{"id":14483,"date":"2026-08-22T09:51:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T13:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=14483"},"modified":"2026-08-22T09:51:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T13:51:24","slug":"an-orderly-spirit-filled-church","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/an-orderly-spirit-filled-church","title":{"rendered":"AN ORDERLY SPIRIT-FILLED CHURCH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints\u201d (1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Writing to the believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul addressed the disorder that had developed in their gathered worship, especially in the exercise of spiritual gifts. The word translated \u201cconfusion\u201d carried the idea of disorder, disturbance, or tumult. Paul was teaching that chaotic behavior in the church could not be justified by claiming divine inspiration. The Holy Spirit did not compel believers to speak over one another or behave as though they had lost self-control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet Paul was not promoting lifeless, overly controlled worship. His concern for order was not an argument against spiritual fervor, but a call for spiritual vitality to be exercised with reverence, intelligibility, self-control, and love for others. Throughout the chapter, Paul repeatedly emphasized that spiritual gifts were given for the building up of the church. We might summarize his teaching this way: The Spirit sovereignly gives the gifts (ch.12), love must govern the gifts (ch.13), and edification must be the goal of the gifts (ch.14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exercise of spiritual gifts was therefore meant to reflect the character of the God who gave them. Since God is a God of peace rather than confusion, Spirit-filled worship should display that same character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can ask ourselves why we speak, serve, teach, lead, or exercise the gifts God has given us. Are we motivated by love and a desire to build up others? Or are we seeking recognition, attention, or an opportunity to display our spirituality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This applies not only when we gather for Sunday worship, but also when we meet in Community Groups, Bible studies, and other gatherings. We can listen as well as speak. We can yield to others rather than dominate the conversation. We can exercise self-control rather than insisting that our contribution must be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A truly Spirit-filled church is not marked by confusion, nor by cold formality. It is marked by spiritual vitality governed by love, peace, and edification. May we use the gifts God has given us to build up His people and show that &#8220;God is really among us.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, thank You for giving spiritual gifts to Your people for the building up of Your church. Fill us with Your Spirit and teach us to serve with love, humility, peace, and self-control. Guard us from seeking attention or recognition for ourselves. Help us to listen well, yield graciously, and use our gifts for the good of others and the glory of Christ. Make our gatherings both spiritually vibrant and beautifully ordered. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cFor God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints\u201d (1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV). Writing to the believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul addressed the disorder that had developed in their gathered worship, especially in the exercise of spiritual gifts. The word translated \u201cconfusion\u201d carried the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"audio":"https:\/\/garycombsorg.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aug-22-2026-at-9_45_13AM-esv2-50p-bg-10p-music-10p.mp3"},"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1313],"scripture-chapter":[1347],"oyb_day":[1761],"class_list":["post-14483","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-1-corinthians","scripture-chapter-1347","oyb_day-august-22"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14483"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14483"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14483"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}