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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 28
I CORINTHIANS 12:1 - 14:3
Continuing on in I Corinthians Chapter 12, and verse 3, in the last half of the verse where it says:
I Corinthians 12:3b
The only person that can genuinely claim Christ as Lord is the believer. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,..."
That as a believer, now we know that Jesus is Lord. I Corinthians 12:4a
"Now there are diversities of gifts,..."
Later on in this chapter Paul is going to introduce now for the first time in his writings this concept of the "Body of Christ." I Corinthians 12:5
God is the same over all. No, God didn't change, but rather Adam and Eve did.
Absolutely! Had God changed? No!
Absolutely. The same God? Absolutely. So it's a different administration, but has God changed? Verse 6:
I Corinthians 12:6,7
Now verse 7 is the verse that I was referring to a few minutes ago about asking for gifts. You take the gift that God has given you, and you be content with it. I Corinthians 12:11
"But all these (the things that he has listed up there in verses 8, 9 and 10) worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally (differently) as he (the Holy Spirit)will."
So it's not for you and me to go and say, "Oh I want this gift, or that gift," No, you just take the gift that God has given you. We are to leave that up to the Holy Spirit. Now verse 8:
I Corinthians 12:8
"For to one (believer in the congregation) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; (that's a gift to have wisdom) to another the word of knowledge (but it's going to come) by the same Spirit;" See, these were things that the Church needed, and God is providing then with these particular abilities. Now verse 9:
I Corinthians 12:9
From the Holy Spirit, because it's a gift, and as we exercise that gift of faith we respond by believing. to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;"
There's no doubt they exercised this gift in the early Church. We know that even Paul himself exercised this gift in the Book of Acts as he performed miracles. Now let's finish verse 10:
I Corinthians 12:10
Go to Ephesians Chapter 4, one of his prison epistles. If people would only look at it this way. Ephesians 4:4-10
Look at the gifted men he gives to the Church in verse 11.
Ephesians 4:11
Once the Word came into print there was no longer a need for gifted men to speak forth the Word, but even so, Paul still lists them here in Ephesians. We know that not all of God's men can be pastors, and not all can be teachers. Why did God give the Church these three categories of people?
Ephesians 4:12
the body of Christ:"
I don't care how little education that you have, you can be a gifted person in God's program for today.
Here we have the description of the Body of Christ. Now I know there are a lot of people who do not understand this concept that every true believer is a member of the Body of Christ. As I've said before, Jesus never once mentioned the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is a term that you cannot find in the Four Gospels. I Corinthians 12:12
For as the body (this human body from which he's going to draw a comparison or allegory) is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." ("so also is Christ" is referring to the Church or Body of Christ)
So also is the Body of Christ. So Paul says by inspiration that we believers are members of that one Body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:13
Not just the most spiritual, not just the ones that have had an emotional experience, but every true believer regardless of where he is or how great experience he's had, we are all members of the Body of Christ because the Holy Spirit has) baptized into one body, (Now you see there's not a word about tongues here, and yet I maintain this is the only time that Paul teaches a baptism by the Holy Spirit. When we are saved the Holy Spirit immediately places us in the Body of Christ, it's a baptism, and there is no water involved. I Corinthians 15:1-4) has been made to drink into that one Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12:14
"For the body is not one member, but many."
I Corinthians 12:15,16
"If the foot shall say, `Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body;' is it therefore not of the body?" Every part of the body functions together for the purpose of using and energizing the body. I Corinthians 12:17-22
"If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? (I like the next verse) Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:"
Your little toe.

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