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Spiritual Gifts

Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Part 14 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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1. “I’m pretty new to this ’spiritual gifts’ stuff. How can I begin to experience spiritual gifts?”
If you’ve been a Christian for a while, even a short while, and if you’ve done any kind of ministry, you’ve […]

Spiritual Gifts and the Priority of Love

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Part 13 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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If you want to grow in your experience of spiritual gifts, Paul urges you to eagerly seek those gifts that build up the body of Christ. But, you’ll recall, that’s not all he says: “Pursue love,” he […]

Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 5

Monday, November 24th, 2008

Part 12 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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Yesterday I began commenting on the closing verses of 1 Corinthians 14:
So, brothers and sisters, keep on eagerly desiring to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But let all things be done decently and in […]

Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 4

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Part 11 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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So far we’ve been learning from 1 Corinthians 14 how to use spiritual gifts in ministry. All of us need to focus on loving and on building up the body of Christ. Each one of us needs […]

Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 3

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Part 10 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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According to biblical teaching on spiritual gifts, each and every Christian should expect to be gifted by the Spirit for ministry. This should be true every time the church gathers together. But, as I mentioned in my […]

Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 2

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

Part 9 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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So far we have seen that if we want to receive spiritual gifts, we should focus, not on the gifts or on our experiences, but on loving others and building up the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts […]

Practical Instruction on the Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 1

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Part 8 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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Desiring Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 14 provides practical instruction on the use of spiritual gifts. Even though a substantial portion of the chapter deals with the specific problem of inappropriate tongue-speaking among the Corinthians, much in Paul’s discussion […]

All Gifts Matter to the Body of Christ

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Part 7 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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After beginning his correction of Corinthian abuses by outlining the nature of spiritual gifts, Paul proceeds to an extensive discussion of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-27). Because I have written about this […]

When and How Do We Receive Spiritual Gifts?

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Part 6 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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You may be wondering why I am spending so much time in this series on clarifying the nature of spiritual gifts. I am doing so because I believe that a correct understanding will lead us into greater […]

Spiritual Gifts as “Momentary Empowerments” for Ministry

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Part 5 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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In my last post in this series I sought to define spiritual gifts as they are explained in 1 Corinthians 12-14. I suggested the following definition:
Spiritual gifts are momentary empowerments provided by the Spirit to promote the […]

Defining “Spiritual Gifts”

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

Part 4 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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In my last post I asked the question: What are spiritual gifts? I explained that Paul does not define the phrase “spiritual gifts” in his writings. In fact, the phrase “spiritual gift” (charisma pneumatikon) does not actually […]

The Ministry of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Part 3 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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So far in this series on Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ, I’ve explained that the Holy Spirit is like a bodybuilder who seeks to build up the body of Christ. The Spirit does this, in […]

The Abuse of Spiritual Experiences in Corinth . . . and Today

Friday, November 7th, 2008

Part 2 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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In my last post I introduced the bodybuilding work of the Spirit. The church, as the body of Christ, is shaped and enlarged by the work of the Spirit through ordinary members of the body.
This bodybuilding work […]

Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ: Introduction

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Part 1 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
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I just recently finished an extended series on the church as the body of Christ. Building on that foundation, I want now to consider the function of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. Little is more […]