it's not quick tempered. What's your ﬁrst reaction? Somebody stamps on your foot. What comes out of your mouth ﬁrst? whatever it is, that's the kind of person you are and you made discovery you need to work a little on that one. um if you can ﬂy oJ the handle um love isn't quick tempered and they isn't fruits of the spirit are not gifts. These are from us living according to God's instruction for those who believe and the spirit is given to us the help us live and act like Christians. Let's not resentful that is, it doesn't retaliate. In other words, this person has done something to me. I'm going to remember it as long as they live. I cannot forgive that. that was just too perfectful and I'm not going to let it go. Think of Jesus on the Seremon on the mouth and he teaches when you're praying, if you realize when you're praying, someone has aught against you. Get up from your prayer. Go to that person, do what you can to ﬁx the problem and then come back and pray, but I'm not hearing you if you don't do that and you read that and you think, well, that's not fair. I understand if I have aught against the brother. I have a responsibility to go and ﬁx that I understand that as a Christian, but they have ought against me's on my fault is their fault. When we live in the kingdom under the rule of the king, and were practicing the characteristics of love, it has nothing to do with whether we are right. It has to do with men a name a situation, running in unity, kindness, not selﬁshness, not resentful, um this one we can spend a lot of time on love does not ﬁnd pleasure and wrongdoing. There are some people, but just gossips. They love it when somebody falls or somebody has seen, can you blame what I just heard or I just found out um love doesn't do that. It doesn't ﬁnd pleasure in someone else's wrongs. It, you know, gossipine can be his um motivated experience and sometimes it's gossip that ties us together instead of the good news and the gospel. Paul is saying, no, that's not how blood works. That's not how all love works. um we don't take we don't take Joel in someone's shortcomings. We pray for them, we show them kindness, but we don't take joy and we don't talk to other people. Next slide. love rejoices with the truth. It's not easy to hear the truth. In fact, we hide the truth. um a famous philosopher said the worst lie one tells is the one you tell yourself. we yet where we can't even face the truth ourselves. And so we just lie to ourselves that it's not really me that's the other person or whatever's the case. The worst lie is the one you tell yourself. The second worst lie is a half truth, where you sort of get it right but not quite. Followers of Jesus, are anxious to live according to the truth that the truth will set us free. Love be believes all things. We take God and His word. Can we do the same with others? Do you trust other people? You know as a professor um and I've often said this whenever I'm starting a class, I trust you. I am going to believe you're not anichy. that you are going to approach your work fairly. and you know woman doing online, you could cheat like crazy. But my instruction is I trust you. I am not going to look for is this person cheating? I'm not going to do that. I'm going to trust until a person gives me reason as to why I no longer can do that. but have that issue your default? I trust you. I expect the best I have forgive. um love keeps Opie. Never writes people oJ as God never writes people oJ. I've already heard enough testimonies. um from sitting Harvich church and people there above. How they waited for years to for their parents sake, to accept the Lord. And it would be hopeless it go for years, but they never gave up hope. God doesn't give up hope. God is always at work. Love, always hopes, and love endures anything. when we've been beginning and we're empowered by the spirit, we're help to act like God would act. We can put up with stuJ, this idea of indoor. It is not short term. It's a it's an active verb. Love is more than concern I've written here to man the herb but it doesn't drag old things out. Next slide, as you look through these thirteen, you want to ﬁnd out what kind of Christian you are? Do some soul searching and some mirror gazing. Look at yourself and ask how am I doing on the days 13 that you're used in the gifts has not nothing to do with your spirituality. They are gifts. you didn't earn them. This is what determines what kind of Christian you are and from on the time Christ comes into our life, we should be working to conform into the image of Christ until we see him then we shall be like him. When you blow when of these, ask the Lord to forgive you get up and get going again. The devil will bait on you, and he said, what you we're kind and which well may be true. As the Lord could forgive you get up and go and pay no attention to the devil beating on you, he will choose anything to make you feel like a bad person, and when we' repent, the forgiveness is immediately immediate. So don't let the devil have room in your life, and then Paul Ans with these verses, when that which is perfect is come, he puts all of the the situation with the gifts of the spirit and this love chapter in an s catalogical setting, a big word for the future. There is a rate they coming. We'll look at that in the resturrection. There is a great day coming. And all of this should be looked at in the context of what will last. And here, Paul will end up with Faith, hope, love, but the greatest of these is love. Why? cause love is the only thing we're going to need in heaven, but I can eat faith, it passes away, we don't need to worry about hope pay more it passes away. It's love that lasts that's the characteristic that God is interested in seeing us manifested next line. So chapter 12 ends with let me show you a more excellent way, and chapter 14, which will move to pursue love as your aim, but in between Paul Tuxan chapter 13 this is the more excellent way. This is the way to live like a believer. a church without love is dead. Next slide. And so we move the chapter 14. Paul is not down on the gifts. He makes that very clear. We need the gifts. That's why the spirit empowers us gives us these gifts. what he's down on is when we think there something to do with us, they make us better or more spiritual has nothing to do their gifts that we hold and trust, and that God operates through us. We don't own them the spirit does so in chapter 14 we're going to move to the proper use of the gifts. and then the question here, one question, does it verify? If when you're using a gift, it doesn't edify wrong kind wrong place next slide.erian food with read and here, I have selected this as one long chapter. And so I just taken out certain areas. So if you would read that these through Let's convenienced of theontin followed away of love and eagerly desire gifts of the spirit. Any one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people, but to God. Indeed, no one understands them a utter mysteries by the spirit. I would like every one of you to speak in t towns, but I will rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies us is greater than a one who speaks in tongues unless some one in the Brits, so that the church may be ediﬁed. integrating. So it is with you since you are eager the forg gifts of the spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church, for this reason, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say, for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. I thank God that I spit in tongues more than all of you. Everything must be done so that the church may be billed up. The spirits of prophets are subjected to the control of prophets, for God is not a god of disorder, but of peace. Therefore be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but everything should be done in the ﬁtting and orderly way. guidelines for operation of the gifts or advocation and order. Thus what you're doing edify, does it glorify God. That's a big theme in second Corinthians and throughout Paul's letters. Does what you do show the world how wonderful Jesus is because of it isn't, don't do it. Does it build up? Does it make the church stronger? Proper use of the gifts? can bring a church alive improper use of the gifts repels unbelievers. They just think we're crazy And so Paul is going to give this as the biblical order. The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. So it's not well, I just felt the Lord wanted me to give this message in tongues and I just couldn't it's the spirit was working in me so powerfully. It just came out also the no, no, no. the gift of the Lord has given you is subject to you. He doesn't take you over. That's this exasy that the Corinthians were talking about that was so the stabilizing. It doesn't take you over you control it. So buying your tongue, don't display the gifts until it is the right time. I want to add two things to this chapter and um one is when we are ﬁlled with the spirit, we are not better than someone who doesn't even believe in being ﬁlled with the spirit. They believe in salvation, but this other is a little too pump there. We're not better than them. That'sip our argument. Our argument is, I am better than I would have been without being ﬁlled with a spirit. This made me stronger the empowerment keep but focused on yourself. don't compare it to others and don't have this arrogance. Now Don't doesn't give a lot of rules. He says about if someone gives a message and tongues or must be an interpreter and there should only be two and at the most three in any given service. um where Pentecosts and if you come into one of our churches, they could be louded anything under the sun of how do we know if something is in order and here's the way only way I can explain it I can't I can't tell you. This is in order this isn't in order, but I can I know when I see it. It's sort of like if you're playing a game of soccer football and you have the sidelines. If you go out of them, you're out of bounds up in the play stops. When something is out of order, it is like they have crossed the sidelines. It's like somebody has thrown a bucket of cold water into the place. Nothing can dampen. The spirit oford quicker than someone abusing the gifts absolutely painful. so what often happens we want to avoid abusing, so we stop using. That's called embarrassment of the divine where I started or the domestication of the divine. It kills us. We are dead, wherever the risire, there will be wildﬁre, and we're going to have to deal with that, but if we put out the ﬁre, we have nothing. It's just dead. So, um, let us be careful about how we use the gifts, but let's not hesitate to use them. Ali we have this discernment of spirits and I know I can tell in a heartbeat whether in this particular time, this is of the Lord or whether it's a person demonstrating their own capacity to manifest a gift. I can't explain it, but I can tell it when it happens. And on the other hand, I don't want to get stuck in my own presuppositions as to how the gifts should be done. I need to stop and ask myself, it's what's happening as it identify the Lord? because if it doesn't need to button up. And allow the spirit to work, process it through my mind. um Let me give you an example and then we'll take the break. I have been in Pentecost so my life. um I was ﬁlled with the spirit when I was 11 or 12 years old. um It was really a deﬁning experience in my life. and I obsc seen everything. I've seen abused, I've seen when it's wonderful. And one gets in your head, you start thinking about one person should give a message and tongues and another should interpret, and then that becomes your paradite for that's the only way tongue should be used in a service. And we forget about praising the Lord as a community in tongues. So I am uh I come to City harvest Church the ﬁrst time. and everybody's speaking in times, which I am just I have 70 years of being in Pentecostal church. um I wasn't accustomed to that and so I'm thinking one speak, one interpret, but I see the power of the spirit that is just moving. And I ask myself, what is it that made me uncomfortable? I am only uncomfortable for a moment, but I went through that process and I just worked it through. There is a one thing in the scripture that forbids corporate worship in house. No one thing. So if it ediﬁes, go for it. And now, um, when I'm watching online, which is I often do, the only I do it every weekend, my wife and I or if I'm with you, I am speaking in tongues with everybody else. It is just this wonderful, releasing experience. Don't get prays in tongues, get mixed up with a message and tongues. They are two diJerent things. The gifts of the spirit are absolutely powerful and so just give a lesson on the gifts of the spirit would be worthwhile, but it's it would be an entire lesson I'm trying to cover all of the material. But allow the Lord to use you, however, he would choose, and these are the only gifts and the gifts of teaching the gift of encouragement, the gift of service. Allow the Lord to work through of you. It is 950 and so we will come back for the last hour at 10 o'clock. So I'll see you in 10 minutes. And I want to treat here the resurrection of the dead forrinians 15. It's a long chapter. I think it's 58 verses. So I'll have to pick and choose. but I think there's a good reason why Paul leaves this one to the end because the Corinthians believe that their spirit is saved. Who cares what you do with the body? And that has a lot to do with some of the earlier problems. So let's take a look as we work through this. The last question, the Corinthians have, what about the resurrection of the dead? Perhaps their most important ones and they're not asking at like I haven't written there. They're more like we don't need this because our spirit, we believe in the resurrection. But forget about the body. Some of the Corinthians were denying the resurrection of the body, not of the spirit, but of the body, and for, again, the driven is from their culture, the idea of the body, the dead body, brought great diJiculties for the Greeks. They considered the dead body to be evil, and in fact, even alive, that body is not look a lot like the Lord because it doesn't matter. It's just there's spirit. But this idea of a physical body that if you believe it, it just rights away, that whole thing to them, the idea was just gross. and besides, they argued since our spirit is going to be resurrected, who cares about this rotten body anyways, so that's the issue of Paul's going to tree next line. Death andying in the ancient world, and as we've moved through these problems, I trust you'd be able to make application every one of them will yet a look into an urban church in the ﬁrst century that very much struggled with the same problems we struggle with, and now comes death and dying in the ancient world. How does this work for us? Is this? I don't know Asian culture, but um in many of the other cultures, people have this absolute fear of death and dying and as a believers death means the blessed hope. It's like okay, the good news, but here's how the Greeks believe, and they had a variety of what fanciful myths which ﬁts their mystical neck came up with everything under the sun, whoever their inhouse philosopher could think up um they would have every idea of the sun. They'd all be mystical, all ridiculous. Or when we die, the body just rots away to dust and it is extinct. It is no more. Or and I have inverted this one a little bit, the pleasure principle because the body doesn't matter when you die, engage in everything you can think of that brings you pleasure because it's our spirit that is the spiritual part, not our body. Our body doesn't matter, so do with it as you want. Another view would be when we die, we're just absorbed into the great beyond. And it's this we just sort our ﬂoating, whatever. um immorality of the soul, immortality in the soul they believe not the resurrection of the body. Jewish belief Sres didn't believe in it at all, and the Pharisees or the typical Jewish person believed in the afterlife, but it was very, very fuzzy as the exactly what that looked like. So Paul is going to give us, we in ﬁrst second Thealonians, Paul talks about it. He talks about it again here in chapter 15. And then again in sacaririnthians four and ﬁve is where we get most of the information about what happens when we die. Theas, the resurrection of Christ, and so Paul divides this chapter more or less when he writes into three parts. The resurrection of Christ is real, the certainty that it will happen and what happens to the resurrected body and then that's divided into three parts. How are the dead in Christ raised? that it is the second coming in those who are called out are with the what about how are the dead? What kind of body? will we have? And when is the bodies raised? When will it be raised? When we die or sometime later, so those are the question Paul is going to

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