1 Corinthians #25 – Weekly Study Questions
Spiritual Gifts – Don’t Quench the Spirit
1 Thes. 12:12-28 (CGS#25)
INTRODUCTION: This week, we are going to take a little detour out of 1 Corinthians and into 1 Thessalonians. Every good road trip needs a detour, and we’ve been making our way through 1 Corinthians over the last six months. So why this detour now? Well, as we’ve been talking about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians, we’ve heard Paul talk about the Holy Spirit. Here is what he says in 1 Cor. 12:11, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” In this one sentence, Paul gives us much to think about when it comes to the Holy Spirit. He tells us that the Spirit is the one who empowers the gifts in believers. He tells us that the Spirit of God is the one who decides who gets what gift. And that in his deciding and empowering, it is all in accordance with his will. Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit has a unique will. The Holy Spirit is not a random or “universal” force. He is a coequal person of the Godhead. Jesus also affirms this reality of the Holy Spirit in John 14 and 16. He tells us about the Holy Spirit, whom he calls the “Helper.” That the Father will send the Spirit after Jesus ascends, and that the Spirit has unique work that only he does. This simple truth is that the Holy Spirit is not to be an afterthought when it comes to the Christian life. Why? Because the Christian life is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. Here is how we said it last week, “The Holy Spirit empowers your following and service.”
So, if the Holy Spirit is so crucial in our following and serving of Jesus, do we depend on him, or do we unconsciously forget to look for the work, leading, and strengthening of the Holy Spirit? This question brings us to another short but important statement on the Holy Spirit from Paul (1 Thes. 5:19), “Do not quench the Spirit.” This statement comes at the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica, in a small section titled “final instructions.” It is sort of a quick catch-all and wrap-up section with quick instructions that don’t need lengthy instructions. See, in the Corinthian church, Paul needed to curb or moderate wild and ecstatic worship services. But in Thessalonica, he needed to remind them not to quench the Spirit. Two different churches with two different and wrong responses to the Holy Spirit. Yet, both churches needed to hear the truth about the Spirit of God, that he is sovereign, moving, strengthening, and believers are to cooperate with his leading, work, and will. The word, quench in Greek literally means to “put out” or “extinguish.” Think about a campfire; you shouldn’t let a campfire just burn itself out, or you risk a serious situation like a brush fire. Instead, you are to completely extinguish it. Or at least that is what Smokey the Bear said to do. That is the image we are to get when we think about the church in Thessalonica’s response to the Holy Spirit. They were actively extinguishing his work and moving in their lives. In other words, they were not cooperating with him. This is an important reminder for us today as well. Thus, our little detour. The Holy Spirit was given to us so that we would be empowered for Christian mission and service (Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 12:6,11). We don’t want to be like the Corinthians, where we only pursue wild and chaotic expressions of the Spirit, nor do we want to be like the Thessalonians, who seemed to downplay the Spirit’s work and leading. We are to be people who lean into and depend on the Spirit in the everyday things of following Jesus. Yet, we live in a culture (especially in the Midwest) that is so focused on “doing it yourself” that we are liable or prone to be like the Thessalonians. However, if we do that, we are missing out on a wonderful gift of God, his very Spirit. We’ve said it before, but it is important to remind ourselves of an important truth, God didn’t expect you to save yourself, so he sent his Son, and he doesn’t expect you to live righteously under your own strength, so he gave you his Spirit. How amazing is that? Let’s not forget that Christians are to depend on the Holy Spirit in everyday life.
GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question: When was a time or a situation in your life when you realized that you needed help, or that you couldn’t do something on your own? Who helped you?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How have you seen God at work in your life this week? Have you enjoyed him? Have you heard his voice and the leading of his Spirit? Big ways or small ways.
- What has been your understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in your life and Christian walk? How do Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians help you think about the Holy Spirit?
- When you look at your normal daily life and week, how often do you look for the Holy Spirit to lead you, give guidance, or provide wisdom for the things you go through? What is one step to increase awareness of the Spirit’s presence?
- One of the ways to become more sensitive to the leading of the Spirit is to spend time in God’s Word. Ask the following question to grow in sensitivity to the Spirit. Do I devote myself to encountering God through disciplined rhythms of silence, solitude, and reflection (daily, weekly, monthly, annually)?