1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verse 1

• This is relevant right now to us because one of the topics in the church today where there is confusion and controversy is in the area of the Holy Spirit’s operation within the church. On one side of the coin, there are groups where you find extreme over-emphasis, (all sorts of wild things during worship services truly out of ignorance), and on the other side you find ultra-fundamentalist groups with extreme denial of the operation of the spirit. So, Paul says, “I do not want you to be ignorant,” but the truth is, then and still today there is a great deal of ignorance in the church.

1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verse 2

• Paul is saying here that they should remember and consider (and same goes for us and for me) that their past was not a good prep school for the truth of God. Idol worship and pagan ritual…and for me, living for myself and serving my flesh…getting high and instead of dealing truly with my issues of rage and selfishness, I basically justified it all and did whatever my emotions commanded. That is terrible prep for serving the Lord and walking in the reality of truth!

• And so truly, my past experiences (and theirs too) had built a very poor foundation from which to understand the Spirit of God! So, what were they to do and what am I to do? Learn. It’s such a simple concept but pride gets in the way! To learn means I don’t know everything now! Oh the horror! That means someone else knows more than me and I should learn from them! GASP! That means I’m not the Golden Child that just knows everything and gets everything and sees everything…and so on… Pride is the single strongest barrier to truly becoming more in the Lord!

1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verse 3

• The first principle of discerning the true Spirt of God. Does what is being said or done glorify and promote Jesus Christ? Now hold on one second…not the Jesus Christ that we have fashioned by our gentile backgrounds…the Jesus Christ as He has revealed Himself in the Word of God!

• Are people weirded out? Not Jesus. Are people shamed? Not Jesus. Are people left out or objectified? Not Jesus. Is the Holy Spirit the focus? Not Jesus.

• And I love this, just the practicality of what Paul says here. If you have ever confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then that is done through the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart and life. Ever wonder if the Holy Spirit has worked in your life? Have you ever said, “Jesus is my Lord?”

• One more thing I want you to notice. Paul says, “speaking,” and “say,” and in a moment he will talk of the “word of knowledge,” the “word of wisdom…,” the Corinthian church was fixated on the mouth. Oh wow he sounds spiritual or man are his sermons, his advice, his speech…powerful. Don’t be so fixated on the mouth. 1 Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power!” Don’t be so fixated on the power of the mouth! Girls giving the time of day to guys with game…but does he have a job!? Look for things of integrity, character, signals of decency. Does she have a clean mouth? Do her friends love the Lord? Does he serve at church? All these fine young men and young women going for the ones that can speak well but can’t pay the dinner bill…y’all crazy.

• This feeds over into politics as well doesn’t it? It’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do! Don’t look up to me or any pastor because we can preach a powerful message or rightfully divide the Word of God in a teaching…the power isn’t there…it’s in living after the Spirit of God!

1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verses 4 – 7

• Did ya see it? I love love love the diversity speak…how so many different things created by God can function as one…and we’ll talk more about that but…did ya see it? Same Spirit, same Lord, same God. All throughout the Bible is the doctrine and the revelation of the Triune God. Three distinct Persons and yet somehow One Triune God!

• I love God’s absolute wonder…that He can design and create and do so much more than I can understand, ask for, think of or even perceive. That’s why I love to trust Him! Because I know He is infinitely more cool than me. Does it not astonish you that every person you meet has a different face? I mean, bodies can look almost identical. Just look at me and Dwayne Johnson! HA!!! But every face…unique. Every fingerprint…every personality…every person…I just wonder at that sometimes. I’d run out of templates after, I don’t know...30! HA!!

• But God has created so so so many absolutely wonderfully unique people and for those that are WITH Him, He gives them all His same Spirit! And so, the Spirit of God comes into a person and does not rewire them…make them some sort of robot…He redeems them…and uses each person uniquely and specifically and that is spectacular! You’re reborn…not reformed….

• We should never seek to conform to what we think we ought to be in the eyes of men (primarily)…we should simply and you are free to be…who God has made you fearfully and wonderfully to be. And when the gifts of the Spirit are poured out…there are diversities…there are differences in ministry flavors and great variation in activities….BUT…if they are of the Spirit of God then they will honor the Lord AND they will profit EVERYONE around them…believer and unbeliever alike!

• Paul said don’t be ignorant on this…don’t miss the top-you…the one that walks in the Spirit… How do we know? About us or anyone else…if we or they are operating in the Spirit or empowered by the Spirit? Well, let me watch…Nope. That’s a natural sense. Well, I’ll just listen. Nope. Natural sense. You have to know the word of God, walk in the Spirit yourself…or dumb idols may just walk you right into dumb-don. Jesus was the most Spirit-filled Person that ever walked…and so if you want to know what’s an authentic work of the Holy Spirit, simple…study Him…

1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verses 7 – 11

• Nine things Paul just listed off but I want you to notice and understand that he begins by identifying these particular things as the “manifestations of the Spirit.” These are things, actions, showings, soundings of the Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit can do, in the life of a believer. Why do I say that? Because many believe (as do I) that these are not the abiding gifts of the Spirit…these are the manifestations. The abiding gifts of the Spirit, how you are wired and called, are found in Romans Chapter 12.

• Romans Chapter 12 verses 6 through 8. These seven gifts of the Spirit are abiding…this is just simply how someone is…how they lean once they are saved. One person will be called and wired to lead…one will be called and wired to mercy. These are the abiding gifts of the Holy Spirit…but I do believe that every true born-again Christian has them all…just some are more than others. And most of the time, one is the lead.

• And then as you walk in the primary gift and all gifts of who you are now in the Lord, the abiding presence of God within you, as the Holy Spirit wills, for the profit of all, He will distribute to each one individually the manifestations of Himself. And those are the nine things listed in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12.

• The word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. Many times these manifestations are given and they are just natural in a way. You don’t even know these gifts are flowing…which makes sense because the Spirit filled believer…your new nature now is indeed supernatural. (The word of wisdom) You’ll just be speaking to someone or there with someone, and your heart and will be filled with the heart and will of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit…and you’ll just encourage someone in righteousness, pointing them away from the flesh, away from foolishness and towards the Lord. That is a manifestation of the Spirit!

• The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 9:10 says and to walk in wisdom is to hate sin it says in Proverbs 8:13…you’re in a tough spot and you find James 3:17 coming out…that is this…a complete manifestation of the Holy Spirit within you…no way I would do that on my own!

• The word of knowledge…when you see past the first layer or two of what someone is saying or going through and you just know…you answer someone’s heart, not their question…just like Jesus did so many times. Luke 5:22 we read, “Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts….?’” In ministry, these two manifestations/showings flow almost constantly…

• Faith…at times having faith to follow God in the moment, to choose Him, to trust Him…man you have faith unto salvation but don’t we still need faith in the moment? Of course we do! That is a proof and showing of the Spirit…when you walk in faith! Why? It’s His faith! He’s the Author and Finisher of it! Hebrews 12:2. Habakuk and Paul both declared, “The just shall live by His faith!” Ephesians 2:8, “Faith…it is the gift of God!” And at times I am so very faithful…why? Not me…to God goes all the glory!

• Gifts of healings, working of miracles…there is no one out there that is a healer for the Lord or miracle worker for the Lord! God heals and God works miracles and He does it as He wills. If someone says to you that brother so-and-so has the gift of healing then they are mistaken…now they are commanding God. Peter said to the lame man next to the gate of the Temple, “In the name of Jesus, rise and walk.” The man leapt up and praised Peter. NOPE…He leapt up and praised God!

• They found him later and sought to get his autograph and he said to them, “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”

• Prophecy…that is simply speaking forth the truth of God. Every Christian should be a prophet of sorts…profiting those around them with the truth of God’s Word. Discerning of spirits. Ability to know and test the spirits…are they from God or not. Tongues and interpretations of tongues…Paul will talk at length on this in chapter 14 but suffice it to say for now…not a manifestation of my own righteousness or holiness but a manifestation of the Spirit of God for the glory of God, directed only towards God…to the profit of all…

• All one Spirit, one goal, one aim, one reason…and One in control…that is the Holy Spirit. This is His action…His movement…as He wills working through the gifts and callings of Christians as they serve in their different ministries and diversities of activities…why? For the profit of all! God’s ultimate goal.