“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.”— 1 Corinthians 13:8
I. Believers hear God’s voice in His Word through the Spirit.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”— 1 Corinthians 2:14
“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”— 2 Timothy 2:7
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”— Psalm 119:18
II. Believers have the gifts of the Spirit.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”— 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
- The goal of the gifts is the upbuilding of the church (v. 7).
- There are a variety of gifts but only one Spirit (v. 4-6, 8-10).
- The Spirit is the source and giver of the gifts (v. 11).
- Believers are sealed for eternity by the Spirit.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”— John 10:27-28
“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”— Ephesians 1:13-14
Application Questions:
- Where are you aware of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in your life, in your family, and in your church?
- Are you sensitive to the Spirit’s promptings and convictions throughout the day? What does this look like?
- What gift of the Holy Spirit do you have and are you using it to edify the church? How do we identify gifts in people and cultivate those gifts?