Jesus and His Unexpected Invitation...

Whether you are here a follower of Jesus, or you are skeptical about the claims of Jesus and the Bible, almost every person recognizes that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who is perhaps the most influential person in all of human history.

In the Bible, there are four different accounts of Jesus life, which are called the gospels. What is so interesting is that these four different accounts of Jesus life, which were written to four different types of people, complement one another in a way that provides us a vivid picture of the life of Jesus and what drove Him to live the life that He lived. And in two of these accounts are recorded for us the events that surrounded the birth of Jesus.

One of these four accounts of Jesus life, called the gospel of Matthew, was written to Jewish people to explain and to show that Jesus was the Messiah that God had promised would come to rescue and restore the Jewish nation as His chosen people. So to prove that Jesus was the long promised Messiah, Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy to show that Jesus had the proper family background to be the Messiah. You see, for the Jewish people, being from the right family, having the right family tree, was essential to be their rescuer and redeemer.

So as Matthew began to show Jesus family tree, they would be very familiar with the family backgrounds of the people that Matthew would talk about that were in Jesus family tree. But for a Jewish person, as they looked at Matthew's account of Jesus' family tree, would not find it to be a convincing argument for Jesus being the Messiah. Jesus' family tree would not be what a Jewish person would expect from a Messiah. This family tree was very unexpected and possibly very unconvincing.

So why would Matthew write this story this way to convince us that Jesus was the Messiah? Matthew wrote this story this way because Matthew knew something that they did not know and that we often do not recognize. Matthew wrote this story this way because Matthew knew his story. And in Matthew’s story we find a timeless truth about our story. We find Matthew’s story in Matthew 9:9:

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth;

In Matthew chapter nine, Jesus had just performed a miracle in the city in which he lived in, which was Capernaum. In this miracle, which we read in greater detail in another gospel, Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed after his friends lowered him through a hole that they had made in the roof of a house where Jesus was speaking. After healing this paralyzed man, Jesus and his disciples left the house and began walking down the street, where they came to a booth where Jewish people were required to pay taxes. Matthew, who was manning the tax booth along with others, was a Jewish man who was a tax collector that worked for the Roman Government.

Now Jews who were tax collectors were hated by their fellow countrymen for two reasons. First, these tax collectors were hated because they would often charge higher taxes than necessary in order to make a profit. Since the Romans did not care what these tax collectors charged as long as they received what was due them, many tax collectors became wealthy by charging over and above what the Romans asked.

Second, Jewish tax collectors were hated and were viewed as traitors because they were working for the enemy. Jewish people so despised tax collectors that they had a separate category for them. There were tax collectors and there were sinners. There were those who sinned and then there were tax collectors. With this background in mind, we see Jesus approach Matthew, this tax collector and sinner, who would later write the letter that bears his name in the Bible and say the following:

and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him.

Now, in Jesus day, when a rabbi or teacher asked someone to follow him, this was a call to follow the rabbi as his disciple. So Jesus here is calling this tax collector, who was so despised that they had a separate category, to follow Him.

As a Jewish person steeped in the culture of the day, can you imagine what the disciple’s response to this invitation to follow Him would be? Can you imagine Peter, for example “Jesus, I don’t think that is a good idea; I mean he is a tax collector; he is the enemy”?

What is just as hard to understand, however, is how Matthew responds. Matthew responds to Jesus invitation by leaving his tax booth and job to follow Jesus. I mean at first glance that seems odd, doesn’t it? To just get up and leave your job because a rabbi asks you to follow him seems strange, doesn’t it?

While it may seem strange at first glance, it would not have seemed strange to the crowds at Capernaum. You see, Rabbis were the most respected members of Jewish society. So to be asked to follow a rabbi was a great honor. But Jesus was no ordinary rabbi; he was performing miraculous signs that people had never seen. Jesus, at this point in His life, was viewed as a rock star or celebrity in the region. This was probably not the first time that Matthew had seen or heard about Jesus, they both lived in the same small town.

And just as important to Matthew was that Jesus wanted him: Jesus wanted a tax collector and sinner to follow Him. This invitation would have been unheard of by any other Rabbi to call such a man to follow him as a student. What would be viewed as strange or odd would be why Jesus would want such a person around Him as His disciple.

And in the same way today, Jesus extends an invitation to all of humanity to follow Him. And just as it was 2,000 years ago, people respond to Jesus' unexpected invitation in different ways. Tomorrow, we will look at the reaction of those around Jesus to His seemingly unexpected invitation.

How Christians Act UnChristian by Failing to Support One Another Financially...

As a church, we just finished looking at a letter that a man named Paul wrote to a group of people who claimed to be Christians, yet lived their lives in a way that failed to reflect the nature and character of God. Paul concluded his letter to the church at Corinth with one final timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian. And that timeless truth is that Christians act unchristian when we fail to support one another.

In Paul’s closing comments to the church at Corinth, which are recorded for us in 1 Corinthians 16:1-24, we see the Apostle address the churches failure to love and serve one another. And in these verses, we see Paul reveal for us the first of three different ways that Christians act unchristian by failing to support one another in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4:

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.

Paul begins this final section of his letter to the church at Corinth by addressing the first of three ways that the members of the church at Corinth were acting unchristian by failing to support one another. When Paul talks about the collection for the saints, he is referring to churches involvement in a special offering for the church of Jerusalem, whose members were suffering as a result of a famine in the region.

And while other churches were following Paul’s instructions to invest their treasure to meet the needs of the church in Jerusalem, the church at Corinth was failing to follow through on their commitment. And in the same way today, Christians act unchristian when we fail to support one another financially. Paul responds by revealing three timeless principles when it comes to supporting one another financially through the investing of our treasure in the kingdom mission that God has given us as a church.

First, we are to invest our treasure regularly. As part of their worship gatherings on Sunday’s, the members of the church were to respond to God’s generosity by reflecting that generosity through regular giving as an act of worship. As followers of Jesus, we are to thoughtfully place aside a portion of what God has given us in order to invest that portion into God’s kingdom mission so that it can be used to love, serve, and support others.

Second, we see that we are to invest our treasure proportionally. As followers of Jesus, we are to invest our treasure into God’s kingdom mission to love, serve, and support others in direct proportion to what God is providing for us financially. In times of prosperity or in times of difficulty we are to reflect God’s provision by providing for the needs of one another through our giving.

Third, we are to invest our treasure in a way that is above reproach. Paul wanted a representative approach to presenting their offering to the church at Jerusalem so that everything would be fitting, or proper. Paul desired that the financial gift would be handled in a way that was above reproach, where no one could point a finger of accusation as to how the finances were handled.

And today, as followers of Jesus and as a church, we are to strive to invest the treasure that God has given us regularly, proportionally, and in a way that is above reproach in order to advance and support God’s kingdom mission and one another.

So, how are you partnering together to support God’s kingdom mission financially? Are you investing the treasure that God has given you in a way that helps support environments where people can explore faith and experience community? Are you investing the treasure that God has given you in a way that helps support environments where Christ is reflected and revealed locally and globally?

Tomorrow, we will look at a second way that Christians can act unchristian by failing to support one another.

Why People Do Not Attend Church...

This week, I am interested in an having an open and honest conversation about why people do not want to attend church. So to create this conversation, I am asking you to respond to the question that best describes where you are at when it comes to a relationship with God. In addition, some information concerning your age and stage of life, along with the region of the country that you live in would be very helpful...

If you are a Christian who believes, trusts, and follows Jesus as Lord and Leader, why do you think people will not come to church with you? And what have you experienced that leads you to have come to that conclusion?

If you are not a Christian, what makes you not want to come to church? And what have you experienced that leads you to have come to that conclusion?

At the end of the week, I will post about what I have learned from the responses I receive...

How the Resurrection Releases Us...

Wednesday, we saw Paul explain that without the resurrection, and without a resurrection body that has been transformed by the Spirit of God, we are unable to experience the relationship with God that we were created to experience for all eternity. We see Paul unpack this timeless truth for us in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49:

So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

To prove the necessity for a transformed resurrected body, Paul quotes a section of a letter in our Bibles from the book of Genesis that describes the creation of the world. In Genesis 2:7, we read that God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

Yet in spite of the gift of life and relationship with God that was given to humanity, all of humanity selfishly rebelled and rejected that relationship to be consumed with self. And that selfish rebellion and rejection of God leads us to do things that hurt God and others, which the Bible calls sin. And as a result of sin, all of creation was corrupted, including our physical bodies, resulting in death and decay.

Paul then explains that God responded to our selfish rebellion and rejection by sending Jesus Christ, the last Adam, who became a life giving spirit. And it is Jesus, as the last Adam, who began to restore humanity and to provide the eternal life and relationship with God that they were created for through His life, death, and resurrection.

Paul unpacks this for the church, and us here today by explaining that while Jesus has rescued us from selfishness and sin, we still experience life here on earth in our deteriorating and decaying bodies. Apparently, some members of the church believed that one you became a follower of Jesus, you immediately received your resurrection body. Paul responds to this error by stating that we follow our first father Adam in that we entered into life made of mortal and physical materials that are corrupted by sin and bound us to earth. Jesus, however, entered into earth by taking on flesh, but has His eternal existence in heaven and is able to transcend the selfishness and sin that bind us to earth as a result of the perfect life that He lived on earth.

And as a result of Jesus willingness to live the life we refused to live and to allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful life so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life, God raised Him from the dead with a supernatural, resurrected body which transcends earth and is heavenly in nature. And as Paul states in verse 49, those who recognize their need of forgiveness and respond by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader will not only live lives that reveal and reflect Christ here on earth; they will also receive the same form of a supernatural, resurrected body that transcends earth and is heavenly in nature when they are raised from the dead.

Paul's point is that to reject the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to reject the gospel and is to reject the opportunity to experience the relationship with God that we were created for.

The Differences and Distinctions of Resurrection Bodies...

Yesterday, we saw Paul reveal that there are distinctions and differences between our earthly and resurrection bodies. As Paul continues his discussion about the resurrection bodies we will receive, he unpacks the specific distinctions and differences when it comes to our physical earthly bodies and our resurrection bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. Let’s look at these verses together:

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

In these verses, we see Paul provide four specific distinctions and differences between our earthly physical bodies and our resurrection bodies. First, Paul states that it is sown a perishable body; it is raised an imperishable body. Paul is explaining that while our earthly bodies that are buried in the earth are so composed as to experience decay and deterioration, our resurrection bodies that we will receive when we are raised from the dead will not decay or deteriorate.

Second, Paul states that it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. Paul’s point is that while our earthly bodies are covered with dishonor and disrespect as a result of our selfishness and sin, our resurrection bodies that we will receive when we are raised from the dead will reflect that radiance and splendor of God.

Third, Paul states that it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. Paul is explaining that while our earthly bodies were unable to function as originally designed by God due to our selfishness and sin, our resurrection bodies that we will receive when we are raised from the dead will be raised in the power of the Holy Spirit so as to function effectively as designed.

Fourth, Paul explains that it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. Paul’s point is that while our earthly bodies are physical bodies that are intrinsically are a part of the natural world, our resurrection bodies that we will receive when we are raised from the dead will transcend the physical and are eternal in nature.

Paul then confronts the members of the churches rejection of the resurrection by explaining that you cannot have a natural body without a spiritual body. In other words, to be created in the image of God for relationship with God and one another in community requires the existence of a resurrection bodies.

Without the resurrection, and without a resurrection body that has been transformed by the Spirit of God, we are unable to experience the relationship with God that we were created to experience for all eternity.

Tomorrow, we will see Paul unpack the reasons behind this timeless truth.

Why it is Foolish to Reject the Reality of the Resurrection...

Last week, we saw the Apostle Paul address a group of people, who were not only acting unchristian, they were unchristian. This group of people in the church at Corinth were unchristian because they were rejecting the reality of the resurrection. We were reminded that we cannot claim to be a Christian and reject that Jesus was physically and bodily raised from the dead.

We saw that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of the gospel. We discovered that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in condemnation. We saw that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of our future as followers of Jesus. And we discovered that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in stinking thinking.

The members of the church at Corinth however, still had more questions for Paul. We see their questions about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:35:

But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

Paul begins this section of his letter by continuing to address the belief of some members of the church at Corinth that there was no physical and bodily resurrection from the dead by addressing two skeptical questions that some members of the church had. If these questions were asked in the language of our culture today, would sound like this: “Well if the dead are raised, then how are they raised? If you think the dead are raised, then what kind of bodies do they have after being worm food for years”?

Paul responds to their questions in a very direct and unflattering manner: “You fool”. Well, I wish Paul would share how he really feels. When Paul uses the word fool here, it conveys the sense of disregarding reality. In the Bible, a fool is a person who knows something is true, yet proceeds to live life as though it is not true. Paul then confronts the churches recklessness disregard of God and lack of good judgment regarding their rejection of the resurrection of the dead by providing three examples from creation to answer their questions regarding how the dead are raised and what resurrection bodies will look like.

First, Paul brings the members of the church to the example of plant life which was very familiar in their culture. Paul begins by providing a word picture of a plant seed which decays before bringing forth new life. Paul then explains that the seed that experiences death and decay when it is planted in the ground does not have the same structure as a plant has when it springs to life. Paul’s point here is that our resurrection body will have a different structure and be composed differently in a material sense than our earthly physical body. Third, Paul reveals for us the reality that the reason for this difference is that God divinely designed seed structure and plant structure with a specific purpose in mind. And in the same way, God has divinely designed our earthly and our resurrection bodies with a specific purpose in mind. The members of the church at Corinth were foolish, however, because they were discounting God’s activity and design when it came to the resurrection bodies that we will receive.

Paul then transitions to a second example from creation regarding what resurrection bodies will look like, this time from animal life. When Paul states that all flesh is not the same flesh, he is literally saying that not all animals are covered by the same physical material. There are distinctions and differences between what covers humans, domesticated animals, birds, and fish. Humans do not have feathers and birds do not have scales. Paul’s point is that just as there are distinctions and differences between what covers different animal life, there are distinctions and differences between our physical bodies and our resurrection bodies.

Paul then provides a final example from creation regarding resurrection bodies by looking at the structures and bodies that fill the universe. There are significant distinctions and differences between the structures that reside on the earth and the structures in the universe. In addition, what makes something beautiful and attractive to us here on earth is different than what makes something beautiful and attractive when it comes to what we see in the heavens. What makes a star attractive is different than what makes the sun or the moon attractive. What captivates our heart about the heavens and the universe is different than what captivates our heart about those who we love on earth.

Paul is revealing for us the reality that in the same way, there are distinctions and differences between our earthly and resurrection bodies in terms of their beauty and attractiveness. Tomorrow, we will see Paul unpack the specific distinctions and differences when it comes to our physical earthly bodies and the resurrection bodies that we will receive when we are raised from the dead.

Social Media as a Model that Students Follow...

Recently, I was thinking about something that I learned from a mentor. One day, during a youth staff training time, my mentor made to following statement: "What adults do in moderation, students will do in excess".

The timeless principle in that statement is this: the behavior that adults participate in within the limits of moderation, students will model or mimic, except students often engage in the behavior in such a way as to move beyond moderation to excess.

A student who sees an adult youth staff member having a beer may respond by not having one or two beer, but six or twelve beers. A student who hears an adult use language that is edgy will often respond by using that same edgy language in an inappropriate context and in an inappropriate manner.

Now I am not talking about having a theological discussion about social drinking or language. My focus is the impact that the behavior of adults who mentor students have on students. Adults who mentor students are more emotionally and spiritually mature and also possess more mature decision making strategies (hopefully) than students.

And because of that reality, students are unable to see the mental, emotional, and spiritual decision making process that goes into behavior that would be described as being in moderation. Instead, they view an adults decision to engage in and activity or behavior in moderation as a blank check to engage in similar behavior in an often times excessive manner.

Now bring into the picture the use of social media such as facebook and twitter. As adults, do we consider the impact that what we post on these social websites has on the students that are our friends or followers? Do we consider how student will interpret the images and words that we post? What messages are we sending students when they look at our facebook or twitter page?

Now I am not trying to be the facebook or twitter police. I am just suggesting that if you work with students, that we all pause and consider the impact that what we post on social media will have on those students who view what we post. Here is a suggested simple question to ask: "Am I o.k. with what I am posting being published on the front page of the local paper for all to see?" Because, in this digital age, that is what you are doing.

What do you think? Am I way off base here? What message does your facebook and twitter page send? And are you confident that the young impressionable students who you have great influence over will not get the wrong message from your posts?

How Rejecting the Reality of the Resurrection Results in Stinking Thinking...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible that reveals for us that a person can not claim to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus and reject the reality of the resurrection. So, far we have seen the Apostle Paul explain that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of the gospel and in condemnation. In addition, rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of our future as followers of Jesus. Paul then reveals for us a fourth result that can occur when we reject the reality of the resurrection. We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:29-34:

Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Paul begins by asking a string of rhetorical questions to reveal the lack of logic that was being used by the members of the church. First Paul asks “what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?” And while there has been great debate and great misinterpretation about what Paul was talking about here, in light of the remaining questions that he asks here, it is most likely that Paul is referring to members of the church who became followers of Jesus as a result of the deaths of other Christians who were martyred as a result of their faith. The transformed lives of the members of the church at Corinth resulted in Christ being revealed and reflected through their deaths in a way that others became follower of Christ and identified themselves with Christ through baptism.

Paul then transitions to his own situation as a leader in the church. If Paul was writing this today, these verses would sound something like this: “If the resurrection is not a reality, then why would I place myself in such danger? Why would I change my life in such a radical way so as to publicly proclaim the gospel and the resurrection if it is not true? Why would I place myself in a position to face such opposition if the resurrection is not a reality? If the resurrection is not true, then why don’t I live like all the philosophers and all those who are far from God?” Paul’s struggles in Ephesus are recorded for us in another letter in our Bibles, in Acts 19. Paul then quotes Isaiah 22:13 to reveal that the statements of these philosophers are not a new, but an age old response from those who are far from God.

Paul then concludes this section of his letter by commanding the members of the church to stop being misled in a wrong direction by those who were rejecting the reality of the resurrection. Instead of being misled, Paul commands the church to become sober minded and stop sinning. In other words, Paul is commanding the church, and us today, to come to their senses and get rid of their stinking thinking when it came to the resurrection. Paul explains that those who rejected the reality of the resurrection revealed the reality that they were ignorant of the nature and character of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. And the fact that they were being misled by such people should cause them to be ashamed. And today, just as it was 2000 years ago, rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in stinking thinking.

So this morning, what do you believe about the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Do you believe that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact? Or do you believe that the resurrection of Jesus is fiction? Because the reality is that you cannot claim to be a Christian and reject the reality of the resurrection. Because rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of the gospel. Rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in condemnation. Rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of our future. And rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in stinking thinking.

How the Reality of the Resurrection Impacts our Future...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible that reveals for us that a person can not claim to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus and reject the reality of the resurrection. So, far we have seen the Apostle Paul explain that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of the gospel and in condemnation. Paul then continues by revealing for us a third result that can occur when we reject the reality of the resurrection. We see this result revealed for us in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Paul begins by stating that while some may reject the reality of the resurrection, the truth is that Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. When Paul uses the phrase first fruits here, this phrase refers to the first of a kind or a portion. Paul’s point here is that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of our future.

In these verses, Paul unpacks exactly what are future looks like as followers of Jesus as a result of Christ’s resurrection. First, Paul reveals for us the reality that we have a future relationship with God as a result of the resurrection. Paul explains that while all humanity received the divine punishment of physical death and spiritual and eternal separation from God as a result of our selfishness and sin, that through Jesus life, death, and resurrection, we have the opportunity to have the eternal relationship with God that we were created for.

Paul then transitions to reveal for the church, and us today, the order of our future bodily resurrection. Paul begins by explaining that Jesus, as the first of a kind that we will follow, has already been raised from the dead. Paul then states that at the end of God’s story on earth, when Jesus returns to earth, those who are alive will be caught up to meet Him in the air and will receive their resurrection bodies in the process.

Paul then explains that upon Jesus return to earth to establish His kingdom and judge all of humanity, those who died as followers of Jesus throughout history will be raised from the dead and receive their resurrection bodies. Upon Jesus return to earth he will bring to an end those spiritual beings who oppose God and place themselves in opposition to God and His kingdom. And in the process, through Christ’s resurrection, we see the culmination of God’s work of rescue and repair as He brings to an end death itself.

After Jesus brings all of creation into submission under God’s kingdom rule, which was predicted in Psalm 8:6, Jesus will place Himself under God the Father’s loving leadership as the first among equals. The glorious future that we have as followers of Jesus is directly related to the reality of the resurrection. It is the reality of the resurrection that provides the eternal relationship with God and one another in perfect community.

So what future do you have as a result in what you believe about the resurrection?

Why Rejecting the Reality of the Resurrection Leads to Condemnation...

Yesterday, we looked at a section of a letter in the Bible where a man named Paul revealed for us the reality that Rejecting the reality of the resurrection of Jesus results in a denial of the gospel. Now you might be thinking “But Dave, why does rejecting the reality of the resurrection deny the message of the gospel? Why is the resurrection and the gospel inseparable?” Again, if you are asking these questions, these are great questions to be asking. We see Paul answer these questions for us in the next section of this letter, which is 1 Corinthians 15:12-19:

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Paul here confronts some of the members of the church at Corinth who were rejecting the reality of the resurrection of the dead. Some members of the church did not believe that there was a literal resurrection of the dead. Paul responds to the situation by providing four reasons as to the reality of a literal and bodily resurrection.

First, Paul states that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Jesus was not really raised from the dead. And if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then the message of the gospel and Christianity in general is devoid of value and meaningless. I mean, the whole point of Christianity and the gospel is Jesus life, death, and resurrection, isn’t it?

Second, Paul explains that if there is no resurrection, then they and all the other early church leaders were liars and twisted manipulators who misrepresented the nature and character of God by saying that He raised Christ from the dead when he really didn’t. They were liars and manipulators because if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is still dead. Paul’s point is that you can’t have one without the other; either there is a resurrection of the dead for everyone, or there is no resurrection of the dead for anyone, even Christ as 100% God and 100% human.

Third, Paul reveals the reality that if Christ has not been raise from the dead, then all of humanity is still separated from God as a result of their selfishness and sin. But why would that be? The resurrection from the dead provides the proof that God accepted Jesus willingness to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that He could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. This morning, the reality is that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then we have not been rescued from our selfishness and sin. For while there have been other people who were brought back to life in the Bible, Jesus is different for two reasons.

First, Jesus is the only person in the Bible who predicted that he would die and be raised from the dead before the event actually happened. The resurrection proves that Jesus said who he said he was as our Lord and Leader. Second, while other people in the Bible were brought back to life, they eventually died again. Jesus, however, was raised from the dead never to die again. Our faith and forgiveness is centered in the resurrection; without the resurrection our faith is devoid of any value to rescue and restore us to relationship with God and one another.

Fourth, Paul explains that without the resurrection, those who have professed faith in Christ as His followers and who have died physically instead experience eternal separation from God and an eternal sentence to hell. And the timeless reality that Paul reveals for us is that rejecting the reality of the resurrection results in condemnation. And because of this reality, Paul explains that if we have placed our confident trust in Christ without the reality of the resurrection, then we are pathetic. We are pathetic because we have leveraged our lives for a lie.

Tomorrow, we will look at a third result that occurs when we reject the reality of the resurrection.

What is one question that you may have when it comes to Jesus resurrection?

The Reality of the Resurrection and the Message of the Gospel...

As a church, we have been looking at a letter in our Bibles that a man named Paul wrote to a group of people who claimed to be Christians but we living their lives in a way that failed to reflect Christ or follow His teachings. And in this letter, we see Paul reveal a timeless truth that makes those who claim to be Christian in fact unchristian and far from God. And that timeless truth is that we who claim to be Christians are actually unchristian when we reject the reality of the resurrection.

The reality is that you cannot be a follower of Jesus and not believe and trust in the reality of the resurrection. You cannot correctly identify yourself as a Christian and reject that Jesus was physically and bodily raised from the dead. Now you may be wondering “why is the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ so essential to being a Christian? And why do I have to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ to become a follower of Jesus?” Or maybe your biggest push back to church or the Bible or Christianity has to do with the resurrection. For you to buy Christianity, you need proof of the resurrection.

If you are asking those questions, I want you to know that these are great questions to be asking. These are great questions to be asking, because these were the same questions that the members of the church at Corinth were asking. And in this section of this letter, we will see Paul answer these questions and reveal for us four results that occur when we reject the reality of the resurrection. We see the first result beginning in 1 Corinthians 15:1. Let’s look at it together:

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by reminding them of the message of the gospel that he had proclaimed to them. Paul explains that their acceptance of the message of the gospel by faith in what God had done to rescue them from their selfishness and sin was based on their firm adherence to the message of the gospel that Paul had proclaimed to them. When Paul uses the phrase unless you believed in vain, he is explaining to the church and to us today that the only way that the message of the gospel does not result in salvation from our selfishness and sin is if we respond to the message without careful thought.

Paul’s point is that believing, trusting, and following Jesus is more than an emotional response. Salvation revolves around a person recognizing and responding to their selfishness and sin by embracing the facts that surround the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by placing their complete confidence in those facts by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. The message of the gospel that results in salvation is rational in nature and is rooted in history.

Paul then reminds the members of the church, and us here this morning of the essence of the Christian faith. What is of first importance; what is the closed handed and non-negotiable center of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ, who is God in an bod, entered into humanity and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life.

When Paul uses the phrase according to the Scriptures, he is reminding Christians throughout history that Jesus life and death was predicted and proclaimed throughout the Old Testament. Throughout the Old Testament, we read of God promising a rescuer, a deliverer to save us from our selfishness and sin and to bring us into the relationship with God we were created for. But not only was Jesus life and death proclaimed throughout the Old Testament, Paul also explains that Jesus burial and resurrection was predicted and proclaimed in the Old Testament. When Paul talks about resurrection here, he is referring to a literal, physical, bodily resurrection. Jesus died on the cross, was buried in a tomb dead as a door nail, and was brought back to life as a result of God’s transforming activity.

Paul then explains to the members of the church the reality of the resurrection as seen in the multitude of people who had contact with the resurrected Lord. When Paul uses the word appeared, he is not referring to seeing Jesus is a dream or vision; this word refers to an actual visual encounter with the Risen from the dead Jesus Christ. Paul then provides a list of people who had an encounter with Jesus after he was raised from the dead.

First, Paul lists Peter, who had denied Jesus three times while he stood outside his trial. Paul then lists the remaining eleven disciples. And while we may question the testimony of his closest followers, Paul then transitions to explain that Jesus appeared to more than five hundred people at one time, most of who were still living. Paul is saying to the church “if you do not want to believe me or the disciples, then go ask these five hundred people. Do you think five hundred people would have the same dream or vision at the same time?” Paul’s point here is that there were people who were still alive that could testify as to the truth of the reality of the resurrection.

Paul then explains that James, the brother of Jesus, who had mocked Jesus claims during His life on earth, he saw the resurrected Lord, so go ask him. The same James who is now the Senior Pastor at the church in Jerusalem. What would cause someone who had mocked Jesus to so change his opinion so as to be a leader in His movement? Paul then explains that Jesus also appeared to all of the Apostles, which we read about in Acts 1:6-11. Finally, Paul refers to his own encounter on the Damascus Road, which we read about in Acts 9. When Paul refers to himself as one untimely born, this phrase was used to describe a miscarriage or abortion. Apparently, the members of the church at Corinth viewed Paul as a freak and insignificant as compared with the other Apostles.

Paul responds to this criticism by explaining the wile he should have the lowest status among the Apostles as a result of his persecution of the early church, the exceptional effect of God’s gracious activity in his life resulted in Paul leveraging all that he had to serve the Lord and proclaim the gospel. I mean what else do you think would cause someone like Paul who persecuted the church to become the greatest missionary of the early church?

Paul’s point here is that the resurrection of the dead is a historical reality that was witnessed by hundreds of people over forty days time. I mean, all that was needed to stop the fledgling movement that was Christianity was to produce Jesus dead and rotting corpse for all to see. And for 2,000 years people have been trying to find Jesus corpse, with absolutely no success, because the reality is that Jesus has been raised from the dead by God’s supernatural activity. And it was the reality of God’s activity through the resurrection of Jesus Christ that resulted in the transformation of lives and the spread of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel throughout history. And this morning, the reality is that to reject the reality of the resurrection results in a denial of the gospel.

Now you might be thinking “But why does rejecting the reality of the resurrection deny the message of the gospel? Why is the resurrection and the gospel inseparable?” Again, if you are asking these questions, these are great questions to be asking. Tomorrow, we will see Paul answer these questions for us.

So, what is your greatest hesitation to believing in the reality of the resurrection?

How a Lack of Order Impacts the Use of Spiritual Gifts...

This past week, we have been looking at how we are to use the spiritual gifts we have been given as followers of Jesus. Last time we saw Paul reveal for us that when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts, the result is a lack of order. When we are driven by style over substance in spiritual gifts, we can end up wanting to exercise our spiritual gift in a way that puts the focus on us and opposes authority as we end up in competition with one another. And this leads to a lack of order in corporate worship.

Paul then applies this principle to a situation that was occurring in the church. And these verses are some of the most understood and misapplied in the entire Bible. So let’s look at these verses together:

The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.

Let’s start by looking at what these verses do not mean. These verses do not mean that women cannot speak in church. As we discovered a few weeks ago in chapter 11, the issue is not whether or not a woman could speak in church; the issue was authority. When Paul talks about speaking in these verses, he is referring to women speaking authoritatively in judging the exercising of the spiritual gifts during the main worship gatherings. Paul’s point here was that only the Elders were the authorities responsible to evaluate the exercising of the spiritual gifts to ensure their accuracy to the message and teachings of Jesus.

There were women in the church, however, who were attempting to exercise authority and leadership outside the structure of the church by questioning the accuracy of what was being said in church. Paul then explains that if they want to question the authority or accuracy of what was being said in the church through the exercising of the spiritual gifts of tongues or prophecy, they were to have that conversation at home and not in the church, which would cause further disorder and distraction.

Paul is not forbidding women to speak in church or to exercise spiritual gifts in church; Paul is forbidding their attempt to exercise authority and leadership by judging what was being said. Paul then provides the reason for forbidding women to exercise authoritative leadership by pointing the church back to the book of Genesis and creation. Paul is reinforcing what he said earlier in this letter, which we looked at a few weeks ago, where the man is the first among equals, and has the role and responsibility to lovingly lead, protect, and provide for women in ways appropriate for their relationship, which includes exercising leadership in the church.

Paul then concludes this section of his letter to the church by explaining that if anyone wanted to push back on his directions and commands, they need to recognize that these are not his commands; these commands and directions are from the Lord. And because of this reality, the person who will not recognize or pay attention to these principles so as to follow them has consequences. And the consequence for disregarding these commands is that God will disregard and fail to pay attention to them.

Paul then reminds the members of the church to strive to exercise the spiritual gifts of prophecy. At the same time, however, Paul states that they were not to forbid the exercising of the spiritual gift of tongues. But in the exercising of the spiritual gifts, whatever gift they may be, they must be exercised in a way that is appropriate and that provides the order necessary that results in the spiritual good and growth of others.

So what is the desire that drives the use and exercise of your spiritual gifts? Are you driven by style over substance in spiritual gifts? Or are you driven by the spiritual good and growth of others?

How Desiring Style over Substance Results in a Lack of Order...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter written by a man named Paul that reveals for us four results that occur when we abuse spiritual gifts by desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts. After revealing that style over substance results in spiritual immaturity, a lack of profit for others,and a hindering of the kigdom mission we have been given, Paul applies these three timeless principles to what was occurring during corporate worship at the church.

And in this application, we see a fourth result that occurs when we desire style over substance when it comes to spiritual gifts. We see this in 1 Corinthians 14:26-34:

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Paul begins by literally asking “What then? What should you do to apply this?” Paul then answers this question with a very specific application. Paul explains that during times of corporate worship, whether it is during times of corporate singing, corporate prayer, or during the sermon, all aspects of the corporate worship is to be focused on the spiritual good and growth of others. And to achieve that goal, Paul provides several timeless principles of application.

To understand what Paul was communicating here, we first must understand what church looked like in Paul’s day. Now when one attended a church service in Corinth, what would happen is that after a time of corporate singing and prayer, people in the church would stand up and speak, sharing either their testimonies or messages that they heard from other Christians. Some would even exercise spiritual gifts that involved the public communication of new verbal messages from God. It is important to understand that they did not have what we have today as the Bible; the New Testament was still being written.

With this culture of oral sharing and the time of testimonies and messages from God, there would be a need for people of spiritual maturity and authority to keep order and accuracy in the services. These church leaders, known as elders, would evaluate and judge what was being said as to its accuracy with the truth of the gospel message. Then an elder would speak or even read a letter that the church may have received from Paul or Peter, for example.

With this context of corporate worship in mind, Paul explains that if anyone exercised the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, that there were to be two or three at most and that there must be a person present who had the spiritual gift of interpreting of tongues so that this new verbal revelation from God would be able to be clearly understood. Paul then states that if there was no one there who possessed the gift of interpretation that the person was not allowed to exercise the gift of tongues but was to stay silent.

Paul then transitions from the spiritual gift of tongues to the spiritual gift of prophecy. Paul states that only two or three prophets were to speak in the main worship gathering and let others pass judgment. The others that Paul is referring to are the Elders, who were the leadership within the church responsible to evaluate the exercising of the spiritual gifts to ensure their accuracy to the message and teachings of Jesus. Paul then explains if a second prophet exercises their spiritual gift, the previous prophet was not to respond to what was said, because the spiritual prophetic gifts are subject to the prophets in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

Paul then makes a statement that reveals for us a fourth result that can occur when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts: “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace”. What is interesting is that this word confusion, in the language that this was originally written in literally means to be opposed to authority. When Paul talks about peace, he is referring to a state of good order that results from harmonious relationships.

And here we see the reality that desiring style over substance leads to a lack of order. When we are driven by style over substance in spiritual gifts, we can end up wanting to exercise our spiritual gift in a way that puts the focus on us and opposes authority as we end up in competition with one another. And this leads to a lack of order in corporate worship.

Paul then applies this pprinciple to a situation that was occurring in the church at Corinth, which we will look at tomorrow.

How do you use your spiritual gifts? Is the exercise of your spiritual gifts leading to a lack of order in corporate worship? Or is the exercise of your spiritual gifts rresulting in the spiritual good and growth of others?

How Desiring Style over Substance Results in Hindering the Kingdom Mission...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter written by a man named Paul that reveals for us four results that occur when we abuse spiritual gifts by desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts. After revealing that style over substance results in spiritual immaturity and a lack of profit for others, Paul then reveals a third result that can occur when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts, beginning in 1 Corinthians 14:20:

Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, "BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME," says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

In these verses, we see Paul challenge the members of the church to grow up when it comes to the role that spiritual gifts play in the advancing God’s kingdom mission. Paul’s point here is that we are only to remain immature when it comes to exercising selfish and sinful attitudes and activities as followers of Jesus. When it comes to exercising the spiritual gifts we have been given, however, we are to mature in how the exercising of these gifts advances the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

Paul then quotes Isaiah 28:11, where God predicted that the unbelieving Jewish nation would experience punishment at the hands of the Babylonians. This foreign nation, with their unintelligible language, would be the instrument and sign that God would use to judge and punish their unbelief which separated them from God.

Paul then explains that just as this foreign nation with an unintelligible language was a sign that confirmed their unbelief, the spiritual gift of tongues alone, was a sign gift that served as a warning sign designed to expose the unbelief of those who failed to understand the unintelligible language being spoken. Prophecy, by contrast, was a spiritual gift that through its use resulted in those who heard the clear message of the gospel respond by receiving the forgiveness of their sins and the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

Paul then applies this timeless truth to the situation at Corinth and to our context today by explaining that if the entire church was speaking in tongues, those who did not have the gift of interpretation and those who were unbelievers would see what was going on and respond to the situation by thinking that they were out of their mind crazy. And in their response they would discredit that church as being irrelevant and remain in their selfishness and sin as a result of their unbelief.

And this response often still occurs today, doesn’t it? Paul here is revealing for us the reality that desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts results in hindering the kingdom mission. When we become focused on style or the spectacular when it comes to spiritual gifts, we can hinder the advancement of the message of the gospel by not clearly presenting the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel in a way that is understood and results in a response.

Paul explains that when the spiritual gift of prophecy is exercised, the unbeliever clearly hears the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel in a way that reveals their need for forgiveness as a result of their selfishness and sin. When Paul states that the secrets of his heart are revealed and so he will fall on his face and worship God, this phrase conveys a gesture of one’s complete dependence and submission.

Paul’s point is that through clearly hearing the message of the gospel through the gift of prophecy, the hidden and secret thoughts and desires are exposed, which results in repentance from sin and a turn toward believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. For those who are far from God due to being religious or irreligious, it is through a clear and substantive presentation of the gospel proclaimed and the gospel lived, not through the spectacular or style, that the Holy Spirit uses to bring a person to faith in Christ.

Paul then applies these three timeless principles that desiring style over substance results in to what was occurring during corporate worship at the church. And in this application, we see a fourth result that occurs when we desire style over substance when it comes to spiritual gifts. And tomorrow, we will look at this fourth result.

So, are you hindering the kingdom mission that god has given the church by desiring style or the spectacular over clearly communicating the claim of Christ and the message of the gospel?

How Desiring Style over Substance Results in Spiritual Immaturity...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that reveals that Christians act unchristian when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts. Yesterday, Paul revealed for us the reality that desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts results in no profit for others. While the person who is speaking in tongues or exercising a different spectacular spiritual gift may have an valid emotional encounter with God through the Holy Spirit, they have no way to understand what that experience means, which results in no transformation in terms of their personal spiritual growth or the spiritual growth of others.

We see the Apostle Paul unpack this idea and reveal a second result that occurs when Christians act unchristian by desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts. We see this beginning in verse 15 of 1 Corinthians 14:

What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen " at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Paul begins by asking “What then? What should I do?” Paul answers that question by stating that during his times of worship that he will pray and sing songs of praise with the spirit and the mind also. This phrase literally means that he will worship God through song and prayer in the power of the Spirit and in full possession of one’s mental faculties. Paul will not settle for simply an emotional experience and Paul will not settle for simply an intellectual experience. Paul desired that both his head and his heart be engaged fully in worship as he received and responded to God’s word.

How often, however, do we simply settle for one or the other? We either only want the emotional experience that makes us feel good and does not require us to critically think and apply the truth about God. Or we only want the intellectual truth about God, where we are "fed" with the truth, without being challenged to change how we feel or act. And even today, we see many churches that are at either one or the other extreme. God calls, us however to worship Him in the power of the Holy Spirit both emotionally and mentally engaged in who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do.

Paul then explains what happens when we worship God simply through the unrestrained emotional experience that was occurring in Corinth, and can occur in churches today. Paul explains that when the spiritual gift of tongues is exercised without any interpretation as simply an emotional response to worship, those who are followers of Jesus recognize that you are worshipping, but cannot join in the worship in a way that results in spiritual growth and maturity as followers of Jesus.

Paul here is revealing for us the reality that desiring style over substance results in spiritual immaturity. While Paul reinforces his desire that spiritual gifts be exercised for the spiritual growth of others by stating that while he exercises the spiritual gift of tongues more than any member of the church, he would rather speak five words that were intelligible and understood by others that would result in him teaching them in a way that results in spiritual growth.

So, do you use and exercise the spiritual gifts you have been given for the spiritual growth and good of others?

How Profitable are Style-Driven Spiritual Gifts?

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that reveals another timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian when we use our spiritual gifts. And that timeless truth is that Christians act unchristian when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 14, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us four reasons why, as followers of Jesus, we are not to pursue style over substance when it comes to the exercising of our spiritual gifts. We see the first reason revealed for us in 1 Corinthians 14:6-14. Let’s look at it together:

But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

In these verses, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the first result that occurs when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts. And that first result is that pursuing style over substance results in no profit for others. Paul begins by asking a rhetorical question: “if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching?”

Paul’s point here is that tongues do not benefit anyone on their own. Unlike other spiritual gifts, which delivered and made known new verbal revelation from God in a way that the members of the church could comprehend and grasp so as to grow spiritually, the gift of tongues was by very nature unintelligible to the rest of the church on its own. Unless someone possessed the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues, what was said made no sense to those who heard.

Paul then uses three examples to reinforce this reality. Paul’s point is that just as a flute, harp, or bugle fails to profit those who hear if the notes of these instruments are not distinct and clear, those who exercise the gift of tongues produce an unclear sound that does not profit others. Paul then transitions from musical instruments to the various languages of the world. Paul is explaining to the members of the church at Corinth, and to us here today, that if we are unable to understand the meaning of what is being spoken when the spiritual gift of tongues is exercised, the spoken words are unintelligible and therefore do not profit those who hear the tongues.

Paul then provides practical application of this principal in. Since spiritual gifts are by nature a God-given inner motivation to meet the needs of others in order to build up others spiritually, these spiritual gifts should be exercised in a way the profits others. First, Paul explains that the members of the church should focus their commitment to exercising their spiritual gifts with a desire that strives for the spiritual good and growth of others.

And to do that, Paul explains that those who exercise the spiritual gift of tongues should pray and ask God that he receive the spiritual gift of the interpretation of tongues, so that the new verbal revelation that they were receiving from God would be made understandable to those listening. Paul then explains the reason for his prayer request is that while the person who only exercises the spiritual gift of tongues may be experiencing the Holy Spirit’s activity in their lives, the exercising of this gift is useless as their minds and the minds of those who are listening are not actively engaged in a way that results in spiritual growth and maturity.

While the person who is speaking in tongues may have an valid emotional encounter with God through the Holy Spirit, they have no way to understand what that experience means, which results in no transformation in terms of their personal spiritual growth or the spiritual growth of others.

We see the Apostle Paul unpack this idea and reveal a second result that occurs when Christians act unchristian by desiring style over substance in spiritual gifts.

So do you exercise the spiritual gifts you have been given in a way that profits others?

Desiring Style over Substance in Spiritual Gifts...

For the past two weeks, we have been looking as the Apostle Paul addressed how a group of people who claimed to be Christians were failing to reflect Christ or follow His teachings when it came to how they used and exercised the spiritual gifts that they had been given by God. The members of this church were not only abusing the spiritual gifts that they had been given by God; the members of this church were using God’s gifts without giving God’s love.

Paul concluded his discussion about spiritual gifts in a letter written to this church by addressing the core issue that drove the problem that the church at Corinth, and churches today, still seem to have when it comes to spiritual gifts. So let’s begin by picking up where we left off last week, beginning in 1 Corinthians 14:1:

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church of Corinth by commanding the members of the church to pursue love. Paul here is picking up his stream of thought that we looked at last week in that we are to strive to be driven and motivated by love as we exercise and use our spiritual gifts. Paul then continues by explaining to the church that as they strived to understand and use their spiritual gifts that they should strive to prophesy. As we saw a few weeks ago Prophecy was a foundational spiritual gift that was used to deliver new verbal revelation from God as to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

Paul then explains the reason that the church should strive to exercise the spiritual gift of prophesy was for one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. As we saw a few weeks ago tongues was a sign spiritual gift that was used to confirm new verbal revelation from God as to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by speaking in a language that the speaker was unfamiliar with. And because of that reality, even the follower of Jesus who exercised the spiritual gift of tongues would not know what he was saying; it was a mystery to him that was only known to God and a person who had the spiritual gift of the interpretation of tongues.

The person who exercised the spiritual gift of prophecy, however, delivered the message of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that resulted in edification, exhortation, and consolation. Paul’s point here was that the spiritual gift of prophecy resulted in the building up of others spiritually as followers of Jesus as they grew in their faith. The spiritual gift of prophecy resulted in the encouraging of others in belief and action that resulted in spiritual growth and maturity. The spiritual gift of prophecy resulted in an ability to provide encouragement to one who was depressed or grief-stricken.

Paul then reinforces his command in verse 4 by explaining that while the person who exercises the spiritual gift of tongues at best may only impact his own life, the person who exercises the spiritual gift of prophecy is able to impact many other followers of Jesus in a way that results in spiritual growth and maturity. But why is Paul singling out the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy for such a discussion?

To understand why Paul is singling out these two spiritual gifts, we first need to understand what was happening in Corinth. At the church in Corinth, the members of the church were judging one another’s spiritual maturity based on the spiritual gifts they were given and were exercising. There was a belief in the church that those who exercised the more spectacular sign spiritual gifts were more spiritually mature than those who had other spiritual gifts. So there was pressure within the church to seek to posses and exercise these spectacular spiritual gifts.

So, has anything changed? There are still many streams of Christianity that still measure your spiritual maturity, or whether or not you are even a follower of Jesus, by whether or not you speak in tongues or exercise some spectacular spiritual gift. And in many instances, as followers of Jesus, we can often fall into the trap of measuring spiritual maturity in terms of what spiritual gift we have been given more than how we exercise the particular spiritual gift we have been given.

Paul responds to the situation in Corinth by stating that while he desired that every member of the church had the spiritual gift of tongues, he would rather that every member of the church had the spiritual gift of prophecy so that the entire church would benefit from the spiritual growth that would occur as a result of the exercising of that gift.

In this passage we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us yet another timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian. And that timeless truth is that Christians act unchristian when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 14, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us four reasons why, as followers of Jesus, we are not to pursue style over substance when it comes to the exercising of our spiritual gifts. We will spend the rest of this week looking at each of theses results that can occur when we desire style over substance in spiritual gifts.

Why do you think there is so much controversy among Christians when it comes to the stylish or spectacular spiritual gifts?