My Dear Precious Child,
Numerous offenses were practiced by the Corinthians after they were born of My Holy Spirit and baptized in My Holy Spirit that were not beneficial to My kingdom of God, and they were totally against the teachings of Jesus Christ. The people in Corinth were holding meetings that did more harm than good for the Gospel. (I Corinthians 10:17-22) When they came together for their worship there remained factions, groups who were in opposition to each other. Paul wrote them a letter telling them that when they came together as a church that it was not really the Lord's Supper that they observed because some people were so eager to begin eating that there was not enough for other people to eat, so some people went hungry while others became drunk with wine. Paul questioned them if they didn't have enough food to eat at home and enough drink at their homes that they had to be gluttonous at the Lord's table. He said that surely they had enough to eat at home so that the poor people would not be embarrassed in front of them by not having enough to eat at their meetings.
Paul said that he had received the following instruction directly from Me: That Jesus Christ told them when they observe the Lord's Supper that they must do it in remembrance of the last supper that He enjoyed with His disciples, eating the bread as if it were His body and drinking the wine as if it were His blood; not that they are, but as if they are. He said that they must eat the bread and drink the wine as a remembrance of what had already happened in them because they had already received the new covenant where I began to write My words on their hearts when they heard them on the inside of themselves, and they allowed My Holy Spirit to bring life to them by the revelation power of My Spirit, the Spirit of Life. He said that they must reflect upon the sacrifice of Jesus when they observe the bread and wine, not as a substitute of what had already happened to them, but as a remembrance of Him and His sacrifice. It is to be done as a remembrance not as if it has power of its own. He said that many were sick and weak because they did it only as a ritual, forgetting that for which they ought to be reminded, that they were celebrating the new covenant of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of their lives when they had spiritually eaten His body by being born of His Holy Spirit and they had drunk His blood when they had become baptized in His Holy Spirit because the life is in the blood. (John 20:19-22; Acts 2:1-4)
In other words, Paul was cautioning them to eat their meals at home instead of making a meal out of the Lord's Supper and then their meeting together would not bring condemnation upon themselves by their being tempted by the demons to be gluttons and drunkards.
Concerning spiritual gifts, Paul wanted the followers of Jesus Christ to be informed on the proper distribution of gifts. He emphasized that no one could say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit and no one could say that Jesus was cursed and be speaking under the power of My Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:1-3)
When they came together at meetings, Paul emphasized that My spiritual gifts must be exhibited in divine order, not as a frenzied exhibition of emotional immaturity. He said in the church that the distribution of gifts from Me is delivered by different gifts through different people (I Corinthians 12:4-7) One person may have a gift of preaching wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Another person may have the gift of preaching instructions from the Holy Spirit in correcting or exhorting the congregation. Another person may have the gift of faith for supernatural events from the Holy Spirit for that meeting. Another person may have the gift of healing from the Holy Spirit in that gathering. Another person may have the gift of speaking in tongues and interpretation at that meeting. He said that My gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed to different people as He chooses but they are the workings of the same Holy Spirit as the needs of the people becomes evident. (I Corinthians 12:8-11) No gift is more important than another one. They are all distributed to enhance the lives of the body of believers.
Through My Holy Spirit Paul made a comparison between a human body and the distribution of spiritual gifts as a spiritual body, both being made up of many parts. My body of Christ is made up of many different but efficient parts just like the human body. He encouraged them that they were all baptized by One Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves and owners, and one Holy Spirit was given to them to drink. A foot cannot say that it doesn't belong to a body, or the ear or eye cannot say that it doesn't belong to a body because they cannot function alone. Instead, I put all the parts together into one body on purpose. None of the parts have the same functions as the other parts but they all go together to form one body with parts that have different functions so that it will work together efficiently. (I Corinthians 12:12-21)
Such it is in the body of Christ. Each person has a different part in building up the body of Christ, and each part is necessary and honored. If one part hurts, the whole body hurts. If one part is honored, all the body is honored. He said that I gave to one person the appointment as an apostle, one prophesies, one teachers, one works miracles, one has the gift of healing, one speaks with tongues and interprets those messages, one has the gift of helping. They all work together as a complete body, none of them working independently. In a congregational meeting, not everyone acts as an apostle or a prophet, and all do not have the gift of healing for that meeting. They must all work together in order, honoring the other people who have different gifts. Not everyone brings a message in tongues unless that person can also interpret it or the congregation will not benefit from the wisdom of the message. (I Corinthian 12:27-30) Only one or two gifts in tongues with interpretations is orderly. More than that turns out to be someone seeking attention.
It was the disorderly exhibition of the gifts that caused Paul to correct the church at Corinth. My Holy Spirit is not disorderly. It was the way in which the gifts had been delivered by the people that were out of order that had become an embarrassment to the Gospel. The members were encouraged to prophesy because the message in that gift is clear, concise and easily understood because to prophesy is to speak for Me. I do not speak in a frenzied manner or with undisciplined emotions. That display is from a demonic religious spirit which demands attention also.
The gifts of My Holy Spirit are given by Me to My children to meet the needs of My children, whether words of wisdom and knowledge are needed, whether healing is needed, whether miracles are needed, whether guidance is needed, whether insight is needed in tongues and interpretation, whether supernatural faith is needed or whether discerning of spirits is needed, they all work together to meet the needs of a congregation of believers.
I am a God of order, a Father of dignity, a creator who does not embarrass My children or Myself. I do not make a display for the sake of proving the spirituality of anyone. From My personality of mercy I give My gifts to My children in order to meet their needs.
Do not despise My gifts of the Holy Spirit and do not quench the Spirit. If you do, you are cutting off My true body of Christ from your community of believers. (I Corinthians 14:1 and 12 and 39; Mark 16:17)
My kingdom of God is orderly and edifying to the believers. A human body grows into maturity when fed with healthy food. It dies when fed poisons. My body of Christ matures when the gifts of the Holy Spirit are delivered with dignity and honor, for such is My kingdom of heaven. My earthly body of Christ is dispersed by Me when it eats polluted food that is sacrificed to demons by the attention seekers. Keep the distribution of My gifts pure and unadulterated and they will meet the needs of My children.
Your Father of Divine Order
No comments:
Post a Comment