Okay, since I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday, here’s yesterday’s super long post.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (NIV)

The gifts of the Spirit seem to be a major controversial issue in the church these days. While it’s not really a “salvation issue,” different churches have taken different views of what Paul means by these verses, and the role of the Holy Spirit in contemporary times.

For some believers, the Holy Spirit’s work looks different now than it did in the time of Paul and the apostles. Because the gospel was being written and the Christian church being founded, it was appropriate for the Holy Spirit to confirm the gospel message with miraculous signs and wonders. Now that the Bible is written, and Christ’s church is established, the Holy Spirit’s role lies more in the realm of drawing non-Christians to Himself and illuminating Scripture to Christians. While it is undisputed that miracles still take place, they are less common and, in some respects, shouldn’t be expected.

For other believers, the Holy Spirit is still as active today as He was 2,000 years ago. Yes, He convicts non-Christians of sin, illuminates Scripture to believers, but He still acts in other bold and mighty ways in the present. These believers claim that Scripture confirms the Holy Spirit’s movement now as it was before, and that we should be relentless in pursuing the Spirit’s gifts, especially those not commonly seen now (prophesy, tongues, words of knowledge, healing, etc.). On the extreme end, these believers say that the (dare I say it?) charismatic life we live as Christians out to be rich and full of emotion, often to the point where emotional responses are taken to be leadings of the Spirit.

To me, the above passage of Scripture seems to include both sides. Earlier in that chapter (v. 11), Paul writes that all of the gifts are “the work of the one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.” So obviously these spiritual gifts are given out according to God’s wisdom, which is perfect in every way. Next, immediately following this list, Paul emphasizes that the church is a body, made up of many parts. The way I see it, the body of Christ has much room for these different views, so long as they all hold to Scripture. The last thing I want to do is to sound liberal here, because I’m not. God is absolute – His Word is unbreakable (John 10:35), and what is written in Scripture is the truth. However, some people are afraid to open up to the Holy Spirit’s power because they (I apologize for this phrase) “lack the faith” to believe that the Holy Spirit can do mighty things. I would venture to say that most of the Christians I know who are wary of the Charismatic movement actually live a fairly charismatic life. They live by faith, in total dependence on God to provide, and look to God as the source of joy, love, and life. Unfortunately, they aren’t comfortable with asking God to give them the gifts Paul listed throughout his epistles. We’ve been drilled to test the spirits so much to the point where we would rather rely on formulas, clever illustrations, and workshop exercises to live out our lives than be totally open to the Holy Spirit. When the gospel is shared, the four Spiritual Laws are taken out, or the Bridge illustration is given. When we say we want to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20), we look at the Wheel illustration or the Hand illustration and use mini courses like “One on one with God” and the like. Now, these are great tools and they encapsulate Scripture’s truths very well, but that’s the heart of the issue: they encapsulate Scripture. No longer should we be concerned about what God wants to teach us, or what God wants us to teach others – it’s all handed down in a nice cookie-cutter formula. Even our worship of God – which, by the way, is our primary purpose for living, not to make disciples or to share Christ with others – has become compartmentalized into our comfortable, manageable form of Christianity. Worship is now that time right before the speaker where we sing nice songs, so that we can prepare our hearts for the real stuff, the Scripture preached by the preacher. What a sad attitude for Christians to have.

Worship is our life, and the Holy Spirit enables us to worship, empowers us to worship, and leads us in our worship. Unless our lives are completely surrendered to Him – in action, in attitude, in thought, and in heart – we won’t experience the true power of the Holy Spirit drawing us closer to the Father. Being with God is an experience – it’s not an abstract philosophical ideal that we cling to with our minds. I’ve heard it said numerous times that the truth should evoke an emotional response, and that emotions do not always lead us to the truth. There is a great deal of truth to that. Paul writes that God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). David, a passionate man of God, always focuses on God’s truth in his writings, and that regardless of his emotions at the time, God’s truth brings about peace and joy. Just read any of his psalms.

Many people have told me that whenever God shows them something really cool, or when they truly feel like they’re in the presence of God, they get goose bumps and a warm chill-type feeling goes all through their bodies. I’ve heard it affectionately called “Jesus bumps.” I believe there is a great deal of truth to that. While Scripture is fairly silent at what it feels like when the Holy Spirit “fills [your] heart with gladness,” or being in the presence of Almighty God, it is quite apparent that God’s Spirit is omnipotent, and that we ought to be “struggling with all His energy” (Colossians 1:29). I, too, have experienced this joyful sensation, which brings with it supernatural peace and joy. It is no doubt God’s Spirit reminding us that He’s always near and inside of us. It is because of this Power that is now indwelt in us that we have the authority to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and treasure of our lives. It is because of this power that is now indwelt in us that we ought to lay hands on the sick and pray for them. It is because of this power that is now indwelt in us that we shouldn’t be afraid to let God speak through us, though we ourselves are unworthy vessels.

Whew. Okay, this is an incredibly long post. And I ended it a bit abruptly. But there’s so much more on God’s Spirit that I could say. But I’ve been at it for a good hour or so, and there’s plenty more Scripture for future days. So, until next time, don’t fall up stairs – you might rip your pants!

Ah yes, the obligatory relationship post – trust me, unless it comes up again between 1 Corinthians and Revelation, I probably won’t rant on it again. Even then, I’m probably going to post on something more “spiritual.”

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NIV)

I decided that I couldn’t skip through this part, since this topic seems to have come up quite a bit in the past few weeks. For a long time I’ve struggled with this passage, since Paul is basically saying that those who are married should stay married, and those who aren’t should stay unmarried. I kept thinking, if we do that, eventually the human race would die off (well, the Christians anyways). So I started thinking about this some more. God created us for relationship – with Him, with others. Given the cultural background and state of the Corinthian church, it’s more than likely that marriage, to them, was very similar to the way our society views marriage – a legal binding that allows each person to satisfy his or her own desires. Though I make this a blanket statement, obviously some people hold marriage to a higher standard than others. So while being single is the optimal situation if we want to be fully devoted to God, being married isn’t a horrible thing either. I find myself wavering between the two. Since I’m not married and aren’t in a position to be considering marriage, my hope and desire to one day marry is juxtaposed with my desire to serve God wholeheartedly. In some ways, it makes me feel like my desire for marriage is less than what God wants for me.

Of course, this isn’t true. God realized that living life alone isn’t easy (Genesis 2:18). Paul even concedes that this is very difficult – celibacy is a gift from God (1 Corinthians 7:7). So my hope and desire to marry shouldn’t conflict with my desire to seek God. Since His plans are perfect and for my good (Romans 8:28), I should be content regardless of where I am. Easier said than done. But I find that the more I seek God, the less I am likely to worry about the temporal things of this world. Even relationships will be worked out according to God’s timing.

So, for all those who are trying to figure out what the heck I’m saying, too bad. I make no sense on most days, especially when I’m thinking about relationships. It’s why I’m trying not to as much anymore. But personally, I don’t think that we should “kiss dating goodbye,” nor should we be “casually courting” people. When the right time comes, it comes fast – I’m seeing it in so many of my friends’ lives, it’s not even funny. So I think that I’ll be alright, single, or dating, ‘cause God’s got it all figured out. Now all I have to do is wait for that e-mail He’s going to send me to show up in my inbox…

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)

Sometimes I wonder what my purpose in life is. God gave each person certain talents, skills, abilities, interests, passions, and all sorts of other neat things so that they would glorify Him in what they do. I look at my life, and I think, where does God have me? I earnestly desire to glorify Him, to worship and praise Him in everything. Yet through the lens of hindsight I still wonder what sort of influence I’m making in people’s lives. Have I ever planted the seed in someone’s life to get them started on their walk towards God? Did I ever water the seed already planted to reinforce the truth they seek? One thing I know for sure – though I may never see the results of my influence, as long as my desire is for God and I keep pursuing Him, there is no way that I could become reclusive or stop being around people. My prayer is that one day I will see how God has touched many people’s lives through me, and that even greater rejoicing will take place when I see it happen. The goal of Christianity is not to win souls, but to worship and enjoy God, and our desire should be that everyone else get in on this excitement.

“Now to Him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
- Romans 16:25-27 (NIV)

No matter what happens in life, whether it’s failing classes, broken relationships, depression, loneliness, physical illness, injury, whatever, Christians will always have the overflow of eternal joy through Jesus Christ. It is this joy that is consistently expressed within those who have a relationship with God that the “gospel” is established and proclaimed. Even when Christians are depressed and have bad days (yes, it happens to everyone), it seems like there’s something different that comes out of that depression – just a simple note of encouragement or spending time with a friend really lifts up the spirit of the depressed Christian. Just yesterday I was feeling incredibly lonely and depressed, and simply by spending time with friends and talking things out helped me to regain the joy that comes from knowing God.

I say this not to belittle those who struggle with clinical depression – it is a real condition and affects so many people. Hold fast to the promises made in the Bible. Jesus said that He came to give us life, and life to the full (John 10:10). No one can snatch us away from Him (John 10:28-29). Many key figures in the Bible had periods of depression – David, Elijah, Moses, Job, Jeremiah, the list goes on and on. Even Jesus often felt alone and cut off, depressed and felt that no one cared about Him. It’s the essence of Christianity – God, in His infinite love, came to take upon Himself all the sins of the world, and be tortured, forsaken, jeered, insulted, beaten, and killed. However, as Paul went on to say in the last part of Romans 16 (it does seem like I went of topic…) that this was so that “all nations might believe and obey Him.” For Jesus Christ did not simply die and disappear from this world, but He raised Himself from the dead (Philippians 2:5-11) and this was done to glorify Himself both as Son and Father. This is why David can write psalms that begin with him totally depressed, but then finish with statements about praising God and giving Him the glory. He knows what He’s doing. He’s the only wise God. To Him be all the glory!

“Sometimes it can be tempting to strive to do something significant. We find ourselves wanting to write a significant song that will touch many hearts or lead a significant time or worship in which lives are truly changed. Instead, the calling is to obedience. Look through the Bible and see how obedience reaps some major, significant outcomes. Look at Moses or Noah for example. Ultimately, look at Jesus and the Cross. The most significant act of history was one of sheer, humble, enduring obedience.

Whether we’re called to be up in front or behind the scenes, obedience is always significant in the eyes of God.”

- Matt Redman