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Volume 4 ... #30
God sets us into the body of Christ to serve HIM as HE wills
I Cor. 12 ... 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 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: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.
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We are the body of Christ. We have different functions. God sets us in the body of Christ as HE wills to do what HE wills.
Romans 12 ... 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry (serving), let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
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We don't all do the same things. Some have a gift of "helps" and such assist others in the work to which they have been assigned.
I have a gift of "exhortation". I speak to the church to build the church in the faith in God. You see this in these writings I do. I can only do this writings by faith in God, by faith that what the Holy Spirit calls to my mind is that which God wants me to speak.
I am very greatly assisted by Pam Padgett, who has a gift of helps. Pam takes what I write and puts it into the proper, required form to be published in both e-book format and in paper format. She has to do a lot of work before you get to read these exhortations. Her work is critical to getting these exhortations published! God set her to do the work she does for the church. God set me here for the work I do for the church. The gifts we and others do are from God and they are gifts for the church.
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After Jesus arose, HE gave gifts to the New Testament Church to help the church.
Eph. 4 ... 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore HE saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 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 fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into HIM in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
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The body of Christ works together much as God created the natural body to work together. The eye has an assignment to the body. The feet have another function to the body. And so it is with the various gifts of the Holy Spirit and the ministry offices.
I Cor. 12 ...
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church (to care for the church), first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
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We have different assignments.
Apostles have an anointing by God to deal with doctrine in the church, uprooting perversions and setting the doctrine by the Spirit from the Bible.
Prophets carry messages of correction to individuals by the will of God, often operating in the spiritual gifts of "word of knowledge" and "word of wisdom" ...helping the church to get out of traps and to avoid traps.
There are several spiritual gifts given by God to help the body of Christ function as the NT church.
I Cor. 12:18 ... But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased HIM.
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The important thing for each of us is to be raised up by God to function in the area God chooses. We get to that assignment by paying very close attentions to all words spoken to us by God whether in scripture or by dreams or by words brought to our mind by the Spirit of God. As we walk in those specific instructions by faith in God, we enter into that place in the body of Christ assigned by God.
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After I was born again in 1975, I heard, "Be baptized." (I had been baptized before I was born again. Now I hear again to be baptized after I am born again.)
I didn't hesitate. I went that same day and was baptized again.
As the minister lowered me into the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, "This is like being buried with Christ."
As I came out of the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, "This is like being raised with Christ."
That is exactly what the apostle Paul said to us in Romans 6 ...
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
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After I was born again, I was asleep in the night and God transported me into heaven. I was with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit. (It was a spirit experience. I saw no images.) At that time I was "merged" into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, God and Holy Spirit witnessing.
A few nights after this, the exact same thing happened again.
After these two experiences, I was on fire for the Bible, the church, and things of God. Nothing else mattered to me.
I thought this happened to all who were Christian. It doesn't. It was by the will of God and I believed it was used by God for the purpose of preparing me for the ministry to which I was called.
At that time I had no thought whatsoever that I was to be a minister. It was several years before I learned this. I just kept reading Bible and trying to do what I saw to do from Bible.
During this time, in Bible, I read that women were to teach other women to love their husbands and to love their children.
I was devastated for I had no husband nor children.
There was nothing for me to do in the church!
Certainly God had other plans for me in the church. God worked with me through the years, leading me by scripture and by HIS spirit ... and many people spoke prophecies over me ... I didn't know what they meant when they would say they "knew" the hand of God was upon me... I just kept reading Bible and following the instructions given me by the Spirit of God from the Bible.
This is the way we get to our specific assignments in the church ... Read Bible and follow the instructions in the Word of God as given by the Spirit of God ... and just keep on doing this ... as long as God chooses to leave us on this earth!