Angelic Conflict part 205: Human history (the Church) – 1Co 12-13; Joh 16:12-15; Act 1:8; Gal 5:22-26; Eph 4:17-5:21.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 205: Human history (the Church) – 1Co 12-13; Joh 16:12-15; Act 1:8; Gal 5:22-26; Eph 4:17-5:21.

 

The list of spiritual gifts is to remind us that they unite us in our ministries to the one body, given as GHS wills and not as we will.

 

No Christian should complain about his or her gifts, nor should any believer boast about his or her gifts. No believer should encounter stress about identifying what their spiritual gift is. We are many members in one body, ministering to each other. By following Christ through His word we will operate in the ministry that God the Holy Spirit has bestowed on each of us.

 

1Co 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.

 

The will of the head should not be in conflict with the will of the body.

 

No more need for the spectacular spiritual gifts because this will has been fully communicated and written. Now, the word of God, the mind of Christ is the one and only revelation of divine will.

 

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

 

The baptism of the Spirit occurs at salvation when the Spirit enters the believing sinner, gives him new life, and makes his body the temple of God, and enters him into union with Christ.

 

All believers have experienced the same baptism (vv. 12-13). It is unfortunate that the term "baptism of the Spirit" has been divorced from its original New Testament meaning.

 

God has spoken to us in Spirit-given words which we must not confuse. All believers have experienced this once-for-all baptism (1Co 12:13).

 

Nowhere does the Scripture command us to seek this baptism, because we have already experienced it and it need not be repeated.

 

The "filling of the Spirit" (Eph 5:18 ff) has to do with the Spirit's control or full influence over of our lives. We are commanded to be filled, but the command is passive in voice.

 

The filling or full influence of the Spirit is conditioned on a willingness and a yeildedness to the will of God.

 

Just because my words in description are slightly different should not alarm anyone. I am only emphasizing something that is vital and within that statement acknowledgment of sin is included.

 

Not yielding to the will of God is a sin. If I acknowledge that sin to the Father and yet fail to then change my thinking and yield to His will my acknowledgment or confession is meaningless.

 

When we find ourselves walking in darkness and under the mastery of the flesh, in love with ourselves and not God, a confession without a change of mind is lip service only.

 

As we have studied, there are many active commands in Eph 4 and 5 before the passive command to be filled with the Spirit in Eph 5:18 is given. Arise sleeper, walk in the light, put on the new man, etc. All are a part of an attitude to be willing to do God's will and a yieldedness to His Lordship.

 

This is a repeated experience, for we constantly need to be filled with spiritual power if we are to glorify Christ.

 

To be baptized by the Spirit means that we belong to Christ's body. To be filled with the Spirit means that our bodies are yielded to the will of Christ.

 

Rom 12:1-2

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

The evidence of the Spirit's baptism at salvation is the witness of the Spirit within (Rom 8:14-16). It is not "speaking in tongues."

 

All of the believers in the Corinthian assembly had been baptized by the Spirit, but not all of them spoke in tongues (1Co 12:30).

 

1Co 12:30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

 

1Co 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I show you a still more excellent way.

 

The evidences of the Spirit's filling are: a growing understanding of the Word (John 16:12-15), power for witnessing (Act 1:8), Christlikeness (Gal 5:22-26), and joyfulness and submission (Eph 5:19 ff).

 

Joh 16:12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

 

Joh 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

 

Joh 16:14 "He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine [victory], and shall disclose it to you.

 

Joh 16:15 "All things that the Father has are Mine [inheritance]; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.

 

Act 1:1 The first account I composed, Theophilus [likely a Roman official], about all that Jesus began to do and teach [Gospel of Luke],

 

Act 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

 

Act 1:3 To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

 

Act 1:4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me [the gift of God the Holy Spirit and His ministries];

 

Act 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. "

 

Act 1:6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

 

Act 1:7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

 

Act 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. " 

 

"witnesses" - function of an ambassador which includes the witness of the life and of words.

 

Act 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

 

Act 1:10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them;

 

Act 1:11 and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? [i.e. there is work to do now on earth] This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

 

In other words, don't be concerned about Him coming back and when, for He will in perfect timing, but become witnesses through the power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

The good witness must have wisdom, power, virtue, and a ministry of service - there is much preparation in this.

 

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

 

Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

Gal 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit [leading ministry].

 

Gal 5:26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

 

These are things that create divisions and conflicts in local assemblies and weaken them - boastful, as opposed to glorifying the one Lord; challenging one another instead of serving one another and bearing one another's burdens and encouraging one another; envying one another as opposed to giving to one another and loving one another.

 

All believers are led by the Spirit, but not all believer's willingly follow the Spirit with eagerness and humility.

 

Rom 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 

 

Rom 8:13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

 

Rom 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

"led" - a;gw[ago; present passive indicative] = to bear, bring, carry, or lead. The passive voice means the subject receives the leading.

 

These are the sons of God. Since all believers are adopted as sons of God then all believers are being led by the Spirit. However, the Spirit does not override anyone's volition, yet still, He will never stop leading His children.

 

Rom 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

 

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

Rom 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.