Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

People turn to 1 Cor 12 to dissect and understand Spiritual Gifts that God gives the Church.  If we back up just a bit, we wonder about why did God care so much to arrange, appoint, compose and give to the Church?  He tells us: that members of His Body might have the same care for one another. We are to be demonstrating the same godly characteristics. 

• Who are you practically caring for in your church? What are their names?
• In what way are you demonstrating non-theoretical care?
• If asked, would these folks feel cared for in real life?  Would your name come up?
• Are you a unifying force in your Christian Group?
• Do you know who is suffering or grieving  in your Church?
• Who is it that should be thoughtfully honored in your Church?

God chooses to show Himself in a particular, caring, and gifting way.  Why? SO THAT we'd have and then demonstrate the SAME CARE as God.  

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We can view God's body, His church, incorrectly.  In human terms it is called body dysmorphism.  That is like a person looking in the mirror and "seeing" a distorted image.

The first thing we can see wrong is ourselves. That is, the part of the body that we are.  "I don't like being a foot." The problem here is value. I am dis-valuing what God has created, appointed, honored, endorsed and declared as INDISPENSIBLE to the body wholeness.  Don't be this guy, the perhaps, "professional weaker brother." The antidote is to be present and be active.

The second thing we can see wrong is OTHERS. "I have no need of you." The antidote here is to be CURIOUS: "tell me about your gift, your challenges and your corner of the church..."

The third thing we can see wrong is God Himself. The antidote here is say opps. I'm sorry. I got this wrong.  I misunderstood You and Your value system. 

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Feet are talking in today's passage.  That's the nice way of saying it.  They are actually complaining about three things:

1. They complain about who they are and what they do. "I'm not a part of the body!"
2. They complain about who God is and what He does "I don't like your arranging!"
3. They complain about who others are and what others do "I have no need of you!"

It is a ridiculous scene.  Feet complaining, not functioning, not cooperating, not appreciating, throwing stones at other body parts, throwing stones at their Creator and His design for the Church.  

Listen 7 minutes as we listen to the feet rant and rave in a disordered way.  We all have something that we can learn from complaining feet.  Please listen on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, or linked with an email or FB.  Then like, share, reTweet, repost so other "talking feet" out there can hear it. bewithme.us

The Holy Spirit indwells. But the Holy Spirit wants to out-dwell. That is, He wants to manifest or SHOW HIMSELF.  He's chosen a particular way for that to happen.

His primary mechanism of 'being seen' is by demonstrating Himself in the Spiritual GIFTS.  The internal and kind of invisible God is going to be made know by the external and visible gifts

So two questions:  WHERE can I see this best? A: in the CHURCH. In a fellowship. He tells us the gifts are FOR THE COMMON GOOD, which is mostly code for THE CHURCH.  If you cannot see God very clearly, GET THEE TO A CHURCH.

Second question: WHO can I see this in? A: Others for sure.  Watching THEM use their gifts shows God clearly.  But also, I can see it in MYSELF.  My use of my being empowered by the HS in gifting can be a WITNESS to MYSELF.  As I use my Spirit-given gift, I manifest Him to the most unlikely of witnesses: me. So if you cannot see God very clearly, GET BUSY IN THE CHURCH.  You may just see the face of God in yourself.

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Let's distinguish between Saving Faith and the GIFT OF FAITH.

SAVING FAITH is more PRIVATE, more initial, more primary.  It is that moment of belief that involves a calling, being chosen, repentance, and confession.  It is primarily for YOU.

The GIFT OF FAITH comes later for dealing with a particular TASK, a TESTING or for a season of TIME.  It is a unique empowerment for a particular PURPOSE that is ultimately benefitting the COMMON GOOD.  It is more PUBLIC and it is only secondarily about YOU.

Perhaps you read this today with a difficulty in your life, your health, or your church. You may desperately need this endowment of the Holy Spirit during a besetting temptation, a season of life you are in, or in finding His will.  There may be something around a future spiritual corner that we'd best be ready for by asking for and using the GIFT OF FAITH.

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In 55AD, God is indwelling His people in a relatively new way.  Since the time of Jesus, The Godhead has transferred His earthly "residence" from cities and ark and temple to PEOPLE. 

There's a new sheriff in town, and everybody is just figuring it out.  New realities of the ways God is making Himself apparent need to be explained, because of course the Corinthians are getting a few things wrong.

This invisible, indwelling God is making Himself VISIBLE, apparent and demonstrable.  The indwelling God is going outbound with miracles, healing, faith, prophesy, tongues, etc. 

Things might be a little different today regarding some of these gifts.  We can fight about that another day.  What is the same? The indwelling God is the same.  He is still empowering.  He still has a love for the Church and its' equipping.  He still is making Himself evident in His people for the good of His Church.

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When you get a bike for Christmas, and Dad wheels it up the stairs, you know that the gift is from BOTH Mom and Dad.  Similarly, Paul teaches that the certain gifts are given by the Holy Spirit but the tag on the gift says, "This is from ALL OF US," that is, the TRINITY.  

Your gift is given by a God of Unity.
Your gift serves to unify you to 1 Lord.
Your gift serves to unify you to 1 universal body.
Your gift serves to unify you to a LOCAL body.

There is no such thing as a spiritual gift that is not practical, local, useful, and UNIFYING.

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Who am I to judge? Today, you are EXACTLY the right person to judge.  Better you today, than the Lord tomorrow.  This is the courage of the Christian life.  Be encouraged today to ask 'what you may be wrong about.' 

When we come to the Lord's table, guess what, we could be doing it wrong. We can be despising the correct PRACTICE of God; despising the PEOPLE of God; and therefore despising the PERSON of God.  Despising the Church of God = Despising the God of the Church.

There are real world consequences for decisions in the mental, spiritual, and "soul-world." Like a parent, Paul is trying to get his spiritual children to get this area right, so as to avoid all the real consequences that could befall them. To do so, he says to ABSOLUTELY JUDGE: judge yourself!  

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There is a human condition of near perfect autobiographical memory called HYPERTHYMESIA. That is, a person remembers EVERYTHING that ever happened to them.  Of note, almost every one of the few people that have hyperthmymesia (61) share a common situation: they are DIVORCED.  Of course they are, they cannot forget the wrongs done to them by their spouse. 

Fortunately, God chooses to NOT BE a hyperthymesiac. He chooses forgetfulness.  "I will remember your sin no more". This is bequeathed to us in the NEW COVENANT. 

The OLD covenant was a BI-LATERAL agreement between God and man.  Man broke the contract.  The NEW covenant is more of a UNILATERAL bequeathment of His habitation, His mercy, His changing our hearts, and HIS FORGETFULNESS of our sin.  This opens up our relationship with Him and keeps us from getting "divorced" with God.

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We should be coming to the Lord's Table of bread and cup.  We should be coming in the right way.  If so, we should be "producing" the right ending of worship and proclamation.

We'll have a excellent bad example in our Corinthian brothers and sisters.  They thought their divisions, distinctions and despising were the main thing.  They FORGOT Good Friday.  They forgot the sacrifice of blood and body and brokenness.  They forgot that it was all for them.  They forgot they couldn't do it themselves.  They forgot the precious coin that Jesus paid on their behalf.  They forgot a new covenant was busted out.

With this TREMENDOUS VALUE should be a response of TREMENDOUS HUMILITY, as long as you don't forget Good Friday.  

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