God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

The Holy Spirit’s manifestations are intended to serve God’s Church in such a way that it is enabled to fulfill God’s mission in the world. The context of the teaching about spiritual gifts is profoundly communal. The Western tendency to think primarily as an individual (What is my gift?; I have the gift of faith; What is my ministry?, etc.) rather than as a member of a group will tend to distort the way spiritual gifts are defined and applied. Rom. 12.9-13 - Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. [10] Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor . [11] Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. [12] Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality . The entire context of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the fact that the gifts of one body member are useless unless they are combined with and benefit the whole. 1 Cor. 12.7 - To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good . 1 Cor. 14.12 - So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church (cf. 1 Pet. 4.11). In 1 Corinthians 13, the “love chapter,” Paul argues eloquently that spiritual gifts count for nothing if they do not result in us loving and serving God’s people. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Paul’s entire argument in 1 Corinthians 14 which follows the “love chapter” is that spiritual gifts can actually be ranked in importance on the basis of how directly they build up the entire body of Christ. So he says, if I speak in tongues while I am alone praying to God, this is a good thing. In fact, Paul says, I want all of you to speak in tongues (14.5) and furthermore, I speak in tongues more than any of you there in Corinth (14.18). This, Paul says, is a good thing because it strengthens me in my walk with God (14.4) and if I am strong than I can serve God and you. But that is a In Romans 12, Paul ends his teaching on spiritual gifts with these instructions.

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