This morning, some things just kept snapping into place,
something like lightbulbs going off and making very clear what I ought to
believe and seek and do.
First, there is no doubt that God graciously calls his
church to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts as he teaches them in his word.[1] If
we think of this corporately first, that we want all the spiritual gifts in the
whole church of our community, with each of our gatherings having our place in
this just as much as everyone else, we can trust God to distribute the gifts
just as he said.
How do we join God’s work? By earnestly desiring the
spiritual gifts, however he chooses to distribute them.
Second, it is the world, the flesh, and the devil, that keep
telling God’s children nothing is working because, as long as they can keep us
believing that, we will both feel and act accordingly. However, God is always
at his work,[2]
always working everything for good,[3]
always carrying his work on to completion until the day of Christ,[4] so
we know the three hucksters of evil are lying to us.
How do we join God in his work? Our new hearts keep looking
for his work by faith, rather than following the three hucksters of evil by
sight.
Third, the biggest AHA-Moment so far was the clarification
that, if we want the experience of recognizing that “God is really among you” as Paul talks about,[5] we
need to “earnestly desire the spiritual
gifts”[6]
as they are described in God’s word.[7]
In other words, instead of doing nothing until we “see” God
doing something (what the three hucksters of evil want us to think), we are to
take God’s teaching about spiritual gifts to heart, handle the gifts by faith, and,
in faith, earnestly desire them until we see them working among us. When we are
a church that expresses itself in spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, then
everyone will see the evidence of the work God has been doing the whole time,
just waiting for us (his body) to do what he has been directing us to do.
One of the problems in getting Christians to trust God and
seek spiritual gifts is kind of like this: we who are the body want the right
to do nothing while we look at our head (Jesus) to prove he is doing something.
However, Jesus is speaking to us as his body to do the things he is thinking of
doing, but cannot do until his body parts will respond to the impulses he is
sending down to us from our head. However, we are telling our head that we won’t
do the things he is speaking to us about until we see him doing something.
I hope you see the hopeless delusion of the parts of Jesus’
body refusing to do what they are told until they see him doing something,
since his doing something invariably requires us to do what he is doing since
we are the parts of his body through which he is working. We will see HIM doing
something when WE do what he is directing us to do.
How do we then join God in his work? We first accept
everything he teaches about spiritual gifts as his good, acceptable, and
perfect will,[8]
and then we join his work by faith, earnestly desiring the spiritual gifts,
knowing that when he distributes the spiritual gifts as he wills, and we start
using them as he directs, it will be evident that God is among us.
Today, we must repent of any ways in which we are telling
God we have a right to do nothing until he shows us by sight that he is doing
something. God speaks through his words, he shows us what he is doing right
now, and, as we join him in his work, we experience him in real and personal
ways.
Here is how Paul has instructed so clearly in the joining of
God’s work:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2)
God IS working something into us that requires that we will
what he wills, and work what he works (just like Jesus), and our part is to
agree right now to work this out with fear and trembling no matter how long it
takes us to recognize spiritual gifts operating in our part of Jesus church.
Because Jesus says it is his will, we first welcome his will by faith, and then
put into practice whatever he says.
© 2016 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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