1 Cor. 12:31 But earnestly desire/covet the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1 Cor. 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
What is Paul saying here?
Earnestly Desire/Covet: Strong Hunger - something you strongly desire you dwell on - we are to do this. Stir up your hunger.
Who & What? The Holy Spirit / His presence / His gifts / What He is doing.
The Holy Spirit and His gifts are spiritual. Not natural / carnal.
1 Cor. 2:9-14 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
I used to stand in the front of this line….for they are foolishness to him: I made fun of or mocked people being ‘born again’ or ‘people who speak in tongues’.
vs. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
So what’s the answer:
People need to hear the gospel - you must be born again - born of the Spirit
People need to hear the word of God about being filled with the Holy Ghost - be filled with the Spirit
Rom. 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Spiritual things are received by faith.
All of the manifestations/gifts of the Spirit are spiritual not carnal.
Heb. 6:1-3 1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if* God permit.
Laying on of hands is one of the half dozen fundamental principles of the doctrine of Christ. The basics….
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