Honoring of Women

Proverbs 31:1-5 ESV

"What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?

    What are you doing, son of my vows?

Do not give your strength to women,

    your ways to those who destroy kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,

    it is not for kings to drink wine,

    or for rulers to take strong drink,

lest they drink and forget what has been decreed

    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted."

Many of our spiritual leaders within the gatherings of the church today, or within institutional churches, have given themselves over to the intoxication of the lusts of the flesh, and to the poisoning of their minds and bodies with what is immoral, wicked, and dishonoring to God. They have become addicted, though not to wine, necessarily, but to sexual immorality, and/or to sensuality, and/or to the passions and desires of their sinful flesh.

Many of them, too, have become greedy for prestige, popularity, notoriety, acceptance, wealth, and/or for power and control. They have been tempted by the tempter, though not necessarily toward sexual perversion, but towards a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and towards a misrepresentation of what the church, the body of Christ, really is.

So, the “woman” they are following after is Babylon, the Great Prostitute, who is leading many people into spiritual adultery against their Lord. And, they are following her lead, and her example for how to do “church,” and for how to live the Christian life, and for what the gospel truly entails. 

But, she is leading many of our men, and many of our church leaders to follow after a lie of Satan, rather than after the truth of God’s Word. And, so many of them have turned the church upside down, as well as the gospel, and they have turned the church into a marketplace. They have joined themselves with a harlot, and they have unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and they have diluted the gospel to make it less offensive and more appealing to the flesh, so the world will feel at home in their meetings.

So, they are deserting their flocks spiritually and morally, and they are leading many of them astray to the cheap grace gospel which requires no death to sin, no submission to Christ as Lord, and no living to righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit at work within them. 

So, they are dooming their followers to hell. For, many of these leaders are connected to the wrong power source. They are not connected to Almighty God, but to the flesh of humans, and to self, and so they are being led by the flesh and not by the Spirit of God. And, so God is calling out to these leaders, and he is saying, “What are you doing?” This is a wakeup call.

Proverbs 31:10-12, 27-28, 30-31 ESV

"An excellent wife who can find?

    She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

    and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,

    all the days of her life.

"She opens her mouth with wisdom,

    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household

    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

    and let her works praise her in the gates."

During WWII, at least in the USA, since so many men had to go off to war, women had to take their places in the workforce and to do the men’s jobs. Even within evangelical churches, women took to the pulpits because there were not enough men to fill the pulpits in the churches. 

And, that is a picture, I believe, where many women are today, having to fill the spiritual roles in the family and in the churches that were meant for the men to fill, but that many men are not filling because they are at war with God in their souls. They are intoxicated with all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life (1 John 2:16). But, they are not on fire for the Lord or living in submission to his will.

So, God is calling many women into his workforce, perhaps in positions which would normally be filled by men, and he is doing this because there are women who are listening to him, and who are following his lead, and who are walking in the fear of the Lord, and who truly want what is best for their husbands, and their children, and for their church family, too.

These are women whose hearts are given over to the Lord to follow the Lord wherever he leads them, whom he is using to speak words of wisdom, and to teach the kindnesses of God, and to look well to the ways of their children and their grandchildren, too, and to the ways of the body of Christ, as well. 

For, it isn’t just the men in the church who are supposed to help build up the body of Christ to maturity, but it is the women, too. We are all commanded to encourage one another in the Lord, and to speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. We all have a part in the body which we are to fill for the nurturing and the strengthening and encouragement of one another. And, we have all been gifted with Spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ till we all reach unity in the faith with Christ.

But, I am not promoting mutiny here or the usurping of authority over men. I believe women are to be in submission to the men who are in leadership over them, but only as unto the Lord, not as unto the flesh. We should never submit to sin or to compromising our faith or to diluting the gospel of Christ. We should never deny our Lord or disobey him in order to obey humans.

But, since so many men within our households and within the gatherings of the church have gone AWOL, spiritually speaking; and since the church overall is on such a massive spiritual decline, and the gospel is taking a massive hit, as well; and since lies are prevailing, and the lies are gaining much ground, and the truth is under fire big time, God is calling many women to do what he originally called the men to do, I believe, and that is to speak out on these issues, and to confront the lies, and to tell the truth, and to call the church to repentance, and to warn of divine judgment, too. 

And, they are obeying the Lord in doing this, not because they want to usurp authority over men, which they are not doing, hopefully, but because they walk in the fear of the Lord, and they love their Lord and their husbands and their children and grandchildren, and because they love God’s people and the people of this world, and they want to see people saved from their sins and walking in victory over darkness and in pure fellowship with their Lord.

A Biblical Illustration

And, I can’t think of a better illustration of this than the story in Luke 7 of the woman, who had had a reputation, entering the house of a Pharisee in order to wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and to wipe them with her hair and to kiss his feet and to anoint them with an alabaster flask of ointment. 

The Pharisee was critical of the woman, probably because of her reputation, but perhaps because she was also a woman. And, Jesus knew what he was thinking or what he was whispering underneath his breath. 

So, Jesus spoke to Simon, the Pharisee, through a parable, in which he illustrated for him that those who have had a greater debt, who have sinned perhaps more greatly than others, when truly forgiven by the Lord, and set free by his grace, will love him more than the one who had sinned less or perhaps not in such disreputable ways as this woman.

But, it is not that part of the story that stands out to me the most here. It is the part where Jesus comes to the defense of the woman and he honors her for what she did for her Lord out of love for him, even though she met with disapproval by this Pharisee. 

Jesus let this Pharisee know that this woman, whom Simon despised, and who he considered to be less than him, had actually done for the Lord what Simon, the Pharisee, should have done but did not do. There were three specific ways in which she honored the Lord that was the responsibility of the host to do, but he did not do. And, then he ended it by saying that, although she had sinned much, the Lord forgave her sins, because she loved much. But, he said, “But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

My takeaway from this story is that this is a picture of how our Lord honors people, in general, who love him like this woman did, but it is also a picture of how much he honors women, too, and how valuable they are to him in ministry, too. For, he said that in the last days his sons and daughters will prophesy, and he gifted women with the gift of prophecy, too. 

But, I am not speaking of adding on to scripture here, or of predicting the future, but I am speaking of the New Testament gift of prophecy which is used for the building up of the body of Christ in faith, and for the encouragement (urging, motivating, stirring up, and arousing) of the body of Christ to holy living. 

A person with this gift has a keen awareness of the times in which we now live, and of the implications of those influences on the church, and of not following our Lord in obedience. This spiritual gift of prophecy helps us to apply the scriptures to where we live, in our culture today, but not by blending in with the culture, but by coming out and being separate. And, a person with this gift has a burden to warn of God’s judgment and of the need for us to repent of our sins and to walk with our Lord in obedience.

And, so God is raising up many women, but men, too, to speak his messages to his wayward church, warning of divine judgment, calling for repentance, exposing the lies that are going on in the name of God, and proclaiming the truth. 

And, this is because they love their Lord, and they are willing to do what he says and to say what he wants them to say. And, so he is giving honor to them by calling them to this ministry, too, because they love him, and because they love their fellow humans, too, and they want to see them be free of their slavery to sin and to walk in holiness with God.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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Christian Ministry

Christian ministry has its purpose

To incite God’s people to reason

And to understand God’s leading

In and out of every season

Gifts are given to each one of us

Of the Holy Spirit they are given

So we would encourage everyone

Whose sins, by God’s grace, are forgiven

And God has assignments for us all

Within the body of Christ, each one,

To minister God’s love and mercy

And the gospel of His Only Son

And one another we’re to exhort 

Who’re our Christian sisters and brothers

So none of us falls captive to sin

Not follows the gospel of another

An Original Work / December 14, 2022

Faithful to His Design

Joel 2:28-29

“And it shall come to pass afterward,

    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

    your old men shall dream dreams,

    and your young men shall see visions.

Even on the male and female servants

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

I was on Twitter one night and I saw that a man had written a blog post titled, “Did Paul Tell Women to ‘Shut Up’ in Church?” My husband and I were in our vehicle driving someplace, so I asked if he would be interested in me reading it aloud, and he said, “Yes,” so I read aloud the entire article.

I can’t say that I agreed with the author in entirety, so I am not pushing his article here. But, I believe he made some valid points, and it got me thinking again about this subject. Then, this morning, my passage of Scripture was in Joel 2, so I knew the Lord was directing me to write on this subject of the silencing of women in the church.

The Day of Pentecost

Jesus had died on the cross, had risen from the dead, had ascended to the Father in heaven, and now he had sent his promised Holy Spirit to indwell and to empower his followers, both men and women. When the men and women were filled with the Holy Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost, they began to speak in other known languages as the Spirit gave them utterance.

A multitude gathered, and they were bewildered by what they were hearing, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. Some of them wanted to know what this meant, while others mocked Christ’s followers, saying that they were drunk with wine. But Peter said they were not drunk, but that what they were seeing take place was what Joel had prophesied (see Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:1-21).

So, what Peter was saying is that, on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled Jesus’ followers, both men and women, both men and women prophesied, not in the sense of future telling, but in the sense of speaking the words of the Lord to the people so that about three thousand people were saved that day. And, they prophesied in mixed company of both men and women.

So, if it was the Lord’s design and will for him to pour out his Spirit on both men and women and that they would both prophesy, in mixed company, then why all of a sudden would the Lord put the smack down on women prophesying, telling them that they had to “shut up,” basically?

“I Have no Need of You!”

So, when the leaders of the church put the smack down on women and they tell them they must keep their mouths shut, aren’t they, indeed, telling the women they have no need of them? And, didn’t Paul say in 1 Corinthians 12 that we are not to say that to another member of the body of Christ?

So, what is the purpose of spiritual gifts, and who determines who gets which gifts? “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” So, who is the “common”? It is for the whole church. And, it is the Holy Spirit who decides who gets which gifts, and obviously it was intended that both men and women should prophesy.

Also, the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 continues by telling us that we are all one body. We are not to be divided male and female. God’s Spirit is poured out on us equally. And, it is God who arranges the members in the body, each one of them, as he chooses, not as we choose.

When Each Part is Working Properly

It is the responsibility of the pastors and elders within the local congregations of believers in Jesus to equip ALL the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we ALL attain unity of the faith, and until we ALL reach maturity in Christ, so that we do not remain spiritual infants who may easily be swayed by various teachings of men in their deceitful scheming.

So, this means that we ALL are to minister to the body of Christ toward the goal of maturity in Christ so that we are not swayed by various teachings of men in their deceitful scheming. So, we ALL are to speak the truth in love to one another, that we may all grow up (reach maturity) in every way into Christ, who is our head. And, this is the clincher here:

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:16)

Do you see what this is saying here? We are ALL necessary to the proper working of the whole body of Christ. We each have a part which we supply to the whole body. We are all necessary to the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ and to seeing that we are not led astray by various winds of doctrine of people in their deceitful scheming.

The Silencing of Women

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 KJV

When we want to understand the meaning of a Scripture, first we look at the context, and we also compare Scripture with Scripture. So, we are going to follow the same rule here.

In 1 Corinthians 12, there is no prohibition against women regarding gifts and ministries within the church, neither is there in Ephesians 4, nor in Acts 2 nor in Joel 2. 

The main prohibition against women in ministry within the church that I see throughout the New Testament is that women are not to be in authority over men nor are they to teach them in a way in which they are in authority over them, as though they can exercise church discipline over them. I agree!

So, what’s the deal here with the silencing of women in the churches? Let’s look at the context, which is about order within the gatherings of the church. The main subject being discussed in 1 Corinthians 14 is speaking in tongues versus prophesying. And, I want us to look at the subject of prophesying.

We are encouraged here (all of us) to desire spiritual gifts, especially that we would prophesy, which isn’t just future telling, but which is sharing the word of God in a way that is practical and applicable to our individual lives, to the church, and to the world we live in today.

So, what is the purpose of prophecy? The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who prophesies builds up the church. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. Prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. Let all things be done for building up. (1 Corinthians 14)

So, the purpose of prophecy is the same purpose as is mentioned in Ephesians 4, which is for the church to be built up in the faith to maturity in Christ. So, then, how can a woman use her gift of prophecy for the building up of the body of Christ if she has to remain silent in the gatherings of the body of Christ?

Again, let’s look at the context of 1 Corinthians 14. It is talking about order. And, it says that God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, and that is why we were given all these instructions on how the gift of tongues was supposed to work, and how the gift of prophecy was to work, too.

Thus, it says that they are to let two or three prophets speak, and they were to let the others weigh what was said. So, if one is talking, and a revelation is made to another, the first was to be silent (same as with the women), for they were to prophesy one by one. Again, this is about order, and it is about dispelling the confusion that was taking place.

Okay, now pay attention to the wording in verses 34-35. The women were not permitted to speak. Why? They were to be in submission. So, this would imply that their speaking (talking, chattering) was out of submission to authority, i.e. that they were disrupting the order of the meetings by their talking. 

Then, it says that if they are wanting to learn something, they are to ask their husbands at home. Now, this was not suggesting that they couldn’t learn anything in the gatherings of the meetings, but it is suggesting that they were asking questions, and talking out of turn, and so they were being instructed to not disrupt the gatherings with their questions but to ask their husbands when they got home. This makes sense.

For, the chapter ends with these words: “But all things should be done decently and in order.” 

And, that is the object of these instructions. It is not to put the smack down on women and telling them that they are not allowed to speak at all in the gatherings of the church, for if they have the gift of prophecy, it is for the church as a whole, and it is for the building up of the body of Christ as a whole. And, we are not to tell a part of the body, “I have no need of you.”

So, if the church is gathering together, and the body is working as it ought, where each part has something to share with the other parts, and permission is given to a part to speak, whether male or female, then the gathering is orderly, and the part (male or female) is in submission to those over him or her. 

And, the daughters of God are, thus, allowed to prophesy as God designed for them to do, so all is well, and the congregation is being encouraged and built up to maturity in Christ and to unity in the faith.

God is With Us

An Original Work / June 11, 2019

Based off Psalm 46

God’s our refuge. He is our strength,

A present help to us when in pain.

Therefore, we will not be afraid,

Although the earth beneath us gives way.

Though the mountains be moved to the sea,

Roaring waters abound so free,

And the mountains now tremble so,

We will not fear, God is near, we know.

God is with us and He makes glad

The hearts of all who to Christ have fled.

Christ is in us, so we’ll not fall

When on our Savior our hearts do call.

God will help us, as mornings arise,

To be faithful to His design.

Nations raging, and tempers flare.

Our God is with us. We know He cares.

Come and see the works of the Lord.

He’s armed for battle with His great sword.

He’s the Word, and He is the Life.

He gives us strength in all of our strife.

Be still and know that He is our God.

He’s exalted where’er He trods.

The Lord Almighty, with us still;

The God of Jacob, our citadel. 

https://vimeo.com/341717561

Your Servant Witness

This song is a prayer of petition to my Lord. It is a prayer seeking his face, his guidance and his counsel. It asks of the Lord that I may listen to him, and that I may follow Him in truth. I ask that He gently lead me in His service, and that He guide my steps and give me strength. I want to be filled with his love and mercy, and for that love and mercy to spill over into my relationships with the people in my life, and the people I meet face to face on a daily basis. 

My heart’s desire is that I would always be willing and ready to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to not shrink back when given the opportunity. I want to show God’s love to people in caring for their needs, too. Most of all, and this is all encompassing, I want to be like Jesus in all that I do, think and say. I want Him to always be King of my heart and for me to follow him in complete obedience wherever He leads me. 

Your Servant Witness  

An Original Work / March 13, 2012

Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,

Bringing my requests to You.

May I listen; hear You speaking.

May I follow You in truth.

Gently lead me in Your service.

Guide my steps and strengthen me.

Fill me with Your love and mercy.

May I live for Thee!

Let me be Your servant witness,

Telling others of Your grace.

May I always share the gospel

With those I meet face to face.

May I show the love of Jesus,

Caring for the needs of men;

Be Your servant witness always

For my Lord, Amen!

My desire to be like Jesus,

Living for Him ev’ry day.

May I obey all His teachings

Given me, so I’ll not stray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.

You are the King of my heart;

Follow You where’er You lead me;

Not from You depart! 

https://vimeo.com/125493983 

The One Who Prophesies

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.” (1 Corinthians 14:1-5 ESV)

The ”love” that we are being called upon here to pursue is not human love, not of the flesh, but it is agape love, which is of God, and which means to prefer, specifically to prefer what God prefers. So, as followers of Christ, we prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. And we prefer all that is holy, just, morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So we will do good to others, and not deliberate and habitual evil, when we love them with this agape love.

Now the gifts of the Spirit are given to all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit gives them to each one of us as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). But we are to earnestly desire the gifts of the Spirit and to not reject nor neglect them out of fear of them. And Paul said here that we should especially earnestly desire that we may prophesy. And that may seem strange to us if we only think of prophecy in terms of foretelling future events. But, in context, we will learn it has another meaning.

The word “prophecy” means to “speak forth in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling.” What Paul is indicating here is the “forthtelling” which reveals the mind (message) of God in a particular situation. It has to do with us being messengers of God in getting out his messages to the people. It is taking the teachings of the Scriptures and making them relevant to what is going on in our world and in the church today, and giving out the messages that are most needed in these critical times we are in right now.

Notice with me the character traits of prophecy that Paul mentioned here: 

• The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

• The one who prophesies builds up the church.

• The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

• In church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

• Prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

• Let all things be done for building up.

See 1 Corinthians 14:1-26

What is the key word or phrase here? It is “for building up.” So, what does that mean? 

It includes encouragement, consolation, and instruction. “Encouragement,” though, is not just all the feel-good stuff. Another word for this is “edification” which involves “constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be the suitable dwelling place of God.” And encouragement is a “summons, exhortation, entreaty” and “holy urging,” as well as it is joy, gladness, and comfort. And this “holy urging” “is used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out his plan.” So it can refer to exhortation, warning, and encouragement. (Bible Hub interlinear)

Basically, much of it is what all believers in Jesus Christ are instructed in the Scriptures to do in ministry to one another within the body of Christ. For all of us are to show to one another family-type affection, sympathy, comfort from agape love, like-mindedness (with Christ first, then with each other), caring for one another’s needs, and praying for one another, each ministering to one another in the areas of giftedness we have been given of the Spirit, and in the areas of ministry assigned to us by God.

And we are not to be in competition with one another, thinking that we are less if we don’t have certain gifts, or telling other members of the body of Christ that we don’t need or want them, for all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body of Christ. But we do have to be followers of Christ who are not living in sin but who are walking in obedience to our Lord if we are going to be able to minister to one another within the body of Christ in the way in which God designed for us all to operate.

And all of us are to be speaking the truth in love to one another so that none of us are led astray by every wind of doctrine coming from people in their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming. And this is also so that we will all grow to maturity in Christ and be encouraged (exhorted) in our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord as each body part is working properly. And we are to be teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom and to be exhorting one another daily so we aren’t hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

But for it to be prophesying and not just the body of Christ ministering to one another in these various ways, although this should be true of all Christian ministry, we must be led of the Holy Spirit in what to do and in what to say and in what messages to give to whom and when. And the messages should be relevant to what is going on in our lives and in the church and in our nations and in the world today, just like the messages were to the Christians in the times of the writings of the New Testament.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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Faith, Hope, and Love Abide

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-13 ESV)

It is important here, for correct biblical interpretation, to understand that this word “love” is agape love, which is a love centered in moral preference, for this is the love that is of God and comes from God, which prefers what God prefers. And what does God prefer? He prefers all that is godly, holy, righteous, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to him. So, for the believer in Christ, this means to prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power and strength.

And why is that important? Well, for one, human love does end, and that is why we have so many people who divorce their spouses or who cheat on them and lie to them and who do evil against them behind their backs. And this is because human love is based in our emotions which can fluctuate and which can change course and which can die off and go away, too. And that is because human love is of the flesh and is often dependent on circumstances, whereas agape love continues regardless of the circumstances.

Agape continues to love even when we are hated and mistreated. Agape continues to love regardless of whether or not others love us in return. And this is why we are able to love our enemies, like Jesus did, despite what they do to us. But human love is based in our emotions, and in the ones being loved, and in our circumstances, all of which fluctuate. But there are people who love with human love, and who endure much, but who continue to be faithful in loving others despite how they are treated in return.

Now, this next part I believe is misunderstood and misinterpreted by some groups of people today who hold to a particular religious philosophy. For there are groups of people who believe that some of the spiritual gifts have already passed away, in particular the gifts of tongues and prophecy and miracles, i.e. all those that cannot be done in the natural, realistically, but only in the power of the Spirit, although many are faking them. For these gifts are much harder to manage and to control and to discern.

Realistically speaking, however, there is much abuse of these gifts in the world today, and so I believe some groups of people have chosen to disregard those particular gifts because they are harder to manage and to control, and they absolutely can get out of hand. But so can all the gifts, if truth be told. I mean, take the gifts of teaching and preaching, for example. How many teachers and preachers today are teaching what is not biblical and what is twisted truth for the purpose to deceive? Many!

But what is the real point of what this passage of Scripture is teaching? Well the foundational teaching here is that the gifts of the Spirit must be accompanied by agape love or they are pointless. Now I have always wondered here how people can even operate in these gifts, if they truly are of the Spirit, in the power of the Spirit, and not do so in love. For if they are powered by the Spirit, the Spirit is love. If the Spirit is the one leading and guiding us in what to say and do, won’t it be done in agape love?

So I guess the bottom line here is really that we can be gifted in particular areas of ministry but if we do not love others with this agape love then we gain nothing. But we must always remember that this love is the love that comes from God and so it will love as God loves. And God loves us enough, not only to give us joy and comfort and encouragement, but also to rebuke us when we need it, and to warn us, and to urge (exhort) us to remain faithful to him and to no longer walk in sin. But this must be done in love.

So now the passage of Scripture is comparing this agape love with spiritual gifts, and it is showing us the imperfect part of the spiritual gifts in that, because we live on this earth and in flesh bodies, we only know and we only prophesy (proclaim God’s word, his messages) in part. For right now, on this earth, we only see in a mirror dimly. None of us knows everything, even if some people think that they do. Right now we only know in part, but one day, when Jesus returns, we will know fully when we see him face to face.

For when this says that we only know in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away, this is speaking of Jesus Christ and his return. For he was the only perfect one to walk this earth, and God is the only one who is absolutely perfect. When Jesus returns, and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, this is when the spiritual gifts, which were only necessary for when we walked this earth, will go away. But agape love will never go away because God is love and he is going nowhere!

And then we have the encouragement here toward spiritual maturity and toward seeing things from God’s perspective and not from the perspective of our own human thinking and reasoning. When we were children, we spoke like children, and we thought like children, and we reasoned like children (the immature). But when we become followers of Jesus Christ we are to be those who are growing in maturity and in our walks of faith and who should no longer act like we did as children, but who should act with maturity.

And all this is in the context of agape love and the importance of us exercising this agape love along with the ministering of the gifts of the Spirit. So this must also include us behaving and thinking and speaking like the spiritually mature and not like the childish who want their own way. And this entails us seeing things from God’s perspective, and the study of the Scriptures in their context, so that we are being diligent to make certain that what we are teaching is the truth, and not the lies, as far as we know.

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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Your Desire is My Desire

Your desire is my desire.

You have set my heart on fire.

Your love leads me, follow You,

Faithful be, my witness true.

Give all of I have to You,

Loyalty to You is due.

Walk with You throughout the day

As I bow my heart and pray.

Need Your grace to give me power

To walk with You in this hour.

Troubles wait me round the corner 

From those who defy Your borders.

Witness truly, truth to tell

To those who head straight to hell.

Teach them to repent, obey,

Follow Jesus every day.

Bless those who will persecute.

Love them truly. Do not shoot!

Pray for them, to them be kind,

So that God’s grace they will find.

Do not shrink back, persevere.

Let the truth of Christ be heard.

Speak the truth, it’s needed much.

Don’t get caught in “such and such”.

Many teaching lies to people

So that they will be their sheeple.

Teaching them to not repent,

From their sins to not relent.

Spiritual warfare now aflame,

People now remaining same,

Need revival, change of hearts,

Who from Jesus not depart.

An Original Work / July 17, 2022