S4 E17: The Works of God and the Gifts of the Spirit

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Season 4 of Spirit-Led Hope covers the Doctrine of God, or theology, from a Spirit-led perspective. In this episode, Glenn looks at the works of God with respect to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He points out that God invites us to accomplish his works using the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This episode has a transcript. If your podcast player does not support transcripts, please go to the Transcripts section of https://spiritledhope.com/ . These transcripts have been edited for accuracy and are typically of higher quality than those produced automatically by many podcast apps.

Season 4 is part of a long term goal to study systematic theology from a Spirit-led perspective. If you want to know more about systematic theology, or expand your study, Glenn is using the following text as a helpful framework to make sure the main topics are covered:  Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, by Guy P. Duffield and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave.  The book is published by Foursquare Media and Glenn is using the Second Edition published in 2016.

Transcript

 S4 E17 TRANSCRIPT 

THE WORKS OF GOD AND THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT 

INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone and welcome to Spirit-Led Hope. My name is Glenn Erichsen, and in this episode, we are discussing:

     THE WORKS OF GOD AND THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Before we get started, I just want to say that we are nearing the end of Season 4, and I will talk more about that at the end of this episode.

OK, let’s get started. In Episode 15 we talked about relationships in the Trinity, and we looked at how the Persons in the Godhead relate to the world. They are One in purpose and nature, even though they may take on differing roles. I gave an example of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together for our redemption. And I gave you the homework assignment of investigating how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, worked together in Creation.

In this episode, we are going to look at how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Season 1 we looked a lot at the gifts of the Spirit, but I cannot remember if we directly talked about God the Father and God the Son and their association with spiritual gifts. I am sure we talked about them some, but I do not recall ever emphasizing that in the teaching. And if I did not, that was probably a shortcoming on my part, because Paul emphasizes the Trinity when he teaches about gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

Let us go ahead and read the first 11 verses in 1 Corinthians 12. As we read, you will notice that Paul begins talking about Jesus, then the Trinity, and then more about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Let us read:

Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 CSB

JESUS KEEPS US SAFE

Often, when I teach about the gifts of the Spirit, I want to dive right in and start explaining what the gifts are, and how they work. But Paul does not do that. Instead, he begins with Jesus. 

And this is critical because our identity as Christians comes through Jesus, and it is only through our trust in him that we can be indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Very importantly, it is Jesus who allows us to identify the source of spiritual gifts. Every gift of the Holy Spirit has a counterfeit gift that is not of God. This is one of the reasons why many Christians shy away from gifts of the Spirit. They are worried about being deceived and getting caught up in dangerous spiritual gifts. I understand that.

Just the other day I was listening to a podcast episode made by a prominent Christian scholar. It was an interesting episode because he recorded it shortly before he died from cancer. He openly stated that he was not sure about Pentecostal or Charismatic beliefs because he had seen false spiritual gifts. Because of this, he decided he would remain unsure and not commit to the possibility that gifts of the Spirit were for today. I am paraphrasing what he said, but that was the gist of it. 

In my opinion, this is tragic. If we avoid the real things in life because there may be counterfeits, we may as well just become perpetual paranoid skeptics. Because really, we could say the same thing about God. There are many gods that people worship. Should we avoid our pursuit of the God of the Bible because there are counterfeits? Of course not.

We can pursue the God of the Bible because God has given us many forms of evidence that point to the truth of Scripture. Scripture itself is often self-validating and gives us confidence that we can identify false gods.

And one of the things Paul is presenting is that Jesus helps us identify false gifts. Any person operating in spiritual gifts who speaks poorly of Jesus, or teaches something contrary to what Jesus taught, or cannot genuinely say that Jesus is Lord, is not empowered by the Holy Spirit. If they are not empowered by the Holy Spirit, then their source of gifting is not of God.

I think it is fascinating that Paul starts talking about spiritual gifts this way. When Paul wrote this, there were various pagan practices which involved spiritual things like speaking in tongues. Paul gives the Corinthians a way to determine if what they are doing is from God. This would also have comforted the Corinthians. They did not need to fear that when they spoke in tongues, they would be cursing Jesus or saying something wrong. The indwelling Holy Spirit would keep that from happening.

The bottom line is that when it comes to spiritual gifts, Jesus keeps us safe, and the Holy Spirit will always work in us to honor Jesus.

THE TRINITY IN THE GIFTS

Let us now look at the Trinity, with regards to spiritual gifts, by rereading verses 4-6 of 1 Corinthians 12.

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 CSB

In a prior episode we learned that when we see “Lord” in an English translation of the New Testament this generally refers to Jesus. And when we read “God,” that is generally the Father. 

If we make those substitutions, we can read the previous verses like this:

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same “Jesus.” And there are different activities, but the same “Father” works all of them in each person.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 CSB

So here we see a direct reference to the Trinity when we read about spiritual gifts. Normally, when we think about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we say their names in that order. But here, Paul reverses it. And I think it is because he is starting with the gifts and working back to the source to show how the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father work in perfect unity when it comes to spiritual gifts.

In these verses, there are some words associated with each Person in the Godhead. We have gifts associated with the Holy Spirit. We have ministries associated with Jesus. And we have activities associated with the Father. Depending on your translation, these words might be a little different. For example, you might read the word “service” in place of “ministry.”

Paul does not explain or describe these few verses, but from what we know about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they make perfect sense. We see the Father, orchestrating events and activities to work all things together for the good of those who love him. We see Jesus, working through us as his hands and feet to minister and serve others according to the will of the Father. And then there is the Holy Spirit, empowering and enabling us with gifts to accomplish all that the Father and Son are doing.

It is a beautiful picture that I fear is often overlooked. It is so easy to focus on the Holy Spirit that we can forget that what he does is in perfect unity with the Father and the Son. And I think this is one of the reasons why the Holy Spirit always, always, seeks to glorify Jesus and the Father. The Holy Spirit will never try to take credit and elevate himself. 

For us, it is totally appropriate to give praise and honor to the Holy Spirit, but we also want to make sure that we glorify God in his fullness whenever we see the Holy Spirit at work.

WE PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKS OF GOD

After Paul mentions the Trinity, he then goes on to describe nine gifts of the Spirit. I am not going to talk about those here. If this is new to you, please listen to Season One where I discuss gifts of the Spirit in detail.

It is after Paul lists these nine gifts, that he begins to talk about the body of Christ. It is a lengthy section, and I am just going to read the first part. It starts at verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 12.

For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

1 Corinthians 12:12, 13 CSB

Paul then goes on to teach that we are like a body where one person is an eye, and another an ear, and all parts of the body are required to function and be healthy and whole. Paul explains this because when it comes to spiritual gifts, people will be different. The Holy Spirit will give different gifts to different people. And Paul knows that the potential for jealousy and envy is real and present. So, he gives us this picture of how we are the body of Christ.

But there is more going on here. Because now it makes sense that Paul includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in his teaching about spiritual gifts. We have learned this Season that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate differently to each other, and do different things. And yet, they are One, in perfect unity, and have the same nature. Everything they do accomplishes the works of God, perfectly.

And we, as the body of Christ, are called to have unity in diversity, and we follow God who is the perfect example.

We started out in this Episode looking at the works of God and gifts of the Spirit, but we have now come to a place where we can talk about how all of this relates to a Spirit-led life. It is so remarkable that it seems unbelievable. But the truth is this…God wants us to participate in his works. And spiritual gifts are some of the tools he gives us so that we can do that.

I want to wrap up this episode by reading some well-known verses which show us that we, as Spirit-led people, are called to participate in the works of God. The first verse is found in Ephesians 2:10 and was written by the Apostle Paul.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

The second set of verses is found in John 14:12-17. These are words spoken by Jesus. As I read this, look for the relationships within the Trinity. But do not miss the invitation for us to join in the works of God and see that we fit in this picture!

“Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.”

John 14:12-17 CSB

Did you hear how Jesus wants us to join him? 

We have been learning more about God this Season, and we have seen how spectacular he is and beyond our comprehension. And yet…this God…is the God who wants us to participate with him. All it takes is that we humble ourselves and accept the gift that God has freely given us through Jesus. That opens the door to the greatest adventure any of us could ever have.

CLOSING

I hope that Season Four has been helpful to you. I am praying about the best way to finish it in one or two more episodes. In all seriousness, when it comes to teaching about God and his nature, we could keep going for many more episodes. But I have a lot of other things going on right now, and I am hoping to take some time off for the summer. 

In our next episode, I believe we are going to focus on Jesus.

As always, you can send me comments, suggestions, or questions, by email at glenn@spiritledhope.com, or simply use the Contact Form at spiritledhope.com. That is spiritLEDhope.com. You can also send me a one-way text message by going to the episode show notes and clicking on the link with your smart phone. This is one of the ways you can encourage me and thank you to all who have sent me a text.

If you find these episodes useful, please share them with your friends, leave a good review on your podcast app, post them to social media, and make sure to follow the podcast so that you are notified when the next episode is published.

As you enter into the works of God…

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Until the next episode, take care.

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