Don't Ignore Spiritual Gifts

First Corinthians, Chapter 12. We want to talk and we're continuing this series of sermons on the gifts, and I think this is the last facet of that. And I think I still have about two or three more sermons left in the spirit, unless God tells us something else to come along later. But in the meantime I want to conclude with this segment of Scripture because it is for me one of the most neuralgic, most central areas of doctrinal teaching on baptism, the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I have sometimes said that in Chapter 12, 13 and 14 of First Corinthians, those 3 Chapters, all the doctrine is summarized, we could almost say that it has to do with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and what is the administration of those gifts, either in the context of personal life or in the context of congregational life, particularly in Chapter 14 the Apostle Paul gives us instructions on how to manage the movement of the spirit in the context of a congregation, very important teaching.

In Chapter 12, you remember that he is writing to a church that needs that instruction. The Apostle Paul frequently wrote his letters to particular congregations in some geographical region to resolve or to teach about situations that were important for the life of that church, but we also remember that those lessons, and those teachings, the Holy Spirit has recorded so that We too can benefit from that teaching, because the same situations that the Corinthians faced have been faced by churches throughout the centuries, and will continue to face them.

And that is why the Lord in his wisdom left these teachings embodied, so we are not in Corinth, we are in Roxbury, Massachusetts, but the lessons are the same, you will see that. So we're going to be talking a little bit based on these Chapters.

And here the Apostle Paul tells this congregation in this way, he says: ".... I do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant about spiritual gifts....."

I do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.... Now this is being written by Paul, the Apostle, obviously, but behind Paul there is a Holy Spirit that is inspiring him. And I think we can safely say that it is God himself through his Apostle who is saying, 'I don't want you to be ignorant', 'I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.'

God does not want his people to be unaware of the mysteries of the spirit. God wants us to know how to operate the mechanics, so to speak, of the spirit. By the way, the original word used in the Greek is 'neumaticon' which has been translated as 'spiritual gifts', but it's more like 'I don't want you to be ignorant about matters of the spirit' 'I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual things', but in the context of that statement, it obviously refers to the gifts, but it is more than that. The gifts are only one aspect, but a very important aspect.

In other words, brothers, God wants his people to be an understanding people. How many know that? Amen. God wants us to know how to move in the waters of the spirit and I tell you by the way, there are many people in the Christian world who are like spiritual children, that's why Paul also said in another passage, to the same Corinthians, right? I have wanted to talk to them about mature things and I cannot, I have only been able to give them milk and not solid food because they are not prepared to receive the most profound things.

And guess what? God cares. God strongly wants to go deep with his people. And God wants us to be understood about the things of the spirit. The heart grieves a lot because there are many people today, particularly today, but there have always been in the churches, who are ignorant about the deep mysteries of the Holy Spirit and how one moves in the spiritual world.

It reminds me of that passage that I think I pointed to once when the Apostle Paul in Ephesus, on one of his trips, visits the city, he meets some believers there and it seems they started talking and told them Question: When did you believe, did you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? They remember. And what do they tell them? He says, we didn't even know that there was a Holy Spirit, much less that there is a baptism of the Holy Spirit. They were completely ignorant of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, of the gifts, of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They were sincere believers, they loved God, they were saved because they had believed in Jesus as their Messiah, but they had not entered into deeper doctrine. And the Apostle Paul immediately said, 'ah, no, we have to talk about this, we have to resolve something. John baptized with water, which you were baptized in, but Jesus also baptized with the Holy Spirit so what did he do? He laid hands on everyone, looked for Goya oil wherever he could find it, poured it over them, laid hands on them, prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, they were baptized and they all left happy, already sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Because God doesn't want us to be ignorant, you know what? There are many churches today, brothers, and I say this with respect, because many of them are churches that love the Lord. There are others who are not, there are others who are so liberal, and they are so... as they say in English 'left field', over there, even completely off the field and they don't know about these deeper things. And there are serious God-loving Christians who have not been taught about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They haven't been teased about doctrines, spiritual warfare, or healing, or deliverance, or soul healing, or things like that. It's like these things are veiled from them because they are not taught, they are unfortunately ignorant and then, what happens? They are fighting the battle of faith with one hand tied behind them.

They are running the race of faith in a sack and they run it, but with difficulty because God wants us to have full access to all his teaching and so he wants you to understand that he does not want you to be ignorant That is why it is important that you instruct yourself in the word of the Lord, and that is why I have set aside these times to share with you about these doctrines of the Holy Spirit because we need to receive them in order to continue.

In fact, I would say brothers, that there are churches, not only that do not teach about the gifts, but unfortunately they say that the gifts are not for our time, and that is worse for me, because they are not only keeping people ignorant, but they are telling them 'this is from the devil', 'this is emotion', 'this is heresy', 'this is bad doctrine'. There are sincere people who love God who receive that teaching continually from many pulpits in this nation and throughout the world.

They say that was only for the first century before the Bible was written, the New Testament and the canon closed, a bunch of nonsense that has no biblical foundation. They take Chapter 12 and Chapter 14 and tear out the pages and leave 13 because it talks about love and that's harmless, because there's no problem with that, so they leave it there because otherwise, how would they celebrate weddings if they don't have Chapter 13 of First Corinthians, right? .... love remains forever,...... I don't know what.... very romantic, but nothing spiritual. They take it out of its context.

And I say, what hermeneutic or exegetical theory, let's say, allows 12 and 14 to start and 13 to stay, for example. There are people who say, well, yes, there are evangelists, there are teachers, and there are pastors, but don't talk to me about the prophets and the Apostles, because that has already happened.... Who's to say, how do they tear away the Apostles and the prophets? , and why then leave the evangelists? I'm not going to stay there, because if I stay there I won't stop.

Do you understand? God wants us to have access to all of his word. Amen. To all his complete revelation and says, “..... I do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant about things of the spirit or about spiritual gifts....”

And he goes on to say, “ .... you know when you were Gentiles, when you were Gentiles....”

Now, get something, I don't think Paul is saying, 'when you were Gentiles, now you are Jews.' No, I think he uses the word Gentiles here in a liberal, general way, meaning when you were unbelievers, when you lived in the world. The word is rather when you belonged to the peoples there, to the races that do not know God, when you were unconverted it would be a good word today.

“.....When they were unconverted they were led astray, as you know it was, as they were led to mute idols....”

In other words, he now gets down to business and says, 'brothers, remember, when you were unconverted you were sold all kinds of hoaxes about this saint, this virgin, Saint Michael, light a candle for so-and-so , and that this is going to happen to you, and that she is going to get you a boyfriend, and that she is going to bring you the husband that she took from you, etc, etc,... they were lost, they were confused, they were guided through blind alleys.

Listen to me, brother, how sad is spiritual ignorance, one opens up to all kinds of deception and there are so many people today in the unconverted world seeking their healing in mute idols. The word dumb in the original Greek what it means is, we could say, to the gross idols, to the stupid idols, in the etymological sense of the word. It means, an idol does not feel, an idol does not speak, an idol does not understand, an idol does not suffer, an idol does not feel love or hate, it has no power. It's just a piece of stick with a little bit of gold paint on it, that's all an idol is. The idol has no power.

At the end of the second service a sister came to me and said, 'Pastor, I have a saint in my house, what do I do with him? Sister, you came to the right place, throw it in the trash immediately. Don't give it to your grandmother, I told her, don't give it to anyone, throw it in the trash. What's more, go to where they sold it to you and ask for your money back because they deceived you. Idols have no power.

We cannot exchange a living Christ for a dumb idol. The Lord said, 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. The word of the Lord says 'because there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.'

Look brother, Jesus Christ does not need the help of Mary and of any saint, of any idol. He can hear your prayers and take them to the Father directly. Amen. He doesn't need.... sometimes we think, sometimes people think that poor Jesus has too many applications for help, we better ask Saint Benedict or Saint John to help him and for him to go because he is too busy.

The Lord has power to be in twenty thousand places at once and hear all the prayers of the world and answer all of them. We don't need an idol, brothers. And I say that with respect to my Catholic brothers, let me tell you. I love the mercy of many people who have their little saint there at home, sometimes covered with a bathtub so that the water doesn't fall on them or whatever, in the gardens of Sommerville and elsewhere, but I love mercy of them, but in a sense I feel like it's misdirected, you know?

That's the problem. I don't know if they sin necessarily, I just think it's a waste of energy. That's the problem. Spiritual energy is diverted, instead of focusing it on Christ Jesus.

We Christians have to get used to it, we are of the spirit. I do not need a physical representation..... it is better to exercise the ability to visualize, the ability to see in the spirit instead of having those aids. We know how much profit the devil has made through history of idolatry.

The Apostle Paul says that an idol is nothing, he says that those who worship idols are actually worshiping demons many times rather, in Africa, in Latin America, in Asia, they are still all those idols and why do I say, if one is now in the new economy of Christ Jesus, why bring that historical baggage and enter it into the Gospel, when the word of the Lord says so clearly that we do not make images of things. I know Jesus can go to extremes, but spiritual things have to be discerned in the spirit.

We have to be people of the spirit, my communion is directly with the Heavenly Father, it is a communion through invisible threads, it is through prayer, it is through the confession of faith, it is through me to enter inside and connect with that eternal place and believe that I am there before the very throne of God's grace and direct my prayer through the air directly to the throne of God. I don't need anything in between, brothers.

And Paul says, you know, and when you were Gentiles, you were unconverted, you were misled, you were taken away. How many people go to the fortune teller or the santera to be told what is going to happen to them, to help them get a job and they take their money and then they end up as miserable or worse than when they went, because now they have a little devil that you go after them when they leave the office, the fortune teller or whatever, because you are communing with things that are impure. And God has said, no, it is my Son to whom they must speak and to whom they must listen.

“.........He led us astray to the mute idols that can do nothing for us, therefore, he says, I let them know, look, I let them know...”

In other words, and the idea is also revealed to them. Notice he starts by saying, I don't want them to ignore, now he's saying, well, I'll let them know. It's getting down to business. In other words, he is going to give the Corinthians a very important lesson here about the world of the spirit, he is going to give them a very deep lesson. Lesson A, says:

“.... I want you to know that no one who speaks in the spirit of God...... – the real preposition is in the spirit of God - .... .no one who speaks in the spirit, receiving revelation from God, according to the spirit of the Lord, he says, calls Jesus anathema and no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit....”

From again, in the original Greek the idea is 'no one who speaks in the spirit says cursed be Jesus, and no one who speaks in the spirit or the person who speaks in the spirit can only say, Jesus is Lord', curion ieson, Jesus is the Lord. Or you can say, 'cursed is Jesus', be cursed is Jesus. No one who speaks in the spirit can curse Jesus or contradict the Lordship of Jesus.

There you have a first lesson: he tells the Corinthians, discern the spirits. He is speaking to people who were involved in idolatry, had been involved in idolatry, and there was a danger that these people would transfer some of their pagan, idolatrous beliefs to the Gospel and perhaps think that Jesus was just another God and that They had to include him among all the other gods that they had in their pantheon and therefore continue to worship Jesus, but also continue to be involved with other gods that were contrary to everything that represents the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

And how many people today, brothers, fall into that error, how many people in our countries go to mass in the morning and then in the afternoon or during the week take a little trip around to the place from the santeria, or to the apothecary to buy a medicine or something, or a matter... or they go to the fortune teller, or they go to the santera's house or whatever, or they take a bath somewhere there , or whatever, and they are communing with gods that are contrary to the God that is Jesus Christ.

And the word of the Lord says, Paul wants to tell you something clear, only those who recognize the lordship of Jesus, do not go anywhere else, discern the spirits. And brothers, we as Christians have to discern the spirits. If our church is going to get more fully into the things of the Holy Spirit, we have to lay a very solid foundation.

And I think that before a church starts doing somersaults in the air about things of the spirit and the gifts, they first have to put a good safety mesh under it. Do you know what that mesh is? The word of God, because everything that happens in the spirit has to be measured.

How many know that the Holy Spirit is not the only spirit? There is also a demonic spirit, moreover, many times in a congregation there are phenomena that are either demonic or spiritual or can simply be of the flesh, neurotic things. A person stands up, starts prophesying, and what he's doing is throwing rocks at the pastor he doesn't like, and that's what passes for prophecy, right?

Another person, oh, the Lord tells me that you have to marry so and so and leave your husband. The Lord rebuke the devil, that is not from God. There are churches that have separated, they have been divided because they have not been able to subject a prophet or a prophetess to the word of the Lord, you know that? And the devil often sends misguided people in the best of cases to destroy and sow chaos in a congregation. A church always has to administer the gifts, discern the spirits. There are tongues, for example, that are not from God, do you know that? There are people who speak in tongues. The devil speaks in tongues, he speaks all languages, imagine how old he is, he has had time to have learned all the languages of the world by now. He speaks tongues.

I have heard demon-possessed people speak in tongues. And there are contaminated people and sometimes they don't even know it and they are in the churches and they have evil spirits and they don't know it. I tell you from my own experience, people from my church, that I have baptized you. I hope this is not a reflection of my person, but the fact is that they are baptized in my church and then it turns out that they have a demon there in the office, that little devil comes to light. And they didn't know that spirit was there.

There is a lot of contamination that occurs, there is a lot of mystery, that's why Paul says, 'I don't want you to be ignorant about things of the spirit.' And many churches get into the Holy Spirit stuff but don't develop a theology that allows them to navigate those dangerous waters. Because when you buy an antenna of the Pentecostal Holy Spirit, know that demons and extraterrestrials and a number of other beings that you did not think of can also fit into that antenna. And that is why one has to know how to discern in the light of the word what is of God and what is of Satan.

And Pablo puts one of the forms here. The demons hate Jesus, they hate the blood of Jesus, and they hate confessing the lordship of Christ. Again, my own experience, not only mine but that of many people. When a person is demon possessed and you command, 'Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,' that is like throwing water at a cat. They run away, they don't resist, they can't confess to him because it's structurally contrary to what they represent. That's how they pour hot oil into your mouth. They can't do it.

And by the way, one of the ways to know, there are times when you can be on a release assignment for a long time, and the devil sometimes wants to make you think he's gone. Look how bad Satan is. And there are ways to hide the devil, and I have discovered that one of the ways to know if a person is truly free is to order him to confess that Jesus Christ is his Lord and his Savior and there many times he comes to light again that the devil is still Is it hidden there, or is there still something hidden under the... because there are layers and layers of demonization many times. It's a great way, but this is deeper than that.

But look, let's go for a minute to First John, Chapter 4, one of the great verses about discernment. Because again, that's the thing, if you are in the spirit world you must not be ignorant, not all that glitters is gold. How many have heard that out there? Sometimes they will put you in a poke, be careful. If you are in the spirit, if you are moving in the things of the spirit, tie yourself well to the word of the Lord, study the word of God. We live in dangerous times, brothers, and we have to know very well how to navigate the waters of the spirit.

Look at what the Apostle John says, this is another Apostle now, it is not Paul, but the Apostle John complementing, because it is a word, it is the spirit that animates John and animates Paul saying the same thing stuff. Look, it says in Chapter 4, verse 1, it says:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...”

Hold on there that one Grab that one as they say in those who come the other. Test the spirits to see if they are from God. Not all spirit of God and it is saying it to Christians in the context of the church. Others can slip into a church... even attitudes that are not from God but can also be virtual, real spirits. So remember that, not everything you hear, see, experience is necessarily from God.

It is interesting, before continuing with this, it comes to my mind because I do not want it to be forgotten, there is a very mysterious passage in Scripture about a pagan, unfaithful, impious king who calls prophets to that they come to prophesy to him and it is a chaotic time in the life of Israel. There was a lot of impurity, a lot of bad doctrine everywhere and an evil king. And this king calls the prophets to prophesy to him, there were a lot of false prophets and that, and the Bible says that God, look at this, sent a deceitful spirit to prophesy to the king. And the king wanted to know if he was going to fight against a certain enemy people and the prophet told him, yes, God has told me that you should go and fight because you are going to destroy them completely. A prophet who had a spirit of deceit within him. And there was a prophet of God there... and the king knew that this man was a prophet of God, and he said, 'Well, what are you listening to there, what does the spirit tell you? He told him, no, go, get your hands on it, you're going to get away with it. And the king knew that he was telling a lie and he says, 'tell me the truth'. Then he said, 'well, if you go, you're going to be running everywhere from that king because they're going to defeat you.' And then the other false prophet says, 'aha, and how do you accuse me of telling a falsehood, where did the spirit of God escape me? He even slapped the other prophet. But it was likewise, this king stubbornly ordered himself to attack the other king, and indeed he was completely defeated and embarrassed.

There may be, the prophetic dynamic is very complex, brothers. And there are many people who believe that because one is not acting on everything that is heard, that one is not spiritual. No, it is that it is the word of God. When there is prophecy in a church, the word says, and we will see it later:

“.... prophesy two or three in order and the others discern, judge, the others determine if it is from God or not because the enemy sometimes uses the good will and the desire of God's people to receive revelation to introduce his own harmful teaching to contaminate a people.

So, the dynamics of the spirit is very complex, brothers, it is not yes or no. There are many variants in the middle of yes or no, and the people of God need discernment, they need wisdom, they need God to send his spirit and above all they need to know the word of God well and judge everything that happens according to the word of the Lord.

One of the ways to judge a spirit is not only if it confesses Jesus Christ verbally, mechanically, but if its fruits represent the spirit of Jesus Christ. I believe that more than simply saying mechanically is what emanates from that life, what fruits does that ministry produce, what teaching comes out of that mouth looking at it in general terms throughout various messages or a record that a ministry has. Is the spirit of Christ expressed in that ministry? There is an abundance of reference to the work and the person and the fruits and works of Jesus Christ.

I get kind of capricious when I listen to ministries or see ministries that you can be listening to a sermon for 40 minutes and there is not a mention of Jesus, there is not a mention of the deep things of the spirit. And you feel that there is a void, there is a spiritual desert. There is a lot of head knowledge, and there is a lot of theology even that flatters the senses or the intellect, or spiritual pride, but there is little of character and depth that pertains to things of the spirit. And you have to be very careful then, brother. We live in bad times, where the word says that there will be doctrines of error everywhere. People will have itchy ears and teachers will pile on telling people what they want to hear, not the word of God.

And today, brothers, there is so much teaching that resembles the teaching of Jesus Christ but is not, because many times the devil all he has to do is change a comma, or omit a comma. word, or putting something in another place to completely change its meaning. And we have to discern in the spirit, we have to get along rather than what happens here between the stomach and the chest, in the bowels of the spirit because there are times when you are going to feel something and that is going to be the spirit of God that it is telling you, 'This person is not from God.'

There are so many Christians who go everywhere. Brothers, someone told me this morning, 'pastor, just in case, he was getting better, they tell you that I am visiting other churches', and I said, 'brothers, amen. Rub elbows with other brothers, glory to God. How many have ever asked me, can I go....? I always tell them 'of course, go, visit other churches. I love having communion.

But let's be careful where we go, brothers, you know? Let's have where we eat. Today, there is a lot of filth that is coming out of the radio, television and many ministries and many churches that is not the word of God. There is a lot of seminary teaching a word that is not from God, a lot of teachers today, and we have to ask ourselves, do I want to submit to that spiritual energy? When you get word, don't just get carried away with how the person talks or if they drop 50. The devil can take down more than 50 if he wants to, you know? Do not get carried away....

The Bible says very clearly that in recent times the devil will perform miracles that if they did not have God's protection, they would deceive even the chosen ones. The devil can do any miracle and can do practically anything the Holy Spirit does.

Remember the passage from Moses, when God gave Moses the sign of the serpent, he throws down the rod, the rod becomes a serpent. And Moisés said, they are going to have to believe me because imagine, who can do that. God gives him a rod, he says, 'throw it on the ground, the rod becomes a snake. Now take the serpent and again it becomes a rod.

If you saw that, wouldn't you immediately kneel down to ask forgiveness for your sins? I would say, Lord, glory to God, here is the glory of God. And Moses goes very happy before Pharaoh with his sign and he comes before Pharaoh and says, 'You have to believe in me because look what I do.....boom.....he throws the rod and the rod falls. turns into a snake. And Pharaoh's wise men begin to laugh out loud and they also grab their rods and throw them away and they also turn into snakes, just like the trick that Moses was going to do that God gave him. And I imagine that Moisés must have asked, well, what do I do now? They didn't tell me plan B. Where is plan B? But, glory to God, it says Moses' snake ate the other snakes, they weren't expecting that. Glory to the Lord.

But what I want to tell you is that the devil can perform many miracles and many healings to deceive. There are many people who go to a fortune teller, or to a santera or a healer to heal them, and you know what? They get healed, because the devil is the source of all disease and he can take its damaging effect for a while, but guess what? Then he charges you that health care with interest. What's more, if you were lame, you come out later paralyzed, they completely amputate your leg. And if not, your life is spiritually contaminated, you know? Because you have already given entry to the evil spirit, the anathema spirit, the spirit that does not recognize the lordship of Christ.

The only spirit you should be consulting and turning to is the spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of God. Do nothing that does not acknowledge the lordship of Christ. Do not do anything that does not respond to the name of Jesus, the gifts that are used are from God, they come from God and return to God. No one who tells you that they have a gift and is using it except through the exclusive name of Jesus deserves to be in contact with you.

And we have to examine the energies, that's why I say, there are many people, let's say they have prophetic gifts, they have gifts of the spirit, but I tell them, 'Don't just stay with that. Do not think that because you have the gift of healing, you are already the last Coca Cola in the desert, as they say, that you no longer have to go for discipleship or study the word. There are people who believe, well, I already have a prophetic gift so I no longer need anything. What's more, I'm going to teach the pastor now rather, and they think they already have everything.

Guess what? Now you need your gift to inform it with the teaching of the word of God, polish your gift, strengthen your gift with the word and also make sure that your character projects the spirit, the meekness, the love, the humility of Christ Jesus, that the Lordship of Christ is manifested in your life, your actions and your interpersonal relationships. Because I see a lot of prophetic gift, a lot of spiritual gift impoverished by a lack of character and spiritual maturity.

And the fact that a person, that a congregation has many gifts does not mean that it has the true spirit of God and of Jesus Christ in it, you know?

The Corinthians......why does Paul write these matters to the Corinthians and why does he write First Corinthians, Chapter 13, after talking about the gifts? And why does he enter, after speaking about the gifts, about the body and the need to unify the different gifts and that we cannot treat someone who has a gift of not being of the spirit because he does not have the gift that I have. Because among the Corinthians there were divisions, there were fights, there was favoritism, there was that, well, I am of God but you are not, because you do not speak the same as I speak. There were divisions.

In Chapter 11, before 12, he talks about the sacrament where they ate madly, they didn't wait for each other, they didn't love each other. The one who had a lot of money ate a great delicacy and the other one there with his tortilla with only salt, at the sacrament. And Paul said, where is the love of God in you, where is the order of God in you? And so he starts talking in First Corinthians, Chapter 12 about the true usage.

Brother, just because you have a gift does not necessarily mean that you have the spirit of Jesus within you, you have to have both. It's unbelievable but it's true, you know?

What does Paul say in First Corinthians, 13, he says '.....if I speak the tongues of men and angels and have no love, assuming that it can be done, I am like a tinkling cymbal, like metal that resonates.... If I had faith, so that I could move mountains from one side to the other and I don't have love, I am nothing...'

Why? Because the external is not enough, it is what is in the heart. If you don't express the love of Jesus. If your works, your life, your ministry, your gift is not informed and filled with the spirit of Jesus Christ, don't dress because you don't go, as they say out there.

That is why I say, brothers, see if God has given you a gift, make sure that this gift has a setting that honors the gift. Do you know what a setting is? A ring with a jewel, there is the jewel, and people think of the jewel, but what about the setting? That is, the metal in which the jewel is set, where the jewel is held.

Have you ever seen a big diamond in an aluminum foil, aluminum foil thingy, a three million dollar diamond in a foil ring. I haven't seen it yet, or on a tin sheet. A diamond is set in gold or even platinum or something else that is diamond level to enrich and beautify it.

And so it is, the gift of man or woman must be embedded in a character of God, in a knowledge of the word, in a life broken by the spirit, aware of his weakness, aware that the gift is from God, not his or hers, and that if he does not take care of it, it will be taken away. And if you don't take care, even the devil can distort the gift and take it in opposite directions.

How many great men of God throughout history started very well and then began to believe themselves? I am the incarnation of so-and-so, or Jesus Christ made man and they end up in heresy, and they end up in doctrine and even demonization, because they did not have the right spirit, they allowed pride to get into them and so many other things.

So what I say, brothers, is let's be careful, let's be careful what we frequent, what we listen to, where we eat spiritually, with whom we commune. And let us take care of ourselves, our hearts, because when we move in the spirit, look, incredible forces are unleashed. This is like picking up an electrical cord of 20 thousand watts of power and if you don't handle it carefully, it will carbonize your own life first, gifts not well used hurt everyone around you. That's serious.

That's why Paul says, 'I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual things because spiritual things are deep. It is not yes or no, it is extremely subtle and you have to know the word of God very thoroughly to know how to navigate those deep waters, because when you come to see something else gets in, another energy that is not God's.

So when Paul is going to start talking about the gifts, the first thing he says is, 'If you're going to deal with electricity, put on some good rubber gloves and don't step in the water.' To use an energy, the first thing you have to know is how to handle that energy because it can explode in your face. So that's why Paul begins with a word of caution.

So, look at what you say again, a long detour, but I think it's important. First John, Chapter 4, says:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit..... -I'll finish with this-..... but test the spirits if they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world....”

Now, look how he says how a divine spirit, the Holy Spirit, is known, says:

“....In this you know the spirit of God, he says, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is from God.....”

Wow! Write that down and write it down there, put it in your wallet. It says that a spirit has to be willing to admit that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Hey, that's deep, that's enough to blow anyone's brains out if they think about it. You need to be able to comfortably confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. It was not that he put on a human suit, no, but that he came in the flesh, he incarnated. It seems that in that recognition there is a very deep truth.

He knows that the incarnation of Christ is the very center of God's salvific work. It was on the cross that Christ crucified, it says that he stripped principalities and powers. If he had been a projection he would not have been able to achieve what he achieved on the cross. He had to suffer in the flesh, he had to be whipped, he had to be harassed, he had to walk here on earth, he had to pay for our sins, he had to incarnate humanity in his own humanity and die for it on behalf of it. on the cross. On the cross there was God and there was man, perfectly both. For the salvific work of Jesus to take place, the man had to die there on the cross. The Son of man, the essence of humanity had to die there. And if that did not happen, there was no salvation and therefore, if a spirit does not recognize that profound fact, then it is not from God, because by recognizing it, it is acknowledging everything that defeated it, everything that took away its power, everything that that he removed his nails, all of which neutralized his claims on humanity.

So, that's why that spirit has to acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, because by acknowledging that they are signing a legal document that says, 'He came in the flesh, defeated me, pulled out my nails, and killed me. to death and killed everything that destroyed humanity.

Then John says, “...every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is from God and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God, and this is the spirit of antichrist whom you heard was coming and is now in the world...”

Wow! That's tremendous.... Look at what verse 6 says as well, “...we are of God, he who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us, in this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error....”

You know? If a person is a daughter of salvation when you speak to him he will see resonance in his being, but if he is not a son of salvation it is like speaking to a dead man, it is like putting a needle into a dead man, he will not feel anything, because he does not It is in God's plans. God has not activated your spirit so that you understand.

The things of the spirit are very deep, brothers, they are tremendously deep, and the church of Jesus Christ has to be equally deep. We have to discern the spirits, we have to be careful, what does it represent, what do I feel, what do I see through the word of the Lord.

I ask the musicians to stop by immediately.

"... therefore I make you know that no one who speaks by the spirit of God calls Jesus anathema, and no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit...." Glory to the Lord . Amen. Amen.

We discern the spirits. Don't be afraid to dig deeper when someone comes to you with a prophecy. Don't be afraid to ask... you hear me preach most Sundays, don't be afraid to say, 'hmm, what the pastor said, I'm not convinced. I'm going to look in the Bible to see if it's from God or not." It won't offend me in the slightest, on the contrary, I'm going to praise him and I'm going to say, "Brother, I congratulate you on my integrity," because Sometimes I can miss one of them, not many times but I miss once in a while, you know?

No, but the idea is, wherever you go, be discerning. Someone comes to you with a prophecy, see if it resonates in your spirit. And the person who gives a prophecy, say it with humility. If you feel that the Lord has given you a prophecy for someone, do not come with a voice like that thunderous and like you have to receive what I say and if you are not impious. Tell him, 'Brother, I feel that God is telling me this for his life.' Now, go in prayer and seek confirmation from God. I love that kind of prophet. And you say 'thank you, brother, I'm going to think it over and I'm going to pray about it and I'm going to weigh it up. There is nothing lacking in faith in that, on the contrary, that is biblical and the congregations alike must..... I know that there are many discerning people here who discern in the spirit. I feel the little antennas once they go up mmmmmm... right away there are things, right? There are some who have an antenna that reaches the ceiling, but the case that this is good, in a church it is good that there is discernment, that not everything is immediately received and accepted and sealed with the seal of approval, because not every spirit is of God, even in the evangelical, Christian world, there is a lot of contamination, a lot of contagion. And we have to be very careful. Amen.

I don't want you to be ignorant about things of the spirit..... I don't want us to be ignorant, but to be warned, to be wise.

Let's stand up. In the name of the Lord let us receive that word of teaching in our spirit. Let us ask the Lord to give us discernment. I don't want to scare you either about the spirit, about the gifts. This isn't that complicated either. There is no need to be afraid of the things of..... If there is good teaching, if there is good discernment, if there is spiritual maturity, we can let the gifts move. And if the brother was wrong, glory to God. Alright. If he does it with humility, he may be wrong, now we must not call him a false prophet either or put him in discipline. That is why we have to be careful, meditate well, pray ourselves before saying a word, 'Lord, is this from you? And then ask ourselves when is the right time, what is the best way to say it, all these things.

And then we can give ourselves freedom in the spirit. There is no problem. We can even learn, the gifts are developed little by little as we use them. At first we can be wrong, but we continue to strengthen them, through practice the gift is affirmed, it becomes more beautiful, stronger, more useful. That is the beauty of working and acting in the spirit.

So, Father, we give you grace this afternoon. We receive your teaching, Lord. We long for the gifts, Fathers. We never want to belittle prophecies. We never want to sadden the spirit. We never want to underestimate the importance of tongues and certainly of miracles, discernment of spirit or faith, or the other gifts that you have given to your people. On the contrary, Father, we yearn in the depths of our hearts that you teach us and introduce us to the depths of your mysteries and your energy. Give us your power, Lord.

This congregation is thirsty for you and thirsty for your power. We want to honor your gifts, Lord, and we want to handle them with all the reverence and all the truth that they deserve.

So, Father, we release in your people the spirit of prophecy, this afternoon, in the name of Jesus. If it is for you, I release a prophetic gift in your heart and ask you to use it and take steps of faith. If God puts an impression on your spirit and you believe it is from the spirit, share it with someone, if it is for someone. That is necessary, it is good, it is important, so receive it in the name of Jesus and begin to work in the spirit. Father, we release spiritual gifts in the midst of your people this afternoon in the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus. Open your heart, open your spirit.

Take a deep breath and receive that gift from the Lord for your life. Receive the teaching of God for your life now in the name of Christ and I ask you to exercise the gift, exercise the gift, listen, exercise the gift. Use the gift. Believe by faith that you have the gift and work on the gift in the name of Jesus. Move in the gifts of the spirit. Hallelujah!

I want a church filled with the Holy Spirit and I want a church where the gifts move. Understand that. Amen. Do not misunderstand this teaching, it is quite the opposite. I want to provide a good place, a good space, where those gifts can move, so we are going to exercise them.

We unleash the spirit of revelation, dreams, prophecy, healing, faith, tongues, interpretation of tongues, knowledge, wisdom in the name of Jesus, receive it. We unleash it in the name of Christ. Hallelujah! We believe, we believe, Lord, in the validity, the actuality of your gifts. We believe that you are the same yesterday, today, forever. We believe that what was written for the Corinthians is also for those of the León de Judá Congregation. Hallelujah! We bless you, Lord. we thank you. We glorify you, activate your power in the midst of your people. Activate your power in the midst of your people, Lord. Activate your power. Praise the Lord. Glorify the Lord. Hallelujah! Prophesy in the name of Jesus. Declare the magnificence of God in your life. Exercise your gift of tongue and glorify the name of the Lord.

The gifts are to be exercised, to be used in the name of Jesus. Thank you, we adore you, Lord. Blessed be the name of Jesus.