No doubt, I can spend a lot of time in these three chapters; on and off I have studied the subject of “Spiritual gifts” for over thirty years, but I do not want to lose sight of my original intent. Is it coincidence or is it God who guides the hearts of men to teach the subjects that pertain to the current events of our personal and national life in time.

For Bible believing people the answer is simple. One look at His Story or biblical history will explain that God is intimately at work in our personal and national life. The entire Bible is my reference and here is one verse of scripture that proves this since I know many unbelievers who can quote it. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

Well, let me get back to 1 Corinthians 12; 13 and 14 to finish up. I think (a personal observation) but I think it would be better if our view of these chapters was focused on life in the Spirit rather than the gifts of the Spirit. Believers individually make up the body of Christ, or easier said – the church of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 the apostle states that our body is not our own and that the Holy Spirit abides in our temple. One God, but many members; also said in Ephesians 4, One God, One Faith and One Baptism, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.

So I believe that when churches apply human viewpoint to the subject of the gifts of the Spirit, these leaders destroy the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit seeks to keep the church on the same page of our personal and national life. He does this with the Spiritual Life within the church. He accomplishes this task as outlined by the apostle Paul in Romans 12 wherein the entire chapter focuses on the church; in that each is given a measure of faith; some with permanent gifts of the Spirit and some with temporal.

So yes I believe that God is heartily at work allowing His saints to share scripture, thoughts and all things that pertain to our moment in life to further the gospel of His Son to those who are without hope. God does not use coincidence. He who knows the end from the beginning and does not need that word, nor does He ever use it. Isaiah 46:10. When we speak in likeminded language we then are doing things decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:37-40.

No doubt, I can spend a lot of time in these three chapters; on and off I have studied the subject of “Spiritual gifts” for over thirty years, but I do not want to lose sight of my original intent. Is it coincidence or is it God who guides the hearts of men to teach the subjects that pertain to the current events of our personal and national life in time.

For Bible believing people the answer is simple. One look at His Story or biblical history will explain that God is intimately at work in our personal and national life. The entire Bible is my reference and here is one verse of scripture that proves this since I know many unbelievers who can quote it. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

Well, let me get back to 1 Corinthians 12; 13 and 14 to finish up. I think (a personal observation) but I think it would be better if our view of these chapters was focused on life in the Spirit rather than the gifts of the Spirit. Believers individually make up the body of Christ, or easier said – the church of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 the apostle states that our body is not our own and that the Holy Spirit abides in our temple. One God, but many members; also said in Ephesians 4, One God, One Faith and One Baptism, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.

So I believe that when churches apply human viewpoint to the subject of the gifts of the Spirit, these leaders destroy the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit seeks to keep the church on the same page of our personal and national life. He does this with the Spiritual Life within the church. He accomplishes this task as outlined by the apostle Paul in Romans 12 wherein the entire chapter focuses on the church; in that each is given a measure of faith; some with permanent gifts of the Spirit and some with temporal.

So yes I believe that God is heartily at work allowing His saints to share scripture, thoughts and all things that pertain to our moment in life to further the gospel of His Son to those who are without hope. God does not use coincidence. He who knows the end from the beginning and does not need that word, nor does He ever use it. Isaiah 46:10. When we speak in likeminded language we then are doing things decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:37-40.

Many elderly people use a life-line system, a pendant or wristband that can be worn anywhere even in the bath. The intent is to gain immediate help in a time of need. For all of us, including those who need this physical medical device; God has always had a life-line system. For over six thousand years it has been available… yet it does not show wear and tear and it has never been repaired. Jeremiah 33:3

1 Corinthians 12:2-3 – The church is made of believers of all nations and all cultures but this does not give the universal church a free reign. Notice what the apostle says. “You know this, that when you were Gentiles (unbelievers) you were carried away to mute or dumb idols, however you were led. These are key words for the whole thought of how the Spirit of God controls the Church of God in time.

Notice verse 3; since you were led by these traditional false idols and other vain religious beliefs, be careful how you handle the things that pertain to life and godliness within the church of God in Christ. If you are using or mixing false worship and talking, singing or preaching Christ you are involved in cursing God; the Greek word is “anathema” again this is not decent, nor does it provide for the orderly works of God as we will see in later verses.

1 Corinthians 12:4 – I know you are waiting for this verse because we find the word gifts; which can be translated; “allotment of various kinds”. We are taught that all of us have a spiritual gift and it is true we do utilize the gifts of the Spirit. However, the allotment of “Spirituals” is given to the “universal church” and each local church has its own allotment. Revelation 2 and 3 describe the use of these gifts within the seven churches. As you study these seven churches you will see something interesting at the conclusion of each evaluation. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”.

So the allotment of “Spirituals” is given to the church and as the needs arise it is the Holy Spirit’s decision to disburse the gifts of the Spirit. You say “aha” well go ahead, but think about this. Over time we have been taught that there are temporal and permanent gifts. I believe this is true in this way; I believe that the section we are dealing with are all permanent to the church and temporal to the individuals within the local body.

Notice the following verses; 1 Corinthians 12:5-6. But first let’s be back up a bit and say just a bit more about the Spirit of God. Is the Spirit of God just a spirit without discretion like some humans; absolutely not therefore the allotment of gifts given to the church needs a biblical foundational and not one of a human viewpoint. Isaiah 11:1-2 , all of the nine allotted ministries assigned to the church are within the control of the Seven Attributes of God the Holy Spirit and He distributes these temporary gifts to members of the local assembly according to His will and not according to man’s will.

Verse 5 – The church of Jesus Christ; that is the title of all local assemblies no matter what name appears on the sign outside. It is simple really; if the church belongs to Him and it does, then the ministries therein belong to Him as well and this brings up that the gifts that are permanent are given to the men that He assigns within the church. Ephesians 4:1-16, please note verse 7 of Ephesians 4.

Verse 6 – The Head of the Church is God who governs the activities. The activity of God is the gospel, which is the death and resurrection of His Son the LORD Jesus, when churches (and they do) move away from the gospel, they move away from the activity that glorifies God which includes the Spiritual wisdom that exalts the LORD Jesus as described in Ephesians 1:15-23. More tomorrow if the LORD tarries.

The other day a friend and brother in the LORD used passages of scripture that I had previously used in one of these devotionals. Later he sent me an email asking if I was shocked to see his teaching session begin with the same verses. My answer was yes and I understand too that it is not coincidence that what is prepared by the Holy Spirit when men study the Word of God will often be exhorted and taught by several others within the same week.

The thought that comes to my mind is; does scripture back up these events? In other words is this the work of God or is the coincidence because of current events that focus like- minded people to react with similar results? I am going to give the ending answer to these questions before diving into this study which may take a day or two. And the answer is! Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40. Now that we have the answer we must keep that in mind thought out our adventure in the awesome Word of the Living God (by the way; all of the other so-called gods are either dead or myths, just in case you did not know) no charge for the extra info!

1 Corinthians 12:1 – The apostle Paul has something to say about the ignorance of people; even believers can be ignorant and I am sure you know this; otherwise it could be that you are ignorant. God does not want His children to be like the chaff found in Psalm 1:4-6 when it comes to inheritance and reward, He desire for us is to know His Word and be blessed as the result.

Among the thoughts of 1 Corinthians 12; 13 and 14 is the word gifts found in most translations. There are other words in these chapters too that are italicized, such as the word different in 1 Corinthians 12:10 and as we cover this verse I will use more detail. Basically all words in the Holy Bible that are written in italics are not found in the original writings. Some of these words are included for flow and some are added to give understanding or meaning. Enough said.

If you were to look at 1 Corinthians 12:1 in the language it was written in you would notice that the word spiritual is not singular but plural. While this may not be important to some students of the Word of God, it is very important to me. I believe that the implied word gifts, is misleading and contributes to the cause of much confusion in the universal church of Jesus Christ.

The verse can be translated without the word gifts and give us a better understanding of what the apostle is going to exhort and teach his readers (you and me). Thus the verse would read: Now concerning spirituals, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. So now you have the ending of this and the beginning of this study, without any of the filling and I am running out of paper and time for the day. Sort of like eating a jelly filled donut after someone stole the jelly. But let me at least show you where I am headed with this.

The apostle Paul is continuing his dissertation to the church of God at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:2 and knowing that other churches and the saints within will fall into the sixty-four plus sins recorded in 1 Corinthians he begins his message to the “church” the “ekklesia” the Greek word for the called out ones, the saints of God. His message is then to the many, not to one. Well I have to stop, I do not want to, but time is running out fast and I have already exceeded one piece of paper and I do apologize.

The Living Word of God is more than just a tool to have a feel good experience. It is a need for everyone to get to know God personally. I believe that many use the Bible as a source of feeling; like an emotional kick which has no lasting effect or quality of spiritual growth. If you are one of those, I simply say… STOP IT! Or as the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in Hebrews 4:12.

Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? Psalm 2:1. Do people consider the activity around them? Do people wag their tongue for naught? Do nations really plot to accomplish emptiness of living? The answer is… yes; people and nations who have no personal relationship with the Creator God of the Holy Bible are not only deliberately involved with rage at God, but are nationally in alliance with other nations who are like minded and at war with God. Psalm 2:1-3

There are less than a handful of nations that rightfully submit to the Will of God in time and if you care to study biblically based history you will see that since the fall of the tower of Babel, only one nation has God honored as His children, others like the United States of America, Australia and others of the past have constitutional foundations that support and agree with The Creator.

Presently, cultures of other nations have infiltrated the United States. These cultures are strong in the face of the weakening culture of our nation. While this is not because of our lack of human achievement and technology, it is because we have allowed the culture of heathen influence to break our strong bond with God. We are casting away the cords of spiritual truth that once controlled our land of the free.

Therefore God is not happy with our nation, notice in Psalm 2:1-6, especially in verse 4 as it is said that He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. Now don’t get it wrong here. God is not laughing at our nation for being a nation. He is laughing because we as a nation have traded off peace and joy for distress and deep displeasure. We have accepted the lie of heathenistic human viewpoint, yet God position has not changed and His throne is well established and will not be moved.

Thus I say as the Psalmist; be wise O leaders and governors of this land, serve the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling awe. Be ready to reconcile with the Son of God, lest His anger over our rejection of Him should be revealed in the full array of His Power. The battle is the LORD’s and it is one that the heartland knows will not be won if favor of our rebellion.. Psalm 2:1-12

I do like those last few words: “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him”

Someone said over the weekend that some conversations were not worth listening to and it is amazing that I had on Saturday closed a window that had been opened for me to issue parts to the mechanics on duty. I closed the window because of the conversation between the two mechanics and a service person, a young female in her early twenties. Simply put; their mindset and language became vulgar and oppressive.

Later, the girl had to bill out some parts and service to a disgruntled customer and she returned to the mechanics in tears for the way she was treated by the man. Of course my window was opened again as I had been issuing oil filters and other parts to the mechanics and I said to the mechanic she was mostly talking too; just give her a hug, it is what she needs. The mechanic responded, “I’m not hugging her, I’ve been married thirty years and what would my wife think if she got wind of that?”

That sort of spun my mind around a little bit, here less than an hour before he and the girl and the other mechanic were talking about things that are found in Galatians 5:19-20 and they were approving some of those conditions as a normal everyday occurrence in their everyday lives.

In thinking about these things I wonder about the way we justify what we do and I am reminded that we must be living in a great apostasy, in other words our loyalty to the biblical and national framework of our heritage has fallen, we have become an entity of trusting deceiving and seducing spirits, like “dancing with the stars” or “Americas got talent”

Could be too that it is not a national thing, but a worldwide condition of mankind as we approach the end times. What did you say, Jesse? Don’t you know that the world is getting better as the world council of churches teach! Bah humbug on this group of blind guides, the Holy Bible (if you read it) explains the truth; just read it 1Timothy 4:1-5! It would be good if we sanctified everything in prayer and through the Word of God as the apostle Paul teaches in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

Comfort is needed by all people. To be consoled when things go wrong is a need; not an excuse to commit some idolatrous and sinful act. Real comfort comes from God and the apostle Paul identifies two important facts in the first chapter of Second Corinthians. One: the tribulations in life will come, and Two: the consoling results are available through Him; but not without personal involvement.

Is there a day that slips by without some concern for the outcome? I think not! If you are saved by the grace of God and I pray that you are, your day should start out with a devoted time in prayer and God’s Word. We have over the years carved out the devotional as a specific period of time; Like, ten minutes in prayer and the Word will make your day, or some other recipe for a great day, you can use whatever filling you would like.

Now don’t get this wrong, I am not saying that ten minutes is not worth it and if ten minutes is all you have, well no doubt you must be asleep the other 2,030 minutes of the day and that ten minutes would be quality time spent with the LORD. Let’s see what the apostle Paul has to say about spending devoted time with the LORD. One could pick just about any section of his epistles and be challenged to devotion in time to Jesus, but I have picked the epistle of Philippians.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say rejoice. Did you know that if you are not rejoicing in the LORD, then you are not projecting grace to those around you? The word gentleness found in verse 5 can also be translated, graciousness. Another attribute of rejoicing, which the world around you cannot attain, is the attribute of projecting to the world that the LORD, through you is at HAND. Now, can you get a hold of that?

This is important and I am not seeking to be sarcastic. I am as much at fault with this as anyone one of us. We walk about in our spiritual garb with attitudes that do not project the joy of the LORD, or the fact that the Holy Spirit is in us and we bring God into the presence of the unbelieving. Then clothed around all of this “joy” and “power” we put on a cloak that resembles an anxiousness that of the world because we do not have devotional and ongoing time with God.

You and I no doubt have Philippians 4:6-7 memorized and if not you and I do know of it. This is all good but if you stop at just those two verses you miss the whole of Paul’s message.

The world around us views everything as untrustworthy, the believer know the “whatevers” that override worldly thinking. These are; whatever is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely, of good report, of virtue and of being praiseworthy that we are commanded of God to think on these things. Philippians 4:8-9

You know that if the circumstance of life were simply an automobile to steer through traffic, we might understand this a bit. Unbelievers and believers are given a license to drive and drive we do! But if the licensed driver, runs red lights, does not stop at stop signs, does not look you in the eye when the opportunity presents the need, or simply ignores the fact that others are on the road, who could tell the good from the bad?

On the other hand saints and if you are saved, then you are a saint and are given all of the credentials to live life in the joy and presence of the LORD, yet if we do not spend the day in devotion to Him we have no PEACE and without the peace of God we will react to the traffic just as the rest of the world.

Yesterday I gave a wrong website for Jack Murphy, there is a lot of information on the web; just type in his name in your search engine.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it (the gospel) the Righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

When any country becomes ashamed of the gospel of God, there will be in due time a spiritual blindness that blankets the land. God does not tolerate disobedience and unrighteous behavior on any level; individually or nationally. The reading of Romans 1:18-32 will reveal some interesting conditions that God places on national unrighteousness.
The wrath of God is REVEALED from heaven. Have you noticed some of the elements of Creation that normally are safe reach out and slap us around lately? If not, then you must be living in another country, one that has not turned it’s backside to God.

One of the characteristics of foolishness is the thought that one could be enlightened by setting aside the attributes of God. Psalm 14:1-7 God in this Psalm is looking at people and their actions. The result is not enlightenment, but as the heart becomes more foolish, it also becomes more darkened, thus what is professed to be good causes more and more foolishness, ignorance and corruption.

God is aware of all of man’s action; from the least of man to the greatest of man; when on a national scale man allows himself to turn inward to his or her sensual pleasures, it is God who turns them over to those vile passions to do whatever they do. This is not the physical blindness found Genesis 19:1-11 this blindness is a hardened condition of the soul that refuses to acknowledge God as his or her Creator. The soul that exchanges the TRUTH of God for the LIE of human disobedience will become spiritually blind.

Also it is necessary to note that in these passages Satan or the devil is not mentioned ONE time, so it is the wrath that God dealing with mankind’s failure in the four Divine Institutions given to man after the fall. (One God; One man for one woman; one family and one national government).

Although Satan is the mastermind behind all personal and national disobedience, he is only the pathfinder to hell. In other words he has placed in the heart of every living soul and national entity the sin of pride and disobedience. Isaiah 14:12-19a and by doing so he has paved the way for mankind to develop his personal and national destruction, a pathway that is littered with the personal sins of men and nations.

If you take the time to study the Living Word of God, you might notice that, “right living” is directed at correcting the disobedient desires of mankind, Romans 1:28-32. We are also commanded to resist the devil and the words found in Hebrews are to flee from him; in other words find another path, the one that returns us personally and nationally back to God. Hold on to our personal and national confessions of faith as it is about to be challenged. Hebrews 10:19-25.