DAY 25

“You name it, I don’t want to wait for it. But waiting is part of praying, and praying is a form of waiting. Prayer will sanctify our waiting, so we wait with holy expectancy. And waiting doesn’t delay God’s plans and purposes. It always expedites them. ”

- Mark Batterson

TODAYS READING: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

PRAYER: "God, as I open myself up to you in these moments to read this passage fresh and anew, I ask that you reveal to me that which you would have me learn today. Help me see. More than that, I pray for transformation as I take what you show me and apply it to my life. Amen."

PART 1

There was a time in the history of the so-called charismatic movement when the most controversial and divisive topic was that of speaking in tongues. Not anymore. That’s not to say everyone agrees on the subject of tongues. Far from it. But the most volatile issue today, and probably for the past 30 or so years, is the spiritual gift of prophecy. So what is the spiritual gift of prophecy?

When I use the word prophecy I’m not referring primarily to the prediction of future events. A simple definition would be that prophecy is the human report of a divine revelation (adapted from Wayne Grudem). Prophecy is the speaking forth in merely human words something God has spontaneously brought to mind.

I can almost hear someone say, “But Sam, if this spiritual gift is so controversial and divisive, why don’t we ignore it and move on to something more helpful, something that won’t threaten people or make them feel uncomfortable?” That’s a good question. And I’ve got an even better answer. It’s found here in 1 Corinthians 14:1 –

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

I imagine quite a few of you are debating whether or not to make the pursuit of the spiritual gift of prophecy a priority in your in life. And I am here today to tell you that you don’t have a choice! “Earnestly desire spiritual gifts,” commanded the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “especially that you may prophesy.” Paul didn’t simply say that we ought to think about desiring to prophesy or that we should put it on our list of possible issues to discuss. He commanded us to earnestly desire to prophesy!

In other words, this is an exhortation, an imperative, a command, not merely a statement of fact. In 1 Corinthians 12:31 Paul says, “earnestly desire” the higher gifts. The verb translated "earnestly (or eagerly) desire" (zeloute) is grammatically ambiguous (it can be either indicative [a statement of fact] or imperative [a command]). A few insist it is merely a statement characterizing the behavior of the Corinthians, hence "you are eager for the higher gifts." In other words, they take it to be a statement of fact concerning a state of affairs, not an exhortation to future action.

But the Corinthians were not, in fact, seeking the greater/higher gifts. That was precisely their problem. They were placing far more emphasis on the gift of tongues, making it a mark of spirituality. In fact, the whole of chapter 14 is Paul’s attempt to encourage them to seek prophecy rather than uninterpreted tongues precisely because it is the greater gift insofar as it edifies others.

Also, the same verb form appears here in 1 Corinthians 14:1 and again in 14:39 and is in both texts unambiguously imperative (i.e., a command). It is difficult to believe that the same verb, in the same form, in the same context, would be used by Paul in two entirely different ways without some hint or contextual clue to that effect.

Consider also 14:12 where Paul writes, "So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts [referring to their collective enthusiasm for tongues], seek [imperative] to abound for the edification of the church [in particular, the gift of prophecy, as the context demands].

I’ve often been asked, “What should be done when people begin to grow in their zeal for spiritual gifts like prophecy? What should be said when people are increasingly hungry for the manifestation of the Spirit’s power? What should our response be when Christians display a persistent and intense desire for the supernatural work of the Spirit in their lives and in the life of the church?” If you listen closely, you will detect behind that question a measure of fear. There is concern that people who yearn for the ministry and power of the Spirit are turning soft on doctrine or may be inclined to neglect spiritual disciplines, or perhaps they long for the miraculous as an excuse for ignoring Bible study and evangelism and prayer.

How do you think the apostle Paul would respond to such a question, especially if the people who have this desire for spiritual gifts have already shown themselves to be somewhat immature? I want us to think about this in the light of what Paul said to the Christians in Corinth. To a body of believers given to excess and immaturity, Paul said: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

To those who are eagerly hungry and zealous for the power of the Holy Spirit and his gifts, especially prophecy, Paul says: “Good! God bless you! Go for it!”

In addition to the command in 1 Corinthians 14:1, we read in v. 5 that Paul wants all “to prophesy”. In 14:12 he acknowledges that the Corinthians “are eager for manifestations of the Spirit” and encourages them to strive to excel in building up the church. The argument of chapter 14 would indicate that this is his way of encouraging the pursuit of prophecy, given its capacity to edify others in the body (14:3,4,5). Again in 14:12 and 14:39 Paul explicitly commands the Corinthians to desire and pursue the gift of prophecy.

The verb translated “earnestly desire” (ESV) means to have a strong affection for, to ardently yearn, to zealously long for. Or to use modern lingo, “I want you to want it really bad!” So, do you? This is not an option! This is not an issue of personality, as if some are more inclined than others to experience this kind of spiritual phenomenon. This is not an issue of “It’s for that church but not this one. After all, we’ve got our mission statement and they’ve got theirs. If that’s what God is calling them to pursue, fine, but we have a different divine mandate.”

You cannot respond to Paul’s words in this passage by saying: “Thanks God, but no thanks. I appreciate the opportunity you’ve offered me, but it’s just not my thing, if you know what I mean.” God, through Paul, says: “Yes I know what you mean. And I’m telling you to make it your thing! Or would you prefer to sin by disobeying a direct order?”

All churches, no matter how different they may be, have an identical mandate when it comes to obeying Scripture. No one is exempt or special or unique in such a way that they can justify disobedience to God’s Word. This is not a suggestion or mere advice or wise counsel. This is a divine command, a mandate from God himself. If you and I are not earnestly desiring spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, we are disobedient.

This is not an issue for prayer. You do not respond to this passage by saying, “Well, ok, I’ll pray about it.” No. You don’t pray about whether or not you are going to obey God. God is not giving us a choice. He’s giving us a command. The only choice you have is whether or not you are going to obey.

Can you imagine the reaction if we responded to other commands in Scripture the way many respond to 1 Corinthians 14:1? “I don’t feel led to flee fornication. I think that’s meant for other Christians but I don’t sense that’s my calling.” Or “The prohibition against adultery just isn’t compatible with where I am in God right now,” or “Being a generous giver to the needy is a wonderful calling for some churches, but we’re just not into that sort of thing at this stage of our growth as a church.”

Therefore, it is not enough to be open to spiritual gifts and their operation in the local church. One must be zealous for them and earnestly desire their presence, especially the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1, 12, 26).

Having said that, I confess that I’m somewhat confused by Paul’s advice. I could understand this exhortation if it were given to a church with undeniable maturity, a church like that in Thessalonica or Philippi or Ephesus. To a church with great character and in need of power, this exhortation makes sense. But Corinth was a church with great power and little character!

This counsel of Paul’s strikes us as odd, unwise, if not downright dangerous. To the very people guilty of abusing spiritual gifts, Paul says be eager for more! Is he not simply pouring gasoline on a raging fire? If a man is drowning you don’t throw him a life jacket filled with lead. You don’t say to a struggling alcoholic, “Hey buddy, have a drink!”

What this reveals is that suppression of spiritual zeal is never the answer. Too much power is never the problem, but too little maturity is. I know of no place in Scripture where the absence of spiritual power is portrayed as a good thing. Observe what Paul does not say: “Settle down Corinthians. Cool it! Put on the brakes! Ease up on this supernatural stuff. Forget about spiritual gifts. Don’t you realize that spiritual gifts are what got you into trouble in the first place?”

The reason he doesn’t say that is because spiritual gifts were not the cause of their troubles: immaturity and carnality were. Let us never forget that spiritual gifts were God’s idea. He thought them up. He gave them to the church. They are his ordained means for edifying the body and consoling the weak and encouraging those in despair. Spiritual gifts were formed and shaped by God. They operate in his power (1 Corinthians 12:6b) and manifest his Spirit (12:7). If spiritual gifts, per se, are the problem, then there’s no one to blame but God. If spiritual gifts had been responsible for the fanaticism, elitism, and overall chaotic atmosphere in the church, Paul would hardly have encouraged them to earnestly desire even more that such gifts be manifest in their midst.

Some have pointed out, correctly, that the exhortation to "earnestly desire" spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1) is in the plural. But they conclude from this, incorrectly, that Paul’s command is therefore directed not to individual believers but to the corporate church. They argue that this is grounds for rejecting the idea that individual Christians should seek any spiritual gift.

But of course the verb is plural, as are virtually all Paul's commands in letters other than those addressed to individuals (such as Philemon, Titus, and Timothy). Paul is writing to everyone in the church at Corinth, each of whom is responsible for individually responding to an exhortation that has validity for the entire church. In other words, what is the corporate church if not a collection of individuals on each of whom the obligation falls? The plural of this exhortation simply indicates that all believers in Corinth are to heed the apostolic admonition. It is a duty common to everyone. That includes us as well.

I can well imagine someone in Corinth (or today) responding to this attempt to evade Paul’s obvious intent by saying: “How can we as a church pursue spiritual gifts if none of us as individuals is allowed to?”

Part 2 - Tomorrow

MEET US TONIGHT @ KRC or on Livestream, 7pm.

krctoday.org