Hi all,
I ended last week sharing a few days after the Father taught me how He manifests His emotions through the manifestation (gifts) of the Spirit, I received a visitation from the Lord.
He started where the Father ended, talking to me about I Corinthians 12:4-7. But before I share what He said, you first need to know what I knew before He taught me, so I'm sharing that first:
"Now there are distinctive varieties of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Spirit.
And there are distinctive varieties of service, but it is the same Lord.
And there are distinctive ways of working, but it is the same God at work.
To each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
Here is what I knew about this passage before the Lord started teaching me
What I knew is that in v4, the word 'gift' is 'charis', so the Lord is talking about the charismatic gifts. These include the gifts of prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues (revelation gifts). Healings, miracles, special faith (power gifts). And revelation gifts:Words of wisdom (about the future), knowledge (knowledge about the present or past), and discerning of spirits (perceiving things of God or the devil).
These are what v4 are talking about. Verse 5 says:
"And there are distinctive varieties of service, but the same Lord."
The word 'service' is 'diakonia', which was used in that day to describe 'waiting at a table'. It is translated in its forms as service, ministry, minister, ministering, serving. The '5-fold' are included in these gifts (apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, evangelist) but aren't the total.
Paul also lists things like helps (to assist, render help) and governments (literally, 'to steer a ship', meaning to help guide people (to safety)) as 'serving gifts'.
Both charismatic gifts and serving gifts are merely Paul says, the same Spirit and Lord doing what is for the benefit of all. He continues in v6:
"And there are distinctive ways of working, but it in all these things it is the same God at work."
The word 'working' is 'energema', or energy. There are distinctive ways of energy (motivation) but in all these things it is the same God at work. What motivates you in God, is of the Spirit. You were born with that motivation.
These are called the 'motivational gifts', or 'the energy gifts'. We are to be moved and motivated by the way we are created. Paul mentions some in Romans 12:1-8, where he starts by saying to each is given the measure of faith, and that he can only speak through the grace given to him. He urges us not to get lifted up in pride for we are how we were created.
This sets the stage for this idea, that each of us has a measure of faith directly related to the gifts we are created with. He lists a few starting in v6:
"Some are (motivated by) prophecy." This is not the charismatic gift of prophecy, but a measure of faith, an energy characteristic of prophetic people. These people are direct, to the point, love righteousness and hate sin, and are good judges of people and can sense when someone is in sin. They were born that way. It's part of what energizes them, motivates them.
Paul tells them to do to 'according to the proportion (measure, reach, sphere) of your faith', meaning, don't overstep. A prophecy motive person wants to correct any wrong they see, even if it isn't their business to do so. In the name of correcting a person they tend to overreach, and can hurt people by forcing an issue they see needing to be corrected. Paul said limit yourself to just within your scope of faith, of relationships and of course, love and propriety.
Paul goes on to write the same 'proportional to your faith' in v7-8 of 'serving, teaching, and exhorting'.
A servant tends to serve until exhausted, putting their family in 2nd place behind the church or others. They will give their grocery money to a cause because they can't be patient enough for the chain of command to meet the need. They don't want to have a microphone, they prefer meeting physical needs behind the scenes - cleaning, setting up chairs, helping someone get to a doctor's appointment, doing kind things that no one but God sees. But don't try to serve everyone, keep priorities in order. Don't neglect yourself and family in order to meet the needs of others.
Teachers, who like to research and love facts and figures, and exhorters, who want to tell their story, want to blurt out everything without consideration that maybe not everyone wants to hear the tiny detail someone who is a natural teacher find fascinating. Or maybe they don't want to hear every detail of what God did for you this week over the course of 20 minutes - maybe a 1 minute summary would be better. Limit to proportional to your faith, as you have opportunity.
A teacher doesn't mean one of the 5-fold, it is someone who naturally wants to impart to others. Whether it be showing a young mother how to care for their baby, or a man wanting to teach his son how to take apart a motor. They are naturally motivated to impart their life into others.
Paul then goes on in v7-8 to share and then limit 'giving', 'ruling (organizing)', and mercy.' He tells those who love to give, do so with simplicity. In other words, not to be seen by others, not with strings attached, just keep it simple as the tendency is towards pride and being noticed.
To the 'ruler' he says with 'diligence', meaning an organizer tends to take on more things than they can do well. They naturally know how an office should be organized, who should be where on what project, for instance. Paul says allow that motivation to flow, but only to the point you can maintain diligence. Don't take on more than you can handle well.
Of 'mercy', he says with cheerfulness. Why? Because a person moved by mercy tends to take on the problems of the person they are demonstrating mercy on. Paul says keep an emotional distance, show God's mercy to them, but not to the extent you aren't cheerful in doing so - if you start to feel yourself becoming emotionally involved with the person you are showing mercy to and losing your objective cheerfulness, back off, limit yourself.
Paul said in I Corinthians 12:6 when listing these motivational or energy gifts, all these things - the charismatic, the ministry, and the energy gifts, are just God working in everyone. He concludes with a restatement in v7:"To each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for everyone's common good."
Now you understand what I understood before He spoke; we'll pick it up there next week.
The point I was seeing and understood, is that the gift of pastor is equal to the person showing mercy, who is equal to someone who can prophesy. There are no superstars in Christ, all are merely a manifestation of the Spirit so that we receive no credit.
It is huge sin that some pastors think others are to serve them. Or that 'apostles' think they are to lord their call over others to make them serve them. The person moved to organize is equal to the apostle, just different functions. Saved by the same blood, how dare we exalt one over another. We honor the function, but with the realization it is the same Spirit, same Lord, same Father God pouring through us to our world.
Until next week, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
I ended last week sharing a few days after the Father taught me how He manifests His emotions through the manifestation (gifts) of the Spirit, I received a visitation from the Lord.
He started where the Father ended, talking to me about I Corinthians 12:4-7. But before I share what He said, you first need to know what I knew before He taught me, so I'm sharing that first:
"Now there are distinctive varieties of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Spirit.
And there are distinctive varieties of service, but it is the same Lord.
And there are distinctive ways of working, but it is the same God at work.
To each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
Here is what I knew about this passage before the Lord started teaching me
What I knew is that in v4, the word 'gift' is 'charis', so the Lord is talking about the charismatic gifts. These include the gifts of prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues (revelation gifts). Healings, miracles, special faith (power gifts). And revelation gifts:Words of wisdom (about the future), knowledge (knowledge about the present or past), and discerning of spirits (perceiving things of God or the devil).
These are what v4 are talking about. Verse 5 says:
"And there are distinctive varieties of service, but the same Lord."
The word 'service' is 'diakonia', which was used in that day to describe 'waiting at a table'. It is translated in its forms as service, ministry, minister, ministering, serving. The '5-fold' are included in these gifts (apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, evangelist) but aren't the total.
Paul also lists things like helps (to assist, render help) and governments (literally, 'to steer a ship', meaning to help guide people (to safety)) as 'serving gifts'.
Both charismatic gifts and serving gifts are merely Paul says, the same Spirit and Lord doing what is for the benefit of all. He continues in v6:
"And there are distinctive ways of working, but it in all these things it is the same God at work."
The word 'working' is 'energema', or energy. There are distinctive ways of energy (motivation) but in all these things it is the same God at work. What motivates you in God, is of the Spirit. You were born with that motivation.
These are called the 'motivational gifts', or 'the energy gifts'. We are to be moved and motivated by the way we are created. Paul mentions some in Romans 12:1-8, where he starts by saying to each is given the measure of faith, and that he can only speak through the grace given to him. He urges us not to get lifted up in pride for we are how we were created.
This sets the stage for this idea, that each of us has a measure of faith directly related to the gifts we are created with. He lists a few starting in v6:
"Some are (motivated by) prophecy." This is not the charismatic gift of prophecy, but a measure of faith, an energy characteristic of prophetic people. These people are direct, to the point, love righteousness and hate sin, and are good judges of people and can sense when someone is in sin. They were born that way. It's part of what energizes them, motivates them.
Paul tells them to do to 'according to the proportion (measure, reach, sphere) of your faith', meaning, don't overstep. A prophecy motive person wants to correct any wrong they see, even if it isn't their business to do so. In the name of correcting a person they tend to overreach, and can hurt people by forcing an issue they see needing to be corrected. Paul said limit yourself to just within your scope of faith, of relationships and of course, love and propriety.
Paul goes on to write the same 'proportional to your faith' in v7-8 of 'serving, teaching, and exhorting'.
A servant tends to serve until exhausted, putting their family in 2nd place behind the church or others. They will give their grocery money to a cause because they can't be patient enough for the chain of command to meet the need. They don't want to have a microphone, they prefer meeting physical needs behind the scenes - cleaning, setting up chairs, helping someone get to a doctor's appointment, doing kind things that no one but God sees. But don't try to serve everyone, keep priorities in order. Don't neglect yourself and family in order to meet the needs of others.
Teachers, who like to research and love facts and figures, and exhorters, who want to tell their story, want to blurt out everything without consideration that maybe not everyone wants to hear the tiny detail someone who is a natural teacher find fascinating. Or maybe they don't want to hear every detail of what God did for you this week over the course of 20 minutes - maybe a 1 minute summary would be better. Limit to proportional to your faith, as you have opportunity.
A teacher doesn't mean one of the 5-fold, it is someone who naturally wants to impart to others. Whether it be showing a young mother how to care for their baby, or a man wanting to teach his son how to take apart a motor. They are naturally motivated to impart their life into others.
Paul then goes on in v7-8 to share and then limit 'giving', 'ruling (organizing)', and mercy.' He tells those who love to give, do so with simplicity. In other words, not to be seen by others, not with strings attached, just keep it simple as the tendency is towards pride and being noticed.
To the 'ruler' he says with 'diligence', meaning an organizer tends to take on more things than they can do well. They naturally know how an office should be organized, who should be where on what project, for instance. Paul says allow that motivation to flow, but only to the point you can maintain diligence. Don't take on more than you can handle well.
Of 'mercy', he says with cheerfulness. Why? Because a person moved by mercy tends to take on the problems of the person they are demonstrating mercy on. Paul says keep an emotional distance, show God's mercy to them, but not to the extent you aren't cheerful in doing so - if you start to feel yourself becoming emotionally involved with the person you are showing mercy to and losing your objective cheerfulness, back off, limit yourself.
Paul said in I Corinthians 12:6 when listing these motivational or energy gifts, all these things - the charismatic, the ministry, and the energy gifts, are just God working in everyone. He concludes with a restatement in v7:"To each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for everyone's common good."
Now you understand what I understood before He spoke; we'll pick it up there next week.
The point I was seeing and understood, is that the gift of pastor is equal to the person showing mercy, who is equal to someone who can prophesy. There are no superstars in Christ, all are merely a manifestation of the Spirit so that we receive no credit.
It is huge sin that some pastors think others are to serve them. Or that 'apostles' think they are to lord their call over others to make them serve them. The person moved to organize is equal to the apostle, just different functions. Saved by the same blood, how dare we exalt one over another. We honor the function, but with the realization it is the same Spirit, same Lord, same Father God pouring through us to our world.
Until next week, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
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