Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 12: 7 … Now to each one [i.e., Christian] the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
My Journal for Today: As this verse and passage from 1st Corinthians 12 clearly indicated, each Christian is given, at conversion, at least one special manifestation of God by the Holy Spirit (i.e., a spiritual gift) to minister within and to the Body of Christ (see also 1st Cor. 12: 11). But as John MacArthur correctly teaches in Strength for Today, having spiritual gifts does not make one “spiritual.” It is only the surrendered Christian, submitting to God and using his Spirit-given gift(s) for God’s glory in the Church who would actually be considered a “Spiritual” Christian.
And one must not mistake the use of natural abilities or characteristics such as singing abilities, good looks, intelligence, or an outgoing personality as “spiritual gifts.” Yes, these natural qualities are from God; but they are manifest in non-believers as well as believers; … and these natural characteristics can be used to glorify God. However, they are not the special God-imparted gifts imbued by God’s Spirit when one is born-again which are to be used in special ways in His Body for His Kingdom [for teaching about these gifts see 1st Cor. 12, Rom. 12, or Eph. 4]. As I said, our natural giftedness as Christians should be used to advance God and His Kingdom; and our natural or physical talents/traits should only be used in conjunction with our Christian’s spiritual gifts to enhance our Holy Spirit imparted giftedness.
It would be a tendency of anyone, even Christians, to call attention to self rather than Savior with our natural talents or characteristics, even in the context of the church; and our enemy, Satan, would certainly pour his gas on those flames of pride and arrogance. It’s also “natural” for Christians to ignore or misuse their spiritual gifts for selfish glory as well … such as a teacher calling attention to himself by using his gift of teaching for self attention, rather than for God’s glory.
So, we must, as Peter prayed for the Church in 1st Peter 4: 10 – 11, be good stewards of our spiritual gifts, knowing what our Spirit-imparted gifts are, developing them fully, and using them TO THE MAX within His Body, for His kingdom, and ultimately for God’s glory.
Do you know your spiritual gifts? If you do, have you exercised them and practiced their use in the context of God’s Church? And are you using them fully for God’s glory? YES answers to those questions would certainly bring a smile to God’s face; but NO answers simply mean that we Christians have some work to do, with God’s grace, to learn, develop, and use His gifts for His glory!
My Prayer Today: Use the gifts You gave me, Lord, … in Your Body … for Your glory!
Showing posts with label Spiritual gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual gifts. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday, September 09, 2011
September 9, 2011 … We Need One Another
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 12: 7 … Now to each one [i.e., Christian] the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Hebrews 10: 23 – 25 … 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
My Journal for Today: One of the most important aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is found in the dovetail of these two verses. When one becomes a Christian he/she is given Spiritual Gifts (see the discussion of spiritual gifts in 1st Cor. 12, Rom. 12, and Eph. 4) so that Christians individually and collectively (in the Church) can reach out and minister to other believers and to witness to the lost. And as we read in the passage from Hebrews above, these Spirit-driven, Spirit-given functions are most effectively carried out from a unified body of believers.
As individual Christians, endowed by God’s Spirit with at least one spiritual gift (and maybe more than one), each of us can use those gifts individually for God’s glory (above see 1st Cor. 12: 7). But there are times when my spiritual gift of teaching does not match the needs of a person who might best be served by someone with the gift of mercy. It’s not that I can’t be merciful; but those who have the gift of mercy could more easily and more effectively come along side me from the Body of Christ to provide the mercy needed by a needy one if that one were being served by God’s Spirit through His Church. All of God’s gifts, as provided by God’s Spirit, are evident and available in God’s Church. Hence, when the Body of Christ is working in unity, all of the needs of His Body can be met by His Body when the Church is functioning as indicated in Heb. 10: 23 – 25.
Everyday, through my home church, I see people being helped, encouraged, directed, and/or ministered to by the brothers/sisters in Christ with gifts that perfectly match the circumstances and/or needs of those in need. Sometimes I can use my spiritual gifts of teaching or encouragement; …but then again, sometimes it takes the gifts of others to effectively be Christ in a given set of circumstances. But when the Body of Christ comes together for the Body of Christ, there is not a need that cannot be met in that Body. That’s God’s church doing God’s work, i.e., shining His Light, by the administration of His Spirit in His Name for the Father’s glory [see Matt. 5: 16].
I pray that you’re a vital part of a vital church, using your gifts, along side your brothers/sisters in Christ for God’s glory.
My Prayer Today: Use me, Lord, in Your Body. Amen
Hebrews 10: 23 – 25 … 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
My Journal for Today: One of the most important aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is found in the dovetail of these two verses. When one becomes a Christian he/she is given Spiritual Gifts (see the discussion of spiritual gifts in 1st Cor. 12, Rom. 12, and Eph. 4) so that Christians individually and collectively (in the Church) can reach out and minister to other believers and to witness to the lost. And as we read in the passage from Hebrews above, these Spirit-driven, Spirit-given functions are most effectively carried out from a unified body of believers.
As individual Christians, endowed by God’s Spirit with at least one spiritual gift (and maybe more than one), each of us can use those gifts individually for God’s glory (above see 1st Cor. 12: 7). But there are times when my spiritual gift of teaching does not match the needs of a person who might best be served by someone with the gift of mercy. It’s not that I can’t be merciful; but those who have the gift of mercy could more easily and more effectively come along side me from the Body of Christ to provide the mercy needed by a needy one if that one were being served by God’s Spirit through His Church. All of God’s gifts, as provided by God’s Spirit, are evident and available in God’s Church. Hence, when the Body of Christ is working in unity, all of the needs of His Body can be met by His Body when the Church is functioning as indicated in Heb. 10: 23 – 25.
Everyday, through my home church, I see people being helped, encouraged, directed, and/or ministered to by the brothers/sisters in Christ with gifts that perfectly match the circumstances and/or needs of those in need. Sometimes I can use my spiritual gifts of teaching or encouragement; …but then again, sometimes it takes the gifts of others to effectively be Christ in a given set of circumstances. But when the Body of Christ comes together for the Body of Christ, there is not a need that cannot be met in that Body. That’s God’s church doing God’s work, i.e., shining His Light, by the administration of His Spirit in His Name for the Father’s glory [see Matt. 5: 16].
I pray that you’re a vital part of a vital church, using your gifts, along side your brothers/sisters in Christ for God’s glory.
My Prayer Today: Use me, Lord, in Your Body. Amen
Saturday, November 20, 2010
2010 – November 20 – The Presence of God’s Spirit
Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 1 & 2 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 2: 38 … NIV Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
My Journal for Today: And now my guided tour (by the Bible editing and devotional authorship of Dr. LaGard Smith) in the New Testament continues as I’m led to begin reading in the book we know of as The Acts of the Apostles, which begins with that astounding sermon delivered by Peter to thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the traditional Jewish feast known as Pentecost, which takes place annually on the Hebrew calendar 50 days after Passover.
And after Peter preached his evangelically powerful sermon about repentance in Christ, well over 3000 men (and probably man thousand women and of-age children) were brought into the kingdom of God as new, born-again Christians that day. This was the launching of what we now know of as “The Church;” and in today’s excerpt from Peter’s sermon, we read of Peter’s “altar call,” (if you will) with a declaration that these Jews repent and receive the indwelling of God’s Spirit, which had been promised by Jesus Himself before He ascended to heaven. And as we’ve just referenced, thousands did exactly that on Pentecost; and what followed was a miraculous exhibit of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from these newly indwelt believers, many of whom even had a new, Spirit-led, gift of being able to speak in tongues with others who could interpret that gift for those who were not so gifted. But all of these new believers had been given various spiritual gifts which benefitted the new community of so-called (later) “Christians,” which we now know of as “the Church.” And all of these new, born-again believers were endowed with fruit of God’s Spirit, which Apostle Paul would later list in his letter to the church of Galatia [see Gal. 5: 22-23], to include love, joy, peace and other attributes which demonstrated that these new believers were changed – i.e., transformed – people, enabled by God’s Spirit to live, love, and interact in ways non-believers could not.
And Dr. Smith today, uses a word picture of this transformation process being like Jesus, with righteous intent, coming in and radically cleansing the Temple, as He did on at least two recorded occasions in the Gospel accounts [the 1st account in John 2 and the second documented in Matt 21 and Mark 11]. Jesus came in to a corrupted Temple; and as we know, cleaned it out so that the Temple would honor God’s presence as His house of worship. And this becomes a picture of what God, the Holy Spirit, does in the corrupted and sin-ridden temple, we know of as our body or “heart,” indwelling us with His grace and, over time, cleaning out the temple God has given us (our bodies) where He can dwell and be in a place of residence which glorifies God. The later Apostle Paul would also write about this to the Church in Corinth, when he asked the believers there (see 1st Cor. 6: 19-20), “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Dr. Smith, as he usually does, challenges his readers with a question at the end of his devotional entry, which today he calls a “purifying question.” He writes, ”If I truly wish to have the presence of God in my life, have I allowed my temple to be washed and filled?” I hope and pray all of us, here, either writing or reading this day, can answer that challenging question with an unqualified “YES!” Because, …only those who are truly born-again and surrendered to God’s Spirit in their lives will be able to do so.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, please, … PLEASE … purge my “temple” of anything unclean so that my heart may glorify You. Amen
My Journal for Today: And now my guided tour (by the Bible editing and devotional authorship of Dr. LaGard Smith) in the New Testament continues as I’m led to begin reading in the book we know of as The Acts of the Apostles, which begins with that astounding sermon delivered by Peter to thousands of Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the traditional Jewish feast known as Pentecost, which takes place annually on the Hebrew calendar 50 days after Passover.
And after Peter preached his evangelically powerful sermon about repentance in Christ, well over 3000 men (and probably man thousand women and of-age children) were brought into the kingdom of God as new, born-again Christians that day. This was the launching of what we now know of as “The Church;” and in today’s excerpt from Peter’s sermon, we read of Peter’s “altar call,” (if you will) with a declaration that these Jews repent and receive the indwelling of God’s Spirit, which had been promised by Jesus Himself before He ascended to heaven. And as we’ve just referenced, thousands did exactly that on Pentecost; and what followed was a miraculous exhibit of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from these newly indwelt believers, many of whom even had a new, Spirit-led, gift of being able to speak in tongues with others who could interpret that gift for those who were not so gifted. But all of these new believers had been given various spiritual gifts which benefitted the new community of so-called (later) “Christians,” which we now know of as “the Church.” And all of these new, born-again believers were endowed with fruit of God’s Spirit, which Apostle Paul would later list in his letter to the church of Galatia [see Gal. 5: 22-23], to include love, joy, peace and other attributes which demonstrated that these new believers were changed – i.e., transformed – people, enabled by God’s Spirit to live, love, and interact in ways non-believers could not.
And Dr. Smith today, uses a word picture of this transformation process being like Jesus, with righteous intent, coming in and radically cleansing the Temple, as He did on at least two recorded occasions in the Gospel accounts [the 1st account in John 2 and the second documented in Matt 21 and Mark 11]. Jesus came in to a corrupted Temple; and as we know, cleaned it out so that the Temple would honor God’s presence as His house of worship. And this becomes a picture of what God, the Holy Spirit, does in the corrupted and sin-ridden temple, we know of as our body or “heart,” indwelling us with His grace and, over time, cleaning out the temple God has given us (our bodies) where He can dwell and be in a place of residence which glorifies God. The later Apostle Paul would also write about this to the Church in Corinth, when he asked the believers there (see 1st Cor. 6: 19-20), “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Dr. Smith, as he usually does, challenges his readers with a question at the end of his devotional entry, which today he calls a “purifying question.” He writes, ”If I truly wish to have the presence of God in my life, have I allowed my temple to be washed and filled?” I hope and pray all of us, here, either writing or reading this day, can answer that challenging question with an unqualified “YES!” Because, …only those who are truly born-again and surrendered to God’s Spirit in their lives will be able to do so.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, please, … PLEASE … purge my “temple” of anything unclean so that my heart may glorify You. Amen
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