Introduction to Spiritual Gifts

On Sunday (April 8, 2018) we studied 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. In this passage Paul begins with a Spiritual Test. The Corinthians were gauging their "spirituality" on what gifts (abilities) they had received from the Holy Spirit (gifts like tongues, prophecy, mercy, etc.), and this was causing divisions in the church. So Paul offers this as a basis of spirituality: if a person confesses Jesus as Lord, they are spiritual. In other words any person who makes a profession of faith regarding the Lordship of Jesus, is "spiritual" because the Spirit of God indwells them and enabled them to make such a claim.

The second point Paul made was regarding the Spiritual Source. This was verses 4-7. But before we get to verse 7, which is the thesis of the chapter - we can't bypass verses 4-6 because they provide us with a beautiful Trinitarian statement that is full of truth.

Varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit
Varieties of ministry (service), but the same Lord
Varieties of activities (works), but the same God

The Greek term translated "gifts" is charisma, which means "grace-gift." These grace-gifts are what we call Spiritual Gifts. Grace-gifts are not something to brag about (part of the Corinthians problem), but rather something to be grateful for. The point we need to remember is we did nothing to deserve the gift in the first place, so where is boasting then?

Verse 7 teaches us that when we use our spiritual gifts we reveal the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches. They are supernatural abilities, with the ultimate aim of "building up the body." This phrase doesn't show up yet, but this is what Paul is getting at when he writes that our gifts are for the "common good." This comes with a couple of implications:

1. My gift is the churches gift. It is not for self indulgence. Following the service Nathan Piper suggested another way to consider this would be that my church family has a right to my gift.
2. Gifts are never meant to promote my own status or agenda. I am an empty glove, a tool, the Holy Spirit is the hand that accomplishes all the work. 

Finally in verses 8-10 we find Paul listing a sample of the Spiritual Gifts (also see 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Romans 12, Ephesians 4), which we will discuss in detail in the coming weeks. Verse 11 offers the conclusion of this passage, by creating a bookend with verse 7. Both of these verses contain similar thoughts. Let me conclude by providing a few implications:

1. The Spirit is sovereign in distributing the gifts, therefore the recognition for the gifts belongs to Spirit.
2. No single person has all of the gifts, therefore we need each other.
3. The Spirit works in every Christian in the church, therefore no one is left with nothing to do. No member of the body is unnecessary or expendable.

In conclusion we (like the Corinthians) need to understand who we are as individuals and who we are as a group of believers - and these two things are interdependent upon each other. You cannot define yourself as an individual without including your membership with Meadowview Baptist Church. And Meadowview Baptist Church's description is not complete without describing the individual members that make it up.

I'm really looking forward to this study and as we continue forward would you join me in praying that you and the rest of our Meadowview family would come to know what it truly mean to "BELONG."

Reading the Bible Slowly

In January I finally read a particular book that's been on my shelf for years. The author is Eugene Peterson. The book is A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Overall the book is an expositional study of the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120-134). And if you were to examine my copy of the book you would see many notations of helpful points in each chapter. But what I want to share with you in my next few blogs is the Epilogue where Peterson challenges us to consider the way we read Scripture.

If we are serious about following Jesus and living out the gift of His life in detail in our bodies and circumstances, we must swim against the whitewater River We [a reference to our self focus] and familiarize ourselves with the world in which Jesus and his gift of life are revealed to us. We do it by reading our Scriptures slowly, imaginatively, prayerfully and obediently. Each adverb is important.

Slowly. The Bible provides the revelation of a world that has primarily to do with God. It is a huge world, far larger than what we inhabit on our own. We live in sin-cramped conditions, mostly conscious of ourselves – our feelings and frustrations, our desires and ideas, our achievements and discoveries, our failures and hurts. The Bible is deep and wide with God’s love and grace, brimming over with surprises of mercy and mystery, peppered with alarming exposes of sin and bulletins of judgment. This is an immense world, and it takes time to adjust to the majesty – we’re not used to anything on this scale. We’ve grown up on the streets and back alleys of Lilliput – it takes a while for our eyes to adjust. If we move into the Scriptures too fast or move through them too fast, we’ll miss most of what is here.

Next week we will consider Peterson's challenge to read the Bible imaginatively.

Wrong Thinking Regarding Church Membership

This month we are focusing on the importance of Church Membership. Don't worry you read that right! Church Membership is very important. But sadly many don't understand this truth. The following list reveals where many go wrong:

• Christians can think it's fine to attend church indefinitely without joining; 
• Christians think of getting baptized apart from joining;  
• Christians take the Lord's Supper without joining; 
• Christians view the Lord's Supper as their own private, mystical experience for Christians and not as an activity for church members who are incorporated into body life together;  
• Christians don't integrate their Monday-to-Saturday lives with the lives of other saints; 
• Christians assume they can make a perpetual habit of being absent from the churches gathering a few Sunday's a month or more; 
• Christians make major life decisions (moving, accepting a promotion, choosing a spouse, etc.) without considering the effects of those decisions on the family of relationships in the church or without consulting the wisdom of the church's pastor and other members; 
• Christians buy homes or rent apartments with scant regard for how factors such as distance and cost will affect their abilities to serve their church; 
• Christians don't realize that they are partly responsible for both the spiritual welfare and the physical livelihood of the other members of their church, even members they have not met. When one mourns, one mourns by himself. When one rejoices, one rejoices by herself. 

How important is Church Membership to you? 

Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus, Jonathan Leeman, pg. 23

Communicate the Gospel Plainly

Last month we focused on Evangelism (the 5th mark of a healthy church), so I wanted to spend a few blog posts encouraging us in our evangelism. I recently read through a great summary in Michael Lawrence's book Conversion.

First we must communicate the gospel PLAINLY

Someone once said, "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words." This quote may sound good, but just because something sounds good doesn't make it true. The gospel (a.k.a. good news) needs to be spoken and spoken plainly.

There are many good and bad things that have attempted to take the place of the gospel through the centuries, but no message can replace the gospel. Lawrence writes, "The gospel isn't merely that "God loves you" or "Jesus will give you purpose." It doesn't promise a happy marriage or success at work or successful children. It may help, but it offers no guarantees. The heart of the gospel is that Jesus died and rose again as a substitute for sinners, appeasing God's just wrath and reconciling us to himself."

What this means is followers of Jesus must know the gospel message so well that we are always ready to give an answer for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15). Let me encourage you to learn and practice PLAINLY communicating the gospel with others.

Culture of Evangelism

I long for a church that understands that it - the local church - is the chosen and best method of evangelism. I long for a church in where the Christians are so in love with Jesus that when they go about the regular time of worship, they become an image of the gospel. I long for a church that disarms with love, not entertainment and lives out counter-cultural confidence in the power of the gospel. I long for a church where the greatest celebrations happen over those who share their faith, and the heroes are those who risk their reputations to evangelize.

I yearn for a culture of evangelism with brothers and sisters whose backs are up to mine in the battle; where I'm taught and teach about what it means to share our faith; and where I see leaders in the church leading people to Jesus. I want a church where you can point to changed lives, where you can see people stand up and say, "When I came to this church two years ago, I didn't know God, but now I do!" I long to be a part of a culture of evangelism like that. I bet you do, too.

Evangelism, J. Mack Stiles, 60

From a Dying Church to a Church Willing to Die for Christ

 As you read this pointed quote by Andrew Davis, please consider your own life.

Dying churches have gotten to the sad state they are in because they selfishly loved their lives in this world and refused to take up their cross daily and follow Christ. They have become inwardly focused; they spend their money on themselves and their own comforts; they rarely invite people to church; they stopped looking for ways to engage the community and to serve its needs for the sake of the gospel. They have forgotten what Jesus taught; 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit' (John 12:24). As German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, 'When Jesus calls a man, he bids him, 'Come and die!'"

I truly believe God has great things in store for Meadowview, but only when we selflessly give ourselves to His work. Meadowview will you come and die with me for the sake of Christ and His church?


Revitalize: Biblical Keys to Helping Your Church Come Alive Again

The Purpose of Church Discipline

Since we have been working through 1 Corinthians 5, I thought this summary of the Purposes of Church Discipline by Leeman would be helpful...

1. Discipline aims to expose. Sin, like cancer, loves to hide. Discipline exposes the cancer so that it might be cut out quickly (1 Corinthians 5:2).

2. Discipline aims to warn. A church does not enact God's retribution through discipline. Rather, it stages a small play that pictures that great judgment to come (1 Corinthians 5:5). Discipline is a compassionate warning.

3. Discipline aims to save. Churches pursue discipline when they see a member taking the path toward death, and none of their pleading and arm-waving causes the person to turn around. It's the device of last resort for bringing an individual the repentance (1 Corinthians 5:5).

4. Discipline aims to protect. Just as cancer spreads from one cell to another, so sin quickly spreads from one person to another (1 Corinthians 5:6).

5. Discipline aims to present a good witness for Jesus. Church discipline, strange to say, is actually good for non-Christians, because it helps to preserve the attractive distinctiveness of God's people. Churches, remember, should be salt and light. "But if the salt loses its saltiness...," Jesus said, "It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men" (Matthew 5:13).

Church Discipline: How The Church Protects The Name of Jesus, Jonathan Leeman