The Holy Spirit - God's Spirit
E-book and Audio series
PART 2 - The Roles and Activities of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 35 - The Spirit in the Acts Period Epistles Pt 2
Summary: The Epistles of the Acts Period reflect the conditions of the Acts Period. This recording is Part 2 of two messages examining the role of the Holy Spirit during the Acts Period, as outlined in the Epistles of that time.
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Study notes for this audio:
(Note: This is just a summary of the points covered. There is greater detail in the audio message).
No.35 - The Spirit in Acts Period Epistles Pt 2
In recent studies, we’ve been looking at the work of the Holy Spirit during the Acts Period. The Holy Spirit was a permanent fixture in the life of the Acts Period believer, and enabled the common believer to perform miracles during that time.
We began by looking these occurrences in the book of Acts itself, and in the last lesson, we started seeing these same features in the documents that accompany the Acts Period, namely, the epistles of the Acts Period. We spent a few minutes focussing on the words “anoint” and “anointing”, two words associated with the working of miracles and the priestly role of Israel; we also read Romans 11, which speaks of the Gentiles who, during that time, were grafted into the olive tree of Israel. Phrases to do with the “anointing” of the Spirit are absent in the writings after the Acts Period, and we should take care to rightly divide in this instance and leave anointing it in the periods it belongs to.
Tonight we’ll continue looking at the Acts Period epistles (please refer to the chart above), particularly emphasising the miraculous gifts of that time. It becomes evident that each believer in Christ was blessed with the Spirit’s presence in their lives, and each person manifested some kind of miraculous gift.
Every Believer had a Spiritual Gift
READ 1 Corinthians 1:1-8
v.2 saints
v.6b,7 – testimony of Christ was confirmed in you …. so that you come short in no gift – we’ll start to read about “gifts” in a moment.
- testimony of Christ – cp. John 15:26 – one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit was to testify of Christ – this was done through the inspired preaching and teaching of the apostles, and the miracles that accompanied their preaching. Likewise, every believer at the time exhibited spiritual gifts, testifying of Christ’s part in their life.
v.7 - "come short in no gift" – everyone displayed one of these gifts.
v.5 – KJV/NKJV “in all utterance” (NIV 2011 - “all kinds of speech”; NIV 1984 – "in all your speaking") a difficult phrase … but notice – all “knowledge” as well. Gifts and knowledge are going to come up a few times in this study. More a bit later on.
The Diversity of Gifts in the Acts Period Church
READ 1 Corinthians 12:1…4-11
Obviously, it wasn’t always smooth sailing having those gifts. The Spirit’s presence did not equate to being perfect or sinless; it never did in the OT times, nor does it today, and it didn’t during the Acts Period.
v.1 concerning spiritual gifts (listed in v.8-10)
– not the gift of music, art, or being a good public speaker, or a good fundraiser for the church, etc – these are partly natural leanings and partly learned skills which we often develop (eg, by having piano lessons and practising at home). The spiritual gifts were enabled by the Holy Spirit. No practise was required - not in the OT or the Gospels, and not in the Acts Period either. These were “gifts” (borrowing a phrase from Eph 2 – “lest any man should boast”).
v.7 – given to all …
for the profit of all (NIV for the common good) - not merely for that individual person’s benefit, encouragement, aid, etc). Not just for the sake of showing a miracle, but for the benefit of the church, that particular gathering of Christians in Corinth (or wherever)
v.7 – manifestation of the Spirit
“manifestation” – phanerosis - an open display, something that is clearly visible
The stem of the word – phan – has the idea of visibility (epiphaneia / epiphany)
The List of Gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
v.8-10 – nine gifts are listed
these are gifts of enablement and revelation - not an exhaustive list, because other gifts are mentioned elsewhere in the writings that pertain to the Acts Period. Even later on in v.28,29 there are others mentioned.
Let’s take a quick look at the list, and establish some basic working definitions for the time being.
v.8 word of wisdom
v.8 word of knowledge
- some overlap between these two, but whereas knowledge is about information, wisdom is more to do with summing up a situation and acting appropriately. A person can be quite educated and know a lot of things, without being wise. A different person can also be quite unlearned but act with wisdom and prudence and discernment.
(There is a helpful chapter about gifts of wisdom and knowledge in Michael Penny's “The Miracles of the Apostles”, ch.12)
v.9 faith (also Romans 12:3) – not the basic faith to believe in the Lord Jesus, but seems to related to something extra, a faith related to the demonstration of the spiritual gifts. Faith to believe that, when faced with an impossible (not just difficult) situation, that God’s Spirit would take over and deal with the situation.
Possible examples may include:
- when the young boy David faced the might of Goliath?
- when Peter and John faced the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 and speak on behalf of the Lord Jesus?
v.9 gifts of healing
v.10 working of miracles
- healing outside of human intervention like surgery, or outside of the normal healing process, and miracles that would not otherwise be humanly possible – “evidential” miracles., miracles that can be proven to be such, not just hearsay or speculation.
v.10 prophecy – speaking (and writing) on behalf of God;
v.10 discerning of spirits –
perhaps a skill beyond what is described in v.3, and also in 1 John 4, on how to test various spirits to see if they are from God or not.
v.10 speaking in tongues – unlearned languages
v.10 interpretation of tongues – being given an understanding to interpret those languages, even though not having previously learned them.
All Had Gifts ... but not the same gifts
v.11 the same Spirit (i.e. the same Holy Spirit) is the source of these phenomena,
- distributing each as He wills (an inanimate force does not have a will, or have the ability to choose)
Everyone had at least one spiritual gift, but not everyone had every gift
v.29,30 is a series of questions, all with the answer “no” (in the Greek - an untranslated particle mé ,demanding the answer “no”, precedes each question)
New American Standard Bible captures the sentiment of vv.29,30 accurately …
“All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?”
One further point - the people were not responsible for the gifts that they had, but they were responsible for how they used their gifts, and their attitude to the gifts. This is the purpose of chapters 12,13 and 14 – full of instructions concerning these gifts, how they were to be used for the benefit of all, what the church’s attitudes to those gifts should be, and, particularly with the gift of tongues, how these gifts were to be exercised in an orderly manner, honouring to God.
Anointing and "Knowledge"
READ 1 John 2:20, 24-27
(NIV/NKJV different here) v. 24-27 anointing … teaches you
Statements in 1 John need to be viewed in the context of John exhorting his readers (a specific group of Jewish believers during the Acts Period). He is writing to them, exhorting them not to be deceived, either by unbelievers or by misleading spirits. (1 John 2:26)
This "God-inspired" knowlegde is similar to what is prophesied about the future kingdom, in Jeremiah 31:31-34 ...
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The Acts Period was a foretaste of the future kingdom, when there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2/ Joel 2 – “it will come to pass in those days that I will pour forth my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall speak of things to come, etc) … and a time when they will no longer have to teach each other and say “Know the Lord”, for they will all know Him.
Today, we are not under the new covenant. This is evident when we observe that:
(1) these things are for "Israel and Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31); and
(2) they haven’t happened yet – teaching is still required today.
Concluding Thoughts
Evidential phenomena came upon all believers during the Acts period, but the process wasn’t complete. The conditions of the Acts Period were just a foretaste of the future kingdom.
The promise of the kingdom is related to Israel’s repentance. Israel have been set aside in God’s plans, thus, so have the miracles. The miracles and "manifestations of the Spirit" will recommence sometime again when God starts dealing with them as a special nation once again.
(Note: This is just a summary of the points covered. There is greater detail in the audio message).
No.35 - The Spirit in Acts Period Epistles Pt 2
In recent studies, we’ve been looking at the work of the Holy Spirit during the Acts Period. The Holy Spirit was a permanent fixture in the life of the Acts Period believer, and enabled the common believer to perform miracles during that time.
We began by looking these occurrences in the book of Acts itself, and in the last lesson, we started seeing these same features in the documents that accompany the Acts Period, namely, the epistles of the Acts Period. We spent a few minutes focussing on the words “anoint” and “anointing”, two words associated with the working of miracles and the priestly role of Israel; we also read Romans 11, which speaks of the Gentiles who, during that time, were grafted into the olive tree of Israel. Phrases to do with the “anointing” of the Spirit are absent in the writings after the Acts Period, and we should take care to rightly divide in this instance and leave anointing it in the periods it belongs to.
Tonight we’ll continue looking at the Acts Period epistles (please refer to the chart above), particularly emphasising the miraculous gifts of that time. It becomes evident that each believer in Christ was blessed with the Spirit’s presence in their lives, and each person manifested some kind of miraculous gift.
Every Believer had a Spiritual Gift
READ 1 Corinthians 1:1-8
v.2 saints
v.6b,7 – testimony of Christ was confirmed in you …. so that you come short in no gift – we’ll start to read about “gifts” in a moment.
- testimony of Christ – cp. John 15:26 – one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit was to testify of Christ – this was done through the inspired preaching and teaching of the apostles, and the miracles that accompanied their preaching. Likewise, every believer at the time exhibited spiritual gifts, testifying of Christ’s part in their life.
v.7 - "come short in no gift" – everyone displayed one of these gifts.
v.5 – KJV/NKJV “in all utterance” (NIV 2011 - “all kinds of speech”; NIV 1984 – "in all your speaking") a difficult phrase … but notice – all “knowledge” as well. Gifts and knowledge are going to come up a few times in this study. More a bit later on.
The Diversity of Gifts in the Acts Period Church
READ 1 Corinthians 12:1…4-11
Obviously, it wasn’t always smooth sailing having those gifts. The Spirit’s presence did not equate to being perfect or sinless; it never did in the OT times, nor does it today, and it didn’t during the Acts Period.
v.1 concerning spiritual gifts (listed in v.8-10)
– not the gift of music, art, or being a good public speaker, or a good fundraiser for the church, etc – these are partly natural leanings and partly learned skills which we often develop (eg, by having piano lessons and practising at home). The spiritual gifts were enabled by the Holy Spirit. No practise was required - not in the OT or the Gospels, and not in the Acts Period either. These were “gifts” (borrowing a phrase from Eph 2 – “lest any man should boast”).
v.7 – given to all …
for the profit of all (NIV for the common good) - not merely for that individual person’s benefit, encouragement, aid, etc). Not just for the sake of showing a miracle, but for the benefit of the church, that particular gathering of Christians in Corinth (or wherever)
v.7 – manifestation of the Spirit
“manifestation” – phanerosis - an open display, something that is clearly visible
The stem of the word – phan – has the idea of visibility (epiphaneia / epiphany)
The List of Gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
v.8-10 – nine gifts are listed
these are gifts of enablement and revelation - not an exhaustive list, because other gifts are mentioned elsewhere in the writings that pertain to the Acts Period. Even later on in v.28,29 there are others mentioned.
Let’s take a quick look at the list, and establish some basic working definitions for the time being.
v.8 word of wisdom
v.8 word of knowledge
- some overlap between these two, but whereas knowledge is about information, wisdom is more to do with summing up a situation and acting appropriately. A person can be quite educated and know a lot of things, without being wise. A different person can also be quite unlearned but act with wisdom and prudence and discernment.
(There is a helpful chapter about gifts of wisdom and knowledge in Michael Penny's “The Miracles of the Apostles”, ch.12)
v.9 faith (also Romans 12:3) – not the basic faith to believe in the Lord Jesus, but seems to related to something extra, a faith related to the demonstration of the spiritual gifts. Faith to believe that, when faced with an impossible (not just difficult) situation, that God’s Spirit would take over and deal with the situation.
Possible examples may include:
- when the young boy David faced the might of Goliath?
- when Peter and John faced the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 and speak on behalf of the Lord Jesus?
v.9 gifts of healing
v.10 working of miracles
- healing outside of human intervention like surgery, or outside of the normal healing process, and miracles that would not otherwise be humanly possible – “evidential” miracles., miracles that can be proven to be such, not just hearsay or speculation.
v.10 prophecy – speaking (and writing) on behalf of God;
v.10 discerning of spirits –
perhaps a skill beyond what is described in v.3, and also in 1 John 4, on how to test various spirits to see if they are from God or not.
v.10 speaking in tongues – unlearned languages
v.10 interpretation of tongues – being given an understanding to interpret those languages, even though not having previously learned them.
All Had Gifts ... but not the same gifts
v.11 the same Spirit (i.e. the same Holy Spirit) is the source of these phenomena,
- distributing each as He wills (an inanimate force does not have a will, or have the ability to choose)
Everyone had at least one spiritual gift, but not everyone had every gift
v.29,30 is a series of questions, all with the answer “no” (in the Greek - an untranslated particle mé ,demanding the answer “no”, precedes each question)
New American Standard Bible captures the sentiment of vv.29,30 accurately …
“All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?”
One further point - the people were not responsible for the gifts that they had, but they were responsible for how they used their gifts, and their attitude to the gifts. This is the purpose of chapters 12,13 and 14 – full of instructions concerning these gifts, how they were to be used for the benefit of all, what the church’s attitudes to those gifts should be, and, particularly with the gift of tongues, how these gifts were to be exercised in an orderly manner, honouring to God.
Anointing and "Knowledge"
READ 1 John 2:20, 24-27
(NIV/NKJV different here) v. 24-27 anointing … teaches you
Statements in 1 John need to be viewed in the context of John exhorting his readers (a specific group of Jewish believers during the Acts Period). He is writing to them, exhorting them not to be deceived, either by unbelievers or by misleading spirits. (1 John 2:26)
This "God-inspired" knowlegde is similar to what is prophesied about the future kingdom, in Jeremiah 31:31-34 ...
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The Acts Period was a foretaste of the future kingdom, when there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2/ Joel 2 – “it will come to pass in those days that I will pour forth my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall speak of things to come, etc) … and a time when they will no longer have to teach each other and say “Know the Lord”, for they will all know Him.
Today, we are not under the new covenant. This is evident when we observe that:
(1) these things are for "Israel and Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31); and
(2) they haven’t happened yet – teaching is still required today.
Concluding Thoughts
Evidential phenomena came upon all believers during the Acts period, but the process wasn’t complete. The conditions of the Acts Period were just a foretaste of the future kingdom.
The promise of the kingdom is related to Israel’s repentance. Israel have been set aside in God’s plans, thus, so have the miracles. The miracles and "manifestations of the Spirit" will recommence sometime again when God starts dealing with them as a special nation once again.
