"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." 1 Cor 12:3
The Spirit will give an understanding of suffering and sovereignty... Christ's suffering and sovereignty. Some see this verse as a litmus test for the demonic or the unregenerate but it is much more than that. Notice directly after it launches into Christian action and Spirit filled living.
"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. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit." 1 Cor 12:4-13 ESV
Any Christian 'doing' is done from drinking of the same Spirit and that Spirit will be pointing back to the victorious nature of who Christ is and what He has done. The Spirit is never pessimistic about the cross. He also is never behind a solitary self help program. He promotes a layered authority system that puts Christ at the top and all other functions and actions that are spiritual as directed by Him and cooperative with each other.
The Spirit never exalts the gift. He exalts the giver.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock" Matt 7:21-24 NKJV
This lawlessness is not the Mosaic kind. It is the ignorance that comes from not drinking of the same Spirit that is revealing Christ. When we drink of the same Spirit we build on the Rock. That is the wise place to build and that place is chosen by us because the cross makes sense and the Lordship of Christ is revealed and we willingly come under it.
If we have anything to give today it comes from this. If we have a Spirit filled portion today it is because of who Christ is and what He has done. Anything outside of that is wood, hay and stubble. But, nestled in the understanding given by the Spirit is another kind of living. The cross brings redemption into every situation or circumstance we face. If Jesus is Lord today it will be a day filled with potential and not drudgery.
Fill us with the Spirit Lord so we will think like Spirit filled people! If we see you we won't look at ourselves. We will redeem the time today on a rock and not sand.
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