27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
02 Acts 01 06-11 HE WILL COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN 08 Acts 01 08 In understanding, be mature
📖 Acts 01:06-11
08 – 25Jun2022 – *In understanding, be mature* - _Acts 01:06-11_ - HE WILL COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN - Bible reading: _I Corinthians 14:18-20_
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You fill us to the overflowing, with Your Holy Spirit, again and again. Thank You, Lord, that as we are filled to the overflowing with Your Holy Spirit, we can love and serve people, reconciling people to You. We do this by carrying in our hearts, Your pain and longing for people to be reconciled with You. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.”
*_Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."_*
We began considering the gift of speaking in other tongues when there is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let us continue to look at what the Holy Scriptures teach us on this matter.
_I Corinthians 12:28-31 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (29) Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? (30) Do all have gifts of healings? *Do all speak with tongues?* Do all interpret? (31) *But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way*._
As Apostle Paul concludes the twelfth chapter of I Corinthians, he encourages us to desire a more excellent way. He longs for us to be filled with the pain of God’s heart for people, which is that people must be reconciled with Him. The pain of God’s heart for people is His love for people. *Encouraging us to desire gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul is showing us to desire the greatest of all gifts, which is the gift of love*.
We are here to be available in His hands for the Lord to use us for His purposes. To this end, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to the overflowing, again and again.
Surely, we can come to God and ask Him for specific gifts that we believe will help us to be more in tune with the heart of God. Therefore, desiring for gifts is encouraged in the Scriptures.
We do not desire spiritual gifts for the sake of the gifts themselves or for any other reason, but to be one with Him, in His love for people to be reconciled with Him.
*_I Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal._*
Paul is placing the matter of desiring gifts in the right perspective. Love is what we need above everything else. We are to love God and love people. Both are necessary for us because this is the greatest commandment.
To express our love and adoration for God, ‘tongues’ is a wonderful way. Yet, *we know that to love God is to obey Him*. In the same way, loving people is not just a nice emotional feeling but *loving people is by serving people*. We, therefore, need the gift of love.
*_I Corinthians 13:8 *Love never fails*. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; *whether there are tongues, they will cease*; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away._*
This is our priority. We need the greatest of all gifts, which is love and that is the gift that we all must desire from God. *We must long for God to fill us with love for Him and love for people*.
_I Corinthians 14:1-3 *Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts*, but especially that you may prophesy. (2) For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. (3) But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men._
We are to pursue love above all else and also desire other spiritual gifts so that we can effectively carry out the task of being His witnesses. Paul encourages us to desire the gift of prophecy.
Prophesying is not foretelling but revealing the heart and mind of God into our circumstances and into our times, to convict people of sin and bring people to the ways of God. Prophecy is for edification, exhortation and also to comfort people.
Speaking in tongues is to speak mysteries. God reveals His mysteries to His church, through the gift of tongues, with its interpretation. We therefore must desire the gift of speaking in tongues, so that we can hear the mysteries of God and share these mysteries with the church, for edification. This is a deep spiritual encounter to have with God.
*_I Corinthians 14:18-20 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; (19) yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. (20) Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature._*
We are here to be His witnesses. In understanding, we must be mature. We must always keep the larger purposes of God in mind.
*Our longing*
```“Lord Jesus, give us, more and more, the gift of love so that we can obey You and serve one another.”```