SOME THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER - 12

A Difference Maker For God. When That Which Is Perfect Is Come.

A DIFFERENCE MAKER FOR GOD

“20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference” (Jude 1:20-22, KJV).

Loved ones, the Bible teaches there is a certain way that the church should be organized. The church of Christ is organized under Jesus. He is the head and the Chief Shepherd (Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Peter 5:4). Elders serve under our Chief Shepherd to oversee the flock, the church (Acts 14:23). Elders must be qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1-7). The church also has qualified men who serve, called deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13).

There are also evangelists or preachers who use God's authority in their teaching (Mark 13:34; 2 Corinthians 10:8; Titus 2:15). Preachers work and live under the oversight of the elders. All the Christians are teachers of God’s word (Ephesians 4:11-15). Each local church is self-governing and is answerable only to God. This simple New Testament organization will work in any culture and at any time. Have the courage to be committed to God and to good things! You can be a difference maker for God in your world.

------------------------------------------

WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME

“7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, KJV).

Loved ones, in our text is a list of nine gifts which the Spirit distributed among Christians. While the Spirit determined who would receive each gift, the gifts themselves were imparted through the laying on of the apostles’ hands. Although the recipient was enabled to exercise the gift he received, he could not pass on the power to work miracles to others.

Philip, one of the seven servants appointed to see that the widows’ needs were met (Acts 6:1-6) went down to Samaria. Through the miracles he worked, a great number of Samaritans believed and were baptized. Yet, for those Samaritan believers to also work miracles, the apostles had to come from Jerusalem and lay hands on them so that they could receive the gifts (Acts 8:14–17).

The nine gifts were the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy; discerning of spirits; divers kinds of tongues; the interpretation of tongues.

In addition to these gifts, God set some in the church as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). These men would all need the various gifts of the Spirit. Some of the nine gifts were exercised from the very first day of the church’s existence — the day the Holy Spirit “fell” (Acts 2:1-47).

The first two gifts were dependent upon one another. Wisdom would be of little value without knowledge, and knowledge needed wisdom in speaking God’s revelation in a way that would benefit the hearer. Jesus had told His disciples that they would stand before kings and authorities, and that they did not need to be anxious about what they should say, for it would be provided to them in that moment (Matthew 10:19).

Stephen confounded the Jewish opponents who resisted his teaching. Luke the historian wrote, “And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake” (Acts 6:10). God helped Stephen as He had promised. They could not answer him, but they could kill him — and they did (Acts 7:57-60).

The third gift was “faith.” This faith was miraculous. Again, like all the others, it came by the laying on of the apostles’ hands and enabled the recipient to work miracles; it was not the “faith that saves.” The faith that saves is what “comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17; cf. 1:16).

The fourth and fifth gifts were gifts of healing and the working of miracles. Both were miraculous of course, but the gift of healing appears to have been more limited. Miracles could take several forms, some of which had nothing to do with healing. Jesus turned water into wine, multiplied a few loaves and fish to feed 5,000, and stilled a raging storm into a calm sea, along with other miracles of a similar nature.

The sixth and seventh gifts, prophecy and the discerning of spirits, were gifts that were somewhat dependent upon one another. Prophecy sometimes related to future events, but it could also include the revelation of the present.

The discerning of spirits enabled the recipient to know whether someone who claimed to be a prophet truly was one. John wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). One who possessed the gift of discerning spirits could do that miraculously. Another way to test the spirits was to weigh what they claimed against the word already revealed.

The last two gifts were tongues and the interpretation of tongues. These tongues were not gutturals (which are not actual languages at all). The tongues of the Bible were languages spoken and understood by people of other nations, as illustrated by what was spoken on the day of Pentecost.

The record says of the apostles, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance … And they were all amazed and marveled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? And, how hear we every man in our own language, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:4, 7). The interpreter of tongues could hear an unknown language and tell those listening what the messenger was saying.

NOTE: These spiritual gifts were given to allow the bearers to speak and confirm the truth of God’s word. However, these nine gifts were temporary.

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul has shown that without love man is nothing. This was especially true in exercising the nine spiritual gifts. Were one to speak with the tongues of men and angels but had no love, he was like a clanging cymbal. If he had the gift of prophecy, knew all mysteries and knowledge, and had faith to move mountains but had no love, he was nothing. Were he to give all his goods to feed the poor or his body to be burned but had no love, it profited him nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

The foregoing information carefully names or refers to at least five of the nine gifts and tells us they were useless without love.

Having described the gracious attributes of love (vs. 4-7), Paul wrote, “8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

The apostle wrote of “things in part which would be done away” and that would occur when “that which is perfect” was come. What is “that which is in part” and “that which is perfect”?

A careful reading of these verses shows “that which is in part” is prophecies, tongues, and knowledge — three of the nine gifts. These gifts were essentials to the success of the first century church. Disciples had a message to preach — a message which when believed and obeyed brought salvation to that obedient soul.

Yet the proclaimers of that message did not have that message written to be referenced in preaching, and since it was a new message, marvels and miracles were needed to convict hearers the message was from God. The context shows “that which was in part” were the nine gifts. While some may disagree, what explanation is offered as to what “that which is in part” is otherwise?

The ceasing of these gifts would occur when “that which is perfect” is come. Again, what does the apostle have in mind as to what “that which is perfect” means? Some say “that which is perfect” refers to Christ. There is no dispute that Christ is perfect, but Christ does not fit the context.

The apostle did not leave us in doubt. He wrote, immediately after saying, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away,” these following words to explain why that was true: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (v. 11).

“That which is perfect” is the final, full revelation of God’s will. Peter wrote that God’s power has granted to us all things which pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Paul agreed. He said to Timothy, “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s perfect, completely revealed Word is here in the New Testament. What is in part has been done away; the perfect has come (cf. James 1:25).

Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35) – 8 October 2026