A productive life in the Power of the Holy Spirit

We end our long study of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a final meditation on the 14th chapter of First Corinthians, where the Apostle Paul continues to establish what the order should be and the methodology used to administer the gifts in the life of the Church. .

And we see throughout this chapter that Paul is interested in one thing, and that is that the gifts that are manifested in a particular service, are of benefit, in some way, either for the new believers who are visiting, or for the regular members of the Congregation. And that in reality the priority of the Church should not be simply that there are supernatural manifestations but that there is profit and advancement for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

And Paul says that one of the main considerations when we are channeling and managing the gifts should be to consider who is present in the meeting, and if for example there are people who are not mature in the faith, and if there are visitors, or people who They are just beginning to explore the ways of the Gospel, we have to subjugate the use of the gifts to the consideration that we have to minister to these people, and that we must do everything possible not to scare or scandalize them so that they can stay comfortable. and receive what God has for them.

One of the things Paul continually says is that: "The spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets." And what Paul means by that is that we cannot say that we do not have control of the Holy Spirit. There are people who have an excessive respect for the Holy Spirit and think that human initiative, and human values have nothing to say in how gifts are administered in the context of a service, and it is not like that.

God gives His gifts and then delegates to us the freedom, in the biblical framework, to know when to operate on the gifts and when to sometimes limit them, because there is an order that has to be followed as well, and that order is generally administered by the Pastor. , sometimes the order of service is administered by the elders of the Church or by the person who is presiding, and those who are seated in the Congregation or those who are participating in the service have to subject themselves to that established order so that the whole service proceeds in a consistent manner. Because in the realm of the Kingdom of God there is order, there is harmony, there is coherence, there is beauty.

Sometimes those disorderly services, where it is not known who is speaking and who is presiding, because everyone is speaking and there is a constant shouting and disorder, Paul says: that is not from God. You need to establish an order, you need to have evangelistic considerations. You have to think about who is present, you have to think about whether people are benefiting from what is happening, you have to give space to doctrine.

Pastors have a very great burden when we are leading a service, and that is that we have to make sure that God's purposes are fulfilled and not necessarily the emotional impulses of a little brother or sister who has supposed prophet skills and who wants to speak in a meeting. undisciplined way. Pastors are appointed by God to maintain order and that order has to be established, and no one can say: I can't control myself, but rather that we have to wait for the right moment.

Paul even says that, if there are several prophets who are going to prophesy, that there are two or at most three who prophesy and that it is in order. If someone is speaking in tongues and there is no interpreter, then instead of everyone speaking and nobody understands what was said if it is an angelic language, then, if there is no interpretation, let the person speak in one voice to himself , instead of a voice that dominates the entire meeting, so that in that way there is order and there is blessing in everything.

Paul says that we have to be careful with these new people who do not know the mysteries of the Gospel, that if they enter the Church and see that group of Christians simply having an incoherent party there, they would say: well these people are crazy, and then that manifestation of the Spirit, instead of being a blessing for them, an inspiration for their lives, would then become a stumbling block for them not to continue on the path of the Gospel.

Those of us who are more mature in faith have to hold on and think about those who are less mature, and also think about the order of service, and building up God's people, rather than simply satisfying our own urges.

And this is what glorifies God. That is where the maturity of the believer intervenes, his humility, his subjection to the authorities, his love for unbelievers, his love for those who are weaker in the faith. And when there are those considerations, then the Spirit of God moves with much more power and more effectiveness.

What Paul encourages us to keep in mind is this idea that the most important thing is that there is fruit, there is progress, there is advancement, there is a strengthening of the Kingdom of God. The gifts themselves are not an end in themselves, but are simply a means.

Tongues are very important and Paul says: I speak in tongues more than all of you, but he says: I prefer to speak a little only in a language that people understand me, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in this case prophecy as he calls it , than speaking ten thousand words in a strange language that no one can understand.

And at the end of his speech, in chapter 14, Paul says with this well-known passage: "So brothers, try to prophesy" that is: try to speak in an understandable language, in a language that is a communication understandable to those who are hearing; be it a meditation moved by the Holy Spirit, an exhortation, a consolation, a Word of encouragement and hope, "try that and do not prevent speaking in tongues" because of course, tongues are beautiful, they are important, they are edifying but above all when there is interpretation, and then he says the famous words: "But do everything decently and in order."

That does not mean that we have to stagnate the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of not belittling prophecies. That does not mean either that if, in the midst of the service, there is exaltation, there is joy, there is dance, there are well-felt amens and hallelujah, and congregational glory to God, and raising the hands, and there may even be dance, that does not mean that there is disorder. The effusiveness and passion, and enthusiasm does not necessarily mean disorder.

What Paul means is that, within that enthusiasm, within that dynamism of a Pentecostal cult where a lot of quite dynamic things can be happening, there has to be a sense of purpose, there has to be an orderly sequence, there has to be a person. that presides and governs everything directed even by the Holy Spirit, there must be an end and a goal, and there must be a benefit for the Church when the gifts are manifested. That is what makes a truly productive life possible in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

My beloved brothers, we have come to the end of this long meditation. I hope it has been a blessing for your lives, I encourage you to study these passages, do not underestimate the importance of these things. Perhaps these topics that we have discussed do not seem as sensational or of as much personal benefit as other topics that perhaps we have discussed in the past, but I assure you that it is a very important doctrine of God for your lives and I encourage you to meditate on these things and seek the gifts.

Let us remember the words of the apostle Paul: "My brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts." May the Lord bless you and we will continue with other meditations in the future, I love you in the Lord and it is a privilege for me to share my life with you. I say goodbye to you, Pastor Roberto Miranda for God Speaks Today. Many blessings.