1.
THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the present Person of the Trinity that is working through the members of the church to do the ministry left to us by Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (exousia, authority) is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus spoke with ‘exousia’ authority to commission disciples of every age to evangelize, and disciple all people. We have that commission to continue the work of Jesus, to evangelize the world, to disciple all those converts.
We, Christians, have a desire to win the world, for we know from what we have ourselves been saved, and we know that, unless the others are saved, there is no hope.
Power is needed to do this soul winning. Jesus promised up power.
Acts 1:8
‘But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.”
The words ‘Holy Spirit’ refer to One of the Trinity. He is Holy (agios), that we understand. The other word ‘Spirit’ is the Greek word ‘pneuma’, which means ‘blowing, wind, breathing.’
He is the One Who gives ‘breath’ to the body of believers. He is what gives us spiritual life. When our spirit departs the body, the body dies. When breath ceases to breathe from the body, the human body is dead. The Holy Spirit comes at salvation, and gives life to our spirit, which had been dead in sins. The life is there, spiritual life, after the coming of the Agios Pneuma, i.e. the Holy Spirit, enlivens our spirit.
Power is needed by our ‘sarx’ spirit, i.e. human spirit, from this Holy Spirit, in order to do the commission we have. Some seek to evangelize by studying formulas of Scriptures for answers to common questions they may be asked. Some memorize a few Scriptures, carry a pocketful of tracts, locate a great place to stand to witness, and hope that is all there is to witnessing. Yet, those may all be good things to do, but the work actually requires more power than our human spirit is capable.
When acting in the flesh, in the ‘sarx spirit’ we are ‘sarkikos’ or ‘carnal’ as the translators chose to coin that word, not understanding the meaning here. When the flesh is in control, when the ministry is motivated by the human nature, it is a carnality, a meathead, fleshly exhibition that does not reflect the spirituality of the ‘pneumatikos’ nature and gifts we are to exhibit that are gifted by the Holy Spirit.
We need the Holy Spirit to add a 'power' to the witness, to put a desire in your heart to win souls, and to give supernatural conviction to lead the person to change their mind about sin, and direct them to the Answer to that conviction, i.e. Jesus.
By working in conjunction with that power of the Spirit, not counteracting it, not working contrary to it, not ignoring it, the mission of the Lord to us progresses. This kind of powerful witness is vital.
UNDERSTANDING THE ‘SPIRIT’ IS IMPORTANT
MANKIND’S SPIRIT
Man’s spirit is the word ‘pneuma’ and used with the word ‘sarx’. The word sarx is Greek for the material part of man. The word pneuma refers to mankind’s immaterial part. Flesh and spirit together equal the whole person.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The sarx spirit of man, needs cleansed, needs the filthiness removed, and we need to perfect holiness in our lives. The Agios Pnema, the Holy Spirit, is that Perfector of holiness in us, and in the process of doing so, He wants to give us pneumatikos, to replace the sarkikos, we call ‘carnality’.
GOD’S SPIRIT
God’s Spirit is often called ‘pneuma o deos’, the Spirit of God.
Ephesians 4:30
"Grieve not the Spirit of God..."
I John 4:2
"Hereby know we the Spirit of God..."
The Spirit "proceeds from the Father".
John 15:26-27 (KJV)
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
And thereby He can reveal the truth of God.
John 16:13 (KJV)
13 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
This Spirit of God will guide us toward God and away from sarkikos, i.e. fleshly living. The Holy Spirit arrives in our lives, baptizing us into Jesus at salvation. The process continues, with more and more pneumatikos arriving in subsequent revelations, and subsequent empowerments.
Romans 8:4-9 (KJV)
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded (sarx phronema = meatheaded in mind) is death; but to be spiritually minded (pneuma phronema = letting the wind of the Spirit work in our mind) is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
In order to have any relationship with the Father, you must have a relationship with the "Spirit of God."
DEMON SPIRITS
Demonic spirits are called ‘poneros pneuma’ meaning ‘evil spirit’, or pneuma to akarthartos,’ meaning ‘unclean spirit’.
Acts 19:15 (KJV)
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Matthew 12:43 (KJV)
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Some let the thoughts and suggestions of evil spirits come into their own minds, and they contemplate them, are tempted by them, are defiled by them. We need to be Holy Spirit minded, not carnal minded, and definitely not evil spirit minded.
At salvation, we are to have the Holy Spirit transforming our lives, making us to be ‘new creations’ in Jesus. The spirit of man refers to the part that those who receive God have new Spirit life given. The body comes alive at conception. The soul is also alive then. Man’s spirit is the third part, alive and real, at conception. Yet, the willful sin of the spirit bring death to the spirit, that lasts until salvation.
Pneumatikos refers to the things God gives, or desires to give to those who are alive in the spirit following salvation. The list is far longer therefore than the gifts listed in I Corinthians 12.
The church needs to be empowered with pneumatikos. What is the "church"? It comes from the Greek word - "ecclesia". It refers to a body of "called out ones." It is translated "church" 112 times, and translated "assembly" 3 times. It is used in the Bible to refer to a gathering of a mob of people. In Acts 19. This mob was confused, disoriented, and behaved in a shameful way.
Acts 19:32
"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly (ecclesia) was confused, and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together."
Unfortunately, this is descriptive of many congregations today. They do not know why they gather together, nor do they speak with unity, and have a like purpose. They have little power, little ability to do the commission we have from the Lord. They are confused, and behaving in ways that shame the Lord they claim to serve.
Paul was speaking in I Corinthians to such a congregation. This church (ecclesia) was disorderly, and therefore was not prospering. Paul stated some serious, vital principles to guide such congregations. Paul talked much about the pneumatikos that God was wanting to endow, that their work could have power.
We should recognize weaknesses, inconsistencies, extravagances, dangers in Pentecostal worship. The Holy Spirit takes people as they are, and none of them are perfect. The imperfections of people will creep out into the expressions of worship. The manifestations of the church are affected by these imperfections.
God did not make us robots, to automatically perform exactly as He would will. We, as people of free will, had better heed, and study the instructions of the Lord in the Word of God. For the behavior of people within the church, without such instruction, and the following thereof, will degenerate to shameful practices as it did in Corinth.
If we ignore the safety markings, the guidelines of the Lord, we can no more claim to be infallible examples of God's handiwork than the motorists who ignores all the highway laws and markings on his trip. It is dangerous and deadly for a congregation to play church without the proper guidelines being observed and obeyed.
The early church services were informal. One person had a psalm, or a song. Another would speak of a doctrine. A third would express a revelation given to them by the Lord that week. Each would take part, and encourage others. This excessive informality degenerated into a very unhealthy "free for all" in Corinth.
Some congregations have tried to substitute a cold, dead, formalism to avoid such problems as they were having in Corinth. These cold, dead, formal, and planned services are about as inspiring and Spirit filled as the morgue. They not only do not have power in their works, they have no works. They congregate, collect an offering to make sure they can congregate again.
Excessive deadness and informality can engender confusion, false doctrines, and disorder. Paul's answer was not formality. He counseled teaching as the answer. The easiest way to kill excess is form and rule, but that kills the spontaneity of the Spirit's moving, as well as man's. We need order, but not the order of a prison.
God does not want a planned, ordered, and controlled to the kind one finds in a prison plan for the church services. He does want "all things to be done decently and in order." He wants a Holy Spirit anointed group of 'called out ones' to demonstrate pnuematikos, empowering the winning of souls, the discipling of converts, doing the wonderful works of Jesus.
At least 20 verses in the 40 verses of I Corinthians 14, emphasize the need of edification of the church. The church is a place wherein the believers go to be edified, built up, helped, refueled, repaired, and cleaned up. As a car goes to a service station for gas, oil, repairs, and a cleaned windshield, so the believers should go to the local church "ecclesia."
There in the church, pneumatikos, are demonstrated, used, and giving the anointing of the Lord. We need to study ‘pneumatikos’ and see that it is descriptive of a life filled with many kinds of gifts. These gifts start at salvation, later other times of enduement of more gifts continue to empower and anoint the Holy Spirit minded saints.
More to come...
a ‘peanut gallery thread’
...http://www.christianforums.com/t7837483/#post66169711
THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the present Person of the Trinity that is working through the members of the church to do the ministry left to us by Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (exousia, authority) is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus spoke with ‘exousia’ authority to commission disciples of every age to evangelize, and disciple all people. We have that commission to continue the work of Jesus, to evangelize the world, to disciple all those converts.
We, Christians, have a desire to win the world, for we know from what we have ourselves been saved, and we know that, unless the others are saved, there is no hope.
Power is needed to do this soul winning. Jesus promised up power.
Acts 1:8
‘But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.”
The words ‘Holy Spirit’ refer to One of the Trinity. He is Holy (agios), that we understand. The other word ‘Spirit’ is the Greek word ‘pneuma’, which means ‘blowing, wind, breathing.’
He is the One Who gives ‘breath’ to the body of believers. He is what gives us spiritual life. When our spirit departs the body, the body dies. When breath ceases to breathe from the body, the human body is dead. The Holy Spirit comes at salvation, and gives life to our spirit, which had been dead in sins. The life is there, spiritual life, after the coming of the Agios Pneuma, i.e. the Holy Spirit, enlivens our spirit.
Power is needed by our ‘sarx’ spirit, i.e. human spirit, from this Holy Spirit, in order to do the commission we have. Some seek to evangelize by studying formulas of Scriptures for answers to common questions they may be asked. Some memorize a few Scriptures, carry a pocketful of tracts, locate a great place to stand to witness, and hope that is all there is to witnessing. Yet, those may all be good things to do, but the work actually requires more power than our human spirit is capable.
When acting in the flesh, in the ‘sarx spirit’ we are ‘sarkikos’ or ‘carnal’ as the translators chose to coin that word, not understanding the meaning here. When the flesh is in control, when the ministry is motivated by the human nature, it is a carnality, a meathead, fleshly exhibition that does not reflect the spirituality of the ‘pneumatikos’ nature and gifts we are to exhibit that are gifted by the Holy Spirit.
We need the Holy Spirit to add a 'power' to the witness, to put a desire in your heart to win souls, and to give supernatural conviction to lead the person to change their mind about sin, and direct them to the Answer to that conviction, i.e. Jesus.
By working in conjunction with that power of the Spirit, not counteracting it, not working contrary to it, not ignoring it, the mission of the Lord to us progresses. This kind of powerful witness is vital.
UNDERSTANDING THE ‘SPIRIT’ IS IMPORTANT
MANKIND’S SPIRIT
Man’s spirit is the word ‘pneuma’ and used with the word ‘sarx’. The word sarx is Greek for the material part of man. The word pneuma refers to mankind’s immaterial part. Flesh and spirit together equal the whole person.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The sarx spirit of man, needs cleansed, needs the filthiness removed, and we need to perfect holiness in our lives. The Agios Pnema, the Holy Spirit, is that Perfector of holiness in us, and in the process of doing so, He wants to give us pneumatikos, to replace the sarkikos, we call ‘carnality’.
GOD’S SPIRIT
God’s Spirit is often called ‘pneuma o deos’, the Spirit of God.
Ephesians 4:30
"Grieve not the Spirit of God..."
I John 4:2
"Hereby know we the Spirit of God..."
The Spirit "proceeds from the Father".
John 15:26-27 (KJV)
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
And thereby He can reveal the truth of God.
John 16:13 (KJV)
13 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
This Spirit of God will guide us toward God and away from sarkikos, i.e. fleshly living. The Holy Spirit arrives in our lives, baptizing us into Jesus at salvation. The process continues, with more and more pneumatikos arriving in subsequent revelations, and subsequent empowerments.
Romans 8:4-9 (KJV)
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded (sarx phronema = meatheaded in mind) is death; but to be spiritually minded (pneuma phronema = letting the wind of the Spirit work in our mind) is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
In order to have any relationship with the Father, you must have a relationship with the "Spirit of God."
DEMON SPIRITS
Demonic spirits are called ‘poneros pneuma’ meaning ‘evil spirit’, or pneuma to akarthartos,’ meaning ‘unclean spirit’.
Acts 19:15 (KJV)
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Matthew 12:43 (KJV)
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Some let the thoughts and suggestions of evil spirits come into their own minds, and they contemplate them, are tempted by them, are defiled by them. We need to be Holy Spirit minded, not carnal minded, and definitely not evil spirit minded.
At salvation, we are to have the Holy Spirit transforming our lives, making us to be ‘new creations’ in Jesus. The spirit of man refers to the part that those who receive God have new Spirit life given. The body comes alive at conception. The soul is also alive then. Man’s spirit is the third part, alive and real, at conception. Yet, the willful sin of the spirit bring death to the spirit, that lasts until salvation.
Pneumatikos refers to the things God gives, or desires to give to those who are alive in the spirit following salvation. The list is far longer therefore than the gifts listed in I Corinthians 12.
The church needs to be empowered with pneumatikos. What is the "church"? It comes from the Greek word - "ecclesia". It refers to a body of "called out ones." It is translated "church" 112 times, and translated "assembly" 3 times. It is used in the Bible to refer to a gathering of a mob of people. In Acts 19. This mob was confused, disoriented, and behaved in a shameful way.
Acts 19:32
"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly (ecclesia) was confused, and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together."
Unfortunately, this is descriptive of many congregations today. They do not know why they gather together, nor do they speak with unity, and have a like purpose. They have little power, little ability to do the commission we have from the Lord. They are confused, and behaving in ways that shame the Lord they claim to serve.
Paul was speaking in I Corinthians to such a congregation. This church (ecclesia) was disorderly, and therefore was not prospering. Paul stated some serious, vital principles to guide such congregations. Paul talked much about the pneumatikos that God was wanting to endow, that their work could have power.
We should recognize weaknesses, inconsistencies, extravagances, dangers in Pentecostal worship. The Holy Spirit takes people as they are, and none of them are perfect. The imperfections of people will creep out into the expressions of worship. The manifestations of the church are affected by these imperfections.
God did not make us robots, to automatically perform exactly as He would will. We, as people of free will, had better heed, and study the instructions of the Lord in the Word of God. For the behavior of people within the church, without such instruction, and the following thereof, will degenerate to shameful practices as it did in Corinth.
If we ignore the safety markings, the guidelines of the Lord, we can no more claim to be infallible examples of God's handiwork than the motorists who ignores all the highway laws and markings on his trip. It is dangerous and deadly for a congregation to play church without the proper guidelines being observed and obeyed.
The early church services were informal. One person had a psalm, or a song. Another would speak of a doctrine. A third would express a revelation given to them by the Lord that week. Each would take part, and encourage others. This excessive informality degenerated into a very unhealthy "free for all" in Corinth.
Some congregations have tried to substitute a cold, dead, formalism to avoid such problems as they were having in Corinth. These cold, dead, formal, and planned services are about as inspiring and Spirit filled as the morgue. They not only do not have power in their works, they have no works. They congregate, collect an offering to make sure they can congregate again.
Excessive deadness and informality can engender confusion, false doctrines, and disorder. Paul's answer was not formality. He counseled teaching as the answer. The easiest way to kill excess is form and rule, but that kills the spontaneity of the Spirit's moving, as well as man's. We need order, but not the order of a prison.
God does not want a planned, ordered, and controlled to the kind one finds in a prison plan for the church services. He does want "all things to be done decently and in order." He wants a Holy Spirit anointed group of 'called out ones' to demonstrate pnuematikos, empowering the winning of souls, the discipling of converts, doing the wonderful works of Jesus.
At least 20 verses in the 40 verses of I Corinthians 14, emphasize the need of edification of the church. The church is a place wherein the believers go to be edified, built up, helped, refueled, repaired, and cleaned up. As a car goes to a service station for gas, oil, repairs, and a cleaned windshield, so the believers should go to the local church "ecclesia."
There in the church, pneumatikos, are demonstrated, used, and giving the anointing of the Lord. We need to study ‘pneumatikos’ and see that it is descriptive of a life filled with many kinds of gifts. These gifts start at salvation, later other times of enduement of more gifts continue to empower and anoint the Holy Spirit minded saints.
More to come...
a ‘peanut gallery thread’
...http://www.christianforums.com/t7837483/#post66169711
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