So, after my initial post about spiritual gifts the other day, I now find myself in a more difficult place. I spent a lot of time expanding upon what they ARE NOT….with little bits & pieces of what THEY ARE and a promise to go into more detail about that. It’s always easier to complain than it is to offer constructive solutions; and as a friend told me just this morning after reading it, it’s a very big subject to tackle. Which is why I’m going to take it in bite sized pieces. I think it would be helpful to start with the big picture, and work forward from there…both figuratively and literally. Literally working forward because it all starts way back in the beginning.
In the beginning, God was with Adam & Eve in the garden. I’m not going to spend time speculating about exactly what that looked like, but we can just say that they were in each other’s presence constantly and knew each other very well…closer than the closest relationship in your life. After sin & separation, everything changed and God was relatively distant. Throughout Biblical history, we see His interactions with people contained in relationships with a very limited number of people – both men & women – into whom He placed “His Spirit.” These relationships changed the trajectory of these peoples’ lives, and they served as God’s representatives on earth. With the exception of these special few, no one else had access to God. Their lot was to connect with the spokesmen, who served as intermediaries.
- Abraham was the man of faith who listened to God and led his clan to obey commands they never heard for themselves.
- Moses was God’s executor of salvation for the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, then His mouthpiece for the Law.
- (I could go on & on, but for simplicity) The Judges like Samson & Deborah, the Prophets like Elijah & Isaiah, the Kings & Priests, etc.
The point is that God’s Spirit wasn’t available to people in general; He was distant, known by just a few. This all changed dramatically with Jesus! Do you remember what happened at the moment Jesus died on the cross?
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:50-54)
Yeah, so I’m not going to get into rocks splitting in two, an earthquake, and people rising from the dead, but did you notice the curtain in the temple being torn in two? That’s very significant. There hasn’t been a temple in Jerusalem since it was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans; but at the time of Jesus, the Temple was the central location of God’s presence on earth. Multitudes of priests & assistants carried out all kinds of holy activities there, but only one person was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies on one day of the year. That special room was surrounded by a thick curtain, and in it was the Ark of the Covenant (think Raiders of the Lost Ark). The Chief Priest would go into that room on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) with the blood of the sacrifice to make atonement for all the sins of all the people. So, we see that an intermediary was required between God and His people. So when Jesus succeeded with His “once and for all” atonement on behalf of all mankind, the Hand of God tears the curtain from top to bottom and shortly thereafter a new age of the Holy Spirit begins…
”In the past God spoke to our (the Jews) ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)
“This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3-4)
“In my former book…” [the Gospel of Luke] “… I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:1-5)
“’God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:32-33, 38-39)
The Holy Spirit was now available to all people everywhere! If that doesn’t put goose-bumps all over you, I don’t know what will! This is bigger than winning the lottery or inheriting a Caribbean island! This is EVERYTHING! God is now accessible to all people…which is why we often talk about having a “personal relationship with God.” Scripture teaches that He knows us inside & out, knows our thoughts before we think them, sees our future and guides us toward our destiny, and dwells inside of each follower of Jesus with comfort and POWER! This revolutionizes how we interact with Him, both individually and corporately. We no longer need priests and holy buildings and rituals to cleanse us and make us holy…Jesus took care of that already, and as His people we have His Spirit literally living in us and animating us to be part of His ongoing work in the world! If this looks different than the brand of Christianity you’re familiar with – if this sounds really foreign to you – then you may be more influenced by manmade religious traditions & myths than the true Church launched by Jesus and His early followers.
Here’s a working definition for SPIRITUAL GIFTS that I’ll be working on for the next few weeks.
Spiritual Gifts are the multi-faceted expression of the power of God working in and through all followers of Jesus everywhere…
…to maintain intimacy with Him and know His will
…to understand their identity as part of His continued presence in the world…
…to recognize His initiatives and be committed to carrying-out their portion of it…
…all in the context of committed relationships
More next week…..
