1 Corinthians 12:7

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.

But to every one of us, grace is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore, He says, when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Now skip down to verse 11. And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Now, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you be ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore, I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of all. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healings by the same Spirit. To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, discerning of spirits. To another, diverse kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these...

Work that the one and the selfsame Spirit divides to every man as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be bond or free, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Father, we ask that You would give us unity here in this place. We know, Lord, that we are one body but many members, and so there's great diversity. Yet, You have brought unity in that diversity. Although we may have different views and opinions about some of the things we discuss in the passage before us, we ask, Lord, that You would help us by Your Spirit to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Lord, we thank You that You have made us one. You have made us a people who were not a people. You have given us mercy and grace. Lord, we praise You today. Use Your word as the perfect tool that it is to transform us. Your word is truth, and it sanctifies us. So we yield to You now as we worship You through the study of Your word. It's in Jesus' name that we pray, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Well, we are still in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and we probably will be for another couple of weeks. We are continuing a series of studies here on the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer, the gifts of the Spirit, an extremely important topic. We have discovered quite a few things as we've been going through this, namely that the Lord has given to each believer His Holy Spirit, and by His Holy Spirit, He has gifted us. We see that in verse 7 of chapter 12: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man," and we see the reason for that, "for the profit of all."

A gift of the Spirit is any ability that the Spirit gives you or me, whereby we express our faith in order to strengthen the faith of another. If you're a Christian, if you have received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, He has given you His Holy Spirit, and therefore...

He has gifted you by His Holy Spirit so that we would be effective in the work that He has called us to. We are one body with many members and a diversity of gifts within each of the members to support the fullness of the work that God wants to do. It is an awesome thing that God does as we function not by our might or by our power, but by His Spirit. God seeks that we would come to the place where we lean completely upon Him and trust completely in Him for Him to work in and through us. Some of that comes as we discover what it is that God has gifted us with.

We have taken the last two studies before this to look at the gifts. There are four different listings in the New Testament of the gifts that God has given to His church. We have discovered that these are not exhaustive lists; they are just selective. In these different listings found in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter chapter 4, God tells us these are certain things that He empowers us with.

A couple of weeks ago and last week, we looked at the gifts of prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, and faith. Last week, we finished with the gifts of healings. Today, we are going to begin with the gift of miracles. If you are taking notes, you may want to jot down in your notes the gift of miracles.

1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 10 identifies this gift. There, Paul says, "to another, the working of miracles." Paul expands upon the gift of miracles, or the working of miracles, in verse 28, where he states that God has set some in the church: first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, and after that, miracles. In verse 29, he asks a few important rhetorical questions: "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?" Of course, the answer to those rhetorical questions is no; not everybody is given the gift of the working of miracles.

However, there are some within the body of Christ who are gifted by God to be a conduit or an instrument through which God accomplishes acts that manifest supernatural power. That is what the gift of miracles is. God, through a human instrument, uses that person as a conduit through which there is...

A manifestation of supernatural power is evident in a number of places in Scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but more so in the New Testament than in the Old. These miracles were very much seen or evidenced in the life and ministry of Jesus, the Messiah. He is the fullness of all these gifts because he is God incarnate. Through him, miracles were performed.

Unfortunately, as a result of these miracles, there were people who followed the ministry of Jesus solely for the signs or the miracles he might perform. There is always that danger. People would come to him and say, "Show us a sign, and we'll believe." He responded by saying, "A wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign, and none shall be given to it." This did not mean that he refrained from performing miracles, but he did not do them on cue just to entertain those around him.

This should be instructive to us because there are people today within the body of Christ who appear to be gifted with the gift of miracles or healings. Oftentimes, we point to healings as miraculous. There are individuals who seem to possess the gift of miracles, and they often present it almost as a show. They travel with their gift of miracles, and everyone is waiting to see that miracle. However, that is not what we see in the New Testament.

It is important for us to understand the concept of miracles as it is revealed in the Scriptures. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 10, 28, and 29, when the word "miracles" is used, it is the Greek word "dunamis." This same Greek word is translated as "power" in Acts chapter 1, verse 8. When Jesus spoke to his disciples just before he ascended into heaven, he said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts." You shall receive power—dunamis.

Interestingly, this very same word "dunamis" is used by Jesus in a significant way in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7. Turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7. This is perhaps one of the heaviest things that Jesus said, at least in my opinion, during his earthly ministry to those gathered to hear him teach. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, beginning at verse 21, he reveals that not everyone who has this...

Dunamis power is a true follower of God. Oftentimes, we point to that and say, "That's a follower of God," if they have this evidence of spiritual power or miraculous power. But notice what Jesus says in Matthew chapter seven, verse 21: "Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father, which is in heaven."

Now get this in verse 22. Many will say to me in that day, speaking of the day of judgment, standing before the Lord, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Have we not cast out demons in your name? And in your name done many wonderful works?" The Greek word for "wonderful" is dunamis, which means miraculous.

What is Jesus's response? In verse 23, He says, "And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, you that practice iniquity." So, there are those who have apparent spiritual power and work what appear to be miracles, yet they are not true followers of God.

Therefore, we are counseled by the Apostle John in 1 John chapter four, verse one, that we should not just blindly accept every miracle-working individual or anyone who apparently has spiritual power. We must test the spirits. John writes, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God." Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

John provides good counsel, but how do we test the spirits? He continues in verse two: "Hereby, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God." This gives us a positive test.

Then he provides a negative test in verse three: "And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God." This is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it shall come, and even now is already in the world.

So, there will be many on the day of Christ who will stand before the Lord, and He will say, "Depart from me; I never knew you."

Knew you, although you did miraculous dunamis, powerful works, because there are false prophets in the world who show forth lying signs and wonders. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew chapter 24 and Mark chapter 13, says that there shall arise false Christs and false prophets. They shall show great signs and wonders, so much so that if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect.

In the last days, there will be people—false Christs and false prophets—who will perform miraculous, powerful, apparent spiritual works that are not of God. They will deceive people through these actions. We are told to test the spirits.

Let me unpack this. Any person who is apparently using a spiritual gift will do so for the glory of God and the edification of the body of Christ. That is really the test. If someone is functioning by the Spirit of God, it will always point to God. It will glorify God and build up the body of Christ. If the gift is being used to glorify the gifted individual or to edify and build up their own ministry, then that person is likely self-willed and not moved by God.

We have a perfect picture of someone who is self-willed and not moved by God in Acts chapter 8. There, we read the story of Simon the magician. He saw the power that the apostles had and went to Peter, saying, "I want to buy that from you. I'd like to purchase that power." Peter turned to him and said, "Your money perish with you. This is not something that can be purchased. You are a self-willed individual." He told Simon to repent, stating that he had been bewitched by this wickedness and foolishness.

However, there is a true and real gift that is miraculous—one that transcends the normal natural laws of our environment. God is fully able to work outside of the norm. Amen? We recognize that He is fully capable of doing this. Jesus healed those who were lame, those who were sick, and those who had leprosy. He raised the dead, walked on water, and spoke, causing the winds and waves of the Sea of Galilee to stop. He fed multitudes. All these things demonstrate His power.

Jesus did manifest His power, and here is something really amazing about that: Jesus' miraculous ministry was given to substantiate His message. The miraculous work that Jesus did was intended to support the message. The Gospel of John provides a perfect picture of this. It is constructed around seven "I Am" statements that Jesus made. Some of them you may remember: Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd," "I am the door," "I am the way, the truth, and the life," "I am the bread of life," and "I am the light of the world." He gives these seven "I Am" statements, including "I am the resurrection and the life." He substantiates His word and proves that His words are true by the works that He did.

In John chapter 8, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world," and in John chapter 9, He gives sight to a blind man. In John chapter 6, He states, "I am the bread of life," and in that passage, He feeds the multitudes. In John chapter 11, He declares, "I am the resurrection and the life," and in that very same chapter, He raises Lazarus from the dead. Do you see how the works proved that the words were true?

In the Gospel of Mark, there is a story where Jesus is preaching in a home filled with people. A group of four men brings someone on a stretcher because this man is paralyzed. They couldn't get to Jesus, so they lower him down through the roof. When Jesus sees this man, He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." However, there was a problem. A group of scribes and Pharisees gathered there began to think in their hearts, "Only God can forgive sin. Who does this man think that He is?"

Jesus perceives their thoughts; He reads their minds. He asks them, "Which do you think is harder for me to say, 'Son, your sins are forgiven' or 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?" Of course, they would have thought it was harder to say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," because that statement would need to be proven by the man actually getting up and walking.

So, Jesus says, "So that you might know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sin," and He looks at the man, saying, "Son, take up your bed and walk." The man gets up and walks out of the room. The work of Jesus proved that the message was true.

I would say, if you want to see God work in miraculous ways, step out by faith into areas where God's word is going for the first time. In frontier missions, miracles are happening today. God still works like this.

He still does these things, but he doesn't do it to just make a circus show. He does it to prove and glorify His power, not the individual who is apparently blessed with the gift of miracles. There is very clearly a gift of miracles in the Scriptures, but there are also false lying signs and wonders that are happening, especially in the last days. We have to be careful. We have to hopefully have the next gift or have within our fellowship people who have this next gift.

If you're taking notes, after miracles comes the discerning of spirits or the distinguishing of spirits. Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 10: "To another is given the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits." This is the ability to clearly discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, to determine whether what is being said or done is of God and His Spirit or of another spirit. We recognize that there is the Holy Spirit of God who works to glorify Himself and to build up the church. There are also other spirits that we are in conflict with as Christians, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places, principalities, and powers.

There's a battle going on. God is of supreme power, and these other spirits also have power. It's not equal to God, but they have power. We need to be able to discern what is true of God and what is false of the enemy.

Now, there's a great picture of this gift being evidenced in Acts chapter 16. In Acts chapter 16, Paul is in the city of Philippi. As he is there, every day he and Silas are going to the marketplace, and there is this servant girl, this slave woman, who is walking next to them and proclaiming, "These are the servants of the Most High God." What she was saying is true, but after a few days, Paul perceived by the discerning of spirits that what she had was not the Spirit of God; she had a false spirit. He commanded that the spirit come out of her, and she was delivered from this demonic possession.

Her masters, because she was a slave, were not too happy about this because prior to that, they had received a lot of money using her for fortune telling. Now they couldn't do that.

By the power of God, a miracle took place, and she is now free from this spirit oppression, this possession. Paul had discernment of spirits. He could say, "Although what you're speaking is true, you have a false spirit." So he said, "Come out of her." She was delivered. Not only Paul, but Jesus, of course, demonstrated this as well. There are several times in the Gospels where we see demon-possessed individuals come into contact with Jesus. What do they profess? "You are Christ." Does He respond by saying, "Yeah, hey, listen to this guy"? No, He cast the demon out of these people. Even though what they were speaking was true, they had a false spirit.

We need people who have the gift of discerning of spirits, the discernment to judge what is true and what is error. Every Christian can work towards recognizing a counterfeit, and the best way to do that is to know the truth. You get to know the Word of God. Then, by His Spirit, when someone comes and knocks on your door on a Saturday morning and says, "I'd like to give you some materials from my church," you can respond, "Oh, thank you. I'm a Christian." If they say, "I'm a Christian too," and you start to talk a little bit, you might have the "smell test" in your mind. You may think, "I don't know. That doesn't quite smell right. That doesn't quite fit with what I know of the Scriptures. I don't think what you're saying is truth."

God's Spirit is able to remind us of the things we have been taught or learned from the Scriptures. We can say, "What you're telling me is not what is in the Scriptures." Therefore, we can all seek to be discerning by being good students of the Scriptures. However, there are people whom God has given the gift of discernment, the discerning of spirits, who can look at something or hear something and say, "No, that's wrong, and here's why."

This is especially important when miraculous things are happening. When miraculous events start to occur, people sometimes check their brains at the door and just assume, "Well, it must be of God." This was happening in Corinth. Things were occurring in the church at Corinth that appeared to be spiritual, leading to announcements that were simply wrong. People would say, "Jesus is accursed," and others would think, "Well, apparently spiritual things are happening here, so it must be of God." No, it doesn't stand up to the test. It is necessary to have people with the gift of discerning of spirits.

Miracles, not just discerning of spirits, and the gift of tongues are important topics. I know this is the one you've been waiting for because I've had a number of people come up and ask me, "When are you going to start talking about tongues?" We're discussing gifts, and many want to talk about tongues.

I didn't save it for the very end, lest you think I saved the best for last. Nor did I put it at the very beginning, lest you think it is supremely important above all the others. It's not. Tongues is, of course, the gift that seems to cause the biggest stir in the modern church. It certainly is the most sensationalized of the gifts today, just as it was in first-century Corinth, as Paul speaks about in this chapter and what we'll see in chapter 14.

The primary reason that the gift of tongues has taken the position it has in the church is, to be quite honest, because it is the easiest to fake. It is easily abused and misused, and it has been exalted to a place that I don't think it necessarily should hold. Therefore, it is important that we understand what the Scriptures have to say about the gift of tongues. We will discuss this in more detail when we get into chapter 14, but today, we will talk a little bit about it.

Before we jump into the description of the gift of tongues, I want to clarify what our view is at Calvary Chapel regarding this gift. Number one, if you're taking notes, we do not believe, as some do, that the gift of tongues is the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We do not believe that the gift of tongues is the sign of the filling of the Holy Spirit. I say this because the statement of the fundamental truths of the Assemblies of God Church, in truth number eight, states, "The initial physical evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance." We do not believe that at Calvary Chapel. The Assemblies of God Church bases this belief completely on Acts chapter 2, verse 4.

What took place on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 who were gathered in Jerusalem, was that they spoke with other tongues. The Assemblies of God Church claims that this proves those who receive the filling of the Holy Spirit will speak with other tongues. However, we would argue that what happens in Acts chapter 2, verse 4, is descriptive of the day of Pentecost, and that view is not supported anywhere else in the epistles, which are instructive for the church in the way we live.

Furthermore, Acts chapter 2 does not tell us whether every single one of the 120 spoke with other tongues. They may have, or they may not have. We cannot take that and assert that this is the sign of the filling of the Holy Spirit; it simply does not work that way.

At Calvary Chapel, we do not accept the view that one is not saved if they do not speak with other tongues, as some Pentecostals proclaim. We do not agree with that perspective. Additionally, we do not believe that the gift of tongues holds a greater position over any of the other gifts. In fact, Paul seems to minimize the gift of tongues, especially in the public worship setting, as we will see in chapter 14.

Some, including Pastor Chuck Smith, believe that when Paul mentions tongues in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 28, he does so in a very purposeful way. Let me read to you verse 28: "God has set some in the church: first, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then, gifts of healings; helps; governments; tongues." What does he put last on the list? Diverse kinds of tongues. I think Paul seeks to minimize the gift of tongues. Why? Because it was being misused and abused by those in Corinth.

While tongues is a desirable and valued gift, we should not exalt it out of measure. We should not elevate it if the Scriptures do not. At Calvary Chapel, we believe that the gift of tongues is unique among the other gifts. Why? Because the gift of tongues is the only gift listed.

That is primarily intended for personal edification. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 7 says, "The manifestation or the outworking of the Spirit is given to every Christian for the profit of all, the body of Christ." However, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 4 states, "He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, but he that prophesies edifies the church." Therefore, we hold that the gift of tongues is unique in that it is primarily intended for personal edification.

Number five, we do not believe, at Calvary Chapel, that the gift of tongues can be taught or learned, as is often promulgated among Pentecostals. There are some within Pentecostal circles that say, "Listen, you want to speak in tongues. We prayed for you to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now, if you just loosen your jaw and loosen your tongue—I'm serious, loosen your tongue—and just repeat after me a few of these syllables and let the Spirit take over, then you'll start speaking in tongues. Just repeat after me." We do not believe that the gift of tongues can be taught or learned. It is given by the Spirit of God as He wills.

Is it given to all believers? No. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 29 makes that very clear: "Do all, or are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" The answer to each of these rhetorical questions is no.

So, just what is the gift of tongues? Some, especially those who would call themselves cessationists—those who do not believe that this gift and many others are in operation in the church today—hold that the gift of tongues, like those spoken of in 1 Corinthians, are merely earthly languages. They believe that those gifted with the gift of tongues have a special ability from the Spirit of God to pick up languages quickly. Some believe that.

Now, I am glad that there are people who have the ability to pick up languages quickly. I don't have that ability. It's taken me 31 years to get this far with English. I have a hard time.

I don't pick up languages quickly. You might, and I think that's great. That's an awesome ability that God has given you. I do not believe that's the gift of tongues. The gift of speaking in tongues is the ability to speak fluently in an unknown language through the agency of the Holy Spirit. It is the ability to worship God through praise in a language you have not naturally learned, as Chuck Smith says.

Now, some say it goes a step further. They claim it is the ability to receive and impart a spiritual message in a language that neither the recipient nor the speaker has ever learned, for the members of the body to be edified. This message must be interpreted, which is the next gift we'll discuss, either by the recipient, the one speaking, or someone else in the congregation. We will talk a lot more about the gift of tongues in chapter 14, but I want to mention a couple of things before we move on from this.

There is little agreement among Bible teachers and commentators regarding the gift of tongues. To illustrate this, I want to read from several different commentators. Charles Hodge regarded both Pentecostal tongues, as described in Acts chapter 2 during the day of Pentecost, and the Corinthian tongues that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, as known human languages. When someone is speaking in an unknown tongue, it's unknown to them, but it's known to somebody else somewhere else on the earth. It's a human language.

Abraham Kuyper regarded both as the uttering of unintelligible sounds, much like what you might hear if you went into the nursery today and heard little babies cooing or making babbling noises. He viewed both the tongues in 1 Corinthians and the book of Acts as mere gibberish, but he suggested that this might be the language we will speak when we're in heaven. The Pentecostal miracle that took place in Acts chapter 2, when the people heard these languages in their own language and praised God, is not just about the speaking, but also about the hearing. When you're speaking in tongues, you're speaking in gibberish.

Someone might hear that gibberish and be able to understand it in their own language. That's what Abraham Kuyper says. That's far out and pretty awesome if that's the case.

John Calvin thought that the Pentecostal tongues described in Acts chapter 2 were human languages, but he believed the Corinthian tongues were not. Are we getting anywhere here? John MacArthur holds that tongues, as described in 1 Corinthians, are simply languages. The word "tongues" is the word "glossa," which means languages that were miraculously given as a sign to the apostles but are no longer in operation or use today in the church.

Another commentator, Hoikema, states that it seems difficult, if not impossible, to make a final judgment on this matter. Thank you very much. Pastor Chuck Smith believes that there isn't enough evidence to say that the Acts 2 tongues are the same as or different from those described by Paul in 1 Corinthians. There is not enough evidence to show that one is different from the other. I think this is a good balanced view.

Furthermore, Pastor Chuck thinks that tongues can be human or heavenly languages. You can be speaking in tongues as inspired by the Holy Spirit or directed by the Holy Spirit, and you might be speaking in Swahili without even knowing it. Alternatively, Pastor Chuck says you could be speaking in tongues, and it could be an angelic language that no human being knows. He bases this on 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 1: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels."

Pastor Richard has done a lot of study on this topic. He believes that tongues are strictly heavenly languages, not human languages, and that when interpretation is given, it is directed from man to God. Some see the gift of tongues as only a personal or private prayer language, while others believe it should be used in the corporate body of Christ and expressed openly in church meetings.

Some believe that tongues are important in foreign evangelistic missions, where you speak forth in tongues in a language you don't know, and people hear it and receive Christ. Others do not think that is the case. How do we respond when all these people are saying different things? Well-meaning, good Bible teachers are presenting various views. What do we say to this? In such an area as this, where there is so little agreement, I would say undue dogmatism is not helpful.

Undue dogmatism is not helpful. This means insisting that this is the way it is and that this is the only way it is. We should be careful in that area. Rather, spiritual sensitivity is vital. We must always remember when studying things like this that the main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things. Any time we exalt something that lacks amazing clarity in the Bible to a position of undue significance, we are probably getting really off track. Therefore, we have to be careful in these areas.

You might ask, "What do you think, Pastor Miles, about the gift of tongues?" I think that the gift of tongues is pretty phenomenal. When I recall the times I have come in contact with what I perceive to be a genuine use of the gift of tongues, it has been awesome. I use the word "genuine" purposefully because I have also encountered uses of tongues that I would say are completely bogus.

In the last 50 or 60 years, there have been many scientific studies conducted by Christians who are scientists—not Christian Science practitioners—about the gift of tongues. Neurologists, in particular, have plugged people into electrodes to check their brain waves while they are speaking in tongues. They have found some really amazing things. One of the findings about what we call glossolalia, or tongue speaking, is that the language centers of the brain are not activated. This means that the speech is not coming from the language centers of the brain. However, the emotional centers of the brain are off the charts, which indicates that when someone is speaking in tongues, they could be speaking by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Scriptures make that very clear. However, they also clarify that the speaker could be influenced by another spirit that is not of God. We see this in cults that practice glossolalia, especially among pagan, shamanistic tribes or certain Hindu groups. Therefore, it could be of the Spirit of God, but it could also be of a spirit that is not of God. Additionally, it could be purely emotionalism. We must tread lightly around this issue of tongue speaking and recognize the complexities involved.

There is not a lot of disagreement or agreement within the body of Christ regarding the gift of tongues. This should never be a measure of spirituality, nor should it be used as the standard by which someone obtains fellowship. We cannot use the gift of tongues to determine if a person is spiritual because they speak in tongues, nor can we say that one can only have fellowship if they do so. In some churches, they may even say that if you do not speak in tongues, they do not want you there. It should not be an issue of fellowship, nor should it be a discriminating factor in spirituality.

So, you ask, Miles, do you have the gift of tongues? Yes. Will you demonstrate it for me? No. It is not a circus show. You might wonder if it should be used during a Sunday morning corporate worship service. We will discuss that when we get to chapter 14. I have to keep you coming back somehow, so we will talk about that.

We have a lot of discussion and interest in the gift of tongues. Not only that, but we also have the interpretation of tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12, verse 10, Paul states that to one is given diverse kinds of tongues, and to another, the interpretation of tongues. Down in verse 30, he asks, do all speak with tongues? The answer is no. Do all interpret? Again, the answer is no.

The Greek word for interpret is hermeneia, from which we get the English word hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the study of the Scriptures whereby we interpret what the Scriptures are saying. The person who is gifted with the interpretation of tongues is not providing a word-for-word translation; rather, they are able to interpret the meaning of what is being said. The interpretation of tongues is a companion gift to the speaking of tongues, and it is the only gift that the Apostle Paul specifically instructs us to pray for.

Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 13. It says, "Let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret." An interpretation makes known the sense or meaning of the tongue that was spoken forth so that the whole body can understand.

The body may be edified. Remember, 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 4 states that the gift of tongues is for personal edification. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 5: "I would, or I desire, that all of you speak with tongues, but rather that you prophesy. For greater is he that prophesies than he that speaks with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edification."

The only way that the corporate body of Christ is built up through the speaking or utterance of a tongue in a corporate worship setting is if an interpretation is given. This is why, whenever we have a believers' meeting at Calvary Chapel, an afterglow, or a home fellowship setting where a tongue is spoken, the leader will often say, "All right, let's stop and wait for the Lord to give an interpretation." If an interpretation is given, it must be in concert with the Word of God; it will never contradict God's Word.

If someone apparently speaks by the Spirit and then someone interprets, saying, "He says, the Lord Jesus be accursed," we refer to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, at the beginning of the chapter, and say, "No, that's not the interpretation. That's false. Disregard that, church. That's not truth." We use the Word of God as the measuring line.

Now, the gift of tongues and the gift of the interpretation of tongues are amazing things that God, by His Spirit, does. However, they can also be something that freaks people out. Paul even addresses this in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. If an outsider who is not a believer comes in and everyone is speaking with tongues, will that person not think you're mad? In other words, will they not think you're crazy? Yes, they will.

That's why it needs to be done decently and in order, because everything God does has order. Look at His creation; everything God does has order. I have been in some environments where apparently spiritual things were done without that decent, orderly nature, and it's odd. That's about all I can say on the subject: it's odd.

Therefore, we seek that there would be an interpretation if tongues are spoken, so that there may be edification. The gift of miracles and the gift of discerning...

Of spirits, the gift of tongues, and interpretation of tongues are important aspects of spiritual gifts. Next, we have the gift of apostleship, or the apostle. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, it states that God has set some in the church as first apostles. Then, in verse 29, it asks the question, "Are all apostles?" The answer is no.

In Ephesians 4:11, it says that God gave some apostles. The Greek word "apostolos" is used here, meaning one sent with a message. Some in the modern-day church say that an apostle is a modern-day missionary, and I have no problem with that. However, we need to recognize that in the Book of Acts and in the epistles, there was a group called the apostles, which we might refer to as the capital A apostles. These apostles had a special authority given to them by God and Jesus within the body of Christ and the church. This special authority extended to the fact that the words they wrote became canonized scripture; they were set apart as scripture.

What set apart this group of apostles? Two things they held in common. First, these apostles were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. Secondly, they were directly commissioned to the work by Jesus. These apostles held a level of authority within the early church that no one since has held.

The reason I make that point is that there are some within certain Pentecostal and charismatic circles today who label individuals as apostles. They say, "This person is our apostle." The danger there is that they ascribe to that individual the same authority that Peter or Paul had. They claim that what this person says is basically inspired truth, that God is speaking through them, and that they have apostolic authority. This is not seen in the scriptures, and it is very dangerous.

What you end up having is a group of people who look to this person like their guru, believing that whatever this person says is the word of God for them. They feel they must hold everything in their lives up to what this person says. This is dangerous. The gift of apostleship does not give any person in the modern day that kind of authority within the church. Therefore, I have no problem saying that the gift of an apostle today is not the same as it was in the early church.

An apostle would be someone who is sent with a message, and God gives them the gift to go forth with that message. We might even call them a missionary. However, it is different from what we see in Peter, Paul, James, or John, who were given their commissions directly by the Lord Jesus, whom they saw as the risen Lord.

I have met one or two individuals in my time who have told me, "I'm an apostle." I am always a little concerned by that. Pastor Richard tells a story about when he was serving at Horizon many years ago. One Wednesday night, Richard was an usher there, and Jesus and the apostles showed up—all twelve of them. They were dressed in robes and spoke in King James English, so they had to ask the apostles to leave. Whoever has had no Jesus was told, "Sorry, you can't come in the church." Now, Jesus is standing outside the door knocking, but Pastor Richard did that. You can talk with him about that later.

Next, we have the gift of helps. In 1 Corinthians 12, verse 28, we read that God has set some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, and then one word—helps. This word "helps" is difficult to define because it is only used this one time in the New Testament. We would call this a hapax legomenon, which means it is not used anywhere else in the New Testament scriptures. I know that's a big word, but what it means is that it is hard to define by context.

Sometimes, you read a word and you don't fully know what it means, and then you look at how it is used in other places and think, "Oh, okay, that's what this means." Well, this one is hard to define. Many people say that this is the ability to enhance the effectiveness of the ministry of other members of the body. Again, it is the only usage of this word in the New Testament. It appears to be distinct from the gift of service, which we talked about a couple of weeks ago. Some suggest that while the gift of service is more group-oriented, the gift of helps is more person-to-person oriented, one-on-one.

What exactly does the gift of helps look like? A person with the gift of helps assists without being asked and does so without the need for recognition. They serve with joy, not grumbling, and they see a need.

A person who has the gift of helps walks around the church or the neighborhood and sees something that needs to be fixed or taken care of. They say to themselves, "I'm going to do that." Nobody has asked them to do it, and no one has to recognize their efforts or give them a pat on the back. In fact, if they did receive recognition, they might feel funny about it. They are simply doing this as unto the Lord, and they find great joy in their service.

A lot of times, we walk around and see something that needs to be done, and we think, "Who does this? Someone needs to take care of this." Then we might say to someone else, "You take care of this," only to hear them respond, "I don't want to do this. Why am I doing this?" This often happens in children's ministry, where we say someone needs to take care of that, and then we pass the responsibility to someone else who is reluctant to take it on.

We need people with the gift of helps. Often, the gift of helps is an unseen ministry that doesn't receive a lot of thanks. However, there are many people within the body of Christ who possess this gift. Some individuals are gifted in ways that make them visible, like the mouthpiece or the hands, and they receive a lot of pats on the back. In contrast, others are like internal organs; they are never seen. You never see the liver, but if it stops working, it becomes a significant issue. There are people within the body of Christ who have the gift of helps, quietly doing the work of the ministry. No one ever asks them, and no one ever gives them recognition, but if they weren't there, we would wonder, "Who did that? Someone needs to take care of this," and it would be someone with the gift of helps.

Next, we are running short on time, so let's discuss the gift of administration. The word "governments" is used in the King James Version in 1 Corinthians 12:28, which states that God has set in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, and administration. This word only appears once in the New Testament, but it is used outside of Scripture in other Greek texts, where it is translated as "helmsman." A helmsman is the one who steers the boat.

Therefore, someone with the gift of administration has the spiritual giftedness to steer the church or the body of Christ toward the fulfillment of its goals by managing affairs and implementing necessary plans. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the person with the gift of leadership. Often, those with the gift of leadership do not necessarily have the gift of administration. A lot of times, a leader...

He is identified by the fact that he has vision. Someone with the gift of leadership has a vision; they say, "We're going to go to China." However, someone with the gift of administration takes that vision and says, "Okay, this is how we get to China. This is what we do so we can go there." The person with the gift of leadership just states the destination, while the person with administration outlines the executable steps needed to reach it.

People like Kelly Kirstead have the gift of administration. When I express, "This is what we'd like to do; we'd like to go in this direction," she responds, "Okay, these are the things we need to do to get there."

Pastor Richard, many of you may not know, was a senior pastor who planted Calvary Chapel Ramona. After he had been there for eight years, the Lord began to move on his heart, revealing that he was really gifted as an administrator. He willingly handed over the church to another pastor so that he could pursue what God had gifted him to do. He joined our staff as our administrator, taking the vision and saying, "Okay, these are the things we need to do to get to that." For example, when I mention, "Hey, it'd be really cool to buy this piece of property down here," I often have no idea where to start. Richard responds, "Okay, this is who we'll talk to; this is what we'll do," and now we are moving forward. We are doing the work that God has called us to.

Next, we have the gift of evangelism. Ephesians 4:11 states, "And He, God, gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists." An evangelist is one who has the ability from God to be an unusually effective instrument in leading unbelievers to a saving knowledge of Christ. This does not mean that it is immediately easy, but they have the God-given ability to carry the gospel to those who do not know it and to express it in ways that they will understand.

Some people are most effective with this gift in person-to-person evangelism, while others are used by God in large-scale group evangelism. Additionally, some are effective in cross-cultural evangelism, able to speak to someone from a different culture with a different worldview to share the gospel.

There are people who are gifted as evangelists. Now, here's the problem: a lot of times, the rest of the body of Christ—probably 98%—says, "Well, I don't have the gift of evangelism, so I don't evangelize." Nope, that's wrong. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul tells Timothy, "Watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist." So, even though you may not have the gift of evangelism, you're still not freed from evangelizing.

However, there are those who are gifted with the gift of evangelism. Here's what it looks like: you're sitting down at lunch with them, and the waitress comes over and asks, "What can I get you to drink?" The evangelist responds, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?" They are compelled to share the gospel; they want to ensure that no one is free from hearing this glorious message. God empowers people as evangelists.

Lastly, we have the shepherd or the pastor. In Ephesians 4:11, God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers. Some people split pastors and teachers apart, saying there is one who is gifted as a pastor and another who is gifted as a teacher. While there are people who are gifted as teachers, there are also others who are pastor-teachers, and these roles go together.

The apostle Peter was commissioned by the Lord as a shepherd, as a pastor. In John 21, Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter replied, "Yes, I love you." Jesus then said, "Okay, feed my sheep." Three times, He tells him, "I want you to feed my sheep, tend my lambs, take care of them."

The pastor-teacher is the one who uses the strength that God gives them and the word that God provides to spiritually nourish, protect, lead, guide, cherish, and care for the body of Christ. They are under-shepherds to the Great Shepherd. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd; He is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Escondido. Myself and the other pastors who are on staff here are under-shepherds to Him, serving as He supplies the ability to tend to the body of Christ. Oftentimes, these individuals are called elders or overseers. Just because a person is not on staff at...

A church does not mean that its members are not gifted as pastors. In fact, when the board of elders at Calvary Chapel of Escondido lays hands on and ordains a pastor, we are not making them a pastor; they are already pastoring. That is why we lay hands on them and pray for them. We look at them and say, "You are already doing the work of shepherding the body of Christ," whether it's in the youth ministry, a home fellowship, or whatever it may be. You are shepherding them, pastoring them, caring for them, tending to them, praying with them, and teaching them. You are already pastoring, and we recognize that.

By ordaining them, we are simply acknowledging that God has called this person to be a pastor. They are already doing it, but now we are officially saying they are a pastor. We give them this little piece of paper. You may ask, "What does that give them?" Well, according to the state of California, it allows them to marry and bury. Other than that, it means nothing. We are just saying we recognize that God has already gifted you and called you to this; you are a pastor.

At Calvary Chapel of Escondido, we have Pastor Richard, Pastor Mark, Pastor Eric, Pastor Josh, Pastor Roberto, and myself. Just this next month, we are going to bring before you and lay hands upon Pastor Jason Brower, who has been pastoring the youth ministry, although he has not been ordained by the board of elders here at the church for going on six or seven years. However, just because these individuals have the title of pastor does not mean there aren't other people who are gifted and called as pastors within the church. There are people pastoring in the youth ministry, the children's ministry, and home fellowships. There are individuals doing this work, gifted by God to tend, care for, teach, instruct, and pray for those within the body.

Ultimately, all these things are for the equipping, perfecting, and building up of the body of Christ so that we, as one body, can do the work that God has called us to. That is why God has gifted us in this way. Amen.

Are there other gifts beyond the twenty or so that we have looked at over the last several weeks? Yes, there are. But these are the ones specifically spoken of in Scripture, and God has gifted us to effectively do the work He has called us to. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we thank You that You have called us to be one body and that You have gathered us.

Together in this one body, there are many members, and there's a diversity of talents and gifts, as well as a diversity of opinions and ideas. But, Lord, you bring together unity out of diversity. We thank you for that.

Lord, would you empower us by your Spirit daily to function in the gifts that you've given to us? Help us to be effective in the work that you have called us to. Make us what you desire us to be, that we would glorify you. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.