Presence of the Spirit.

 Established by Spiritual Gifts.  (Excerpt- E.J. Waggoner)

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." 

What is the profit? 

"For the perfecting 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." Eph. 4:12, 13.

The gifts of the Spirit must accompany the Spirit. As soon as the early disciples received the Spirit in accordance with the promise, they received the gifts. One of the gifts, speaking with new tongues, was manifested that very day. It follows, therefore, that the absence of the gifts of the Spirit in any marked degree in the church, is evidence of the absence of the Spirit, not entirely, of course, but to the extent that God has promised it.

The Spirit was to abide with the disciples forever, and therefore the gifts of the Spirit must be manifest in the true church until the second coming of the Lord. 

As before stated, the absence of any very marked manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit is evidence of the absence of the fullness of the Spirit; and that is the secret of the weakness of the church, and the great divisions that exist. Spiritual gifts establish the church; therefore the church that does not have those gifts can not be established.

Who May Have the Spirit? 

Whoever asks for it with earnest desire. 

See Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 

The Spirit has already been poured out, and God has never withdrawn the gift; it only needs that Christians should ask and accept. (End Excerpt)

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Remember the spiritual gifts we talked about yesterday…

Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, different languages, interpreting different languages.

We can't assume we will each have all these spiritual gifts.

1Co 12:8  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 

1Co 12:9  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 

1Co 12:10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 

1Co 12:11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 

DIVIDING to every man severally as HE WILL.

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 

1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many. 

1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 

1Co 12:19  And if they were all one member, where were the body? 

1Co 12:20  But now are they many members, yet but one body. 

1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 

1Co 12:22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 

1Co 12:23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 

1Co 12:24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 

1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 

1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

 

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 

1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 

1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 

1Co 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 

1Co 14:12  Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 

None of the spiritual gifts are given to us for self-satisfaction, self-glorying, self-serving, not a single one. All the spiritual gifts that we are zealously seeking are solely for the edification of others- for sharing Christ, and His salvation, His gospel with all others. Not a single spiritual gift is good for anything other than glorifying God! If you are seeking spiritual gifts so you may consider yourself 'good enough', 'accepted by God', 'importantly spiritual enough to be God's and used by Him', then you are seeking for the wrong reasons- IT'S NOT ABOUT US! Satan would have us make it all about US, but it's NOT, it's just not!  Pride will try to ensnare us at every turn of our existence and it will trap us over and over, but we need to recognize the trap and know that the release from that trap is putting Christ first, it is seeking Christ's righteousness only found in Christ, not given outside of Christ to us, but only found in Christ when Christ is in us! It's not about us. We have to tell ourselves that over and over and over… and yes, over! Christ will use us for His glory, not for us to glorify ourselves in any way. Spiritual gifts to Christ's glory! No glorying in ourselves or patting ourselves on the back , no, no, no!  All praise goes to GOD, not to ourselves!  

Lord, please keep me completely in You and not in myself. Help me not to seek self-adoration, self-congratulations, self-serving… please, Lord, let my life be all about YOU. Please kill the pride in me that threatens to rise up constantly as I seek selfish self-worth, as if I can be anything without You! You are everything! Be my everything! All glory to You, God! All glory to YOU now and forever!!!!!!!