OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US GIFTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 1 - 11 ( NIV ), the Apostle Paul discusses the spiritual provisions that are made available to believers so that they can be equipped to navigate the hazards of the spiritual realm and also to care for and guide each believer in their midst.

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

The first utility Paul mentions is the basic discernment of spirits. Many believers at Corinth were already familiar with spiritual entities and had engaged with them on their pagan practices so Paul gave them a litmus test to determine if the spirits they came across as christians were friends or foes. The test was an uttered allegiance test that would definitively inform them of which kingdom the entity was from. 

If the entity could curse the name of Jesus, that spirit was from the kingdom of darkness no matter how dressed up in light it was. If the spirit could say "Jesus is Lord", the spirit was operating in the kingdom of light.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The Holy Spirit of God is the arbiter of spiritual gifts and distributes them at His discretion and below are the categories of gifts and their general description and an example of the gift in action from scripture;

1. Message of wisdom - Gives the ability to get spiritual guidance on the best course of action to take in a situation ( When Jesus met with his disciples at lake galilee while they were fishing, they said that they had fished all night and had caught nothing. The word of wisdom Jesus gave them was to drop their nets on the other side of their boat and they quickly caught so many fish they could barely bring them in )
2. Message of knowledge - Gives the ability to supernaturally know a piece of information pertaining to a person or a situation ( When the Lord Jesus was speaking to the woman at the well, He received a word of knowledge about her marital status and she was astonished how He knew about the private matters of her life )
3. Faith - Gives the ability to spiritually handle the substance the things hoped for and perceive the evidence of things not seen. ( When the Prophet Elisha and his servant were in Samaria, the servant was afraid because they were surrounded by enemy forces and he could not see how they would escape, Elisha prayed that the servant would have the ability to see the evidence of the invisible spiritual army that was on their side )
4. Healing - Gives the ability to bring physical or mental healing to others from the spiritual realm ( The Apostle Peter and John, when passing through the beautiful gate in Jerusalem, were asked for alms by a man who could not walk and Peter grabbed the manˋs arm and  lifted him up to walk and he was healed  )
5. Miraculous powers - Gives the ability to perform signs and wonders to establish the superiority of the kingdom of light ( In the book of Acts, when the Apostle Paul touched handkerchiefs and these were taken to people in remote places, they were being healed and demons were being cast out of them )
6. Pro phecy - Gives the ability to collect information on the occurences, intentions and directives of heaven and transmit this information to people. ( Prophet and Apostle John, having been given access to the spiritual realm, was able to see the future and the fates of nations and he recorded his experiences in the book of Revelation )
7. Distinguishing spirits - Gives the ability to sense the true nature and intention of a spirit or a person so that friends and foes can be distinguished from one another. ( When Apostle Peter ancountered Simon in Samaria asking to buy the power to lay hands on people so they could get the Holy Spirit, Peter was able to discern that Simon was not operating out of sincererity and was not right with God )
8. Speaking in tongues - Gives the ability to speak in spiritual languages and in doing so, builds up the inner man ( spirit ) of the speaker. ( After Jesus had returned to heaven, his earnest followers gathered in the upper room and the Holy Spirit alighted on those who had tarried there and a flame of fire could be seen on their heads and they spoke in other tongues )
9. Interpreting tongues - Gives the ability to interpret a spiritual language  and translate the spiritual language into an accessible language. ( e.g. - Prophet Daniel read the spiritual writing that was written on the wall of the king Belshazzarˋs palace and interpreted its meaning for the king )

The gifts given to believers are means of interacting with the spiritual realm in order to bring down information and power to supply requirements in the physical realm.

For example, if knowledge is needed, a person operating in that gift can connect to a channel in the spiritual realm and receive the otherwise hidden knowledge and speak it.

Likewise, if a person has a physical or mental ailment, a person gifted in healing can connect to a spiritual channel and bring down the power to heal the sick person.

All these are provided by the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Lord Jesus.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE SON WE REMEMBER WHENEVER WE ATTEND THE LORDˋS TABLE

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 17 - 34, speaks solemnly of the Lordˋs table where bread and wine are shared with the gathered believers to represent their shared faith in partaking of the body and blood of Christ by which our salvation is gained.

17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

The Apostle Paul began with rebukes of the church of Corinth for two primary issues;

• Disunity among the members
• Dishonorably handling the Lord's table

Paul was especially appalled that believers were gathering together and treating the Lord's supper as an unruly festival with some being over-drunk while others remained hungry.

Paul prescribed the proper solemn occasion of sharing the Lord's table and warned them that inappropriate conduct surrounding the Lord's table could invoked judgement upon themselves and some were becoming sick and even dying.

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

Paul summarized the proper practice of sharing the body and blood of Christ by instructing the believers not to come to share communion hungry such that eating to became satiated was the objective but rather to be patient and wait for each other to arrive and then solemnly breaking bread and drinking the cup together.

They should then examine themselves to ensure that their hearts and minds are properly aligned to the solemnity of the occasion of rememberance of the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made for us by the laying down of His life.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO MADE MEN AND WOMEN TO REPRESENT GOD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MANKIND

1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 1 - 16 begins with the Apostle Paul advising the believers at Corinth to imitate him as he in turn imitated Christ where he patterned his life after the pattern of Christ and he did so in such a way that those who observed him would be able to themselves imitate Christ just by seeing the example set by Paul.

Paul commended the Corinthian believers for upholding the traditions that he had established among them but in upholding those traditions related to head coverings for women only, he wanted them to remember the foundational precepts that undergirded them.

1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Paul first laid out the spiritual covering progression of headship;

• Every womanˋs head is the man
• Every manˋs head is Christ
• The head of Christ is God

This headship structure mirrors the representation that each category serves in revealing the uncreated to the created orders.

• Christ represents God to mankind as the Lord of all.
• Men represent Christ to believing manking as the Groom
• Women represents believing mankind to Christ as the bride of Christ

As such, the practices that Paul taught them were  visible representations of the concentric realms of representations so that looks at a man with his head uncovered, he represented the glory of Christ in His eternal being while seeing a woman with her head covered, one is seeing a representation of the bride of Christ who is the one who has submitted to Christ and is under His covering.  A woman whose head is not covered represents the portion of mankind that has charted its own course and has declined the covering of Christ.

The men by remaining uncovered ( representing Christ ) reveal the principle that Christ should be glorified at all times while the covering of women reveal the principle that believing humans should conceal their own glory that they reflect from Christ and instead, full throated glorify Christ.

In the symetrical spriritual structure, a man, representing Christˋs glory, counterbalances the glory of Christ with short hair while the woman, who represents a lesser glory of mankind, is appropriately able to wear long hair which is a glory to her.

The practices that enact the appropriate relationship between God and man are object lessons for observers to learn the heirarchies of spiritual covering but Paul concludes his explanation by saying that the traditions are for the benefit of observers and thus if contentions arise from their practice, they can be dropped.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO LOVES US AND WANTS US ALL TO COME TO THE K OWLEDGE IF HIM

1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 23 - 33;

23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul delved deeper into the clarification of the matter of whether Christians should eat food offered to idols.

The principles he delineated establish that food offered to idols was harmless to believers and as such, they could eat anything bought at the market or anything put in front of them when they are guests in someone's home.

However,  whether a believer should eat such food depended on the effect that doing so would have on those who offered the food or were observers.

If food sacrificed to idols was offered as a test to a believer, the believer could decline the offer so as to make clear that the believer is not unaware of the implications of eating such food hold for the person offering and this because Paul also established the precept that the primary calculus believers should compute when handling ceremonial matters or matters of conscience is that the well-being of others should be placed ahead of themselves.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER CAN BE PROVOKED TO JEALOUSY BY THE SACRIFICING TO IDOLS

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 14 - 22, calling the believers in Corinth ˋhis belovedˋ, speaks a word of advice to them about idolatry.  Surrounded as they were by pagan practices of idolatry, many of the believers in Corinth had come out of that culture which means that there was constant societal pressure to participate in the seasonal sacrifices and worship to idols and  and Paul strongly advises them to flee from these activities.

Whereas Paul declared (in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 ) that eating food offered to idols was of no consequence because the idols were nothing, regarding participating in sacrifices to idol, Paul unequivocally counsels against that.

The apostle supports his contention by reminding the Corinthians that they are communal participants in the one cup of blessing that represents the blood of Christ and in the sharing of the broken bread that represents his one body that was broken for us.

Paul asserts that we are joined together in one body through the partaking of the Lordˋs table and therefore we should not participate in the sacrifices to idols which is actually the sacrificing to demons. To drink the Lordˋs cup is to recreate the Lordˋs sacriffice and those who are participants in the Lordˋs table must not also be participants in the sacrifices to demons lest the Lord be provoked to jealousy and, as proverbs 6 verse 34 says,  For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. If the Lord were thusly provoked, no one would be strong enough to withstand Him.

The final position is that a believer can eat food that was sacrificed to idols by other people but  he cannot participate in anyway in the worship of and sacrificing to idols.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SAVED US FROM  BONDAGE

1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 1 -  14 contains the Apostle Paulˋs caution to believers to avoid idolatry, immorality and ungrateful complaining for it is these types of things that caused the children of Israel to fall in the wilderness even as they were on their way to the promised land having been saved from slavery in Egypt.

The children of Israel all shared in the spiritual water that was provided for them in the desert and yet their conduct displeased God and they died with their bodies strewn over the sand. These realities were record for the benefit of believers in Christ so that they understand that there are behaviours that can invoke the displeasure of God.

1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Believers are subject to temptation but God regulates the temptations that they are subjected to and provides a way of escape for them.

With this in mind, we should always take and be careful to watch ourselves because if we presume we are able to stand, we can fall.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE PERFECT LAW IS FULFILLED IN CHRIST

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verses 19 - 27, speaks to those who believe in Christ and understand the excellencies of Him who died to save us.

In the marvelous light and freedom that the salvation that Christ gives us, Paul encourages believers to conceptualize their journey while on earth as a race to run and to undertstand that there is a crown of life to be gained for those who endure to to the end. In this race, we encounter obstacles and challenges but if we perservere and use our liberty to seek first the kingdom of God and with certainty, struggle against our opponents with a view to victory, an eternal prize will be given to us.

Paul used his freedom to become all things to all men that some among those he served and related to might be saved and thus be his seal of apostleship which was his calling.

The leverage that we believers have in this world is that we have a body that can influence outcomes in this world and therefore Paul adjures us to bring our body into the subjection of our spirits to compel it to do the needful things for the kingdom and to avoid getting entangled in the things and patterns of this world.

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Amen.

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