Let’s do a little review before we get into this topic. In the last few lessons I’ve shown you how Paul uses the picture of the human body to show us the type of organization that Jesus said that He would build.
Our body is a beautiful, complicated web of systems that work together. If a part of my body is not working properly then it hinders its full effective use. For example, if my right thumb is missing then I cannot hold on as well with that hand. If you examine Ephesians chapter 4, Romans chapter 12 and I Corinthians chapter 12, you will see that Paul uses the example of the human body as a picture of a flexible organization working together. In each of these text, he uses the analogy of our bodies, to show how its through our differing gifts which makes us function uniquely. At the same time, it shows our interdependence, on one another for growth, expansion and formation.
In Lesson 49: Equipping The Saints, I showed you that we are all equal in Christ being placed on one foundation, yet we are not all equally gifted. In Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 Paul lists what we call the ascension gifts of Christ.
He says he gave some to serve as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as shepherds and some as teachers. He distributed himself as five differing gifts, so His body would be equipped to carry on his work in the earth, building, growing and expanding His ministry. The Ephesians chapter 4 text has a sense of system functionality just as our natural body. Each of these five leadership gifts Christ has distributed need to be fully active and present in the life of the body.
All of these are speaking and leading gifts possessing a different aspect of Christ ministry.
In Lesson 50: Body Ministry, I showed you that in Romans chapter 12, we see another list of gifts that have been given to each member of His body. I refer to these gifts in Romans chapter 12 as motivational gifts, but some call them gifts of grace. Paul did not teach nor demonstrate a clergy class ruling over the rest of the body. He did teach that each member of his body has differing gifts, giving some the ability to speak and lead while others are given the ability to serve and manage. It’s one body with a variety of gifts that are distinct, unique and complementary.
Paul lists seven differing gifts here and each has an important function.
The reason I call them motivational gifts is because they motivate or move us to do what we do. Our gift explains why we do things the way we do and once you understand yourself then you can expand your gift. You then can coordinate, cooperate and network with others for greater effectiveness. When a person discovers their motivational gift, they will better understand themselves and be able to use it.
The third gift set Paul details is in I Corinthians chapter 12. I prefer calling these manifestations of the Spirit because unlike a gift they are not something we possess. A gift is something that we possess, it’s a part of us. We wake up that way. We go to bed that way and it's how we live throughout the day. It makes us function in life the way that we do. These nine manifestations of the Spirit are us, just being a vessel of the Spirit at a particular moment.
In I Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7 thru 11 Paul lists nine manifestations of the Spirit and he says they are given for the common good.
He then says: to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit and to another the working of miracles and to another prophecy and to another the discerning of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. Paul then goes into a thorough explanation of how the body is one with each part being unique yet dependent on the other.
The word manifestation means visible expression and these nine are different visible expressions of the Spirit and they can be broken down into 3 separate categories.
The first category is revelatory. You have the word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits. The second category is demonstrations of power. You have faith, gifts of healing and working of miracles. Then the third category is speaking. You have prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues.
Jesus is the prototype of the Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life and he demonstrated these differing aspects of the Spirit during his earthly ministry. Jesus was a man dependent on the power of the Spirit to fulfill his ministry. Yes, Jesus was God, but he was a man just like us and the only way he could manifest the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, gifts of healing, the working of miracles or discerning of spirits is because of the Spirit’s ability working through him.
In the Old Testament all of these manifestations were demonstrated at times through the prophets except tongues and the interpretation of tongues which is something unique for the mystery of the church. The book of Acts is the story of the disciples receiving what Jesus received in order to do what Jesus did.
The distinct purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, is the Holy Spirit coming upon the believer and empowering the believer for ministry.
Jesus declared this same message in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 saying: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. In the book of Acts we see the disciples operating in these nine manifestations of the Spirit. To effectively fulfill the mission of being a witness of Christ, we must be fully empowered so that the wisdom and power of the cross can touch a world captured by darkness.
Paul made it clear in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 that the new covenant is about being completely dependent on the Spirit. He told the Corinthians that such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
It’s an amazing reality that everything that we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste with our five senses was made out of what you can’t see. In the dimension beyond what we can physically see with our natural eyes is where the real action originates.
Do you see radio waves or Wi-Fi running through your house? No you don’t. How about 5g transmissions? No, because it moves by the power of the air beyond what we see with our eyes. Do you see the wind? No. Now you can feel and see the effects of the wind, but you can’t see the wind. We live in a spiritual world, but trapped in a physical body.
Faith is the channel by which we pull the unseen into the seen and it’s the unseen hand of God that discerns, gives words of wisdom, words of knowledge, gifts of healing, works miracles, delivers and speaks through us. It’s the river of grace flowing from the throne of the lamb and we just become the channel of His Spirit. You can’t see it with your eyes, but you see its effect in the heart of man.
The book of Acts is the story of the disciples receiving what Jesus received in order to do what Jesus did.
The distinct purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is empowering the believer to be the body of Christ on this earth. Now, before we dive into this topic of the nine manifestations of the Spirit, let me briefly discuss a topic called cessationism. Yes, it’s one of those theological words that really educated people use to dismiss whole parts of the Bible. The term cessationism is typically used in theology with reference to the belief that the manifestations of the Spirit have ceased and no longer operate. The word cessationism means the process of ending or brought to an end.
The main argument of cessationism is that after the founding of the church and formulation of the completed New Testament Bible the roles of apostles and prophets, no longer exists along with the nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
The main scriptural argument that they use is found in Paul’s ending of I Corinthians chapter 13 where he says: as for prophecies they will pass away, as for tongues they will cease, as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes the partial will pass away.
The argument of most cessationist is that the perfect mentioned in this text looked forward to the completion of what is referred to as the canon of scripture which is what we call the Bible. Cessationist's reasons that the the perfect which Paul was referring to in this text is the 66 books of the Bible being a complete and perfect revelation of God to man. To reach this conclusion as far as I’m concerned, you are doing some spiritual gymnastics and not looking at the context.
The first rule of interpretation is context so let’s examine the full context so we can get a fuller picture.
It was on Paul’s second apostolic journey that he founded the Corinthian church. Acts chapter 18 says that after Paul saw very few results preaching in the idolatrous city of Athens that he went to Corinth. Upon arriving he found a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla. In verses 3 and 4 of this chapter it says, because Paul was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers. Paul was going to the synagogue every Sabbath preaching the gospel and he was met with great opposition. Verse 7 says he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Verses 8 thru 11 says many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
It then says, that the Lord spoke to Paul one night in a vision, do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent for I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you for I have many in this city who are my people. At that time, Paul called for other members of his apostolic team Silas and Timothy to join him. It says they stayed a year and six months teaching the word of God and establishing the believers in that city. Verse 12 says that the Jews made a united attack on Paul and forced him to move on from the city of Corinth.
The letter to the Corinthians that Paul wrote was correspondence back to this body of believers.
The Corinthians began to have some problems so they wrote a letter to Paul. You didn’t have email or Zoom in those days so the only way of correspondence other than being in person was a letter and that’s what we call an epistle. I Corinthians is Paul’s response back to the Corinthian's questions concerning the problems they were facing. Paul addresses a wide range of issues affecting them including divisiveness, suing each other in court, food offered to idols, sexual immorality and class divisions at the communal meal. It’s in chapters 12 through 14 that he addresses the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 13 is called the love chapter and even unbelievers are familiar with the love chapter of the Bible.
It’s read at weddings, funerals and is a widely known part of the Bible. Why did Paul slide chapter 13, the love chapter in between chapters 12 and 14 in his discussion on the operation of the Spirit? At first glance it does not make sense, but it’s Paul the master builder doing what he does best, keeping us on mission. The love chapter is the personification of the fruit of the Spirit.
You have nine manifestations of the Spirit and you have nine fruits of the Spirit.
Paul in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 thru 24 list these nine fruits of the Spirit. He says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The fountainhead of the fruit of the Spirit is love which is the personification of the person of Christ. Love is the mission and it’s why Paul slid the main thing smack in the middle of a discussion about the manifestations of the Spirit. It’s because if we are operating by the Spirit it will always be motivated by love because God is love.
The Spirit always points to Christ who is the personification of love. Paul opens up his letter to the Corinthians calling them fleshly. In chapter 3, Paul tells them that I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh. You see the Corinthians had a problem with the works of the flesh and were having a hard time understanding the ways of the Spirit.
I Corinthians chapter 13 is about Christ the foundation, whom the manifestations of the Spirit are supposed to demonstrate and point to. The manifestations are visible expressions of the Spirit, they are signposts pointing to Christ, until He returns because that’s what the word perfect at the end of this chapter is pointing towards. Paul says we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes the partial will pass away.
Let us take a look at this word perfect because it’s a key to understanding what Paul is referring to.
When I mention the word perfect many pictures might come to your mind. I think for most of us the word perfect would be defined as something without fault. The concept of Biblical perfection doesn’t really have anything to do with this type of thinking. There are many words in the Greek language which were used to describe perfection and the majority signifies something reaching its maturity.
The Greek word teleios which is translated as perfect signifies having reached its end, finished, complete, fully grown, fullness and full age.
Paul used this word many times. For instance in Romans chapter 12 verse 2 Paul says, 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. There are not three separate wills, but the one will of God which grows into maturity much in the same way corn grows from a blade, to an ear, to full corn.
Paul also used this word in Philippians chapter 3 verse 12 and when he did, he was speaking of our final state at the return of Christ. In verses 20 and 21 of this same chapter Paul says: our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory. I taught you this in Lesson 19: The Resurrection Of The Believer.
Paul had great expectation and insight concerning the return of Christ. He knew the next great event on the calendar of God was Christ's physical return to this earth.
He viewed this as a time when there was going to be a completion to the end of this present age. A time when the followers of Christ would be brought into the fullness of their salvation, which is the receiving of a resurrection body just like his. It’s this same word that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 10 where he says when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. What Paul is saying is that when Christ returns there is going to be a complete revelation of Him. We won't need the partial manifestations of the Spirit to give us insight because the complete and perfect revelation will be with us, in Person.
We shall know Him fully so there will be no need for tongues, prophecy or the word of knowledge.
1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 10 does not refer to the 66 books of the Bible, but the return of Christ in his resurrection body at the end of the age. I’m grateful for the Bible and the tremendous amount of resources to help us understand today, but the Bible cannot take the place of the Spirit. If we allow that to happen then we become nothing more than legalist and earthly minded people walking in the flesh. Legalists just have a form of religion, but they’ve denied the power of the Spirit. Paul said the letter by itself kills, but it’s the Spirit that gives life.
The disciples during the book of Acts did not walk around with a Bible in their hands because they didn’t have one. It was estimated that only about 10% of the population could read during the time of Christ. It’s why Timothy was told by Paul to give attention to the public reading of scripture because it was the main way information was passed along. All they had was the Torah which was kept in the synagogues. You did have the epistles or letters that were being written by the apostles being distributed among the churches, but not everyone had access to them.
The early church did not have access to the amounts of information that we have today, however they impacted the world around them in a dramatic way. The question we should be asking is how did they do this? It’s because they relied on the power of the Spirit.
Don’t misinterpret what I am saying because I believe as you know by listening to any of my lessons that I’m big on sound doctrine because sound doctrine produces sound living. Sound doctrine is like railroad tracks, but if we don’t have a participation of the Spirit, the train is going to just sit on the tracks and move nowhere.
Remember what Paul said to the Corinthians. He said our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. It takes the Spirit for the body of Christ to be able to functionally fulfill the mission. In saying all of that, let’s take a deeper look at the manifestations of the Spirit because they very much apply to us until Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives.
I Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7 says, to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good and then list nine different ways the Holy Spirit visibly expresses himself through believers lives. Paul identifies them as a supernatural ability bestowed on an individual by the Holy Spirit, to profit all or as the New Berkeley Version says, for the common welfare.
The Holy Spirit manifests these supernatural abilities through individuals to meet needs as He desires. These are not human ability, but the Holy Spirit's ability working through our lives.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 Paul tells us that we should earnestly desire to operate in these manifestations of the Spirit. To desire is not a passive position, but an utter dependence on the ability of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for desire is zeloo and it means to be zealous for, to burn with desire, to pursue ardently, to desire eagerly or intensely. Let’s look at each of these because it’s something we should be pursuing, which is to be channels of the Spirit. As I said earlier they can be classified in three different categories.
Let’s look at the revelatory manifestation of the word of wisdom first. It’s the supernatural ability to know a part of the wisdom of God for a specific situation. It’s not all of God’s wisdom revealed at once, but the portion of wisdom needed at a specific time to meet a specific need. It’s wisdom which confounds the enemy and provides needed answers, guidance and direction.
In the Old Testament, think about when Solomon took the sword to cut the baby in half. He was operating by a word of wisdom to discern and uncover the truth. How about when the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus about paying taxes to the Roman government. It says his answer caused them to marvel and go away.
The word of wisdom can come through a dream like when an angel appeared to Joseph telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus, since King Herod would seek to kill the child. The word of wisdom will many times have a predictive element to it. Think of Agabus the prophet who operated in the word of wisdom, when he predicted the famine that was going to happen in Judea and the church was moved to action. James tells us that we need to pray for wisdom which is applied truth giving us workable solutions. We need wisdom for daily living, but the word of wisdom is something the Spirit gives us at a specific moment in time for a particular situation. I’ve received words of wisdom on numerous occasions, in interviews, preaching from the pulpit and during times when I was counseling others.
The word of wisdom is something the Spirit grants at a specific point in time giving you answers, guidance and direction that you could not have gotten any other way.
The next one is the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge is a companion gift to the word of wisdom. The word of knowledge is a supernatural revelation of a portion of God's knowledge communicated to us by the Holy Spirit that we could not have known except by Spirit. Think of the first time Samuel met the young Saul who later became Israel’s first king. Samuel had received a word of knowledge concerning Saul, the day before when the Spirit told him that He would send a young man to his house. Remember when Jesus saw Nathaniel sitting under the fig tree, even before he met him?
What about when Jesus told the woman at the well that she had five husbands and the man she was now with was not her husband.
Let me tell you a personal story. I was part of an apostolic team when I was in my mid 20’s and we were doing a church plant in New York City. One night I spent the night in the building where we were meeting. I woke up at 2 am in the morning and was really thirsty. I didn’t have anything to drink, so I walked down the street to a corner bodega.
It was New York City, so you couldn’t go into the store. It was locked up, but they had a window to buy things. I asked the guy for a drink and while I was waiting for him to get it for me, this woman walked up with a bundle of newspapers and threw them down. She looked at me and asked me if I wanted to buy them. I looked at her and I said no because you just stole them. A picture just popped into my mind and the words popped out of my mouth, before I could think about what I was saying. She became furious with me and started yelling at me. I got my drink, took off walking and went back to the building and went back to sleep.
We were rotating the preaching responsibilities at this church plant, so two weeks later it was my slot to speak that Sunday morning. I delivered my message and had people come up to the front praying with them after service. I got to this lady and started praying. She looked at me and said do you remember me? I took a look at her again and it was this woman who I had given the word of knowledge to at the bodega, 2 weeks before. God used that encounter to alter this woman’s life.
The word of knowledge is information that you receive by the Spirit, that you could not have known any other way.
The next one is the discerning of spirits. Discerning of spirits is the supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit which reveals spiritual sources. It’s the ability to know if something comes from God or the devil. The discerning of spirits gives us an insight into the spirit world. It can be the ability to see angels, demons and visions from God. Discerning of spirits is not the gift of suspicion nor is it seeing a demon under every bush. It’s the Spirit enabling one to see into the spirit world, at a specific moment in time.
We are all called to discern which basically means to use sound judgment in dealing with people and situations. The discerning of spirits is more than using sound judgment, but it’s getting a quick glimpse into the spiritual dimension beyond what we can physically see with our natural eyes.
The discerning of spirits will give a person insight into the intentions of people both their good or evil tendencies.
In Acts chapter 5 Peter could see that Ananias was lying to him by the Spirit’s ability. It may also reveal the presence of a demon power possessing or oppressing a person. Remember the slave girl in Acts chapter 16 that followed Paul crying out, these men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation. The message was accurate, but Paul discerned that the slave girl was speaking under the inspiration of a demon.
An example of discerning good spirits would be when Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his protégés' eyes to see the heavenly host surrounding them. I’ve given you a brief explanation of these revelatory manifestations of the Spirit and anyone can operate in them as the Spirit wills. However, what you will find is those with the gift of the prophet will operate consistently in these three revelatory manifestations.
The second category is the demonstrations of power.
The first one I want to discuss is the manifestation of faith and it’s not simply faith for salvation like we covered in Lesson 9: Saving Faith or day to day faith like we covered in Lesson 11: Living Faith.
The manifestation of faith is the God-given ability to trust God for the impossible. It’s what Jesus was talking about when he said we could have faith that moved mountains.
The manifestation of this type of faith is a supernatural impartation of faith for a particular situation given by the Holy Spirit. It enables us at a moment in time to sustain an unwavering trust in God for protection and provision of needs.
In I Kings chapter 17 Elijah was fed by the raven morning and evening. He could do nothing to help himself, but had to simply believe the word of God. Faith of this order is the Spirit’s manifestation of faith and it was demonstrated when the three Hebrew children were protected from the fire in Daniel chapter 3. The manifestation of faith is separate from the gifts of healing and miracles, but they are closely tied together.
The manifestation of the gifts of healing differs from simply laying hands on the sick and praying the prayer of faith.
Jesus in the gospels healed many by speaking to them and laying hands on them, but even he was limited on occasions by lack of faith on the part of the people. The most common way for healing to be ministered is the prayer of faith spoken of in James chapter 5 and Mark chapter 16 where we are told that believers will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.
Prayer should be made on behalf of the sick in combination with laying on of hands. Instant healing may or may not occur, but as the walk of faith is continued healing is possible. However, when the Spirit manifests the gifts of healing you will see instantaneous healing. Peter in Acts chapter 3 by the gift of healing, took the lame man by the hands and pronounced healing to him.
The gifts of healing are when the Holy Spirit manifests His healing power and the result will be healed and restored bodies.
You will find that those with the gift of evangelist will many times operate consistently in the gifts of healing. Think of Philip in Acts chapter 8 where it says the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. The late John Wimber who founded the Vineyard movement was someone who consistently operated in the gifts of healing.
The last manifestation under the power category is the working of miracles. It’s the supernatural power of God and when it manifests the laws of nature are altered, suspended or controlled. Some examples are when Jesus turned the water into wine and fed five thousand people with five loaves and two little fish.
The manifestation of faith is God working for us, the gifts of healing are the Spirit’s power restoring, but the working of miracles is the creative power of God at work.
Remember when Jesus spit on the ground and made clay that he put on the blind man’s eyes. It was a creative miracle. In Acts chapter 13 Paul was on the island of Paphos and the sorcerer, Elymas, resisted him as he preached the gospel to the governor, Paul in the power of the Spirit caused Elymas to be stricken blind for a season. The Spirit manifested this working of a miracle as a sign to the governor.
It’s those with the gift of apostle that will demonstrate this manifestation more consistently. Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:12 was making a defense of his apostolic ministry. He defends it by saying the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
The last category of the manifestations of the Spirit are the ones that have to do with speaking.
Prophecy is to be the primary speaking manifestation of the Spirit and it’s simply speaking as the Spirit gives utterance. I Corinthians chapter 14 verse 3 says that prophecy is speaking words of edification, encouragement and comfort.
The simple manifestation of prophecy has nothing to do with predicting the future, but it’s simply speaking words inspired by the Spirit to build others up, to encourage them and comfort them in times of need. It can be testifying to others about Jesus because according to Revelation chapter 19 verse 10 the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It can also be, for example, reading a scripture by the inspiration of the Spirit during a meeting.
The simple manifestation of prophecy is for everyone to operate in.
So the three speaking manifestations of the Spirit are prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues. Paul in I Corinthians chapter 14 gives a very thorough teaching on these three speaking manifestations clearing up the confusion that the Corinthians were having on this subject. Paul gives us three purposes for speaking in tongues:
Number one is as a sign to unbelievers. Number two is for building up the body of believers and number three is for personal edification of the individual believer.
In the Old Testament you see all of the manifestations the Spirit demonstrated at times through the prophets except tongues and the interpretation of tongues which is something unique for the mystery of the church. The book of Acts opens up with Jesus having one last conversation with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, ordering them not to depart from Jerusalem. He told them to wait, until they received the power by the Holy Spirit, then Jesus ascended into the heavenlies. 40 days later, on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, just like in the garden when the Spirit brought to life the first Adam, the body of Christ was brought to life by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
A lot of people read into Acts chapter 2 when it comes to tongues and make the text say things, it's not essentially saying.
Acts chapter 2 verses 1 thru 4 says: when the day of Pentecost arrived they were all together in one place then suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. It then says: that divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. The 120 were then filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ok, so let’s look at the context of this powerful experience when the body of Christ was birthed. Remember that Jesus in his discussion with the woman at the well, told us that God is Spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Jesus was telling us something about the coming time, after his resurrection, when he was going to pour out the promise of the Holy Spirit from his throne. Let me ask you this:
What language does God speak? Does he speak Hebrew? Does he speak Greek? Does he speak French? Does he speak American English? If God is Spirit, then he speaks the language of the Spirit which is the language of our hearts.
The text, in Acts chapter 2, never says they spoke in known languages, on the day of Pentecost. The text says: how is it that we hear? So in Acts chapter 2 verse 8, it says how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Then in Acts chapter 2 verse 11 it says, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. It doesn’t say they were speaking in known languages, but it says each person was hearing or understanding them in their own native tongue. So we have 120 disciples and then we have thousands of people around in close proximity because it says 3,000 souls got saved that day.
The context of this event was thousands of people in close proximity.
Let me ask you this question. Have you ever been in a room where everyone is talking? It’s really hard to understand what someone is saying, even when you know the language, because the voices and sounds are getting tangled up together and confused. Now this was a large gathering of people and it says a loud sound hits the place, then people start speaking in tongues and praising God.
The picture painted is a disruptive chaotic scene with a sense of awe and wonder going on.
The text never says they were speaking in different known languages, but speaking in tongues. The Spirit was manifesting interpretation of tongues, so the Egyptian heard them and understood in his own understanding or tongue. The Arabian heard them and understood in his own understanding or tongue and so on. The 120 disciples were speaking in unknown tongues of the Spirit and the people present were hearing them in their understanding or own language.
Interpretation of tongues, is not lets say someone getting up in a service and speaking Spanish then a Spanish speaker gets up and interprets what’s been said. The United Nations can do that. It’s someone speaking in an unknown tongue and the Spirit gives you understanding in the heart of what has been spoken. Paul said that this manifestation can be a sign to the unbeliever.
Speaking in unknown tongues along with interpretation of tongues is just one use of tongues and not the most common.
Paul clears up the confusion on tongues in I Corinthians chapter 14 and gives us a clear distinction between their private and public use. The Corinthians misunderstood the difference between tongues for private edification which is between the believer and God. Then tongues for public edification where an unknown tongue is interpreted for edification to a group of people. In this chapter Paul gives a clear understanding between prophecy and tongues along with the proper use for both. The Corinthians, like a lot of believers, were confused about this subject. As a result there was some chaos and confusion when they met together so Paul brought clarification.
If you read I Corinthians chapter 14 Paul was encouraging the use of speaking in tongues, but he differentiated the public use of tongues and the private use of tongues.
He greatly encourages personal use of tongues for the building up of the inner spiritual man. I fully covered this in Lesson 29: Part II The Sacrifice of Prayer. In verse 2 he says, the one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. Verse 4 says, the one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself. Verse 5 says, I want you all to speak in tongues. Verse 18 Paul says, I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Verses 14 thru 17 he says, if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
So Paul is saying I will pray in tongues and I will pray in my understanding. I will sing in tongues and I will sing in my understanding. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit or you pray in tongues only then how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
So for public gatherings Paul says, in verse 19 he would rather speak five words with his mind in order to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. In verse 5 he says, the one who prophesies in a gathering is greater than the one who speaks in tongues unless someone interprets, so that the believers may be built up. Verses 6 thru 13 says, if I come to you speaking in tongues how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
When we are meeting together as the body of Christ Paul instructed us to be more concerned about building up others through clear communication than speaking in tongues.
He then uses the example of playing a musical instrument. He says even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp must give distinct notes or you won’t know what’s being played. If the bugle gives an indistinct sound who will get ready for battle? He then says if with your tongue you utter speech that is not understandable how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. Verses 23 thru 25 says if, therefore the whole community comes together and all speak in tongues and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? Of course they will.
I’ve been in some meetings before where if I was not a believer the people would have looked insane.
Excessive and inappropriate use of tongues has turned more than one person away from spiritual gifts and even away from the faith because quite honestly it’s sometimes bizarre behavior. It’s what Paul was addressing which was the incorrect, confusing and chaotic use of tongues.
Paul then says: but if all prophesy and an unbeliever enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. He ends the chapter saying when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.
Paul was encouraging every member to be open to the Spirit so they could contribute.
He said let all things be done for building up, encouraging and comforting one another. If any speak in a tongue let there be only two or at most three and each in turn and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in the meeting and speak to himself and to God. Paul in no way discourages the use of tongues, but he encourages the proper use of tongues and the benefit that comes from using them.
He encourages the individual believer to pray in tongues daily building themselves up to be a dwelling place of the Spirit.
Paul lays down three guiding principles for being used by the Spirit. The first one is the principle of order. The Corinthians viewed the Spirit as someone who overpowered their wills which led them into wild compulsive acts and disorderly worship services. Paul said to let all things be done, but decently and in order for God is not the author of confusion. The Holy Spirit empowers us, but does not overpower us and cause us to do bizarre activities. I’ve witnessed in meetings bizarre activities that did not bring attention to Christ, but confusion.
The second is the principle of Lordship. All manifestations of the Spirit will harmonize with the truth about Jesus and glorify Him. The main work of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Christ because that’s the main mission.
The third principle is edification. The word edification in the Greek literally means one who builds a house or building. The manifestations of the Spirit are to be used to build, establish, encourage, comfort, heal, deliver and speak to others. They are not to be used to bring attention to ourselves, but to bring attention to Jesus and point others to his saving power. It’s why Paul inserted chapter 13 in the middle of his discussion on this topic.
Love is the foundation and motivation of any gift that we use and if it’s not then Paul says it is worth nothing.
Love is the fountainhead of all the fruits of the spirit. If love does not possess us and if we do not possess love then we will be harsh, divisive, selfish and prideful. It’s what Paul was addressing which is those who thought they could walk in the works of the flesh and still minister by the Spirit. It’s antithetical to one another because the works of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and can only tear down. The whole purpose of these nine manifestations of the Spirit is to build others up.
The Holy Spirit wants to work through you to touch those in your meetings, in your universities, in your workplace and local communities. To do this you will have to take your eyes off of just your needs and be sensitive to those around you.
We are limited in our own natural ability, but when we yield to the ability of the Holy Spirit others will be benefited. The manifestations of the Spirit are made available to all, but you have to desire them and make yourself available. The Spirit can manifest Himself anywhere He wants you just have to be open to be used. I said this earlier that to desire is not a passive position, but an utter dependence on the ability of the Holy Spirit.
The Greek word for desire is zeloo and it means to be zealous for to burn with desire, to pursue ardently, to desire eagerly or intensely. We need to ask to be filled daily with the Spirit. You need to spend time praying in the Spirit because it gives you a heart that is more sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. Then you have to be willing to step out in faith.
Faith is the channel by which we pull the unseen into the seen and we just become the channel that the Spirit flows through.
It’s through faith that the unseen realm of the kingdom is breaking in upon this world like a river. It’s like swimming. The more you swim the more you get used to the water. It takes getting used to flowing in the manifestations of the Spirit. It’s learning by trial and error, but you only learn to drive when the car is moving. You are going to get it wrong sometimes, but keep being open to the Spirit's desires.
Jesus operated in the Spirit during His earthly ministry. You can also look in the book of Acts and see that the disciples of Jesus were active in the ministry of the Spirit. Each of us is called to be used by the Spirit to build, encourage and comfort others. We are all called to be a part of edifying the church. It’s important that you get around other like minded people who want to be used by the Spirit. Iron sharpens iron and we need to stir one another up to love and good works.
Let me end this by reminding you that to effectively fulfill the mission of being a witness of Christ: we must be fully empowered so that the wisdom and power of the cross can touch a world captured by darkness.
Paul made it clear in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 that the new covenant is about being completely dependent on the Spirit. He told the Corinthians that such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 52 - Doing Your Part
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