The Gifts of the Holy Spirit- 1

1 Corinthians 12:1-31.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 31, 2026.

We are going to look at how the Holy Spirit helps us through spiritual gifts within the Church.  Our passage today is not given to explain each spiritual gift and its function, like a how-to guide.  Rather, Paul is writing to correct errors and abuse within this area of spiritual gifts.  This chapter combats pagan thinking by giving us God’s thinking about spiritual gifts.  Proper understanding will go a long way to helping us correct abuse in this area.

It is common today to respond in two different ways.  One response is born out of fear.  It shuts down all spiritual gifts, whether declaring them invalid today or simply declaring that no one is doing it correctly.  Another response is to embrace them.  However, that embrace runs the risk of raising our subjective experience and desires above what the Holy Spirit is actually wanting to do through spiritual gifts.

Passages like this one are written to help us navigate this area in step with the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at our passage.

The contrast between Christians and the world (v. 1-3)

Paul begins by noting that they weren’t always Christians.  Most of them had a prior life of worshipping the Greek gods (this is Corinth, Greece). They had been led astray to these mute idols.  Because their religious understanding had been informed by paganism, they were not recognizing the difference of worshipping and serving the One True God.  They lacked understanding of the reason for spiritual gifts and how they should be exercised.  Their whole prior experience came from a world that was in rebellion to God and His ways.

This sets up a baseline contrast between the false religions and truth.  They had been led to these idols in a number of ways.  Some were simply born into it.  Others may have encountered human and (or) spiritual deception involving manifestations and signs.  The ancient world was filled with prophecy from these so-called gods.

In our culture today, most are born into materialism that does not worship literal idols.  However, materialism simply replaces the Creator God with something within creation, i.e., money, sex, power, humanity, or even self.

Those who are not following God are not led towards Jesus.  The spirit of this world, whether in materialism or false religion, points us away from Jesus.  However, the Holy Spirit always leads us towards Jesus, and him as the blessed Lord over all things.

Paul establishes this up front.  The spirits of this world lead us to a position that sees Jesus as cursed, something to avoid.  Those who exercise spiritual gifts in the Church must be led by the Holy Spirit and not the spirit of this age.  One is poison and the other is eternal life.

The reason for diversity of gifts within a unity (v. 4-11)

The Corinthian problem was a particular fascination with one of the spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, i.e., an unknown language.  It was pushing out all of the other spiritual gifts and creating division among the believers.

Paul emphasizes that the diversity of gifts comes from the same Holy Spirit.  Yet, he also emphasizes that God Himself is a unity of plurality (e.g., the mention of “Spirit (v. 4) Lord (v. 5) and God [the Father] (v. 6).  We may not completely understand the nature of God, but we do know that there is a unity within plurality.  It is the unity within God that sends the Holy Spirit.  He manifests that unity of purpose in a variety of spiritual gifts, spiritual ministries, and spiritual workings.  These always manifest within or through an individual, but it is for the benefit of all (for the common good).  Paul then states that this is as He (the Holy Spirit) wills.  The emphasis is not on the individual being gifted or having a gift.  It is upon the Spirit manifesting through them as the Spirit of God wills.  Of course, individuals will have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.  That cooperation needs to be not only in the exercise of the gift but also in the way it is exercised.

Our flesh can get in the way of the Holy Spirit in this area of spiritual gifts.  It can get in the way by blocking it, first in your own life, and then in the life of others.  However, our flesh can also get in the way by using spiritual gifts for our own desires and purpose.  The Corinthians appear to be guilty of both.  They are blocking the purpose of the Spirit and a multitude of spiritual gifts, while overly pursuing one gift for their own aggrandizement.

Paul gives a list of spiritual gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.  This is clearly not exhaustive since we have other gifts listed elsewhere.  It is not even entirely clear that Paul is trying to say that a word of wisdom is a separate spiritual gift from a word of knowledge.  This list is couched in the language of an individual being given something from the Spirit of God, which is then shared with the Church.

Essentially, this diversity of expressions are coming from the same Holy Spirit who gives these individually as He wills.

The illustration of the human body (v. 12-26)

Paul uses a popular illustration of the human body to demonstrate how spiritual gifts are meant to operate in the Church.  The Church is pictured as a body of Christ.  This means that Christ is the One who operates the body.  Yet, each Christian is a part of this body.

A human body has many parts to it, but it incorporates one body and acts as a whole to accomplish what the mind of the body desires (hint: this is Jesus!).

It would be ludicrous to imagine body parts dividing over one another in envy or rejection, but this is precisely what makes Paul’s illustration so powerful.  In verse 15, he imagines a foot saying it is not a part of the body because it is not a hand.  Similarly, he imagines an ear saying it is not a part of the body because it is not an eye.  Whether this is out of a sense of inferiority or not, Paul emphasizes that, even if a foot and an ear were to say that they weren’t a part of a body, it would not thereby make it so.  In fact, a body implies a multitude of different body parts doing different things.  You can’t have a body that is only one big eye, one big hand, etc.  It is a body precisely because it has all of these different capabilities working together to accomplish the one thing purposed by the mind.

In the area of spiritual gifts, this is important.  If we were all the same or trying to be the same, we would be missing valuable and necessary spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit is trying to supply through us.

Paul gives a variation on this argument in verse 21.  He imagines an eye saying to the hand, “I have no need of you.”  Similarly, he imagines the head saying to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  In verses 22 and 23, he adds the ideas of weaker body parts and less honorable body parts.  Notice the idea of division here is driven by looking down on certain spiritual gifts and pushing them out.  Of course, there are individuals behind these spiritual gifts.  The pressure within the group was to conform to some irrational vision of what was intended by spiritual gifts.

God is the one who has placed you within the body of Christ just as He has willed.  He is also the one working by the Holy Spirit to express a variety of spiritual gifts.  In fact, it is ludicrous to imagine only one spiritual gift.  The same God of Creation who expressed His creative ability in a vast panoply of a variety of creatures, is the one who is behind the spiritual gifts.  It stands to reason that it must have variety if He is the one behind it.

Paul undercuts this tendency to uniformity by the Corinthians by pointing them back to the Spirit.  It is the Spirit who manifests these various spiritual gifts.  If we think some gift, or person, is more honorable, valuable, than another, it doesn’t matter.  Our estimations can be quite horrible at times, especially when we are not thinking biblically. 

Instead of dividing over the different spiritual gifts, we should work together for the common good that the Spirit intends.  Honor is not determined by the body part, but by God who has made it and given it a particular function.

Paul then adds to the argument.  If one body part suffers, all the body parts suffer with it.  If one body part is honored, the whole body rejoices with it.  In fact, the Spirit of God honored the apostles (Peter, John, Paul, etc.) with the power and position to establish the church in doctrine and in practice.  It would be foolish for modern day “apostles” to envy that position and try to improve on it or replace it with something better.  Instead of kicking against God’s function through these men, we must learn to let the Spirit work through us in a way that works together with the Spirit’s work in them.  When we honor them, we honor ourselves because we are all together the body of Christ on this earth!

Concluding statements (v. 27-31)

Though Paul has already given some connections from the illustration of a body to the reality of the body of Christ, the Church, he then brings home the illustration in some concluding statements.

We are all together the body of Christ and members of it.  Regardless, what you may think or feel, God has made a place and function for you.  By faith, we must embrace that place and seek that function (or those functions) that the Spirit wants to manifest through us while harmonizing with what the Spirit is manifesting through others.

Of course, all of this assumes that we are not letting the spirit of this world manifest in and through us. 

God has appointed various ministries (apostles, prophets, teachers) and various works of power (miracles, gifts of healings) and various other gifts (helps, administrations).  He ends the list with the spiritual gift that fixated the Corinthians, “various kinds of tongues.”

We do not all have the same ministry, and no one person has all of these ministries happening through them.  However, we all do have the ministry and gifts, that the Holy Spirit so desires.

Paul concludes with two statements that seem contradictory.  “Earnestly desire the greater gifts.”  This thought will be picked up again in chapter 14.  By desiring tongues alone, the Corinthians were displaying their ignorance about what makes a spiritual gift greater or not greater than another. 

Yet, the second statement declares that there is a more excellent way.  This segues to chapter 13 and a treatise on why love is the foundation to any exercise of spiritual gifts.  It is interesting that he does not call love a spiritual gift.  It is a way, the way of Jesus, that we are called to travel with the Holy Spirit and our fellow believers.

Why do we let spiritual gifts divide us?  It all comes down to ignorance of God’s purpose and refusal to be led by the Holy Spirit.  May God help us to work together with the Holy Spirit for the common good of the Body of Christ!

Gifts of the Spirit 1 audio

The First Letter of Peter- 14

Subtitle: Our Witness before the World- Part 6

1 Peter 3:8-12. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Peter has been looking at specific relationships that Christians would have in those days.  In each one, he gives specific instructions. Today’s passage sums all of this up.

Let’s look at our passage.

All of you should be of one mind (v. 8-12)

Peter uses a phrase that is generally translated as “to sum up” or “finally.”  Having reached the end of the relationships he wanted to address specifically, Peter now gives advice on how, as believers in Jesus, we ought to approach our relationships regardless of whether or not we are in the strong or the weak position.  This would include our relationships with other believers and those who are unbelievers.  However, unbelievers are not going to be hearing Peter’s instructions much less adhering to them.

The first thing we run into is to be “harmonious” (NASB).  The word is literally “same-minded” and has the sense of operating from the same thinking.  Though it is not specifically stated in this verse, it is the mind of Christ and the example that came from it that Peter has in mind (see 2:21-25).  To further support this, Peter will use some phrases in this section that were used earlier regarding Jesus.  Thus, it is particularly the mind of Christ that we are to have.

Our approach in our relationships needs to start with the question, “What would Jesus have me do?”  “Jesus, how can I be a boss, an employee, a husband, a wife, etc. that is following your mind?”

Paul says it this way in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”  Relationships are better when both parties are thinking like Jesus.  We should be focused on the purposes of God rather than on the purposes of our natural desires.

To be clear, we are not talking about trying to be a good boss as defined by lazy employees, nor are we trying to be a good employee as defined by harsh employers who expect all of your time, even when you are off the clock.  It is defined by Jesus and the trusted Word that we have written down for us in Scripture.

I can have the mind of Christ even when the other person doesn’t.  God will help us to be a witness for Jesus to them by how we act and respond.  No matter what people may do to get ahead of you and push you down, we can entrust ourselves to God.  Will they get away with it?  It may look like it to us, but they haven’t gotten away with it.  God is our defense and reward.

Let’s be clear.  What Jesus experienced was bad.  You too will go through things that are not right.  It is not that God wants these bad things to happen to us but that He promises to work them to the good for us and others.  This is what it means to have the mind of Christ.  It means that we cease using the sin of others to justify our own sin.  Rather, we choose to honor the righteousness of God in the situation and entrust our future into His hands.

Peter continues with a list that describes what it means to have the mind of Christ.  “Having compassion for one another” involves being able to identify with the suffering of another person.  It touches us deeply.  The opposite would be to have a hard and insensitive approach to others.

He then mentions “loving as brothers.”  This refers to the familial love that we should have for one another.  This is best understood within the family of believers.  Of course, familial love has lots of ups and downs, especially in our spiritual infancy.  Brothers will get on each other’s nerves, step on each other’s toes.  Yet we are family.  You don’t kick people out of the family.  You work to reconcile.  Thus, spiritual parents are important.  Mature believers have a duty to help immature believers embrace the righteous path of asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness.  Yet, in the end, our Heavenly Father will ultimately hold us to the reality of learning to love our brothers and sisters.

We are to be “tender-hearted.”  Similar to compassion, this has the idea of having deep feelings toward one another.  Our love should come from the depths of our heart.

With the last description, we have a manuscript issue.  Some of the early manuscripts have “humble in spirit” and others have “friendly.”  We won’t go into the details of all of that.  I think we can agree that both could be attached to this list without inserting error.  Whether Peter meant humility or friendliness, I would say that they are both good.  The humble person approaches others without arrogance or thinking of yourself as more important than others.

Peter then moves to a couple of negative issues, i.e., things from which to refrain.   He uses the wording about Jesus from 2:22-23.  Jesus did not respond with evil for evil, nor did he revile those who reviled him.  We mentioned back then that reviling has the sense of strong verbal abuse to it.  We are quickly becoming a society that is treating verbal abuse as more and more acceptable.  A Christian must refrain from this activity, even if the other person is abusing us.

In fact, even Christians can have misunderstandings or see things differently from one another.  We are to restrain ourselves from the natural inclinations of our flesh and take hold of the same mind that Christ had when he restrained himself.

Instead of returning evil for evil and reviling for reviling, we are to return a blessing to them.  This a clear allusion to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:44. “Love your enemies and bless those who curse us, pray for those who spitefully use you…”

Yes, this may seem unfair, but unless the other person repents, they will be in a world of hurt in the Judgment.  Don’t let the tragedy of another person’s spiritual destruction pull you down into that destruction as well.

So how can I bless someone who is “cursing” me?  Ultimately, we are seeking to be a good thing in their life, whether they see it as that or not.  We should start by praying for them.  “Lord, I know that you don’t like what they are doing.  I pray that you help me to speak your words, draw them away from their sin and towards you.”  If done well, we can be a good thing in their life by warning them of the judgment that hangs over their actions.  Lastly, we can find something that is tangible to do for them.  In all of this, we need to ask for the wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot do this in a fake and superficial way.  It must be real and sacrificial.  It must come from the heart of God.

Peter mentions that those who do this “will inherit a blessing.”  He basically says, “If you want to inherit a blessing, then live your life in such a way as to be a blessing to others.”

There is a certain inheritance in this life.  It is up to us how much like Jesus we want to be and therefore the ways He will bless us in this life.  Yet our full inheritance will not come until the Resurrection.  Any blessing in this life is only a bitter-sweet foretaste of something that will have all the bitterness removed in the future!  To dwell with God and His goodness for eternity in immortal, imperishable, bodies is a great inheritance indeed!

Peter then quotes Psalm 34:12-16.  He is essentially showing us that Scripture backs up what he has been saying.

This psalm was written by David when he pretended to be insane in front of the Philistine king in order to save his life.  What was David doing in the Philistine territory?  King Saul of Israel accused David of disloyalty and sought to kill him.  This eventually drove David out of Israel into the enemy’s territory.  This isn’t just about people, but about the devil and his angels too.

It was the fear of the Lord and the desire to be blessed by God that helped David to restrain himself.  Yes, David was not as good as Jesus, but he would be an example from the Old Testament that they could remember.  More than an example, the words of David (the lessons that he discovered in this time) are instructive to us going through something similar.

This section challenges those who want the truth.  Do you desire life, to love and see good days?  If you do, then you must restrain yourself from doing evil and choose to do good, seeking and pursuing peace with others.  Why?  God is watching all that happens.  He will ultimately judge our actions in these things.

God’s eyes are depicted as being towards the righteous.  This is a reference to being favorable to Him.  He is watching us and hearing our prayers in order to “attend” to them.  However, the face of God is against those who do evil.

David simply trusted God.  Saul’s evil actions meant to kill David.  They even pushed David into dangerous territory.  It would be easy for David to justify evil actions toward Saul.  However, David had the mind of Christ (at least in this situation).  David knew that he could not kill Saul and remain guiltless.  God had raised up and anointed Saul, and therefore, God would remove Saul in a way that David could remain pure (see 1 Samuel 26:8-12).

It is difficult to trust God and wait upon Him.  God is far more gracious than we would be.  King Saul didn’t deserve all the grace that God gave him, but David recognized that God would eventually deal with him.

This brings up a powerful question in all of our relationships.  God is watching me and the other person.  The way we treat one another is making a case to God for good or for bad.  We are choosing to be on the side of the righteous or on the side of the wicked.

It is better for us to do what is right (even if the evil continues to be poured out on us) and receive the blessing of God, then to come under the curse and judgment of God.  We all need His grace.  God’s delay of judgment with the wicked is a grace to them.  They may even yet repent.

Perhaps you repented at one point and chose to follow Jesus.  That is great!  Yet repentance needs to be a present attitude with you and me.  We are continually ready to judge when God is not.  It is not just the external enemies who threaten to pull us away from Christ.  It is the internal enemy of our own sinful nature that really threatens to pull us down.

Can we simply be a repenting people who sacrifice themselves in order to pursue peace with others?  Can I serve the purpose of God in the situation rather than the purpose of me?

Others may think that you are foolish, but it is never foolish to stand with Jesus and live out his righteousness.  Of course, we can only do this by the help of the Holy Spirit, through keeping our faith in the mind of Christ, and when we entrust ourselves to the truth that God is our vindication.  Our greatest times of witnessing to the greatness of Christ is when we lay down our desires and pick up his.  This is when the world truly sees Jesus in us!

Our Witness 6 audio

The Letter to the Colossian Church- 11

Subtitle: Living out Your New Identity- 2

Colossians 3:12-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

In the previous section, Paul had given us a list of the things that Christians need to put off, or to take off.  He generally mentioned in verse 10 that we should then put on the new self that is being renewed into the image of Christ.  The section before us gives a summary list of the virtues and character of Christ that we need to put on.  Essentially, we are putting off everything that is not Jesus and putting on everything that is Jesus.  In order to do that, we will need to get to know him by reading the Word of God and by spending time in prayer with him.

Let’s look at our passage.

Those who have been chosen of God (v. 12-14)

Back in verse 1, Paul used the conditional “if” to challenge them.  “If you have been raised with Christ, then set your mind on the things above.”  This was talking about having a heavenly perspective about things on the earth, doing earthly things for God’s purpose.  This is what the Lord’s prayer is getting out.  “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The conditional is not used to disqualify them, but rather to underline the importance of the command.

In verse 12, he does something similar.  Here, we have, “As those who have been chosen of God, then…”  This has the effect of tying the theological truth (you have been chosen of God) with a practical result in the way we live life- we will get to what that is in a moment.  Our theology should be logically connected to the way we live our life.  Our walk needs to line up with our talk.  We cannot claim to be a child of God while living like the devil.

So, who are these chosen ones?  God has chosen all those who will put their faith in Jesus, the Christ. 

There are some who challenge this understanding of God’s choice.  They believe it puts us in the place of saving ourselves.  They will typically say that the only reason you choose to follow Jesus is because God first chose you individually.  If He had not chosen you, then you would have never truly believed in Jesus.  At least, this is what they would say.  The problem here is that God from eternity past knew who would do what.  Yet, the contention of such theologians is that God chose people without any thought about what they would do.  He sovereignly chose some and didn’t others.  You may appear to choose Christ, but it is only because God first chose you.

I believe this is a misunderstanding of God and of His sovereignty.  All through Scripture, God is calling for us to choose Him.  “Choose this day whom you will serve!”  “Whose on the Lord’s side?  Come over here!”  The Gospel of Jesus is always presented as something we need to believe without coercion.

Thus, the character of God is such that He will not force us to come to Him.  Both because He is loving and because He is just, it is wrong to conceive of God controlling our ability to choose Him.  However, in the name of upholding the sovereignty of God- by saying He controls everything without anything from us- they actually end up limiting the sovereignty of God.  Essentially, they are saying that God cannot be sovereign enough to carve out a place wherein people can be free to choose Him. 

Truly, we cannot save ourselves even by believing.  The only reason faith can save is because God through Jesus did a real work of paying the price for sins.  A simple analogy is that of a meal.  If God never cooked the meal and put the plate in front of us, none of us are capable of feeding (saving) ourselves.  However, when God in His sovereignty cooks the meal, spreads the table, and calls whosoever will respond to eat at His table, the responding person is not saving themselves.  Rather, they are submitting to the sovereign choice of a God who is demonstrating His saving love to them.  When God puts the plate of grace in front of a person, they are able to believe and respond.   We are not save by our faith, but we are saved through it.

Paul further describes them as holy and beloved.  When you put your faith in Jesus, you become holy.  This does not mean that you walk on water and never sin.  A holy person is a person who has been set apart by God for His purposes.  Similar to a holy bowl in the temple of old, an Israelite should never take the holy bowls from the temple in order to impress people they are having over for dinner at their home.  The distinction is that there are common things that we all do, and there are holy things.  Christians are no longer to live their lives like everyone else, the common people.  We are to live our lives solely for the purposes of Christ.  In fact, the New Testament actually increases the concept of being holy because everything in our life becomes holy now.  We are to do all that we do for the purposes, glory, and honor of Christ.

You are also a loved one (beloved) of God.  The word for beloved is speaking of something done in the past that has continuing effects into the present.  You have been dearly loved by God by the work of Jesus Christ and the bringing of salvation to your door. 

In all of these things, being chosen, holy and loved of God, it is not intended to make us look down our noses at those who do not believe.  God’s love calls all to join the chosen and holy community.  He calls all to repent and join those who have stepped into Christ by faith.  Of course, none of us deserve to be in this place of His love.  However, we have been brought in through the work of Jesus and through our faith in him.

This leads up to a “therefore” moment.  Since you are chosen of God, holy and beloved, you should put on some things that we will get to in a moment.  This begins a list of virtues, or rather, the character of Christ.  It is using the language of clothing that was started earlier in the section on the vices we need to “take off.”  We undress our lives of the things of this world, and we dress ourselves with the character of Christ, the image of Christ.  We are taking off the works that our flesh generates and putting on the character and works that the Lord Jesus Christ generates through the Holy Spirit working in us.

Let me take humility- which we will talk about in a bit- for an example.  We are not called to put on humility as we might define it, or as the world defines it.  We are called to put on humility as it is defined by God and especially revealed through the words and actions of the Lord Jesus.  It is His image we are donning.  We look to him to understand the what and the why of humility.

This world loves to give lip service to love, toleration, justice, equality, and inclusivity.  However, the definition of these things, and how they are actually lived out, often lead to a perverted expression of them.  Seeking these things for the sake of saying we are doing them puts us in the driver’s seat.  It is a form of self justification.  Society will continue to adjust the definitions of these things according to the desires of their sinful flesh.  Christians are called to embrace Christ and let his humility be lived through us.

So what are we putting on?  First, we put on a heart of compassion.  There are two words here, even though some translations will translate it with one word.  The first word refers to a deep place in the guts of a person.  It is best translated as heart, but we might get a glimpse of the meaning in our description of “getting the butterflies.”  Notice that we do not speak of the butterflies as being in our heart, but rather our stomach.  So, the type of compassion they are describing comes from a deep place that is deep within you and is accompanied by a feeling in the pit of our stomach.  In this case, it is not the butterflies (nervous excitement of what is ahead).  It is compassion for someone’s predicament.  You did not cause their plight, but their misery has touched something deep within you and motivated you to action.

Compassion is the first word that God uses to describe Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6.  That Hebrew word also has the emphasis on a deep-seated compassion for those in misery.

We want to be careful of only having a heart of compassion for people that we like, or for people in which it is socially acceptable to help.  Putting on the compassion of Christ will put you at a Samaritan well talking to a woman who is very far from God.  The people around you (even the woman herself) may protest that you shouldn’t do this.  However, Christ expressed the great compassion that God the Father had for her by giving her his compassion in the moment.

We are also told to put on kindness.  Kindness somewhat speaks for itself, but it speaks of a general disposition of goodness towards others.  A person who is kind has a kind of default setting.  They are predisposed to being good, benign towards others.

We are to put on humility as we said before.  This is a lowliness of mind towards others (and God).  Our position or standing does not influence the way we speak and deal with people.  We do not approach them as superiors, nor even as equals.  We come with lowliness of mind, knowing that God helps the humble, but resists the proud.

It is easy to think that you are humble when you think about God.  The real test is in our relationships with one another.  When we think we are smarter than others around us, when we compare ourselves to them and think that we are better than them, we will act in ways that are anything but humble.  How smart and how much better than us Is Jesus?  Yet, how humble was he in the face of men who were clearly wicked?  Did you deserve Christ to come down and serve you by taking your place on a cross?  No, you do not; none of us do.  Lay down your pride and judgments and simply serve others for Christ.

We also put on gentleness.  The gentleness of a person says nothing about how strong they are.  Gentleness at its core is not about weakness, but about control of strength so as not to cause injury.  What is true in the physical is also true in the way we approach one another.

Of course, we should remind ourselves that these virtues of Christ are not some kind of law.  When Jesus whipped the men out of the temple, it did not look gentle.  We are to be gentle with one another, but sometimes a strong word and strong action is necessary.  However, it must be the image of Christ and the Spirit of Christ that is governing our words and actions in that moment.

We are to put on patience.  The word here has the idea of a long fuse.  We need to be slow to anger (another virtue that God uses to describe Himself in Exodus 34:6).  You need to take off your short fuse and put on a long fuse, and not long as you define it.  We put on the long fuse of Christ with one another.

In verse 13, Paul moves deeper in the virtues, showing how they lead to virtuous actions.  It is not enough to think virtuous thoughts.  Such virtues will and must always lead to virtuous action.

Bearing with one another is the picture of someone who may need to be carried from time to time.  It is never convenient to have to carry someone, but love compels people to use our strength to help the weak in whatever form it occurs.  In fact, we all need to be carried, whether metaphorically or literally, at times.

What do I mean about a metaphorical carrying?  None of us are perfect, despite the attitude of some.  There is a certain heaviness that others experience in those less than perfect moments.  The choice to either overlook, i.e., not make an issue of something, or to bring up the issue, but with an attitude of love, is a heaviness that others must carry in the presence of my differences from Jesus.  Some of these are sin.  I am disobeying the commands of Christ.  Others are simply offenses.  My personality is grating on yours, and of course, those differences can lead to overt sinful choices.  When we ask for forgiveness and extend forgiveness, we are choosing to carry the weight of one another.  When we step in and help in moments that were even caused by the lack of foresight of the other, we are choosing to carry them.  We should make room for one another by not holding on to the sins and the offenses that others have done to us.  Perhaps we should think of it this way.  Our sinful flesh would rather hold on to the weight of the sins and offenses, never letting go, when Christ would have us drop the list we are keeping and carry a different weight, the burden of love for a person.

The best way to begin carrying a person is to pray for them.  Ask God to change your heart.  Ask Him to help you see what you can say, or not say, do, or not do.  Be committed to a good relationship in the name of Jesus.  Ask for wisdom on how what things should be overlooked as trivialities and what things need to be addressed in love.  Ultimately, be committed to carrying the weight of working things out with a person who may not be easy for you.  In fact, I am sure that all of us have people who have found it hard to carry us in such a way.

Paul’s next point of forgiveness is a natural next point as I mentioned above.  We all need to learn to forgive each other.  Of course, there are times when people persist in belligerence and refuse to get along.  However, Paul is calling us to this commitment of love.  Love forgives.  Love refuses to hold on to a record of wrongs.  Love never quits!

Paul says the same thing in another way.  “Whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”  Think about this.  Did Christ forgive you of your sins because you became perfect?  No.  It was first because he loves you and secondly because you responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  We must be quit to let go of complaints in forgiveness.  If a person refuses to deal with offenses, we are still to move forward by keeping the door open for reconciliation.  Here is a prayer to try.  “Lord, this offended me, and it is hard to let go.  I turn this over to you and trust you with whatever happens.  Let me do only what you want me to do.  Let me say only what you want me to say.”

Verse 14 then states, “Beyond all these things…”  Some versions say “Above all these things…”  Since Paul has been using the language of clothing, it may be better to translate this as “On top of all these things…”  This final thing is like the outer cloak that everyone would recognize as your cloak.  It is the signature touch to getting dressed in the Character of Christ.  We are to put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Thinking of love as if it were clothing may seem strange.  However, it makes sense.  Love is something that is not generally welling up from within our soul.  It is often the conviction of the Holy Spirit pointing us to this thing called love that challenges us to pick it up and clothe ourselves with it.

Although love will help people to have a bond of unity, this most likely refers to love as the virtue that ties all of these character traits together into a bond of perfection, or a unity of full maturity.  If we only contemplated these character traits as individual items on a list, they may be twisted beyond the point.  It is love that teaches us when gentleness must give way to a firmness and perhaps to a harsh word.  All of these things should be seen as facets of love which ties them all together into a perfect man, the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Love is being committed to the good and well-being of another as God defines it.  Jesus said it best.  “Love one another as I have loved you!”

How did Jesus love us?  He did it with his whole heart, even when it hurt, sacrificially, undeniably, outwardly, etc., etc., etc.  He is calling us to love one another this way.

Some further exhortations (15-17)

In verse 15, Paul gives them an imperative. However, it is an imperative about letting something happen to you that God will do, if you yield.  You are the question here, not God.

We are told to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  The word for “rule” here has the idea of an umpire.  In other words, let the peace of Christ have such a position in your heart and mind that it is calling the shots and grading our attempts.

The Colossians were dealing with some men who were coming into their church and making judgments about how they were serving Christ and what they believed.  Some disconcerted Colossians were listening to these men and following their judgments.  Yet, Paul knew that these men were leading them into the philosophies of men and the legalism of religionists.

This admonition to let the peace of Christ call the shots in your life would be a protection against those who would try to trouble our hearts about whether we were acceptable to God or following Him correctly.

The peace of Christ can be seen in different ways.  First, it is the peace that Jesus creates between us and God the Father.  In Jesus, we can know that God the Father does not see us as an enemy.  He sees you as His child.  This knowledge can be a protection when others try to scare you about how God sees you.

However, the peace of Christ can also be seen as something that is an internal experience.  Just as Jesus stood up in the boat and cried, “Peace!  Be still!,” so we have many times when we need the Spirit of Christ to silence the internal troubled waters.  This comes as we spend time in prayer, seeking His wisdom and direction.

Finally, the peace of Christ can also be the external experience that believers have between one another. In the context of this passage, all of these have their place.  They work in a three part combination.  My relationship with God the Father leads to an inner experience, which can then lead to working for the external peace between brothers and sisters.  We have been called to this peace of Christ in one body (vs 15) by One Lord and One Spirit!

This is the work that the Spirit of God will do and is even now doing in our fellowship with one another.  However, you, I, need to cooperate with this purpose of His.

He qualifies this activity with the phrase, “and be thankful.”  This is the first of three times that he reminds the Colossians (us) to do these things while also being thankful.  Have you ever done something you were supposed to do, but with the wrong heart, perhaps begrudgingly?  Yes, we need to work for peace between us, but we need to do so without complaining to God about others.  Yes, this is hard, but God is in it.  Trust Him!  Give thanks that you are not doing this by yourself.  You are partnering with One who is greater than anything you may face!  Give thanks!

The second thing that we need to let happen is that we need to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.  The Word of Christ is firstly the Scriptures.  Not just the words that are in red, but the whole thing.  All Scripture is God-breathed, and the spirit of prophecy is Jesus.  Read it and bring it into your heart and mind.  Take ownership of this need to have God’s Word dwelling in you.  Yes, churches and pastors are handy, but take time to go further.  Ask God for a love of His Word.  The idea of the Word dwelling richly in our hearts has to do with the fruitfulness of the Word of God.  It is a seed that is intended to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  Take time to prepare the soil of your heart.  Till up the hard parts, roll out the big rocks, and spend some time weeding in your heart so that God’s Word may be fruitful in your life.  This is its normative effect.  This is why we do not read the word as a mere exercise in quantity.  Rather, we spend time praying about what we read and meditating on it.  We spend time fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit over what the Word is saying to us.

Paul adds to do this with all wisdom.  This does not mean our wisdom, but the wisdom of Christ.  This too is a part of our prayers and meditations.  They had received wisdom about the Scriptures from Christ and his apostles.  When others come along later and try to trouble the waters, wisdom would say to be careful.  You already have everything you need in Christ.  Turn back to Him instead of looking to a man on this earth.

He continues telling them to be teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  Of course, we can teach and admonish without singing, but there is something about singing that takes God’s Word to the next level.  In some ways, it is a spiritual warfare that pushes out the enemy.  It is easy to say words that you don’t believe, but it is much harder to sing them.  In fact, a person may begin singing half-heartedly, but songs have a way of lifting us and calling us to a higher place of worship. 

Yet, notice the second occurrence of thankfulness.  “Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  In the midst of heavy brothers, offenses, and forgiveness, in the midst of attempts to take off cruddy clothing and to put on the attire of Christ, we can sing with thankfulness and gusto because we are doing it for Christ!  He ain’t heavy; He’s my brother!  How can a heart sing this, say this, without first coming to grips with the Lord who has carried us all and made us to be brothers to Himself?  Even in the midst of stony hearts and hurtful actions, we can be thankful that the God is working out His salvation in us and through us!

Singing to Christ about the glories of who He is, what He has done, and how we are called to be like Him, can drive the devil out of a situation and put our hearts in the right way.

Verse 17 then becomes a summation to this section.  “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Everything I do or say should be done in the name of Jesus.

What does that mean?  “In the name” speaks to doing these things in His place.  You are to be Him in the lives of others.  Your goal should be to let Jesus do through you what He would do if He were there.  It also has the idea of doing it in the reputation of Christ.  Everything we do can affect how people see Christ.  Of course, this can be intimidating because we are not perfect.  Still, I am representing Him and should not act in such a way to dishonor Him.  What do I do if I have acted selfishly and not as Christ would have me?  Be honest.  Confess your error and ask for forgiveness.  Point people to the truth of Christ rather than yourself.

Finally, “in the name” also speaks to doing these things in His purpose, as an ambassador, and as a service unto Him.  If we were more conscious of this in everything we said and did, we would be far more circumspect in our actions towards one another.

He then reminds us for the third time to be “giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”   How can we get a heart like this, a heart that does tough stuff with a thankful and cheerful heart?  We can only get it from Jesus, one day at a time, one dying to self at a time.  May God help us to truly believe that He can help to transform our hearts over time and lead us in living out the image of God that He so perfectly revealed and is even now inspiring within us.

New Identity 2 audio

The Acts of the Apostles 61

Subtitle: Dwelling in Unity

Acts 15:30-41.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 29, 2023.

We have just looked at an example of the Church coming to an agreement about a serious issue that involved salvation.  This wasn’t something that they could overlook.

Of course, when people disagree, generally at least one of them are wrong, and sometimes, both are wrong.  The good news is that the Bible is very clear about things that are necessary for salvation.  You don’t have to go to a particular person to learn it, even though God does use people to bring the Gospel to us.  Yet, when you believe, you become responsible to learn the word for yourself, and to seek the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit for yourself.

Today, we have an issue that does not involve salvation.  Have you ever noticed that we can be very passionate about things that are not essential for salvation?  Some issues are trivial, but others are indirectly connected to the Gospel.  The Bible may not say that a particular belief about abortion is necessary for salvation.  However, to embrace abortion as a good, would demonstrate a misunderstanding of what God’s word is saying to us.  At some point, you may be saying the right things, but really serving another Jesus (one that approves of abortion, homosexuality, and transgender surgeries), and following another Gospel (one that doesn’t call for works worthy of repentance).

We are going to look at the issue of unity today.  We should never take unity in the Spirit of God for granted.  The enemy of our souls plots day and night in order to tear apart any unity in Christ that we may have.  Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church in Acts 20:29-31:

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

This is how serious the Gospel is, both for those in the first century and for us all this time later.  You could say that it is harder for us to hold the line on right doctrine due to the many teachers over the last 20 centuries.

Let’s look at our passage.

The letter from Jerusalem is read in Antioch (v. 30-35)

The Jerusalem church had sent a letter to the Gentile churches explaining the decision they had made.  It was entrusted into the hands of Barnabas and Paul (who were based in Antioch at the time), and Judas Barsabas and Silas (from the Jerusalem church).

When they arrive in Antioch, the whole church is gathered together in order to hear the letter.  Notice that it refers to the church as a “multitude” at this point.  In both the Jerusalem Council and in the reading of the letter at Antioch, we see the Church being very open about the dispute and how it was resolved.  There is no sense that they are protecting the people from the issue, or making the decision in a backroom with a select few.  No, the whole church is involved.

It is sad to see what goes for leadership in our modern churches.  Too often, we protect the poor sodden masses of believers from the issues that we are facing, and make decisions that we then attempt to market and advertise back to the members so that they will embrace what we have determined.  This is not a healthy thing, nor is it a godly thing.

Now, we should not confuse this process with the one that Jesus gives in Matthew 18, where two people are having issues between them.  That would be a reconciliation process between two believers.  However, in our text today, we are looking at what is a doctrinal issue.  The teaching of doctrine is always a public matter, and everyone should be made aware of false teachings in our midst, and what is the proper doctrine.  This has to do with how we define the Gospel and salvation for Gentiles.

In verse 31, we are told that the reading of the letter brought rejoicing to the group.  There is a certain joy that should be had when God helps us to have unity around the truth.  Please know that when you pick up your Bible, you can be confident that it represents what the apostles and our Lord Jesus taught.  This was confirmed by the elders and saints of the first century, establishing a sure foundation.

Unity is not about never having disagreements.  We are not unified around never having issues to work through.  Rather, we are unified around letting the Holy Spirit and the Word of God show us how to resolve our differences.  You may blanch at the fact that church life can be messy, but look at your own family, or even look at your own spiritual walk.  Following Jesus is messy for an individual, and it is messy for parents leading a family.  Why would we suddenly think that a church family, which is far larger, should somehow not be messy?  What I mean by messy is that there are times of disagreements, squabbles, and yet we seek to work them out in the love of Jesus.

We are also told that Judas and Silas, who were prophets, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.  In this situation, it does not appear that they are prophesying about future events.  They are speaking by the Spirit of God to their present situation, and encouraging the people in how they can proceed in serving Christ with confidence.

After some time had passed, it was only natural that Judas and Silas would be going back to Jerusalem.  It doesn’t say that a letter was made, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  At the least, they would take a message back to Jerusalem of the joy and fraternal feelings that the church in Antioch had towards them.

There is an issue with verse 34.  Some manuscripts (and thus, some versions) do not have the statement that “it seemed good to Silas to remain there.”  Of course, even without this verse, it will be clear by verse 40 that Silas had decided to stay instead of going to Jerusalem with Silas.  So, is the verse original, but taken out by later scribes?  Or, was it not original and someone inserted it to make better sense of the flow of the story?  The second is the most likely of the two.  Regardless, It is not the kind of thing that changes the story, or even more important, changes doctrine.

We should not jump to the conclusion that Luke made an error in his story.  Luke is describing how it happened and isn’t concerned with making every little fact explicit.  The story is understandable without verse 34.  Luke says nothing about how Judas and Silas respond to the desire to have them deliver a message.  Perhaps, Silas was originally preparing to go back, but something made him stay.  Did God change his mind, did the following episode change his mind?  We do not know.  However, unforeseen circumstances will lead to Silas going with Paul on a missionary trip.  In all of this, we know that God was leading them and knew that Paul would need someone like Silas.

Barnabas and Paul divide over John Mark (v. 36-41)

In this section, Luke describes a sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul, and it centers on John Mark.  The dispute happens when it comes to Paul’s heart to revisit the churches they had started earlier.  They could find out how the churches were doing and minister to them.

Barnabas clearly agrees.  Yet, trouble surfaces when Barnabas determines to take John Mark with them.  Remember that John Mark had gone with them on the first missionary journey.  When they reached the shores of Pamphylia, he abandoned them and went home.

I would point out to us that Luke is doing more than just telling a story.  Notice that the chapter opens with a doctrinal issue that created a strong dispute between some of the believers.  Paul and Barnabas had worked together to help that matter be resolved peacefully.  Yet, in a smaller matter that did not involve doctrine, they seemed unable to find a peaceful resolution.

We should also recognize that these are two men who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who have prophetic gifts, and have other men around them who are prophets.  Yet, the situation becomes so sharp that they decide to “agree to disagree,” and go their own ways.  We should recognize that this is not a matter of doctrine, but of opinion about what is the wisest thing to do.  There would be no need to convene a council every time two believers have different opinions, neither should we expect that believers will never have different opinions on a matter.

What were their arguments?  We are not told, but it isn’t to hard to supply a general sense of what they are.  Barnabas as a “son of encouragement” wants to give John Mark a second chance, so that he can learn to persevere in the Lord.  Of course, this definitely harmonizes with the fact that the Gospel is all about giving sinners redemption when they don’t deserve it.

Of course, Paul may come back with the reality that they are going into territory where people have tried to kill them.  They need people who can be trusted on the journey, and who are full of faith, not fear.  He could even remind Barnabas of the words of our Lord that a man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.  John Mark can be a believer who is saved, but Paul probably sees him as a man who has shown himself unfit for ministry.

Both arguments have some biblical wisdom to them.  I’m reminded of the classical problem with wisdom in the proverbs.  Proverbs 26, verses 4 and 5, first tell a person not to rebuke a fool, and then tell them to rebuke a fool.  It seems contradictory, but that is how wisdom is.  Sometimes it is wise to rebuke a fool and sometimes it is not.  Wisdom is knowing when you do one or the other.  The same thing is true in this case with Barnabas and Paul.  There is a time to give people a second chance in ministry, and there is a time to pass on letting a person back into ministry (at least with you).  Of course, wisdom is knowing when.  Let’s not lose sight that we should always pray in situations like this for God’s wisdom.

It is important to see that God was quite capable of giving a direction to both of these men.  We might fault them for not seeking God’s answer, but that may not be what the Holy Spirit is showing us.  Neither man abused their gift of prophecy by declaring that God was on their side.  At least, they had the spiritual maturity to recognize that God was leaving it up to them.

As a matter of wisdom, we might recognize that later Paul will accept John Mark as a faithful minister that is “useful” to him (2 Timothy 4:11).  However, he doesn’t say that he was wrong in his earlier decision, only that Mark is now useful to him.

Sometimes it may just be that God uses our differences of personality and opinions to lead us in different directions.  Barnabas will take John Mark and go to Cyprus.  Clearly, this was instrumental in helping John Mark to become a trustworthy leader.  Paul on the other hand will take Silas and go north by land through Syria and into Cilicia where his hometown Tarsus was.

Maybe Paul was too hard, and maybe Barnabas was too soft.  We can note, however, that now there are two missionary teams working at the same time, instead of just one.  Perhaps, in going separate ways, they could best understand what God was saying to each one of them.

We should be careful about always expecting agreement on what Christ would have us do, and that Christ will always give a word of wisdom to settle every dispute.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit is silent in order to see what we will do and how we will handle it.  It can be a test, but don’t think of it as pass or fail.  God is willing to go down the path with both sides of this disagreement.

We can also second guess our past choices and decisions because of what we experience.  Be careful of that.  Paul being stoned in Lystra says nothing about whether he heard from God or not to go there.  In the end, we will have made a lot of decisions that may or may not have been wise.  Yet, the most important point is whether or not we are looking to the Lord Jesus to help us to grow to be more like him.  If we keep our eyes upon Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will help us and our overall course will have been wise (trusting Jesus) over the top of any “unwise” decisions along the way.

Dwelling in unity is more about dwelling in The One who is the perfect unity.  If we will do that, then he will help us to reconcile with one another, without having to completely agree about every opinion and decision.

May God help us to dwell in unity by the help of his Holy Spirit!

Unity audio