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Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Our God is not a God of Disorder

WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS FREEDOM—AND ORDER.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19

Order without freedom is tyranny and leads to corruption.

  1. Power and ac,vity limited to a central authority, rules and protocols are kept stringently.
  2. Worship in the church can be “orderly” when ac,vity is limited to the bishop and the worship team, but leaves no place for the congrega,on to operate in their gi?s, or for the Holy Spirit to move!
  3. Coincidentally, churches and denomina,ons that do not prize freedom the Spirit’s freedom lose the Spirit’s convic,on and become incapable of following the Spirit’s leading.
  1. Freedom without order is anarchy leads to chaos.
    1. No hierarchies, no roles, no rules, no boundaries, no consequences, no consistency, no communica,on of expecta,ons. This is not true freedom.
    2. Worship in the church can be “free” where doctrine is minimized and “religion” is cast aside.
    3. Coincidentally, churches are lax in maintaining orderly worship, are also morally licen,ous and doctrinally murky.
  2. Freedom with order is holy and leads to life and peace.
    1. Embracing the Spirit’s empowerment and gi?ing to all Chris,ans creates for the possibility of errors and costly mistakes, but it is a risk we must take that we might have a thriving church of strong, Spirit-filled believers.
    2. Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. Proverbs 14:4
    3. Christian liberty is empowerment and agency—not to do whatever we want— but to do God’s will, to follow God’s ways, to keep God’s laws, and to worship God according to His statutes.
    4. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
    5. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 96:9

Free to Serve God Honorably!

God set Israel free from slavery in Egypt and immediately gave them 613 commandments to regulate every aspect of their lives.
True freedom never produces anarchy, but rather its anLthesis — order, discipline, and the liberty to, in the words of Simeon, “that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:74-75).
Daniel Courney, Missionary to Nepal

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:31-36

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:13  

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
Romans 6:22

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.

39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.