Diversity

1 Corinthians 12:4, 6, 28 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  (6) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. (28) And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 is a beautiful chapter to study because The Lord talks to us about two subjects, (1.) our spiritual gifts and (2.) the body of Christ or the local church. Three time God uses the word “diversity” which means – distinction’s or differences – which means - a difference or contrast between similar things or people – God did not build us as Christians or even as humans the same, He used diversity in everything He accomplished. Even in our order to be in unity we fine diversity in God’s spiritual gifts, in the Lord’s local churches, in our gift of scriptural education, and in our place and work in the Lord’s churches. We also find diversities in our human function on this earth, different races, different levels of wealth, different mindset in how to live, some are wealthy, some middle class, some are poor, and some are even very poor. Anywhere in human life, even as Christians we find diversity but one Lord, one Master, one God over all. God chooses every step of our life no matter what part of life we are whether we own a successful business, or if we spend our life as a working man, or if we live a life of never getting ahead, it is all by God’s grace. Life is in the merciful and gracious hands of God, and all by His power. We are all gifted by God’s grace with how we are born, how we grow-up, how we mature, and how we die. God said in His dealing with people, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11 The word’s “no respect of persons” means - partiality, that is, favoritism – this means God used no favoritism or partiality in what gifts He gave to us. God deals with us all the same, with love, mercy, and grace, as He chooses, in life none of us are the same nor are we given the exact grace or even love, for example God loved a remnant and saves that remnant and all others will not be saved. God said, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Romans 9:13 The question must be asked “why Did God love Jacob and hate Esau”? The fact is that God never loved Esau, he did nothing to generate God’s hate toward him, because for God to hate him means that God never loved him. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 God is “Eternal” no beginning and no ending, He is Omniscient, Omnipresent, All Power, All Holy, God has no need to change in anything. “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”  Acts 15:18 He doesn’t need to change anything because He is Perfect in in everything in Eternity. Therefore, whatever God gifts people with it is by His mercy and grace, as He chooses. Therefore, He chose to love Jacob and hate Esau, just as He had the right to love a remnant and hate the others. Paul wrote, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”  Romans 9:20, 21

Diversities of gifts is God’s choice of mercy and grace to every human, everything in life has an appointed time appointed by God’s gift of grace. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 The truth is, people cannot accept these Diversities of gifts as God’s choosing, people are the problem. We separate from each other because of our human diversities. Because of Nationality, race, wealth, biblical views, smartness, the way we live, etc. We are living in a time of pure hate, even in some churches and among some Christians. However, this is wrong because we are what grace hath made us. A lot of Christians separate themselves from other Christians because of God’s gifts of diversities, and this is a sin. No one is perfect in the scriptures, we all fail somewhere, and when Christians snub their noses at other Christians because of some disagreement they are disobeying God. When the different races fail to treat each other as Brothers and Sisters in Christ they are sinning against God. We all need to think about what God says, and look at ourselves in the mirror of the scriptures and see what reflection we see.  “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18 

Everything is in God’s hand.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am primarily speaking to Christians, because the lost has no spiritual understanding of God and His works. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14.  The lost soul has no idea who God is or how God does things. God said, lost people are “…spiritually discerned.” meaning God’s work is like an unsolvable puzzle and lost people cannot fit the pieces because they are spiritually dead and cannot understand scripture. The things of God are unrealistic to them, they do not fit their human logic. However, Christians are without excuse not to study, pray, and accept the teachings of the bible. Most Christians just attend church and accept what the teachers and Pastor teach without any study time of the scriptures, this is a grave mistake. The Lord in speaking highly of the church at Berea said this, “These (the church at Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11 This is where a lot of Christians fail to understand God, they believe their teachers, but never study what they are taught. Every real Christian that studies their bible on regular basis and ask God for the commentary of the Word, the Holy Spirit will teach the Truth. It is here that you will learn of God’s Sovereignty and just how much God has ordained in our life. God said, “To every thing there is a season…” God said, not to some things, not to a few things, but to all things there is a season. The word “season” means - an appointed occasion: - season, time – meaning that God has appointed everything in your life as it has pleased Him. However, God did not stop there, He went on to say, “…and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” So, God appointed, predetermined, or ordained, a time and purpose to everything “under the heaven:”. Meaning nothing in existence functions or exist on chance, but by the purpose, predetermined, will of God. From the salvation of your soul to the fullness of your life. Also, from the beginning to the end of the world are all ordained and predetermined by God’s choosing. If you are the most powerful Christian in the world or the weakest, you are what you are by God’s grace. Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: - and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; - but I laboured more abundantly than they all: - yet not I,-  but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 (The dashes were added to show the different study points in this verse so you can see the work of God in Paul’s life and ministry, Paul was not to be credited, God was.) Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:7 “Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.” Just as Jeramiah was ordained, called, and served by God’s predetermined will, so is Paul and so are we. The more we learn and serve as Christians the more God has blessed us to do His will. In Eph. 2:8 God said, “For by grace are ye saved - through faith; - and that not of yourselves: - it is the gift of God:” (again the dashes is to separate the different study points.) This is to make us understand that God is Sovereign in gifting us with salvation. However, God does not stop there read verse 10, “For we are his workmanship, - created in Christ Jesus - unto good works, - which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Here we see that God not only saved our souls by His Sovereign ordained will and grace, but our entire life as Christians are by His work of grace. Therefore, we must all conclude just as the Apostle Paul did, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace…” However, everything in existence, has it’s being, functions, even lives and dies, by God’s appointed time. Ecclesiastes 3:1. From the beginning of time to the end of time, everything is by God’s pre-ordained, His appointed time and His will. People are not living by chance, luck, or “things just happen”, The Sovereign God of creation ordained and controls everything. Therefore, we must conclude that nothing has to make sense to you, nothing has to be proven to you, the puzzle of life does not have to fit your thinking, God just has to say it and it’s so. The natural person is “spiritually discerned.” and will never understand God, therefore, God is the only one teaching absolute truth, “…yea, let God be true, but every man a liar…” Romans 3:4 Read - God’s word, Study – God’s word – Pray – for guidance from the Holy Spirit – and Believe – what God says. We have a lot of wonderful teachers and Pastors teaching the scriptures in this world, but not one is infallible, only God is, therefore above all God is always to believed.    

The god of this world.

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 

In this world there are two gods of power, God or Jehovah the Creator of the world and the Creator of all things, and a god named Satan that controls the world system and the lost souls in the world. Listen to Albert Barnes, “The name “god” is here given to him, not because he has any divine attributes, but because he actually has the homage of the people of this world as their god, as the being who is really worshipped, or who has the affections of their hearts in the same way as it is given to idols.” Satan has a great irresistible power over people, because of his power over the world system. “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” John 12:31 This means that Satan sits on the throne of the world controlling the minds of people, to a point saved people and all lost people. God said “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…”  People are not morally good as so many claims, “…There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10 Just as Adam and Eve both displeased God after the fall, every single soul ever born (except Jesus) was born blinded to the righteousness of God and under the evil and sinful powers of Satan. Satan is so powerful people cannot resist him, they must and will obey his every command that God allows. People thing they can just resist him, but they cannot, they do not have the will or the power within them to resist him. God called him the prince of the power of the air. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Ephesians 2:2 This is strictly speaking about all the lost people, when God said “Wherein in time past ye walked…” these are the saved, who are no longer under the irresistible powers of Satan, but under the powers of God the Holy Spirit. However, even Christians must beware that we do not fall into the powers of Satan, because he is our adversary seeking to devour us. There are lots of Christians who ignorantly walk after Satan’s power and fall into his will, and there are Christians who walk in some of Satan’s will unknowingly. Only Jesus Christ had the power to overcome the temptations of Satan. Christians can overcome his temptations only thru Jesus Christ, it must be in His given power. Listen to God describe Satan in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We are “wrestling” or fighting against powers we cannot see of feel, we must recognize this is not another man but a power causing people to disobey God. Satan is not “flesh and blood” but rather a power that is inviable “a power of the air”. The lost world, the people, the king’s, the powers that be, even most of “Christendom” are under his power and authority. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44. Satan is called the god of this world because of his control of it, whether governments, people, or even most of what is called Christendom he controls it. He will control it as long as God allows him too. Satan is only defeated by the power of God. “…now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”  John 12:31 This world is going to get worse and worse until Jesus returns. Some true churches and Pastors will ignore and avoid biblical truth more and more in this time called the days of apostasy. Satan will use demonization thru this world system, Christendom, and news organizations to demonize the truth and shame real Christians and churches into submission. It is up to the Pastors and the churches to fight for the truth and to keep the truth alive for the next generation. Christians and churches of old surrendered their lives to keep the churches and truth alive. They refused to surrender unlike some today in the time of apostasy. What is your fight, are you fighting for biblical truth or are you surrendering to Satan and his world system?   “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:9 - 12

“God is manifest in them”

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:19 – 20

One of the hardest things for people to understand is the workings of God. Election is one of the largest stumbling-blocks of people, and it covers more than we think. Some people find the election of God as an unthinkable, unbelievable teaching, and believe that God could never be exclusive. However, what people fail to understand is that if God did not elect some, none would ever be saved, none would ever understand God’s word, no churches would exist, and God would not have one single worker on earth. This is because ever human born is born in sin and their mind are at enmity of God. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:7 – 8. The word carnal means flesh, without Christ and salvation, unless the scripture refers to a very weak believer. In either case neither do anything pleasing to God. We are all born with dead spirits which makes us incapable to love God or do anything to please God. God said of the natural man, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Romans 3:10 – 11 Therefore, people are born in a total depraved body, soul, mind, and with a dead spirit. No one, not one single soul understands God or seeks God for anything and are born a natural enemy of God. Paul went on to write, speaking of both Jews and Gentiles, “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:12. The Psalmist David wrote these words, “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalms 14:2 – 3 Just as God looked down and saw only evil before the flood, He still only see’s evil in totally depraved people. It is this very act of totally depravity nature that keeps people from seeking God and from understanding God. And very weak Christians as Paul described in 1 Cor. 3:1 – 7 speaks of these weak Christians inability to understand God or even serve God. So, we must ask ourselves why are some able to be saved and others not, why are some church members and some are not, why do some understand the bible and others are ignorant to it. We could also ask why some Pastor’s or Ministers are, and others are not. Everything involving God, is a work of grace on God’s part, it has nothing to do with their better or worse than others. God, before the foundation of the world elected what He wanted, and everyone’s salvation, deeds, and understanding, was an election of God. Two things’ people hate to hear, (1) that people are born totally depraved, and (2) that God elects those He wants. People are different, some are saved, and some are lost, those that are saved some are biblically smart and some are biblically ignorant. Some are Pastors, Missionaries, Ministers, hard workers for the Lord, and some are weak and basically ignorant and lazy concerning the Lord. The Lord told the Prophet Jeremiah “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 None of this was Jeremiah’s choice, none was because of him, it was all the work and election of God. Listen to the words of the Psalmist, “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.”  Psalms 71:5 We are not alone, even the Arminian’s teach and agree that God call’s ministers, that accomplishments in the church are by God’s works, they even pray that God will save a lost soul but deny the power that accomplished it. Romans 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator…” Just as God chose Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and His Apostles, He has chosen all that received His grace and mercy. God is not in debt to save anyone nor to educate them, it is all by His mercy and grace. In 1 Cor. 12 we see two main points, (1) in verses 1-11 we are taught that spiritual gifts are by the power of the Holy Spirit, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:4 The diversities are as God elected to give us, and (2) our place in the Lords churches are by God’s appointment also. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” 1 Corinthians 12:18 The Apostle Paul understood this, because after about 40 years or so of being a great servant of God he said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” 1 Cor. 15:10. Paul also wrote this question, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7 If you are lost or you are not biblically educated in the scriptures or you are not a church member, do not blame God. While it is true that God graciously does these things for us, because He elected too. God said, “being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” God’s work does not excuse people, even Christians from our human responsibility to God. It is sin that holds us back, and sin is human responsibility.