 If you have been in church for any amount of time, you have probably heard the story about David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11. It starts out with this statement ‘When Kings go to war’, then tells the story of King David staying home and doing something awful.
However, this same statement is also found in 1 Chronicles 20. In this passage, it doesn’t talk about his sin with Bathsheba, but it does mention a victory won at Rabbah. Both 2nd Samuel 11 and the story in 1 Chronicles, tell about Joab going to Rabbah, but here, we see that David actually joined Joab. Let’s look at a portion of both passages for context. 1 Chronicles 20:1-3 1In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, Joab led the Israelite army in successful attacks against the land of the Ammonites. In the process he laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. 2 When David arrived at Rabbah, he removed the crown from the king’s head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and he found that it weighed seventy-five pounds. David took a vast amount of plunder from the city. 3 He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes. That is how David dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1-2 1 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. 2 Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. The rest of this chapter and into the next, we see that David sins, not only by laying with the wife of one of his most valiant warriors, but also, after finding out she was pregnant, manipulates to have him killed in battle. Then because of the sin, and after David actually marries Bathsheba, unfortunately the child dies. David repents and he and Bathsheba have another child, then we pick up at 2 Samuel 12:26-30 26 Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and he captured the royal fortifications. 27 Joab sent messengers to tell David, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply. 28 Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory.” 29 So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he fought against it and captured it. 30 David removed the crown from the king’s head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and it weighed seventy-five pounds. David took a vast amount of plunder from the city. 1 Chronicles 20 doesn’t tell the story of David and Bathsheba and I’m not sure why. But in the middle of that story, the prophet Nathan goes and confronts David. 2 Samuel 12:7-12 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. 11 “This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” As you read through other scriptures, you see that this prophecy came true in David’s lifetime. All of this horror happened simply because David wasn’t where he was supposed to be. During those times, the kings didn’t battle in the winter, simply because of the conditions. The travel would have been treacherous due to the weather and the cold would have been hard to manage. But a king wanting to take over a territory would usually wait until the conditions were more favorable in the spring to go and begin to battle. David sent Joab to attack Rabbah because they were Ammonites, one of their biggest enemies. The actual battle and siege took almost two full years. Joab had taken some of the soldiers initially, but imagine fighting for two whole years. Then we see in 2 Samuel 26-30 (above) that Joab is requesting David’s help, so David gathers the rest of the army, goes and helps finish the job and takes the spoils, then they return to Jerusalem. Back to the main point, David wasn’t where he was supposed to be. But look at all of the consequences because he didn’t show up.
But something Nathan says in the middle of this story is very hard to accept: 2 Samuel 12:7-9 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? God had given David the highest authority in the land, that of King. God saved him from his predecessor, gave him everything his predecessor had and would have given him more if he would have asked, and at the end of all of that, God says David ‘despised’ the word of the Lord by sinning so greatly. All of this because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. When we don’t show up, we begin to get lazy about our responsibilities, then it opens the door for temptation. It is as simple as that. Had David been leading this battle, they probably would have won it much quicker. In that one act alone, he disdained his relationship with his commander Joab. He allowed a battle to go on a lot longer than it should have. Instead of sleeping on the battlefield, he walked around the roof of his house, lusting after someone else’s wife. What has happened when you didn’t show up for something you were supposed to do, and it had consequences that affected others? Most of us read the story of David and Bathsheba and only think about what David went through, but have you ever thought about those soldiers? You can’t have a voice in a room you aren’t in. You can’t have an impact in a place you don’t show up to. If you miss out on something, even something seemingly small, you may never fully know or understand the consequences of your absence. But God does. Don’t ever miss the assignments He has made for you, always show up. It protects you and others more than you may ever know.
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 Ruth and Naomi, by H. G. Theaker While you may not recognize that term or season, it is significant in the Jewish culture, and even more so in the Christian culture.
Shavuot is recognized by other names and is called the “Festival of Weeks” in Exodus 34:22 and Deuteronomy 16:10; “Festival of Reaping” in Exodus 23:16 and a “Day of First Fruits” in Numbers 28:26. This feast takes place seven weeks after Passover and, in later times became known as Pentecost. This is the time was when God gave the Law to Moses, a time to celebrate the first of the Harvest, and in the New Testament, in Acts 2, it became a time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These are all times where God came down to man and poured out. His word, His blessings, and His Spirit. In my daily Bible reading, I came to the book of Ruth yesterday. I’ve read that book many times but didn’t realize there is a strong connection between the book of Ruth and this season. The book of Esther is always read at Purim, in early spring. That is because Esther is the story of the salvation of the Jews from an evil antagonist. But the book of Ruth is about a famine and a couple of destitute women. Please take time to actually read this book, it isn’t long. After reading it, I did a bit of digging and found out some very interesting information that isn’t in the actual book of Ruth that we see in the Protestant Bible. To find the different types of Bibles, go to What are the different types of Bibles? In the book of Ruth, we see a couple, Elimelech and Naomi who decide to leave their home in Bethlehem due to an extreme famine and travel to Moab. They take their two adult sons and soon both get married. 10 years later, the father and his two sons die, leaving Naomi alone with these 2 daughters-in-law to care for. Naomi decides to move back to Bethlehem and the story really starts. Ruth decided to move with Naomi and finds herself having to take care of them both. I don’t want to tell the whole story here, again, I urge you to take time to read it to get the full impact of the points I’m about to make. When studying, I like to dig into the Orthodox Jewish sites, to see information that may have been passed down through the Jewish sages. This lends to some really great insight.
Shavout is actually coming soon. June 1st – 3rd will be the Jewish celebration, while the protestant Pentecost Sunday is June 8th. Regardless of when it is celebrated, remembering God’s goodness through the tough times, how He always pours out His word, his blessings, and His Spirit. Reading this story is a wonderful way for us to be encouraged and inspired. I hope you’ve read the book by now and Happy Shavuot! To study more about orthodox Judaism, the traditions and teachings, go to www.Chabad.org or www.AISH.com.  In my normal course of reading, I was in Leviticus the other day. Our brains normally take a break at the chapters, but while reading the end of chapter 9, I felt strongly to just go on to 10, and read it all as one story. Our brains, especially if you have been raised in church, are somewhat programmed to put a hard stop at the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next, like it is a separate statement, time, or incident. However, that is not how the bible was written. The original books were written with no breaks. The breaks were added much later. Chapters were added in the 1200’s and verse numbers in the 1440’s for the Hebrew Torah, and 1500’s for the entire bible, including the New Testament. These were done to make studying and reciting the passages easier to locate. Because of that, we break it up, often ignoring how the event took place. In this instance, it was all at one time. To give this story context, Aaron and his sons, the priests, had been anointed, the tabernacle was built with all of the furnishings and vessels ready for use. It was time to sacrifice the very first offering. Then we see at the end of Chapter 9, Aaron blesses the people and presents the offering. Below is Leviticus 9:22-10:7 and I’m removing the chapters and verse numbers, to aid you in reading it the way it was originally intended. After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community. Fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when he said, ‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’” And Aaron was silent. Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, Aaron’s cousins, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel. He said to them, “Come forward and carry away the bodies of your relatives from in front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” So they came forward and picked them up by their garments and carried them out of the camp, just as Moses had commanded. Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die, and the LORD’s anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the LORD’s fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu. But you must not leave the entrance of the Tabernacle or you will die, for you have been anointed with the LORD’s anointing oil.” So they did as Moses commanded. It's a little breathtaking isn’t it. On the heals of what was a glorious thing, something horrible happens. Holy fire consumed the sacrifice, and the same holy fire killed Aaron’s sons. There is so much here to unpack. This was all brand new and the first time they had offered a sacrifice after the dedication of the tabernacle and ordination of the priests!If you go back and read the prior chapters, you will see that Moses had gotten the instructions from the Lord and passed them on to Aaron. He and his sons, all of them, had just been anointed/ordained. They had just completed the tabernacle. This was the very first time they were going to do this thing God had commanded.
They blessed the people and the GLORY of the LORD appeared to everyone there. I can’t even fathom what that must have been like. I’ve been in some amazing worship services. Those must pale in comparison to what happened here.
This is the first time holy fire had appeared in this manner. They had seen the fire by night that guided them, but nothing like fire coming and consuming the offering. Sometimes the weighty presence of God is to much to stand, literally. Just as in the garden with Jesus when the soldiers fell back, the people had to fall down because of the power of His presence.
This act really hit me. Every time I have heard this passage taught or preached, it was presented as arrogant sons overstepping. But for the first time, I realized, they may just have been excited. I’ve been there. During an amazing moment of worship or during a service, where I felt I had to just DO SOMETHING. I’m sure I have mis-stepped at some point and I’m so grateful that we don’t have to worry about that fire, and least not in my experience. But we are moving into a time where God is reinstituting His Holiness in the earth, so who knows what we will see. We don’t know the motivation for their actions. Pride, ambition, jealousy, or just impatience, but whatever it was, it wasn’t God’s prescribed way. We forget that since they were the sons of Aaron, they were of the first prescribed priestly order. They had seen all of the miracles of the plagues coming out of Egypt, witnessed the majesty of God’s acts on Mount Sinai, and even had the glorious dinner with God and the other elders in Exodus 24. When they grabbed the censors and put their fire in them, Gods fire consumed them immediately. I’m sure that in that moment, they may have had the realization of their sin, but it was such a quick action, you know everyone was in shock. The same fire that displayed God’s glory, no showed His judgment of these presumptuous priests. This was the first instance we see of both God’s Holy fire and His fire of judgement. God’s fire occurs 12 times in scripture. Six in a beneficial way, and 6 in judgement.  God sent the first fire in that said, “I accept your sacrifice and approve of this priestly system.” This same fire then came from the LORD and devoured them, saying “I will not accept your man-based, fleshly attempt to imitate My fire; I will bring judgment.”
‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’” And Aaron was silent. While there may not be one specific verse that these words point back to, it was throughout much of what God had already instructed. But we do see a very clear comment. Exodus 19:22 Even the priests who regularly come near to the LORD must purify themselves so that the LORD does not break out and destroy them.” Keep in mind, Moses and Aaron were brothers. This had to hit Moses very hard and he knew exactly why God struck down his nephews. Some versions state at the end of verse 3 ‘And Aaron held his peace.’ This is unimaginable. He had no time to stop them, he had no time to speak, he had no time to do anything, but watch his sons, watch his legacy, succumb to the judgement of God. The only thing to do was to submit to the holiness of God, amid his immense grieving.
Moses asked those who were not of the priestly line to carry them outside of the camp. Aaron had other sons there, Eleazar and Ithamar. We see later, where they are put into service. So they were not able to help take their brothers away because it would make them unclean. All they could do was stand and watch.
David Guzik’s commentary tells us “This perhaps was the hardest day of Aaron’s life. Two of his sons were suddenly killed under the judgment of God, and he could not mourn them. To mourn might have implied — even in the slightest way — that God was wrong in bringing this judgment upon Nadab and Abihu. Aaron or Moses could not communicate this; it would dishonor God.” Remember that Aaron had done something much more grievous by building the golden calf in the wilderness, however, that was before he was anointed as priest. Now the responsibility is much greater. My heart was broken reading this passage in this way. I no longer saw Nadab and Abihu as awful priests like the sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12-4:11). Now I realized that they had been waiting on this day for so long, where they would be anointed to serve as priests of the Lord. Remember that Moses had received very specific instructions from the Lord and passed them on to Aaron and his sons. He may not have specifically mentioned not grabbing some coals from the other fire, but God was very specific that his rules were to be kept, which meant, no variance. They should have known. Unfortunately, we are seeing so much strange fire offered now, sometimes we wish we would see just a little fire of God. So why don’t we? After reading this, I was reminded of my blog from last week, Mercy and Truth. We have the heralds before the throne to cry out to save us from the fire of judgement. But weren’t they there when this happened? I believe they were, but Nadab and Abihu ignored God’s prescribed manner and suffered the consequences. Today though, we CAN approach the throne, knowing that if we mess up, Mercy and Truth will step in and take the fire for us. Then gentle mercy of Holy Spirit conviction is there to protect and keep us from being burned up. While we should be eternally grateful for their protection, we must begin to get serious about our responsibilities before the Lord. We are in a season where we are seeing fire, it just doesn’t look like what we expect.  I truly believe that the word of God is full of strategies for everything. We only have to pray and seek it out. Sometimes the answer may come quickly, others may take a bit more prayer and even fasting, but it is there. Then when you get that strategy and break it down into applicable pieces for your situation, then you are responsible to steward it. That means, you must do it.
Procrastination is a killer and one of Satan’s most effective tools. When we receive and understand these strategies they may seem a bit overwhelming, but if we dig in, determine to do it, and not procrastinate or quit, we will see the overwhelming results. But here is something that is a basis for a strategy that we need to explore. Psalms 89:14-18 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love (mercy) and truth walk before you as attendants. 15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD. 16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. 17 You are their glorious strength. It pleases you to make us strong. 18 Yes, our protection comes from the LORD, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king. While this may not look like your standard strategy, let me dig in and explain. But the key verse we are looking at is 14; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. When studying this verse, the Matthew Henry commentary quotes Charles Spurgeon, saying “Mercy and truth are heralds, they are in the person of Jesus called to the front (of the throne) to deal with the guilty and mercy paves the way to avoid the swift destruction that would come from being in His presence.” Mercy and Truth stand before the Throne for those who approach and pave the way, so the awesomeness of God doesn’t destroy them. The Old Testament has many references that describe his awesome presence. Moses knew he would die if he saw the face of God in Exodus and Jacob cried out that his life was spared when he saw God’s face. In Hebrews, we read about Christ’s sacrifice and what that does for us. Hebrews 4 14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. But what does the verse in Psalms 89:14 really tell us? Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. Righteousness is rooted in morality, good character, and honor. It is something we are, not something we do. So righteous is who God is! Perfect, blameless, without blemish. Justice is something that comes from righteousness, doing the right thing. It’s a legal term where a sentence is pronounced and carried out. These two attributes are the foundation of the throne so the one sitting on it must be the judge. As Charles Spurgeon tells us, mercy and truth are ‘heralding’ or attending the throne. In our humanity, we cannot go to the throne without encountering the thunder and lightning and awe of God, so how do we go boldy? Through Jesus and his work on the cross and the truth of who He is, and the mercy of the Holy Spirit. You see, we cannot get to righteousness and justice without going through these two. I liken Truth to Jesus because He tells us John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. We have to go through Jesus to get to the one on the throne. But what about mercy. Mercy is one of the gifts of the spirit we see in Romans. I believe Mercy is one of the best representations of the Holy Spirit. You see mercy steps in, that unfailing love, that regardless of what we do will step in and show us that there is always hope. The Holy Spirit calls you to him, essentially to Jesus. That is mercy, something we do not deserve. As we approach the throne, with whatever boldness we can muster, the mercy of Holy Spirit gives us the hope and the truth of Jesus brings revelation. They herald or announce us to Father god and as we know, intercede on our behalf. Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And then Romans 8:34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Now how is this a strategy? Well first of all, when you need righteousness or justice, you go to the heralds. It’s that simple, go to Jesus for truth, which will give you access to the righteousness and go to Holy Spirit, which gives us the mercy to receive the Justice of God, whether we deserve it or not. Remember, righteousness and Justice are the foundations of the throne. God is the judge. So, like bailiffs in a court announcing who is next, Jesus and Holy Spirit as Truth and Mercy are announcing our approach and pleading on our behalf so His presence won’t wipe us out. That is the only way to “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God” (Hebrews 4:16) But the rest of Psalms 89 tells us what happens after: 15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD. 16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. 17 You are their glorious strength. It pleases you to make us strong. 18 Yes, our protection comes from the LORD, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king. So there is no fear, no hesitation, just boldly going, knowing we will be accepted.  Note: I struggled with the last message I would bring to the monthly bible study. But while studying in the book of Hebrews, I couldn't get away from this message. It is as much for me, and anyone who reads this, as it is for the ladies in that room. I pray you talk all of this to heart. There is a shift coming. We were all looking towards The Great Reset a few years ago, and now the fullness of that shift is about to take place. Some are prophesying some pretty rough times, others are saying it’s the rapture. I’m not a fan of fear mongering, and at the end of the day, at the end of the book, we win. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have to go through some struggles and tribulations. What many don't realize because they are not taught, is that throughout history, Jesus has come to eart for many different reasons. He was here throughout the Old Testament
And throughout history, people have said they have seen him in difference circumstances. However, due to the vastness of the rapture teaching, we tend to limit Jesus visits to earth as one last trip to take us to heaven, when in actuality, He can come and go whenever He wants. I believe He comes especially during trying times here on earth, and even in people's lives. I came across a story of Johnny Cash’s great grandnephew attesting to grenades curving at the last minute and tanks never firing as a Marine Regiment, in Iraqi Freedom were going in to capture Saddam Hussein and take his palace. He testified it was as if some supernatural force was stopping bullets. Unfortunately I can no longer find the link. Why do I say all of this? Because we need to be ready for whatever is coming, or we may miss Jesus in the midst of it. We often become so secure in our spirituality that we miss what Jesus is actually doing. Look at the Israelites, longing for a Messiah for hundreds of years and they missed him because he didn’t come in the way that they thought He would. And they paid a huge price for that. I struggled with what to say for the final class, what I could leave you with. In light of the coming shift, that I’m sure Jesus will be in the big middle of, I say, GROW UP. The book of Hebrews, I believe, was written by Paul. My reasons are too many to include here, but I would be glad to explain if you reach out to me. Paul is writing to the Jewish people who had accepted Christ, in Jerusalem, but were struggling with the old structure, the old way of doing things. The sacrifices and accoutrements were still in place, but they had come to know Jesus and wanted to follow the new way. The old covenant and the new covenant. That was a huge shift. The entire book is trying to explain that God had fulfilled the old covenant and Jesus was the final sacrifice, so they need to shift fully into the new covenant. The shift we are about to experience, is just as significant. Even today, though, so many churches are so dead to what God is doing that they’ve already missed it, and it isn’t even here yet. The Lord says, “No more foolishness.” Have you ever read or studied the book of Hebrews? We are going to study one chapter in this blog, but I strongly encourage you to dig in. It will change some of the things you probably believe and have been taught for years. Hebrews 12 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. 18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. 25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. 28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire. Key verse for this message is Verse 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. I want to focus on the second command given here, living a holy life. The Greek word Holy is G37 "hag-ee-ad'-zo" and it means holiness, or sanctification of heart and life. It is the ongoing effect of a consecrated life. A couple of other verses that use this word are: 1 Peter 1:2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— He isn't just speaking just of sexual sin… but all sin. The root word of Holy in the Greek means to separate from profane things and dedicate yourself to God. To purify, cleanse internally, to purify internally by renewing your soul. It is the process of sanctification. NO MORE FOOLISHNESS! Let’s break all of this down. What does this all mean? Hebrews 12 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Others watching and cheering us on in our faith
But how do we do this? Let's look at the first part of Hebrews 12:2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Then back to Hebrews 12:2-3 Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
Hebrews 12:4 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Hebrews 12:5-11 gives us alot more of the how. And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Remember, there is a difference between conviction and condemnation. Many churches have quit preaching convicting messages, exchanging them for the feelgood and lightweight. This is actually giving the body of Christ a pass on their spiritual maturity, no longer requiring it within the body.
Hebrews 12:12-13 – Speaks strongly to intentionality. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Hebrews 12:14 Our Key verse - be intentional. 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. This is why verse 14 says for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Many people think this passage is just about the sexual sin, homosexuality, or anything like that. But it is about continuing in any sin. The people Paul is referring to here knew God...they knew the truth about God, but because they wanted to retain their sin, they began making excuses, trading the truth of God for a lie, making up foolish things about Him. Aren't we seeing this today in many churches? Twisting the truth to fit their current narrative. Currently, I'm in a series on my Podcast 'The Connector Podcast - YouTube on Galatians 5:19-21. Beginning with Episode 21, I walk through each of these sins listed in the "Lust of the Flesh" list. But the thing we all need to remember is that in Galatians 5:21, it clearly says that those who continue in those sins ‘will not inherit the Kingdom of God.' As I said at the beginning, we are in a kingdom shift, the Great Reset, and He is coming again. Just as He has come many times throughout history, so don’t be mistaken into believing the talk of rapture is only about Him coming that one time. If you aren’t intentional in your spiritual growth, you WILL miss him, you will not be sanctified…it doesn’t just happen. Remember, that is what happened to the Jews when Jesus came. Many missed Him and even today, millions of Jews are still looking for their Messiah. Hebrews 12:15 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Hebrews 12:16-17 16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.
Hebrews 12:18-21 18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. They are the assembly of God’s first born-Jews who accepted Christ, names written in heaven. They are a unique group of people and he was able to connect the past to the future for them. God brought them to:
Hebrews 12:25 25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
Less than 10 years after this letter was written, Jerusalem was taken under siege by the Roman Army. Many reports, and even Josephus reported that Jesus showed up with his army, in the sky. The image below was made from stories in AD66. The siege lasted for 3-4 years and everything the Israelites had worshipped and believed in, was destroyed. In AD67, the sacrifices ceased, then in AD70, the Temple was desecrated and destroyed. This event fulfilled all of the prophecies Jesus declared in Matthew 24. It was commonly understood and taught that the siege and utter destruction was judgement because that generation rejected Jesus. That was taught well into the dark ages. That generation paid a horrible price for missing Jesus. The entire book of Hebrews is a warning from Paul, not to miss God again, because Jesus was the final sacrifice.  Image of Jesus and a heavenly Army, AD66 Hebrews 12:26 -27
26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Here Paul is actually quoting Haggai 2:6-7 6 “For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Paul warned them of an impending shaking, and it came. Most Christians believe that the ‘shaking’ refers to a onetime event, but there have been shakings throughout history. The destruction of the First Temple and the exile; The attack written in the books of The Maccabees; The Second Temple in AD70; The Holocaust; WWI & WWII, Pandemics, and many other worldwide shakings. It doesn’t happen only once, it has happened throughout history and will continue to happen until... Hebrews 12:28 He does this so that the kingdom that we receive is unshakeable and we are to be thankful by worshipping him with a holy fear and awe…our God is a devouring fire and we don’t want to miss him.
Why do I say all of this? Why is this my last message? Because I don’t want you to miss Him in the midst of all of this. For the past 4 years, I have taught many times on being in the word daily, having a daily time with the Lord, and spiritual maturity. Now as we are separating, my heart is still in that same place. Because no matter how long we walk with the Lord, we are still at risk of missing Him. Remember what Paul said in Hebrews 5:12? You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. Many of us have been believers for a while and complacency can take over. But how do we keep from missing Him? Grow up! Get in your Bible, not a devotion book, or a scripture a day type thing. But dig in to the Word of God every single day. Learn to study your bible and learn for yourself. Make the sacrifice. If you don't know how to study the bible, or just want a refresher, here's a link that may help. Bible Study Basics - MY SITE Don’t depend on what you hear from a preacher on TV, a podcast, or even at your church. So much of what is out there is either not deep enough to help you mature, and some of it isn’t even the truth. I’m so shocked at the garbage I hear. Purpose to set aside the things that can jackknife your faith. Spend time in prayer with him, worship, be serious, no more foolishness. Remember what I said earlier, talking about my podcast series. In the very last part of Galatians 5:21 says "Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." That means that you will not inherit the kingdom while here in this life, and even potentially in the life to come. Why? Let's look back to our key verse, Hebrews 12:14 for those who are not holy will NOT see the Lord. You can only be sanctified, or made holy, by being serious about your spiritual maturity and growing up in the Lord. Start today!  We have been talking about the Kingdom of God and the fact that it is here, now. Then we began late last summer discussing the gifts. But today, I want to talk about the biggest gift…Now Jesus and salvation was the best gift. But if we only have that gift, the gospel of salvation, we can never go into the biggest gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gospel of the kingdom. John 14 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” Jesus asked ‘the Father’, Father God, to give us another gift, the gift of the Advocate, comforter, ‘parakletos’ an aid, to come alongside. Jesus was leaving and they were concerned about who would lead them. They were a group of people who would soon be without a leader. We see a paradigm shift here. Where a group of people who had a strong leader would soon be led individually by Holy Spirit, each on their own…now how is that gonna work? Let me get back to that, later in the teaching. John 16 1 “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer. 5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. 12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ Then, after the crucifixion, Luke caught us up on what happened in Acts. Acts 1 1 In my first book (Luke) I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus knew they were scared. They wanted to carry on the movement but wouldn't know what to do if Jesus had not given them a succession plan, but things were changing now. However, when Jesus ascended, Peter suddenly knew how this was going to work. How? We don’t see this discussed. But they had all just received the Holy Spirit, maybe that was how Acts 2:38 38 And Peter said to them, "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. But we see he calls it the "gift of the Holy Spirt.” I think Peter knew it wasn’t about the tongues of fire they had all received, it was about the power when we receive Him-Holy Spirit. Again, Luke calls it the gift... Acts 10 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. Then in Acts 11, Peter is explaining to everyone about his vision of the sheet with the many animals and how all were clean. Acts 11 15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. 16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” They all, continually speak of the GIFT of the Holy Spirit…He is the gift. But let’s look at the bad side of this whole thing. Acts 8 9 A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” 11 They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. 12 But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. 19 “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” 20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” Was Simon truly saved? Probably, but maybe he wasn’t fully surrendered because he thought he could buy the gift. History records that he eventually fell to his death believing he could fly. False beliefs are a slippery slope. Many people believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit is tongues, but the Holy Spirit IS the gift. The tongues, prophecy, boldness, etc., are all fruit of the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave. The individual gifts that I’ve been talking about for a while now, are for ALL people and is first received at birth. So when you are born, you are given the gift of service, hospitality, leadership, prophecy, etc. You are even given the capacity to speak in tongues, and see the sick healed. Then when you grow, and accept Jesus, they are empowered by further infilling of the Holy Spirit. As you mature, get in the word and ‘receive the full gift,’ the Holy Spirit himself, then you become supercharged. Jesus had to go away in order for the gift of Holy Spirit to come. It didn’t mean he left the disciples, but he wasn’t guiding their daily lives. The same is true with you at salvation, Jesus may walk with you a bit, but at some point, and it can even be at salvation, depending on what belief system you were saved in, the Holy Spirit comes in you, but only if you let him. Holy Spirt, as God and Jesus, are gentlemen. They WILL NOT go against mans will. I’ve struggled with this a lot, because I have seen God intervene. But stick with me for a moment. God chose to work through humans. So, we get our gifts and they will work with or without Him. Then when we make Jesus Lord, the power of Holy Spirit is available and even can work through us with conviction, revelation, etc. But if we reject something He is showing us, then that ability for him to work is limited. But as we grow, by reading the word, prayer, worship and godly teaching, then He begins to show us the power available to us. When we ask to receive that power, either with help from someone else praying for you or just you alone, He comes in like a shot of jet fuel and supercharges everything in your life. The lord showed me though that he will not intervene unless it affects his divine purpose. So, let’s look at 9/11. God was as grieved, if not more, than we were, but He could not intervene in man’s will. But remember all of the miracles. A lot more people should have been killed in the towers. Many were saved so supernaturally that only God could have been given the credit. For many who died, we didn’t know their story and now their stories have founded many wonderful things…benefiting millions. People buried in the rubble were saved physically and spiritually. A Muslim woman buried in the rubble was saved and pulled out by a man who apparently never existed. She and her husband have since formed a ministry, traveling the world telling people about that day. When she should have died, God intervened and used her to share Jesus will millions. So even though we don’t understand tragedy, the ‘gift’ of the Holy Spirit himself will come alongside and one day we will see. My own brother was killed in a horrific accident. No one knew all of the amazing things he had done…he changed the lives of literally hundreds of kids who never knew his name. After his passing, his wife changed her life, she and his daughter formed a foundation and now every year raise thousands to carry on the legacy of helping kids. That is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we get so focused on the ‘gifts’ that we ignore the more important gift of the Holy Spirit himself. When we have our own personal ‘Pentecost’ and receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit and invite Him to fill us, regardless of what He brings, then it is like a lightbulb that goes off in our lives with the revelation or realization of our His purpose for us. It may not be immediate, but it does happen. Holy Spirit gives the gifts we have talked about in 1 Corinthians Romans, but Jesus gave the 5 fold offices, in Ephesians 4. So, we see a paradigm shift here. Remember earlier, I talked about how there was a a group of people who had a strong leader that would soon leave them and then they would be led individually by Holy Spirit, each on their own…now how is that gonna work? The offices and the gifts. Paul does extensive teaching on the body, the physical body being an analogy of how the church is supposed to work. The 5 fold, sort of lead and teach…eph 4…and the people come in with the gifts and do the work, and when humility is in place and everyone is operating in the fullness of their gifts, then a healthy church works like clockwork. That is the entire purpose of all of this. This is the only way we can fulfill the great commission in Mt 28, go ye therefore, making disciples. We still need leaders, but Jesus knew that those men were leaders, so the hierarchy of replacing jesus with one person wouldn’t have worked, they would still be in Jerusalem, hanging out doing their thing. Jesus left each one of them individually, the Holy Spirit to guide them into their leadership role fully so the gospel could be shared and you and I could be saved. But what is the evidence of having the Holy Spirit in your life? Galatians 5 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. We need to quit looking for someone who heals, or prays in tongues, someone who preaches good, or sings and worships beautifully. Look for this fruit…that is how you know that Holy Spirit resides in them. Can you imagine what would happen if we only elected our officials if they walked in that fruit? Acts 2 1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. Entire denominations have spent many, many years believing that if you didn’t speak in tongues, then you weren’t spirit filled. Don’t ever lessen the importance of having the Holy Spirit in you, down to just being able to operate in one of the many gifts. See not every instance of being spirit filled in the bible was about tongues. Acts 4:31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. They preached with boldness. Now let's go back to where we started. John 14 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. We see her that the Holy Spirit: Convicts Increases faith Brings direction Empowers Counsels Reveals truth But most of all – He reminds you! 1 Cor 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. Holy Spirit empowers you to have faith, hope and love…the kind of love that is only given and received if the Holy Spirit is involved. The Holy Spirit is in the entire bible. We see Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Holy Spirit was there, bringing order to chaos. Then in Revelations 22 1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. Holy Spirit is that river with the water of life, flowing down to bring life and healing to all. He is everywhere in scripture from beginning to end. Take time to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you, fully.  To review, in August, I taught on the Gift of Tongues, then September and October, we looked at the Gift of Prophesy. Then in November we looked at Discernment. So now we will look at the list of gifts in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. Remember, the gifts are for all of us and is received at birth, empowered by Holy Spirit at salvation and increased through use and continued fellowship with Holy Spirit. We are the Temple, the Holy of Holies, the gifts and power flow through us. When looking at the Holy Spirt, you can look at it like, If you drink a glass of water, it is in you. That is like salvation. But, if I jump in the ocean, that is spirit filled, then you are in it. Romans 12 (NLT) 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 1 Corinthians 12 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. In both of these passages, Paul uses the analogy of a physical body being able to work in concert. That is how we have to operate, with each of us utilizing our particular gifts to accomplish the purpose. This is what grows the body of Christ. As I said earlier, the gifts are given at birth, but are developed as we mature, and empowered when we are saved. Then they are turbo charged when we ask Holy Spirit to fill us and help us. That is a continual need, because we are human and our problems, issues, false beliefs, hurts, etc., can deplete us. Keep in mind that these are supernatural gifts, and they will operate if we know Jesus or not. But when we know him and allow Holy Spirit full access, then they will operate at a supernatural level. But it’s a matter of what we are connected to spiritually, Holy Spirit or the enemy. Remember, there are only 2 kingdoms. The Kingdom of God or kingdom of darkness. We can be saved, but not fully surrendered which will keep one foot or more in darkness. Below I have 2 charts of each passage, listing the gift, the original Greek word, the definition, and finally how the gifts operate when you are walking fully in God's kingdom, and how they operate when you aren't. Remember I said the gifts work whether you are saved or not, and if you are saved but not allowing Holy Spirit to operate through you, then those gifts may be operating through the Kingdom of darkness. For instance, when you have the gift of prophesy fully submitted to Holy Spirit, it is a blessing, but when it isn't, it can be a curse. Speaking death and doom, or fear instead of faith.  One of the things that is unique is that often people don’t realize they operate in a specific gift because it is second nature. And often they think everyone has that gift.
My husband loves to serve. If he sees a need, he jumps in and helps. But sometimes I just stand frozen, not sure what to do. Sometimes he gets a little frustrated when other’s don’t serve in the same way, because he thinks everyone sees the need. Sometimes, people will become prideful in their gifts. They gain recognition from others and it feeds their flesh. So Paul told us how to deal with that. Let’s look at how we are to live, according to Paul. Romans 12 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good. Regardless of how gifted we are, this is how we need to live, act, behave and be. This keeps us in line with Holy Spirit, keeps our peace and joy intact, and allows us to further hone our gift. Those that get out of line, too prideful, arrogant, or just too big for their britches, do so because they don’t follow these guidelines. Paul knew that some of these gifts would get more attention than others, but this instruction, keeps them all on the same playing field. Please take the time to ask the Lord to show you what gifts you operate in. Then begin to study scripture about it, begin growing it, spending time in prayer about it, allowing Holy Spirit to perfect it and look at others you know and see if you recognize their gift. Some are easy, other’s may not be so visible. But whatever it is, honor it because they Holy Spirit's gift to us.  As we continue in our series on Unpacking the Gifts, I want to lay a little background first.
In Acts 18, we see that Paul went to Corinth and stayed with Priscilla and Aquilla, teaching at the temple. He began telling them about Jesus and was run out of the temple. The temple was where the Jews in Corinth gathered and knew that Jesus was considered a false prophet and was crucified. Because of their rejection, Paul declared would only go to the Gentiles after that. He left where he was staying and went to another home. Acts 18: 8-10 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, (this means he was a Jew) believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; “for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” Later Paul was brought up on charges and beaten, then after a time of healing he left Corinth for good. After a time, Paul received a letter from the church that had formed there and was asked to address some issues that had arisen. So, he wrote 1 Corinthians and sent it to them. All of the Epistles are letters sent to teach, correct, and encourage the churches and individuals. Keep in mind, the believers were comprised of Greeks and Jews, and there was a lot of idolatry. Introducing them to Jesus and keeping them out of idolatrous beliefs were a challenge. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 1) Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2) You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3) Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5) There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6) And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8) for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9) to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10) to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11) But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. The word “Discerning” in Greek is ‘Diakrisis’ which means distinguishing, discerning, judging, between spirits. Today, however, the term discernment in general is a bit broader, however there are always spirits at work behind everything. This gift is in place to protect us and keep us seeking Holy Spirit daily in our lives and His guidance. Charles Spurgeon said “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong. It is rather the difference between right and almost right.” Many years ago, just after he was elected to the Texas Legislature Phil King came to speak at a conference I hosted. When asked how we could pray for him, he said “I know where I stand on the black and white issues, the issues I was elected on, however it is the grey areas that are a bit more difficult.” Discernment helps us in the grey areas of life. Jesus told His disciples when He was sending them out: Matthew 10:16 So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. Remember, we are his disciples today, and we are also ‘sent out.’ This means we need to operate in the same manner, but we must have the Holy Spirit guiding us to do this. Discernment is the ability to perceive, understand and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward. This is a gift that grows the more you use it. In the South, unfortunately women often ignore discernment. We are taught that surely other folks aren’t as bad as we think they are. It is also a type of mindset where ‘men’ were typically smarter than we were. However, if we begin to nurture it, it will grow as we mature and gain knowledge, wisdom and experience. This gift is something always guided by the Holy Spirit. Some call it intuition, instinct, a hunch, or even 6th sense. You walk into someplace and sense a particular atmosphere, maybe joy or peace, or even darkness or fear. This is all part of discernment. It is a bit different than a prophetic gift, though. A prophetic gift is when God tells you something revelation or supernatural understanding. Discernment is more of an internal sensing. I learned many years ago that when witchcraft is in the room, my tummy hurts. Or if someone is operating in manipulation, I get angry. Your discernment can give you triggers or clues when you need to pay attention to something. Nobody likes to be fooled and that is what this gift is for. How many women totally ignore their discernment and marry someone who is awful? How many Christians get into a really bad financial deal because they turn their discernment off and trust the wrong people. Discernment is often morphed by filter failure. We all have a filter, like a funnel. All of our hurts, wounds, and bad belief systems are stuck in that funnel. Then, when God tries to speak to us, or show us something, it has to go down through that funnel. Often what He is trying to speak to us, it can be morphed because of the stuff in that funnel. That is why we must work to get free and why I wrote my book, True Freedom. When I realized just how much the enemy was affecting my thoughts, actions, and belief systems, I knew I had to get free of it so I could fulfill all God has for me. 1 John 4:1-4 1) Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2) This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3) But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4) But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. In verse 2, John was speaking specifically about the Gnostics of the day. They rejected the idea that Jesus came in a real body with the Spirit of God. But verse 3 tells us ‘they do not acknowledge the truth about Jesus’ which means they have an Antichrist spirit. We have a lot of ‘Christians’ that do not acknowledge the full truth of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So that is the litmus test for false believers. While this seems to be a test of a known fact, often if you are discerning, you will pick up on something that is just not right somewhere. You may even sense the antichrist spirit in operation. That is discernment. Caveat – Just because a religious or spiritual leader says someone is OK, don’t ignore your spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you. Many church leaders will allow evil or bad people on stage because they don’t bother to check with Holy Spirit before they allow them to speak. Ravi Zacharias was considered a lead theologian and Christian speaker, on stage at many mega churches and conferences, all the while he was operating in sex trafficking and worse. It wasn’t discovered until after he passed. Before I got healed and set free, I was very critical, fault finding, negative and I claimed to have a strong sense of discernment, but in fact it was just a critical spirit. This was because my filter was full of hurt and insecurity. As a result, I put a lot of good people on blast and paid a heavy price for that. When you curse God’s people, you curse yourselves. But this faultfinding in the name of discernment is actually sin. 1 Peter 4:10-11 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Hebrews 5:13 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. The word ‘difference’ here is the same Greek word used for discernment. So again, we see that discernment comes through the spiritually mature, those who are daily in the word and spending time in the presence of God regularly. When Solomon became King, God came to him in a dream and asked ‘What do you want?’ 1 Kings 3:8-10 8) “Now, O LORD my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 9) And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! 10) Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” Solomon actually prayed for discernment. We should always pray before we take on any task. Pray for an understanding heart and discernment. In today’s environment, our ignorance is no excuse, we literally have the wisdom of God at our fingertips. We have bible apps, google, Wikipedia, everything we need to know in the natural is right there. Couple that with the wisdom promised from the Holy Spirit and we can have the knowledge of the world. And we also have a promise from the wisest man in history, King Solomon. Proverbs 3:21-26 21) My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, 22) for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. 23) They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. 24) You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. 25) You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, 26) for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. This gift is a foundational gift we all must have, especially in today’s world. You too can pray Solomon’s prayer. “Now, O LORD my God, give me an understanding heart so that I can love your people well and know the difference between right and wrong."  Continuation of the Series 'Unpacking the Gifts. All scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.
“The prophetic gift changes hearts and brings Kingdom to earth. It brings restoration.” I know this may not make a lot of sense now, but it will. The whole reason I wanted to teach on the gifts is to demystify them. Too many people think some of these gifts either aren’t for today or they are for others, and not for them. These are for us ALL. Paul tells us, Ephesians 5:8-10 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. There is a level of the prophetic in all of us…the “Light” of revelation he refers to. We must use this to help us ‘determine what pleases the Lord.’ Revelation 19:10 For the testimony (the witness, the evidence, the proof) of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” When we use this gift, it is literally testifying to the existence of Jesus. Last month, we looked at 3 different areas of prophetic.
In the book, The Prophet, by James Goll, he says “FOR THE MANY, NOT THE FEW” I am firmly convinced that the current prophetic empowering is intended for the many, for the rank and file “ordinary” members of the Body of Christ, not just the few, the prophetic “superstars.” Successive waves of God’s Spirit will continue to unfold until Christ’s Church has been saturated with the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:15-23 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. Today, we are only focusing on #1, FOR ALL! First of all, there are dual purposes for this gift. It is for us, in our lives and for others. FOR US I recently saw an interview with a guy named Josh Giles. He and his little family were struggling financially, and I believe he was a physical trainer. He prayed and began studying Proverbs 8. We are to ask God for Wisdom and God will give us Wisdom we need to take care of ourselves and our family. Proverbs 8:2-11 tells us Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice! On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads. By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud, “I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people. You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding. Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it. God gives us this gift for us to use in our lives for direction, for instruction, everything we need. We must learn how to seek His revelation in our own lives in order to fulfill all He has for us. FOR OTHERS! I asked my friend, Connie Coleman to take this part. I have two things I want to express to you. 1. Do not discount what you do not know or have not sought out from the Lord. If the prophetic is foreign to you, that’s ok…for now…but when you make up your mind you want all the Lord has for you, or has to show you, you will seek out places, people and avenues to be exposed to others operating in that gifting. 2. Do not forget that this gift, and every gift, is about submission and surrender to the Lord. This gift, and most all gifts of the Spirit, are to strengthen and encourage others, ot for your own good or edification. It’s not about anything other than that, or making a name or platform for ourselves. It is submitting and surrendering to the Lord’s use. Period. Walking in the prophetic is not a topic that was discussed in my church background. I was part of a denomination that did not acknowledge the works of Holy Spirit much past the point of salvation, and if so, was a weakened and mysterious topic. Kind of like the prayers of “Lord, if it be Thy will…” regarding things He has already told us in His Word were His will. So in not addressing the gifts of tongues, except to explain it away, or prophecy, really much at all unless addressed as “insight” or “discernment”, there most assuredly was not an atmosphere of maturing people in those gifts. Hospitality? Sure. Administration? Fine. Prophecy, Tongues, Healing, etc, not so much. So, when the Lord began pushing me to seek them out, the whole counsel of scripture on gifts, anointing, calling and the work of Holy Spirit in my life, I began to have conflicting points of view, and questioned much of why it was ignored or explained away. I don’t remember my church ever making the claim such gifts do not exist anymore, but they may as well have as they were not acknowledged, taught, preached, or discipled. I do not claim to be prophetic, or walk in the office of a prophet, but I do know the Lord has worked in my life in these areas and have made the firm decision that if it is of the Holy Spirit, I want it. No holds, no boxes of safety, no reservation. If the Lord has it as a part of the Christian walk, offered to His disciples, and used in or through us to benefit and build up others, then I want it. More than my comfortable safe zone, more than pleasing the others around me who balked, more than acceptance with the “in” group, I wanted everything the Lord had for me. Period. One of the first ways the gift of the prophetic began to work in my life was just knowing things. I would know that I should not be involved in an area or situation. Even if it made me feel like a heel, or uncaring, I just knew that some things were not for me to step into. Every time I listened to that, and in some of the circumstances I didn’t, Holy Spirit would reveal in major ways that it had been Him guiding and speaking. For one instance there was a close personal relationship who needed help with a bad situation, but somehow, I knew I could not step in. I felt horrible. But I listened. It turned out that all that had been said was false and this person had actually lied, manufactured, and presented false allegation on their side of the story. Had I stepped in as my flesh wanted, and my heart and mind felt like I should have, I would have been coming alongside a lie. Another time, a lady attended a conference with a friend that I was putting on and keynoting. Her friend had to leave, and the lady who had come with her wanted to stay. Turns out, she was in a very bad situation, had an abusive husband, and so much other going on. She came to me and asked if I could stay in her room with her that she was afraid and thought maybe if I stayed with her, she might be able to sleep. As we went to turn out the lights, out of my mouth poured, “go to sleep, I will stay awake and pray over you so you can rest.” As soon as I said it, I knew I had to do it. It was a very long night. I was so tired and had so much ahead of me the next day, but I knew somehow that it was imperative that I stay awake. So the Lord helped me. I knew she stirred one time in the night, but quickly went back to sleep. She left before the full end of the conference the next day, so I actually assumed that the enemy had won and drew her back into the web of abuse. It wasn’t until a few years later I learned the full story. God had given me the urgency to stay with her, given me the words to commit to watching through the night, and let’s be honest, kept me awake, for greater purpose than I could have imagined. Almost a year later, I found out that my presence and prayers that night, brought her back to life. Many other situations like these, that I am sure you could also look on and resonate with. Then I began operating in other circles. OK, I became Bapticostal. I started hearing and seeing powerful prayer times. Worship nights with messages and times of encouragement. One conference a lady named LouJeanne was praying over people and had an encounter when she got to me. She fell in the spirit when laying hands on me. I was confused and never understood…til later. Prophetic prayers seemed to fascinate me… I wanted to operate that way, but wasn’t exposed to it much, and certainly never had practice operating in that realm. But the Lord would have me reach out to someone, with a word or a scripture that I felt like He had put on my heart for them, and when delivered they would then relate to me how the Lord’s timing and His word to them was an “on-time” word that they desperately needed. It seems so small. Just being faithful to send a text or make a call when the Lord lays it on your heart…but that is the beginning of surrender to His direction and willingness to express it to others. You see operating in the prophetic has two real hinderances. First, that we will not empty ourselves to hear what the Lord has to say, and second, that we will back away from sharing what He gives us. Fast forward to last year, I got an opportunity to serve in the prayer room at a prolife conference for an couple of shifts. These prayer rooms at the annual conference are some peoples lifeblood in this work. The Lord shows up, the people pray over these pregnancy center help workers, and they are strengthened for the work. It’s beautiful. I was so honored to serve in that capacity, even just for an hour or two a couple of days. It started off kind of strange because I had not been on the praying side like this and was fully aware of my need for Him to show up. Show up He did! He had told me that week my job was to “Love people and serve people, and trust Him with the rest.” And He was faithful. This year, just a few weeks ago, I got to attend the conference again as a part of this amazing ministry that serves the attendees in the prayer room. About 5-6 hours a day, 4 days straight, praying for people prophetically. I can never fully relate the experience. The quiet awaiting His voice, or His picture became such a treasure. The times when what I was getting and what the person I was partnered with got seemingly opposite things, and yet the Lord would show me how they fit together perfectly, and the people would confirm. The times He spoke directly to their situations in ways that I never could have known. The times He emphatically gave me words, or made me feel something, I knew He wanted me to ask about, or address, that I was terrified to even bring up with someone. Deep things like gut wrenching crying I could feel and hear, the word “barren” and “infertile” jumping off the page of my Bible, that you never want to cause pain in someone by bringing up, but the Lord so lovingly meets them right where they are, and by doing so, applies His healing hand and loving heart and brings healing to their lives. We saw healing, burdens lifted, clarity, excitement, countenances lifted, and even salvation. We were praying with one when another bursts in the door in crisis, and she was part of praying over them in comfort. So many instances. So many ways He expressed Himself. Such a beautiful and treasured experience. But it isn’t confined to that room, or to me. We all can see the Lord do these things in our everyday lives. We all need to begin recognizing Him at work in us, around us, and through us instead of trying to explain it away. Trust Him. Trust His ways. He is not weird. He will not make you be weird. He will not embarrass you. Just begin to trust Him. As I wrap this up, I will restate the 2 objectives as positives… 1. Seek Him out while He may be found. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in ALL the ways He has for you! 2. Surrender to Him. Submit. Set aside preconceived ideas of how it has to happen, the box He needs to remain in, or how you heard somewhere it has to happen. Don’t surrender to a program or a formula, read the Word of God, watch the Son of God, and listen to the leading of the Spirit of God. That really is the extent of our obligation. The rest is His. He works in and through willing vessels. (End Connie Coleman’s teaching) At the beginning of this teaching I said “The prophetic gift changes hearts and brings Kingdom to earth. It brings restoration.” Now you see how operating in the prophetic in your life and speaking prophetically to others, it brings Kingdom, changes hearts, and brings restoration.  Continuation of the Series 'Unpacking the Gifts. All scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.
First of all, let’s look at the definition of the Greek word used throughout the New Testament for these words. Word Prophesy-Prophecy Greek – prophēteuō I. To prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict a.. to prophesy b. with the idea of foretelling future events pertaining esp. to the kingdom of God c. to utter forth, declare, a thing which can only be known by divine revelation d. to break forth under sudden impulse in lofty discourse or praise of the divine counsels *under like prompting, to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others *to act as a prophet, discharge the prophetic office Remember, that when Paul wrote Corinthians, it was a letter without chapters or verse numbers. But where the gifts are spoken about, has a unique, intentional placement, I believe. First, we will be looking at 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14. 1 Corinthians 12:1-7 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. The remainder of the chapter goes on to talk about the spiritual gifts. The point is that we are all given gifts, specifically to be used to help each other in the body of Christ. He is very clear on the purpose. It is not to make money, not to manipulate, not to elevate, just to help each other. Then if you go to Chapter 13, it is known as the LOVE Chapter. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Then Paul goes into prophecy vs speaking in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened. I know all of this can be a bit confusing, especially if you have never been taught or studied about the prophetic gift. So, to make it easy, let’s break it down to three categories. First: The Gift is For All In the book, The Prophet, by James Goll, he says “FOR THE MANY, NOT THE FEW” I am firmly convinced that the current prophetic empowering is intended for the many, for the rank and file “ordinary” members of the Body of Christ, not just the few, the prophetic “superstars.” Successive waves of God’s Spirit will continue to unfold until Christ’s Church has been saturated with the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:15-23 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. In this passage, Paul specifically prays for:
But look back at Verses 22-23 God has put all things (in the earth) under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church (for us, for our benefit). And the church (us) is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. – we are full of HIM!!!! This spiritual gift is part of Him who is in us and works through us and we are to use it. Gods intended purpose is for HIS people to be filled with the revelation of His Son. Revelation only comes when Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds to it and is exactly how a prophetic gift works. Remember the part of the definition that says ‘a thing which can only be known by divine revelation?’ Many churches, ministries, people try to make the prophetic a high and lofty thing, when actually God reveals things to us all the time. That is the prophetic at work in our lives. There is a story in Numbers 11, while the Israelites were in the wilderness. Moses was weary from dealing with the people, so Moses turned to God. Numbers 11:16-17 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and He took some of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed it upon the seventy elders. But keep in mind that Moses still had ALL of the Spirit he needed. That was not diminished when God ‘took it’ off of him. He had all of the Spirit he needed, and the elders had all of the Spirit they needed. Then, Verse 25 tells us, “when the Spirit rested upon them (the elders), they prophesied. But they did not do it again.” With a stroke of the Master’s hand, the prophetic presence that rested upon Moses was distributed among the elders there and they prophesied. But they stopped and did not do it again. What a beautiful depiction, yet what an unfulfilling outcome! However, in Verse 26, two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. But the Spirit saw them, and rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. Even though they weren’t in the tabernacle, they still received the Spirit because of their position as elders. Joshua went to Moses complaining and wanted them stopped, Numbers 11:29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” There is no indication that they ever quit prophesying. Many, both inside and outside of the church have continually tried to stop the gifts for many reasons, but always out of fear. But Joel 2:28-29 says KJV And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Then, in Acts 2, Peter quotes this same verse as evidence of the outpouring being a fulfillment of this prophecy. Not just on the few, but everyone with Peter that day. Acts 1 tells us that there were about 120 people there and Acts 2:4 says ‘they were ALL filled’. So the prophetic gift for ALL is stated in 1 Corinthians 14:3 ‘to strengthen others, encourage them, and comfort them.’ King James says ‘edification, exhortation, and comfort.’ When you have a strong relationship with the Lord, Holy Spirit will speak through us if we allow Him. He will show us things, and when we are praying for people, when talking with them, just normal conversation, or when you see something, if you will let Him, He will work through you to help others in tremendous ways. There are different ways it may operate. You may see things, feel things, have just a knowing, or maybe something is ‘bothering’ you. Sometimes I’ll read something, or even see something on TV or the internet and I just know I have to call and tell someone about it. Only to find out it was something that they truly needed in that moment. But don’t just rely on your gift in the moment, you must partner the gift God has given you with Holy Spirit. Prophecy is not just about God or you, it’s about God’s heart for the person you are ministering to. Second: The Mature 1 Corinthians 14:22-25 So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy. But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.” Note: Chuck Smith’s commentary about this passage. “So the tongues, an interesting passage, are a sign for those who believe not. Now herein is a very difficult passage of scripture, because it would appear that the very next verse completely contradicts this. We do find on the day of Pentecost that tongues did serve as a sign for those that believed not. For on the day of Pentecost when these devout Jews were drawn by the phenomena, they heard them speaking in the various languages, though they were, all of them, from Galilee region, languages from all over the world, using these languages to praise God and to glorify the Lord. As Peter then explained to them the phenomena that they were observing, giving them the scriptural basis, when Peter was finished with his message and the Holy Spirit had convicted their hearts, they said, "What shall we do since we have crucified the Lord of glory?" Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and your children who are far off."” Now, we see in Verse 22 that ‘Prophecy is for the benefit of the believers.’ When we first begin to realize we can operate in this gift, we may find that we operate in it a bit more than others. Or we may realize that it is something that is really part of us. Someone with the type of gift I am referring to, often begins to realize it is something they have operated in all of their lives. Sensing things, being able to know when something is about to happen, etc. But as you grow in the word, worship, and pray regularly, you will grow in this gift. You will want to sit under godly teaching, study the word more deeply in order to understand it better and grow. As you realize this gift is growing, then you have a responsibility to begin studying about the gift and how it operates in and through you. We are all different. While all of us can operate in it to a degree, but those called to this gift, it will mature in it. Only the truly mature should bring correction or foretell future events. The immature may have a revelation, but should not prophesy it without submitting it to a mature prophet to ‘judge.’ This just means they will counsel on how it should be handled. This will bring protection and growth to the ‘new’ prophet. In Verse 14:25 we see that ‘their secret thoughts will be exposed.’ When you have matured, or if you are gifted a bit more in this gift, you may ‘know’ or see things in the spirit. But you are never to ‘expose’ the hearer in a mean, negative, or public way. 1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. We can choose when, how, or if we will release a word. Kim Clement is becoming well known right now because so many of his prophecies are coming to pass about Donald Trump and the US. He got ill in 2015 and died in 2016 and prophesied the Trump presidency, new supreme court justice among many other things. He told a story once about a man in one of his services that the Lord revealed to Kim, was a pedophile. The man was standing next to his wife in a crowd of several hundred people and Kim wasn’t sure what to do with what God showed him. So he went down and stood in front of the man and told him to hold his hands up. The man did and Kim began slapping his hands really hard. You see his hands were his tools of abuse. After a few minutes the man broke down and fell to the floor weeping and repenting. Kim never had to say a word and the man knew God was confronting him in his sin. God will speak through you, if you let him, and even if you don’t know the ‘what’ the people will. I often times have been told to just say a word or a phrase to someone and they start laughing or crying because they know God was speaking to them. Third and Final: Office of the Prophet Ephesians 4:11-16 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. This is commonly referred to as the Five-Fold Offices. These offices were what Jesus left as gifts to the church, in order to build the church. Their job is stated clearly.
This will be done until,
The purpose of which is to
A body of believers with all five in operation, doing what they are supposed to do, operating in this manner, would be such a strong and effective work that the enemy would not be able to bring it down. Some Things to Remember
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony (the witness, the evidence, the proof) of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The gift of prophecy is the ‘proof’ that Jesus is working in and through you. It also confirms to the hearer’s heart that Jesus sees them, loves them, and cares for them. It shows them that God sees them and loves them enough to send you to speak to them in that very moment. Always remember, you are literally speaking for God. Never take that responsibility lightly.
Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11 KJV As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. The word ‘oracles of God’ is the word “Logion,” which means “words or utterances of God.” Again, you are speaking for God, but you must ‘steward it. This means, you need to grow in it, sit under godly teaching, learn about it, study it, practice it, have someone mentor you in it. There is an Old Testament story about Saul when he was anointed King. 1 Samuel 10 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 10:6 At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. Then go to Verses 9-10, As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. God needed Saul to be changed, especially his heart, so he could run Israel well. We see evidence of that heart in the early days of his reign when he built and dedicated the temple. However, we see later that he didn’t steward the gift. He disobeyed God and ended up in torment and misery, finally losing the throne to David. We may be gifted, but if we don’t steward the gift or our lives well, we will suffer consequences.
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. The gifts and callings are always in operation, even when you walk away from God. That is why Saul was so miserable. There are many people in business, who seem successful in their work, but because they were given the gifts for ministry, they are miserable. The gifts still work, but if we don’t walk out our call, we will struggle. We must steward the gifts and our walk with Him.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. Many churches, denominations, or even people use Verse 10 to say the gifts ceased. It says ‘When the time of perfection (or the perfect) comes.’ The Greek word for ‘perfect’ used here is ‘teleios’ which means - brought to it’s end, completeness, finished, perfected. And the word for ‘comes’ is erchomai’ which means - arrives, is established, or comes into being. So it literally says, ‘When the time of the end, or time of completion, or time it is finished, or the time it is perfected arrives’ these partial things will become useless. Some say that when Jesus was resurrected, or others say that when the Canon of Scripture was put together in 325 AD with the Council of Niceae, that was the ‘perfect’ came so there was no more need of the gifts. However, there is nothing in scripture or even in extrabiblical texts from that time that indicate that would be ‘perfection.’ I see the ‘perfection’ coming in 2 ways. The first is at Jesus second coming simply because we won’t need these things anymore. But if you look at it in context, we see something very specific that Paul is referring to. When you are given a prophecy from another person, it is often ‘incomplete’ like a puzzle. But either it works with something you know but they don’t or, as you walk it out, everything begins to fall into place, it is completed and makes sense. Then the prophecy is then perfected and no longer needed. Sometimes we put things into a long-term view that may only be meant for a short-term application. In context though, we see Paul specifically talking about maturity. 1 Corinthians 13:9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! Verse 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. It is just like reading the bible as a young Christian and you will have passages you don’t understand, but when you mature and grow, these passages begin to make perfect sense, so there is no ‘need’ to try to figure it out anymore. Prophecy is the same way. Verse 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. This verse can have a short-term application, as well as a long-term, future with Jesus, application. There comes a point where things are revealed, both in the present and when we see Jesus. Whether we die and go to heaven or when He returns, it will all be made clear. This was to comfort us, not cause us to discount much of the word of God because we don’t understand it. We need to have faith that He will show us. I personally have a deal with God. If He gives or shows many anything and I don’t understand it in the moment, I ask Him and trust Him to show me when I need it. He always does. I lived the first half of my life believing this was not for today. But when I saw it in operation and knew that God didn't end any of the gifts of promises, I decided I wanted all He had for me. In all of this, pray and ask God to show you Himself. I will continue talking about this gift next week. |
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