First Corinthians chapter 12, Paul said, “I would not have you to be ignorant brethren, concerning spiritual gifts.” In the next verse, he said, “You know how, as gentiles, you were at one time CARRIED AWAY by dumb idols .. .” The significance of that verse relates back to the Old Testament, where idols were referred to as deaf dumb and blind. Those who worship them were said to become like them; deaf dumb and blind. Unable to see or hear the truth and learn it, even if it was right there in front of them, until they repented and turned away from their idolatry. An idol is anything that you serve and honor more than Jesus Christ. Repenting of idolatry can open our eyes and our hearing to see and understand the Kingdom of God, better.  It is like opening the doors and windows on a fresh spring morning, for those that have allowed religion to be an idol rather than having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christians can have a deaf and dumb spirit move in, and begin to cut them off from spiritual growth. By refusing to put God first above all things. If the music industry, internet entertainment, news programs, or television shows, have become our information source above the word of God, that is idolatry. We will inadvertently begin to live and preach our idol’s message as the gospel. Make Christ first and open up your heart for deeper encounters with the living God. This is how we experience the beauty of seeing Him as He is, by coming out of the darkness of God not being first in our lives.

In the third verse of chapter 12, in 1 Corinthians, he says that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God can call Jesus accursed, and no man can say Jesus Is Lord  but by the Spirit of God in him. Meaning those that are operating in the gifts of the Spirit, in the name of Jesus, glorifying him, pointing to him, and testifying of him, is not speaking through a deity of one of these dumb idols. Paul wanted to make that very clear to a church trying to progress pure, among a city of citizens and travelers devoted to the temple of Aphrodite, they CANNOT do both, you cannot waffle back and forth between the two, don’t even touch their food dedicated to an  idol even though you know they are nothing, stay away from all appearances of evil. This was the problem and the challenge in Corinth, the culture over run by spirituality and belief systems terribly perverse. The church preaching Christ (the Son of Man we are to come to) in a cultural belief that the temple prostitutes would bring you closer to their god! This is why tongues, a gift of the Holy Spirit became immediately  mis used and needed brought back to proper balance by Paul, because of its supernatural quality, but the greater auditorial giftings of prophecy and interpretation were neglected. They fell short of the whole point of tongues! Because it was a gift for the unbeliever when interpreted, for them to encounter a supernatural work of the Spirit, a sign that led to prophecy where the thoughts of their hearts would be laid bare before them. They would know they were encountering God!  This would  put the fear of God in their hearts and bring many to repentants. At the same time, knowing God sees, has a herd thinning affect for those who are not ready to be transparent with the Father. This is why we need the full operation of all that God has given in the church. Ephesians 4 the five fold, and the 9 gifts of the Spirit of 1 Corinthian 12.  In order to have a more complete and healthy body of believers.

God’s order is why Paul needed to pen the 14th chapter of Corinthians, struggling in the culture it was planted in, to move them on to the giftings more beneficial. The Corinthians were a church living in a city dominated by the presence of the temple of Aphrodite. A very busy and worldly city, in the vicinity of what some has said to be the temple of a thousand prostitutes.

As a child receives the gift of a bicycle who has never rode one before, so with that gift a parent will give instruction and teach the child, with their assistance and example, how to ride that bike. So it is with the gifts of the Spirit, distributed among the saints liberally, as he wills. Those appointed elders, are given charge to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Ephesians 4. Speaking of the 9 gifts of the Spirit the following podcast teaches on the Gift of Discerning of Spirits.

In this podcasts, I touch on three very important things to get right when operating in the grace of God called the discerning of spirits.