To be Especially Good unto
the Household of Faith
Part II

Galatians 6
:10 As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

How Continued:

Be thankful for one another.

Colossians 1
:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ
        which are at Colosse:
    Grace be unto you,
        and peace,
    from God our Father
    and the Lord Jesus Christ.
:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
    praying always for you,
:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus,
    and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

Be thankful for all those that are in household; that are the Saints--sanctified/set apart ones--and the faithful in Christ. Without the body of Christ we would stand alone, not a pleasant thought.

Magnify the Believer's opportunity for growth.

Colossians 1
:9 For this cause we also,
        since the day we heard it, [heard of their love of God]
    do not cease to pray for you,
        and to desire
    that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will
        in all wisdom
        and spiritual understanding;

We need to pray for the spiritual growth of one another so that:

:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
    being fruitful in every good work,
    and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might,
        according to his glorious power,
            [the standard of the might, which is magnanimous]
    unto all patience [unto--eis moving towards with the purpose of reaching]
    and longsuffering
    with joyfulness;

    We pray for each other's spiritual growth so that we can walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. The consequences are: being fruitful in every good work (ok, not bad, I can take it) and then, as we pray for each other--this is asking God for each of us to be filled with the knowledge of His will and understanding--we will increase/grow in the knowledge of God compulsively, as natural result.

I need to take a minute and talk about the word 'increase'. It is the Greek word auxano: to cause to grow or increase. There are 22 occurrences of auxano in the New Testament.* The growth experienced is compulsive, without any willful effort. When a seed is planted and it germinates the plant grows; it is the end result of being fed and watered. When Jesus Christ was a child he grew up, just as we did. It is this compulsive growth, a natural result. When we are fed the sincere milk of the Word, when we are fed the knowledge of the Word we grow compulsively, as a natural result.

As we increase/grow compulsively in the knowledge of God we are strengthened with all might limited only by God's glorious power moving towards with the purpose of reaching all patience and longsuffering and joyfulness. So, pray for each other and desire for each other to be filled with the knowledge of God.

Utilize the manifestations of the holy spirit they are for the household.

I Corinthians 12 - 14 is given to us so that we may understand and properly use the gift of the holy spirit that we are given when we become born again and instructed. With this gift of holy spirit comes manifestations--the external evidence in the senses world of the power and presence of the holy spirit. I am talking about speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, miracles and healing. I have heard them called gifts; let us look at the Word of God.

I Corinthians 12
:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren,
    I would not have you ignorant.

The two words 'spiritual gifts' is the Greek word pneumatikos meaning spiritual matters. 'Gifts' is in italics and can be left out for there is no corresponding Greek word and it is improperly supplied.

:4 Now there are diversities of gifts,
        [charismata-gifts of God's grace, the God given ability, horizontally from God to man]
but the same Spirit.
:5 And there are differences of administrations,
        [diakonia-ministrations, gifts of God in action, man-to-man horizontally]
    but the same Lord.
:6 And there are diversities of operations, [energema-ways of energizing]
    but it is the same God which worketh all in all. [all things in all members]
:7 But     [sets in contrast to that which is mentioned previously]
    the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. [emphasis added]
:8 For to one [for that profit] is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;
    to another [ profit] the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
:9 To another [ profit] faith by the same Spirit;
    to another [ profit] the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
:10 To another [ profit] the working of miracles;
    to another [ profit] prophecy;
    to another [ profit] discerning of spirits;
    to another [ profit] divers kinds of tongues;
    to another [ profit] the interpretation of tongues:
:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, [the gift]
    dividing to every man severally as he will. [emphasis added]
        [the man's will, otherwise God would have said 'dividing to every man severally according to the will of God']

God has given to all of us nine ways to manifest the spirit, His gift, the Christ in us, to profit the church and us. He has given them all to us, and it is up to us to desire, with zeal, to operate them. The word 'desire' in the following verse is yearning zeal.

I Corinthians 14
:1 Follow after charity,
        [agape--love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation]
    and desire spiritual gifts, [pneumatikos-belonging to the spirit or spiritual matters]
    but rather that ye may prophesy.
:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men,
        but unto God:
    for no man understandeth him;
        howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification,
    and exhortation,
    and comfort.
:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself;
    but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues,
        but rather that ye prophesied:
    for greater is he that prophesieth
        than he that speaketh with tongues,
            except he interpret,
                that the church may receive edifying.

God is telling us to follow after the love of God and to desire, with a yearning zeal, spiritual matters. Then we come across the words 'but rather' (mallon de). This does not set in contrast desiring spiritual matters and prophecy but puts prophecy as an even greater importance or significance to the matter at hand, which, as we read on, see that it is the edification of the church. God explains that speaking in tongues is speaking unto God. If you are speaking in an unknown language it does not profit the listener, just the one speaking (I Corinthians 14:6-19). So in the church prophecy is preferred except he interprets. If the person speaking interprets the tongue he just spoke (which is the proper operation of speaking in tongues with interpretation) than it is profitable to the church like prophecy.

The rest of the manifestations are also available to us to profit the church except for the manifestation of faith or believing. When looking at the word 'other' that precedes each manifestation we see that two Greek words are used in the list--allos and heteros. Allos is used when more than two are involved, heteros is used when only two are involved. Heteros is used in reference to speaking in tongues and faith. Speaking in tongues profits the individual as well as the manifestation of faith/believing which we are given so that we may carry out miracles and healings. It is used by the individuals to bring about the other manifestations, just as speaking in tongues is used by the individual for spiritual growth and to edify oneself.**

God wants us to utilize the manifestations of the holy spirit, the gift that He has created within us when we made Jesus Christ our Lord and believed that He raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9 and 10). I would like to recommend a book by Rev. Robert Lindfelt called Speaking in Tongues, A Biblical Perspective. This book is a foundational study on speaking in tongues. You can order it from the San Diego Biblical Studies Fellowship or Amazon.com.

Seek to Edify

I Corinthians 14
:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts,
    seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
:13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue
    pray that he may interpret.

We are given the manifestations and are to have a yearning zeal to use them and that is good, yet the reason for doing so is to edify the church, the body of believers, the household of God. So, for those of us who speak in tongues will we must pray and believe to interpret also.

When we speak in tongues it is God who gives us the words to say via the holy spirit, the gift that He has given. Our spirit teaches our mind and we speak it forth out of our freedom of will. The same with interpretation. God tells us what to say via the holy spirit within us. We merely trust in Him for the words. Seek to edify the household via speaking in tongues with interpretation and prophecy.

Be affectionate one to another.

I Corinthians 16
:20 All the brethren greet you.
Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

My children didn't care for this verse, but it is not up to them is it? This is what the Word says. We are to be affectionate to one another. We have the love of God! The world cannot give you the unconditional love without hypocrisy that the household can.

Be kind one to another.

Ephesians 4
:31 Let all bitterness,
        and wrath,
        and anger,
        and clamour,
        and evil speaking, [figures of speech Polysyndeton-emphasis on each item]
    be put away from you, with all malice:
:32 And be ye kind one to another,
    tenderhearted,
    forgiving one another,
    even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
        [figures of speech Asyndeton-emphasis on God forgiving you]

This is what we are to do. Let us do it.

What we sow we reap. As we behave according to God's Word the whole Body of Christ will be edified and taken care of. Read these next few verses slowly contemplating their message.

Galatians 6
:6 Let him that is taught in the word
    communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
:7 Be not deceived;
    God is not mocked:
    for whatsoever a man soweth,
    that shall he also reap.
:8 For he that soweth to his flesh
        shall of the flesh reap corruption;
    but he that soweth to the Spirit
        shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
:9 And let us not be weary in well doing:
    for in due season we shall reap,
        if we faint not.
:10 As we have therefore opportunity,
    let us do good unto all men,
    especially unto them who are of the household of faith.