Elevating the Gift above the Giver

Thank you for attending today’s emergency meeting.  I called the meeting today to address the events that happened this weekend.  As you know, we cancelled service here at the House of Prayer so that Chad and I could have a weekend of rest with our family and celebrate the blessing that Chad is to all of us.

The enemy had other plans.  The enemy saw an opportunity to attack.  Do we ask ourselves why?  Do we ask ourselves how?  

First things first… let’s ask “Was what happened this weekend of God?”

I think we can all agree that it was a clear no.  The fruit of this weekend was a near split of most of our founding members of this church.  For that I can confidently say that fruit was not holy.

(redacted)

So where did it go wrong?  Let’s come back to that later.

Since everyone is making a big deal out of one of the gifts of the Spirit… let’s first talk about tongues.  Here is what we are going to cover.

-            What are the gifts of the Spirit?

-            What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit?  If I don’t speak in tongues does that mean that I don’t have the Holy Spirit?

-            What is speaking in tongues?

-            Is it human language or language of angels? 

-            Is the gift of speaking or of hearing?

-            Did Jesus speak in tongues?  What does that mean for me?

-            How should tongues work in church today?

-            Are the scriptures up for interpretation?

All of these questions must be answered according to what the scripture says alone.

What are the gifts of the Spirit?

The Gifts of the Spirit (often called spiritual gifts) are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ, ministering to others, and glorifying God.

There are four main passages in the New Testament that list spiritual gifts, each emphasizing a slightly different aspect.

📖 1. 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31

This passage focuses on manifestations of the Spirit that are given for the common good.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit… To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  (1 Corinthians 12:4,7)

Gifts listed:

• Word of wisdom

• Word of knowledge

• Faith

• Gifts of healing

• Working of miracles

• Prophecy

• Distinguishing between spirits (discernment)

• Different kinds of tongues

• Interpretation of tongues

🔁 Also in verses 28–30:

• Apostles

• Prophets

• Teachers

• Miracles

• Healing

• Helps

• Administration

• Tongues

Let’s go to our scripture page and read 1 Cor 12.

🕊️ What Is a Gift?

A gift is something freely given—not earned, not demanded, and not deserved.

When we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, we are talking about something God chooses to give, not because we’re worthy or because we asked just the right way, but because He loves us, and because He wants to build up His body—the Church.

A gift isn’t like something we buy on Amazon. You can’t place an order, pay a price, and expect it to arrive on your terms. It’s not a reward, and it’s not a transaction. It’s an act of grace.

Just like salvation, these gifts are given freely by the Spirit, according to His will, not ours:

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.”—1 Corinthians 12:11

So when we receive a gift of the Spirit—whether it’s wisdom, prophecy, healing, or serving—we receive it:

• Freely, because of God’s grace,

• Lovingly, for the good of others,

• And humbly, because it is never about us—it’s something to give right back to Him -it’s about glorifying Jesus and edifying His Church.

📖 2. Romans 12:4–8

This passage emphasizes gifts in the context of serving one another within the body of Christ.

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them...”(Romans 12:6)

Gifts listed:

• Prophecy

• Ministry (service)

• Teaching

• Exhortation

• Giving

• Leading (leadership or administration)

• Showing mercy

Let’s go to our scripture page and read Romans 12.

We just read we are to offer ourselves as sacrifices… that means dead to our flesh.. not self-seeking, not self-serving, not puffing ourselves up… that one has a more “spiritual” gift, or one has more wisdom…  We each have our own gift so we can function properly as one body.

We don’t love one hand more than another… we don’t love our eye more than our foot.  So we must love one another in that same way.

📖 3. Ephesians 4:11–13

This focuses on leadership offices given for equipping the saints and building up the church.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…”(Ephesians 4:11)

Gifts listed:

• Apostles

• Prophets

• Evangelists

• Pastors

• Teachers

These are often referred to as the "Five-Fold Ministry".

Let’s go to our scripture page and read Ephesians 4:11-27.

We see here… some, not all.  We read it earlier.  Not all will speak in tongues.

The purpose is to EQUIP each other.

UNTIL we arrive at full unity.  In fact, he insists on unity.

Let’s talk about a body…. How do we walk?  Or how do we drive? 

Sure.. feet are important.  They are a huge part of “how” we get to where we are going.  But we follow the head.

How would I walk if I was looking forward, but my legs were on backwards and trying to go the opposite way?  I’d fall, no doubt… then without all parts working together, I’d never even get up, and end up going nowhere.

Or think about someone handicapped.  I’ve been with my mom a lot lately.  She is paralyzed on the right side of her body.  Trust me.  She isn’t walking.  She isn’t going anywhere without that side of her body willing to move. 

Church, we have got to shape up.  We aren’t going anywhere like this, at least nowhere good.

We will go wherever we are looking….  This was something my dad taught me early on when I was driving.  You put your eyes on the horizon and drive towards that point.  That’s how we walk… that’s how we drive.. that’s how we race.

Even in driving four wheelers and atv’s… if I am looking at a rock in the road…. Even if I am wanting to avoid it… if I focus on it.  I’ll hit it every single time.  Your body follows what you are looking at.

Remember when I taught about the feasts?  We studied the Greek word Telos.  We are looking down the telescope at Yeshua. He is our example.  He is what and who we are looking to and looking toward.  All eyes should be on Him. All the time.

Back to my driving example…..You will also see….what you are looking at.

Have you ever gotten a new car, and suddenly for the first time ever, you see that same kind of car everywhere, when you had never noticed them before?  Did everyone suddenly go buy the same kind of car you did, at the exact same time?  No, of course not.  But you did just start noticing them, because now that was something you were focused on.

Think about this past Sabbath’s Torah portion?  Did any of you read it?

What did the spies focus on?  The fruit or the giants?  What was the result?

               *spoiler alert.. they focused on the giants and failed.

Let’s compare to David & Goliath?  What did David focus on? The fruit or the giant?

“Who are you, you uncircumcised Philistine?”  (1Sam 17:26)  He was a good fruit inspector and realized he was on the side of the Creator and he was victorious.

And finally what did Jesus say? 

Matthew 7 CJB

Judging Others

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Let me speak clearly and in love: Jesus isn’t saying we should never use discernment or speak truth—He's warning against a hypocritical and self-righteous spirit. He’s calling out those who are quick to point out the faults of others while ignoring the sin in their own life.

Some in the Body have said things like: "You don’t have the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues.” But Scripture does not say that tongues are the only evidence of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we read today that not all believers speak in tongues, even though all are called to walk in the Spirit.

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?... Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?”—1 Corinthians 12:29–30(The answer is no.)

The fruit of the Spirit—not a single gift—is the true evidence of the Spirit’s presence in a believer’s life:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”—Galatians 5:22–23

Ask yourself?  How do you pass this litmus test?

Tongues are a beautiful and biblical gift. But tongues is not the litmus test of salvation or being filled with the Spirit. When we claim otherwise, we speak blasphemously, we risk wounding the Body and we elevate a gift over the Giver.

Worse still, if when those making such claims are themselves living in sin—whether through lying, slander, or hidden wrongdoing—they're doing exactly what Jesus warned about: trying to remove a speck from someone else’s eye while a plank is in their own.

“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, they stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”—Romans 14:4

Let us remember this: The Holy Spirit convicts, leads, and transforms—The enemy is the one who shames or divides. We are called to build one another up, not tear each other down.

So let’s be humble. Let’s be fruit-bearing. Let’s be Spirit-led. And above all, let’s remember what Jesus said:

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you love one another.”—John 13:35

❓What is speaking in tongues?

Speaking in tongues is the supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, to speak in a language that the speaker has never learned. This language may be:

• A known human language (Acts 2), or

• An unknown, spiritual language ("tongues of angels" – 1 Corinthians 13:1).

It is one of the gifts of the Spirit, meant to edify the believer (privately) and, when interpreted, to edify the church (1 Corinthians 14:4–5).

❓Is it a human language or a language of angels?

Scripture suggests it can be either.

• In Acts 2, when the Spirit fell at Pentecost, the apostles spoke in real human languages, understood by people from many nations.

• In 1 Corinthians 13:1, Paul refers to "tongues of men and of angels," implying some tongues may be heavenly or angelic—not understood naturally.

So, depending on the situation, it could be a human dialect or a spiritual one understood only through interpretation.

❓Is the gift of tongues a gift of speaking or of hearing?

Primarily, it is a gift of speaking (1 Corinthians 12:10).

However, in Acts 2, there appears to be a miracle of both:

• The disciples spoke, empowered by the Spirit.

• The crowd heard each in their own language (Acts 2:6–8).

But in general, the gift is given to the speaker, and when used in the church, it should be interpreted so the listeners can understand (1 Corinthians 14:27–28).

❓Did Jesus speak in tongues? What does that mean for me?

There is no record in Scripture that Jesus spoke in tongues.

That doesn’t mean the gift is unimportant—it simply shows that the Holy Spirit distributes different gifts to different people as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). Jesus walked in full unity with the Spirit, but His ministry focused on teaching, healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead—not on tongues.

For us, this means:

• Tongues are a gift, not a requirement.

• Jesus is our example, and He emphasized love, obedience, and fruitfulness more than any specific spiritual gift.

• If Jesus didn't speak in tongues but walked in perfect unity with the Spirit, we shouldn't make tongues the measuring stick of spirituality.

❓How should tongues work in church today?

Paul gives clear instructions in 1 Corinthians 14:

1. If someone speaks in tongues publicly, there must be an interpreter present (1 Cor. 14:27–28)

27If the gift of tongues is exercised, let it be by two or at most three, and each in turn; and let someone interpret. 28And if there is no one present who can interpret, let the people who speak in tongues keep silent when the congregation meets — they can speak to themselves and to God. 

2. If no interpreter is present, the person should speak silently to themselves and to God.

3. The purpose must always be edification, not confusion or attention-seeking (1 Cor. 14:33, 40).  33for God is not a God of unruliness but of shalom.

39So, my brothers, eagerly seek to prophesy; and do not forbid speaking in tongues; 40but let all things be done in a proper and orderly way.

4. Prophecy (words in the known language) is preferred in corporate worship because it builds up the whole church (1 Cor. 14:5, 19).

Tongues are beautiful and powerful—but in a church setting, they should be handled with order and understanding.

The litmus test for tongues out loud is:  “Will this be done in order, (not speaking over another or while another is speaking or praying) and will this be interpreted for the edification of the church body?”

❓Are the scriptures up for interpretation?

God's Word is eternal and unchanging, but how we apply it requires Spirit-led interpretation.

“No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.”— 2 Peter 1:20

This means we don’t get to twist Scripture to fit personal opinions or experiences. Instead:

• The Holy Spirit illuminates truth (John 16:13),

• Scripture interprets Scripture, and

• We are to rightly divide the Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

While people may have different perspectives, God’s truth is not relative. It’s our responsibility to approach Scripture with humility, context, and a heart to obey—not just understand. (💟test)

Now I know that this is not a popular determination, but this is the word of God.

I have made this determination after thought, prayer, and much study. 

The vision that God has given me for our purpose and our mission here is that we are to hold fast to His word, hold it in the utmost reverence and be genuine, and authentic.

Spirit AND Truth

He wants us to be different, and being different means being holy, striving for righteousness and being uncomfortable.  It means dying to our fleshly desires daily.  Killing our pride, defeating the thoughts that we know better than His word, and believing in Him enough to submit to what His word says.

Spirit AND Truth, no flesh.

That means delivering a message that may hurt feelings. But the truth has to stand for itself.  God’s word doesn’t need defending.  It is what it is.

🔥 Key Scriptures: The Holy Spirit Causes Us to Obey

1. Ezekiel 36:26–27 (Prophecy of the New Covenant)

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

✅ This shows that God's Spirit actually empowers obedience. It’s not legalism—it’s Spirit-led holiness.

2. John 14:15–17 (Jesus promises the Spirit of Truth)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth…”

✅ Obedience and love are linked. The Spirit of Truth helps us walk out that love through keeping God’s commandments.

3. John 16:13

“When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth...”

✅ Truth is not just knowledge—it’s also walking in God’s ways. Psalm 119:142 says, “Your law is truth.”

4. Romans 8:3–4

“...by sending His own Son... He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

✅ The Spirit-filled life fulfills the law—not by striving in the flesh, but by walking in step with the Spirit.

5. 1 John 3:24

“Whoever keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in them. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

✅ The indwelling Spirit is the proof of God’s presence—and the power behind our obedience.

🧠 Summary:

• The Spirit of Truth doesn’t free us from obedience, it empowers us to obey.

• Obedience is not legalism when it’s done through love and the leading of the Spirit.

• The promise is that God puts His Spirit within us to write His laws on our hearts and cause us to walk in them.

❓Audit ourselves.  Do we have the Holy Spirit?  Are we Spirit Led? Are we listening to the Good Shepherd?

🐖 Pig Herder vs. 🐑 Good Shepherd

Imagine two very different scenes.

🐖 The Pig Herder:

A man stands behind a group of pigs, shouting, beating, and driving them forward with fear and chaos.He uses force, panic, and pressure to move them—pushing them from behind, often toward destruction.

That’s how the enemy operates.

• He pushes you with anxiety.

• He pressures you with shame.

• He beats you down with guilt, condemnation, and confusion.

• He’s always in a hurry, rushing you into decisions usually based on fear.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”— John 10:10a

🐑 The Good Shepherd:

Now picture a shepherd.He walks in front of his sheep, calling them by name.He uses his voice, not a whip.He leads with gentleness, authority, and peace. His rod and staff are not for beating the sheep—but to guide and protect them.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”— John 10:27

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out... and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”— John 10:3–5

“He leads me beside still waters… Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”— Psalm 23:2,4

🧠 Application:

Ask yourself—who is leading me?

• If the voice you're hearing is loud, pushy, condemning, rushed, or fearful... that's not the Shepherd. That’s the pig herder—the enemy.

• But if the voice is peaceful, firm but gentle, drawing you in love, and aligned with Scripture... that’s your Good Shepherd.

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…”— 1 Corinthians 14:33

🔔 Final Word:

You don’t belong in a pigpen, being driven like livestock.You are a sheep of His pasture.  Let the Shepherd lead.And when you hear a voice that doesn’t sound like His—run the other way.

In regards to this weekend….  I beg you to test the situation:

Was it done with prayer?  Was everything tested to scripture?

Was only the truth spoken? Or was things said that weren’t true?

Whose spirit would cause you to lie?  Knowing that alone… do you think God was pleased?  Was the body built up or torn down? Was Yeshua glorified and honored?  Or was a gift elevated above the Giver?

Do you think this weekend is what heaven will be like?  Do you think that is an atmosphere that will attract others to spend eternity with us?  Was the Spirit satisfied or your flesh?

I know these are hard words, but the Father disciplines those He loves.  If He didn’t love us, if we didn’t love each other, then we wouldn’t care enough to have these tough meetings.  We are a family and we belong together. 

Let’s take 10-15 minutes to be quiet. Pray to the Lord quietly to ourselves… and listen to the Spirit and see what He says.  And test it…

Is there anything that anyone wants to say before I continue?

Now I want to talk about unity.

Unity is powerful. So powerful, in fact, that even God Himself acknowledged it at the Tower of Babel. "The people are one," He said, "and they all have one language... now nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." (Genesis 11:6)

Let that sink in — they were building something in rebellion, but their unity gave them unstoppable momentum. Even false unity has power.

So don’t think for a moment that unity is always holy. History has shown us how unity can be weaponized. Constantine tried to unite believers and pagans by distorting the commandments of God — changing Sabbath to Sunday, outlawing biblical festivals, mixing truth with idolatry so that pagans would feel “comfortable” joining the Church. But what God called holy, man has no right to alter.

Not anymore. Not this church.

We are not called to unity for unity’s sake — we are called to be in unity with Christ. He is the Head. We are the Body. And a body does not tell the head what to do. There will be no compromise, no more dilution, no more turning a blind eye to falsehood in the name of keeping the peace.

This is not about uniformity.

We don’t all have to look alike or speak alike. We are to be uncut stones on the altar of our life’s sacrifice, each individually and uniquely made by the Creator.  But we do have to walk alike. We must walk in the same direction, under the same Shepherd, and according to the same standard — His Word. That includes the biblical calendar. That includes recognizing that the Torah — the instructions of God — never left the hands of our Jewish brothers and sisters. "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He to whom it belongs shall come…" (Genesis 49:10)

We must humble ourselves and admit we don't know it all. We’ve been grafted in — not to take over, but to be nourished by the root. Scripture says in Zechariah 8:23 that in the last days ten men from the nations will take hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” That’s not metaphor — that’s our prophetic posture. They’ve been rehearsing the commandments and feasts for thousands of years. We’re late to the table, but praise God — we’ve been invited in.

The time is coming, and now is, when He will make us one stick in His hand (Ezekiel 37:17). But if we resist that unity with His ways and His people, we risk being cut off. This is not a game. This is not a season for pride or preference.

The labor pains are getting stronger. Time is running short.

If we can’t get this right in the training ground He’s given us now — in this season of refinement, this boot camp for the Bride — how will we survive the wilderness? How will we endure until the end?

Souls are perishing. The world is unraveling. And here we are arguing over fruitless, petty matters — while the enemy celebrates our distraction. We are supposed to be fighting him, not each other.

It’s time to wake up. Shape up. Stand up. We need to get our priorities aligned with Heaven and fix our eyes on Yeshua. We must declare with boldness who we are, where we are going, and what we refuse to compromise on ever again.

Let us be a body in unity — not just with each other — but in full unity with the King of Kings.

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