Chris Reed

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

And yet, no real-time, living account in Acts of Mark 16:17 being fulfilled in the lives of all believers. So, again, who is Jesus talking to? Every believer for all time everywhere? Or to His apostles?

As regards 1 Corinthians 1:5-7, you might read "so that ye come behind in no gift" as a statement of purpose, not a statement of reality. Clearly, we know Corinth was a mess in need of severe rebuke and censure.

Later in chapter 4, Paul tells them when he comes, he is going to investigate their power, not their speech or knowledge, because knowledge puffs up and the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power. Clearly, Paul had major doubts about how much power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit was actually occurring in Corinth at that time.

Finally, as it relates to 1 Corinthians 12:11, there is no doubt there, that God gives the gifts according to His own will, and after a description of these gifts and teaching about what it means to be the Body of Christ, and explaining that God placed apostles, then prophets, then teachers, and etc. into that Body, the first thing Paul rhetorically asks them is "Are all apostles? Are all prophets?" (1 Corinthians 12:28-29). So, when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit, is it not possible Paul is keeping within his own established elsewhere context of signs and wonders and divers miracles chiefly pertaining to the ministry of Apostles?

Paul was teaching the entire congregation at Corinth about the gifts and it appears by the way he spoke in chapter 14 in correction that everyone was involved in the disarray, not just the pastor and elders. And not once does Paul say the average believer should not be operating in them at all after making the indication that they were. Was the congregation entirely made up of apostles? Or did Paul say you who are not apostles should not be doing these things? No. He said they were doing fine when it came to the gifts in and of themselves. They were of God. But he said they were not using compassion and seemingly used them due to wanting to be seen. This was a letter to the church, not the leaders. The note about all being apostles etc, is not to say only apostles should be operating, but to say the ministries are gifts as much as the nine noted in chapter 12, and not everyone is an apostle any more than everyone operates the gift of miracles.