Understanding Your Identity & Your Tools
The girl screamed! Trapped. The car was burning! The intensity of the flames forced the temperature of her thoughts into hot desperation as this horrible thing curled and licked over the hood - closer. The frame was crunched, the door jammed. Her leg pinned and her life passed before her in seconds. "Help me!! Someone!!! Help!!!!!!"
A jaws-of-life began to roar hope through the black, hideous smoke. The fire hissed and recoiled to contest the hose but fell in a smoldering rage. Then hands, a stretcher, and ambulance...
A rescue squad with many members moved in action as a body. Yet these men don't run into that situation without tools.... They cannot make a difference here without them...
And yet, each member represents the name of the body they're with.
You are a first responder, and represent the name you bear, Christ-ian - whether you're on a stage, a police division, in education or fast food. You are in a division of liberation - each member positioned in different fields to intercept. Jesus is the head, you are the body. And as His body you bear the same Name as the head. Ephesians 5:30 "For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."
1. Do we recognize our identity as such. Because if we did, we would recognize our purposes and our partnership with God much more definitively. - and the power of that posture. (Luke 4:18-19)
2. Just as a member of the rescue squad has tools given him to accomplish the job, so the Body of Jesus Christ has been given tools.
Tonight I want to deal with the tools. But to understand them, I need to set up a backdrop...
If the Head (Jesus) is in heaven, and we are His body, and His body is on the earth... how are the two "one flesh"? (see Eph. 5:29-32) The Answer: Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like the spinal cord - the whole nervous system really - between the head and the body. (1 John 5:7-8)
What are the tools? How do they operate?
1 Corinthians 12:1,4-7
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
4 There are diversities of gifts (used to accomplish a given job), but the same (Holy) Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities (even as in a rescue), but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
(NKJ)
The passage above refers to "Gifts" - these are manifestations of the Holy Spirit to respond to a need.
Paul is saying: "As Christ's body, I don't want you ignorant of the ways He manifests". Because these are different tools needed in a given situation but the same Holy Spirit manifesting them!!
Then, he gives a short list: Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues... (see 1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
But you are not going to operate with these very effectively if you're ignorant regarding them. Don't think it was by chance that boy, that elderly lady crossed your path.
What do you have?
What did Jesus have? (Who) God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. - Acts 10:38
What do you have? "Such as I have I give unto you... in Jesus Name..." said Peter and John, and the lame man was healed. (read Acts 3:2-8) Realize your identity as Jesus' Body and be aware of the tools the Holy Spirit hands you in any given situation (it is how He manifests Himself) Notice, with these tools the Holy Spirit always points to Jesus - He doesn't puff Himself up to look good. Every tool operates via LOVE (See I Corinthians 13)
Side note: One reason an individual may seem to flow in a particular gift of the Spirit is because they have yielded themselves to God in that area; 1. they have become comfortable in it by obedience (like a hand responding to the brain in a regular routine). 2. Or simply because the need calls for it. My Dad is around sick people regularly, the manifestation of healing operates much more commonly with him because of the need in that harvest field (but it is not the only gift/ tool He uses).
Jesus may send you across someone's path He's wanting to heal. Your part is: yield to the Holy Spirit handing you the "tool" of healing for this assignment. A member of the body is going through something - Here you are, and the Spirit is yearning to manifest. He may hand the tool of "word of wisdom" or prophesy/ divine encouragement, etc. It may be He asks you to say nothing but to go cover them in divine prayer language (tongues) which is praying the perfect will of God over them (see Romans 8:26-27)
Or He may need you to yield to tongues at 3:00 a.m. to cover a family member in a situation you don't know about...
Why do we not yield? Maybe because we don't understand these tools, how they operate, their purpose, or that we even can.
Sometimes it's a matter of "we're unaware" of these tools; thus no faith in that area. But understand the Head has to work through you (His body) to get things done on the earth. He does this through the Holy Spirit (that connects us, the body, to the head which is Jesus) -> 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
CLOSING
Like Paul, I desire you to become aware of 1). Your identity as Jesus' body 2). The ways the Holy Spirit manifests through Jesus' body. (The tools given to accomplish the job)
1 Corinthians 12:1 Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
I encourage you to study out these different tools/ gifts/ manifestations in the scriptures. Ask Jesus to teach you their purposes and yield yourself to Him. In the hour we are assigned, it is very dark and the need for the fullness of the Spirit is so necessary to the harvest.
Luke 4:18
"The (Holy) Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
(NKJ)
P.S.
As a side note: In a Marriage or Family, or even Friendship, the gifts/ manifestations of the Spirit are soooo advantageous. Everything is enhanced to another level of sweetness, security, efficiency, etc.
Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit that God promised His children?
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you…
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