July 30 -- Intellectual or Spiritual -- Szczecin

Intellect  [as applied to humans] -- the power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands; the faculty of thinking or reasoning.

Spirit      [as applied to humans] -- the inherent nature derived from God breathing His spirit into man, the part of man that returns to God.

All people have some level of intellect.  Some are born with a higher level of intelligence.  Some have by education or other experiences more fully developed their abilities to use their intelligence.  Using this God given intelligence, and the person's accumulated education and experience to serve people is what I am referring to as Intellectual Ministry.  

All people are born with the same inherent spiritual character.  When born all of people's spirits are disconnected from the Spirit of God as a result of the sin of Adam.  When any human enters into a covenant relationship with God acknowledging Jesus as his or her final decision making authority (Lord) he/she is given a gift of having that inherent spirit reconnected to the Spirit of God and he/she thereby becomes alive in the eternal realm where God lives and operates without the constraints of time, space, or human logic (he/she becomes born again).  When such a person, alive in the eternal realm, invites  the Holy Spirit to come and participate, Holy Spirit begins a process of bringing character, power, and revelation into his/her life as the person cooperates in the process.  Cooperating with Holy Spirit and utilizing His fruit, His gifts, and His revelation to serve people is what I am referring to as Spiritual Ministry.  

We have given these definitions so you may understand what we are saying.  However, at the outset we must acknowledge that in practice the lines of demarcation can be quite blurred.   Obviously, in Spiritual Ministry one also uses his intellect but only in cooperation with Holy Spirit, not in opposition to Him nor as a substitute for Him.  Similarly, in Intellectual Ministry Holy Spirit will from time to time influence what is being said or done.  I remember once when I was a college sophomore, before I had any working relationship I was aware of with Holy Spirit, I went with a team of students to share with the youth of a congregation a couple hours drive from the college.  I ended up being " stuck with" a group of third and fourth grade children. I suspect it was because the team leaders knew I was incompetent.  I was alone with the group.  I was then a terrible public speaker.  I had no idea how to connect with such a group of children.  But, there I was in front of them.  In my heart I cried out to the God who had saved me but I barely knew.  Somehow, only God knows how, when I opened my mouth Holy Spirit gave me words to say.  I spoke with them for about 45 minutes.  Their attention never wandered.  They were moved by what Holy Spirit was saying.  When I was done and we rejoined the rest of the young people and the team, someone asked me what I had talked about.  I honestly could not answer because I did not know.  I came with every expectation of doing Intellectual Ministry.  But God ....

It is also important to understand Intellectual Ministry is not all inherently bad, evil, or wrong.  Many of the people who regularly minister intellectually are good people doing good things with the tools they have available.  Conversely, Spiritual Ministry is not all inherently good, righteous, and correct.  Some people who regularly minister by the power of Holy Spirit, use the gift God has given to serve their own greed, lust for power, and self-glorification.  Many persons who minister intellectually are loving, gracious, humble servants who bring the character of Jesus to virtually every encounter.  Tragically, many people who have received the gifts of Holy Spirit power, are self-centered, vicious, prideful people who defame the character of Jesus by their actions virtually every time they make a pretense of serving others.  Jesus, in His amazing humility, takes both the good and the evil and works them toward good for His Bride.  But that does not make that which was evil any less evil.  It just acknowledges the amazing grace of God toward mankind.

With this background, and with recognition of the risk of mis-use, let it be clear Spiritual Ministry is essential to develop the Body of Christ to her potential.  It is not possible to fully function as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher as described in Ephesians 4 except by the power of Holy Spirit. (See Scriptures below.).  Moreover, "humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" are equally essential for  effective ministry.  And our functioning as servants depends upon the grace that has been given to us.  The nature of that grace varying among us in accordance with the nature of the gift that we are.  The gift that Jesus has formed us to be to His Bride.

The gifts change from person to person, but all the gift ministries have one common purpose, the equipping of the saints, the family of God, so that each child of God would be fully equipped and armed for the ways in which he or she is called to serve in the Body of Christ.  And equipping them is critical because it is their service that builds up the Body of Christ.  It is not the pastor's job to build up the body; it is the work of the saints, the "ordinary" believers.  Moreover, the saints are the ones intended to move us to unity, maturity and knowledge of Jesus.  For far too long we have been deceived into believing that unity was the work of ecumenical counsels; maturity was the work of apostles and pastors; and, knowledge of Jesus was the work of seminarians and teachers.  But these are all  deceptions -- they are false.  These things are all intended to flow from the work of the ordinary believers in the Body of Christ.  Sadly, our intellects and experience lead us to believe the deceptions.  It is only logical that it is the intelligent, well educated, trained men and women who should be bringing us to unity, maturity, and knowledge.  But that is not the way Jesus designed His Church.  It is an error in which the equipping ministries can easily be entrapped.  The innate pride of man starts us to believe in our own importance.  The desire of the ordinary believer to escape his responsibility leads him/her to choose to leave the burden for the gift ministries to carry.  Nonetheless, it is still a lie.  Thus, we see that both the gift ministries and all the "ordinary" believers need to be empowered to walk in Spiritual Ministry not merely Intellectual Ministry.  

As you no doubt recall, most of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians revolves around this topic and the proper understanding of Spiritual Ministry and ways to avoid its abuse in the Church.  Very early in the letter Paul writes to help the folks in Corinth distinguish between the intellectual and the spiritual.  At the transition from chapter 2 to 3, Paul states it very bluntly.   ". . . a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them . . . ".  Thus, for us to expect anyone who does not have an intimate relationship with Holy Spirit to understand Spiritual Ministry is simply a false expectation.  Paul makes it clear that it is essential for us to have " . . . received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God . . . ".  I have often thought of the irony.  We have large arms of the "church" teach us to receive power from Holy Spirit. We have smaller arms of the "church" teach us to receive character or holiness from Holy Spirit.  But very few are talking about receiving revelation from Holy Spirit.  Why is this true ?  Simply, it is because having power makes me think I am better than you; having holiness makes me think I am better than you; but receiving real revelation makes me know that I am not better than any one I am just another servant in Father's house.  It is so much easier to appeal to men's pride than to convey the humility of God.

Later in the letter Paul strongly urges us to " . . . earnestly desire the best gifts . . ." of the Spirit especially that we might prophesy.  But such earnest desires are in vain if we do not develop an intimate and very personal relationship with Holy Spirit.  I encourage you to pursue such an intimate friendship with Him.  I urge you to keep on building that relationship on a daily basis.  He will reveal the heart of Father God to you and continually build your intimate friendship with Jesus.  If you have never started on that road of friendship with Holy Spirit, I urge you to invite Him today to come and occupy His residence in your heart and to lead you into all Truth.

But as you look at the leaders you follow, I urge you to move quietly and quickly away from ones who do not walk in humility.  Further, I urge you to realize that ones who do not practice Spiritual Ministry are very limited in their ability to lead you.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

Ephesians 4: 1 - 16 (NASB)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When HE ascended on high,

HE led captive A host of captives,

And HE gave gifts to men.”

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

I Corinthians 2:12 - 3:3 (NASB)

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Foundations for Living

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.