PAUL THE PIONEER?

Was Paul a pioneer?  We often think of pioneers here in America as those who moved into uninhabited places and settled there to start new farms or ranches and communities.  They could be those who landed on the east coast, and using hand tools, they built houses and tilled the land.  They also hunted and fished until they could establish livestock herds or flocks.  They could also be those who moved away from those early settlements in covered wagons to repeat what the earlier pioneers had done.

Well, Paul never wore a tricorn hat, or travelled in a covered wagon, built a log cabin, or grew crops, but he was a pioneer.

Pioneers open up new territory.  That's what Paul did for the Gospel.  But we don't call him a pioneer, and maybe we should.  Then, we might also gain a better understanding of what an apostle is in the New Testament.

Before Alexander expanded the Greek empire to the east, the Greeks had already established a commercial and cultural empire of sorts acound the Mediterranean Sea by sending out groups of people to start colonies on the islands and shores.  These groups would have a leader called an apostle.

So, apostles in the Body of Christ are pioneers.  Their job is to take the Good News of Jesus to areas where it hasn't gone before.  They are not only to proclaim the Gospel, but to make converts into disciples.  Then, when the local assemblies of disciples has grown in both size and maturity, he appoints elders and moves on to pioneer another area.

In Hebrews, Jesus is called the Apostle of our confession (3:1).  Could the Father have sent apostles before Jesus?

Abraham is a possibility.  So is Moses, and Joshua.  I'll leave it up to you to study out.

I believe apostles are needed today. Maybe not to open up new geographic areas, but demographic areas.

I don't see many apostles in action today.  Those who strut around calling themselves apostles probably aren't apostles after all.  The real apostles will be operating in areas unknown to the larger Body of Christ.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND THE BODY OF CHRIST: PART TWO

If you haven't read my previous articles on prophecy and signs, please read them now.  I'll wait...

Now, in this article, I will continue this discussion by focusing on areas where I have seen misunderstanding of certain gifts.

TONGUES

Might as well start at the deep end...

All you have to do is read the read the Acts of the Apostles to see that speaking in tongues was part of Christianity.  I'm not going to get into the controversy over whether or not tongues are for today.  I have already studied and researched that issue for my myself, and decided that they are for today.  Not only that, they are needed.

The first thing I need to point out is the tongues I am speaking about are languages that are unknown to the speaker.  How can someone say something in a language they know nothing about?  Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1 mentions tongues of men and angels.  We are well aware that humans have thousands of languages.  Apparently, angels have multiple languages too, but we don't know how many.  We don't need to know that.  What we do need to recognize is that the ability for someone to speak an unknown tongue does does not come from one's own mind, but it happens through a miracle.  Before I discuss this miracle, I need to address other issues.

Most of the confusion I see about tongues relates to their uses.  Not many realize that tongues have more than one or two uses.  But they are there in black and white in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 14.

In verses 2 and 13 through 17, Paul talks about tongues used in prayer.  First, he states that one speaking in tongues speaks to God.  Later, he talks of one blessing or thanking God in tongues.  But people around him won't be able to understand what is said.  As a matter of fact the one speaking in tongues doesn't know what he is saying.  Paul said that when he speaks in tongues this way, his spirit is edified, but his mind is unfruitful.  Why is his mind unfruitful?  Because his mind doesn't know what he is saying.  But he decides to pray with both his mind and his spirit.  This is why Pentecostal and Charismatic people talk about tongues as a prayer language.

So the first use of tongues is for a private prayer language.  The other uses of tongues are public.

The next use of tongues is to deliver a message to a local gathering of believers.  These messages need to be interpreted so the hearers will be able to understand what was said.  A message in tongues with interpretation equals a prophecy.

The next use of tongues is provide a sign to unbelievers (1 Cor. 14:20 - 25).  We see an example of this in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost.  The disciples had gathered in the Upper Room for the feast when they began to speak in tongues.  A crowd heard them outside, and they wanted an explanation of what and how this was happening.  Peter preached a short sermon, and 3 thousand got saved!  If you read Peter's message carefully, he pointed out how the speaking in tongues was a fulfillment of prophecy, and Jesus was able to fulfil the prophecy because He was risen from the dead.

Now, most of the remaining confusion I see concerning tongues relates not to what they are used for, but how to use them.  When it comes to prayer, the choice is yours when to start and when to stop.  For the other two uses, the choice is mainly up to the Holy Spirit, but you still have a choice.

In 1 Cor. 14:26 - 33, Paul gives practical instructions for the use of the gifts during disciples' meeting.  His emphasis is on orderly conduct so that all may be edified.  Towards the end, he indicates that those who speak, can still choose not to speak, in the interest of the benefit of all present.

I have more to say, so I will have to save that for Part Three.