The instruction from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth was that they would “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Cor 12:31). It appears from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that the church there had already achieved a certain level of experience in the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s challenge to “eagerly desire the greater gifts” indicates that even though they had some experience there was still an even greater level that they could attain to.
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No matter what our experience with the Holy Spirit has been up to this point we should always live with the understanding that there is, and always will be more. Even Jesus who produced, and experienced extraordinary miracles challenged his disciples to do “even greater” things than what they had seen first hand with Jesus. There is a pathway to the deeper things of the Spirit, and there are some keys that are necessary to unlock the “greater gifts”.

The Kingdom of God has been referred to as an “upside down Kingdom”. In other words the culture that exists in God’s Kingdom and the culture that exists in this world are polar opposites. God’s Kingdom really isn’t “upside down” it is right side up, the world has been operating upside down since Adam fell. In this world many who climb to the top often do so at the expense of others, but greatness in the Kingdom of God always comes at the expense of self. When Jesus’ disciples we’re arguing as to which was the greatest it’s interesting that Jesus never rebuked them for wanting to be great He instead instructed them on how to achieve greatness by becoming the “servant of all”. Servanthood is key to unlocking the greater gifts and true servanthood is rooted in humility.

Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-10 ”Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus’ level of exultation was equally matched to his level of humility. Jesus received the highest name because he humbled himself to the lowest place. Paul’s instruction to us is to think just as Jesus thinks. Humility by definition is “the act or posture of lowering oneself in relation to others, or conversely, having a clear perspective and respect for one’s place in context”. It is a unique paradigm that genuine humility gives way to genuine greatness and It is only through humility that we achieve significance in the Kingdom of God.

1 Peter 5:6 ”Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”.

Peter, who is quoting from the Old Testament directly connects humility with promotion.

Consider the life of Moses. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us that Moses purposely chose to remove himself from Pharos’s family to be identified with the Israelites who were living as slaves. It wasn’t until Moses was living as a shepherd tending someone else’s sheep that the call of God comes. Moses is arguably the most influential leader of the old testament  not only does he deliver the Israelites from slavery he also becomes their leader and the representative of God to them for 40 years. God used Moses to perform signs wonders, and miracles. Moses instituted God’s law, and wrote the first five books of the old testament. Moses regularly had face to face encounters with God that were so powerful it caused his skin to glow with the glory of God. All the experiences that Moses had were the result of a decision that Moses made to humble himself.

Numbers 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men whowere on the face of the earth.” This verse in Numbers states that Moses was the most humble man on the earth. It was Moses who wrote that. Some Bible scholars have argued that if Moses really was humble he would have never wrote those words. In reality the Holy Spirit wrote those words through a man who was humble enough to allow the Holy Spirit to make that declaration over him. False humility will always cheapen itself to a lower standard in an attempt to look like the real thing. It’s really pride trying to look like humility. Real humility knows who it is and will have the scars to prove it. Moses was the most humble man on the planet at that time, and because of his humility God exalted Moses to the highest position available at that time.

In Romans chapter 12 verse 3 Paul writes that we each have different gifts, and that those gifts come as a result of the work of grace in our lives. The greek word used for gifts in this instance is “charisma” which comes from the greek word “charis” and is translated “grace”. What we refer to as “gifts of the Spirit” in reality might be better understood as “gifts of grace” that come through the Spirit. Grace is the gift, grace is known as “God’s undeserved favor” God gives us grace to enable us to be transformed into the image of His Son. The goal therefore is not to produce “Spiritual gifts” but rather to be like Jesus. That’s not to say that Spiritual gifts are not to be produced, but to understand that the Spirit works through us by the gift of grace to make us look more like Jesus. Jesus worked miracles everyday after the Spirit descended upon Him at the Jordan river and Jesus made it clear that “signs would follow those who believe” and that we would do even “greater works” than Jesus did. What Jesus was describing is impossible without the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on an individual’s life made possible through grace. In Acts chapter 3 Peter and John heal the lame man at the gate Beautiful. When Peter sees that the people are amazed by this miraculous event he responds by saying: “why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Peter understood that this miracle was produced as a result of the Holy Spirit’s power working through the grace that was on their lives.

1 Peter 5:6 which was quoted earlier indicates that exaltation is directly linked to humility. In Luke 14 Jesus told a parable that further illustrates this. He Said:8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.” We are often inclined to seek higher positions, but the pathway to a higher position starts when we purposefully take the lower position. Promotion is directly related to humility just as Jesus states in Verse 11 when he said: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Peter and John discovered in Acts chapter 3 that supernatural power draws attention. The question is who will profit from it? We must learn to take the lowest place even while we are displaying the greatest power.  Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 12:7 “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” In this context one person serves all with the manifestation of the Spirit that is on their life. Taking the lower position is using the power of God as a tool to serve others and not as a tool for self promotion. Promotion will come when we allow everyone else to “profit” from our gift.

​James 4:6 says: “But He gives more grace. “Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” If the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us through grace then its easy to conclude; The greater the grace, the greater the gift. Therefore “greater gifts” occur when we step into a greater level of grace. 1 Peter 3:18 says “Grow in Grace…” The Greek word here can also be translated “increase”. We step into grace through salvation then it is our job to steward grace in such a way that we receive a continual increase over our lives. As grace increases our gifting’s will expand to new levels which opens the door to even more gifts. Paul’s invitation to unlock the “greater gifts” is made possible when we position ourselves to receive more grace by humbling ourselves with whatever level of grace we currently have remembering that gifts of grace only enable us to serve others. Humility is the key that unlocks the limitless supply of grace from the Father. When He sees that we have handled a gift of grace well then He is most willing to give “more grace”.  Which is why Jesus said in Mark 9:35 “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” As you “eagerly desire greater gifts” let your desire be to operate the gifts of grace out of a true spirit of humility that “does not seek it’s own” but strives to serve others with the gifts you currently posses knowing that greater gifts are being cultivated.

​We should not assume that because an individual manifests a gift of the Holy Spirit that they have mastered humility. We never judge by the gift, only by the fruit.

Ken Boone currently serves as a co-host on The Alliance Podcast at boldcupofcoffee.com and founding pastor at Alabaster House as well as a public speaker, travelling equipper and writer.

Ken and his wife Christa are the proud parents of four children. They have been married for more than 15 years. And have been in the ministry for more than 17 years, They have dedicated their lives to preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom", and to living a life in partnership with Holy Spirit. Their desire is to see believers equipped to live a lifestyle that brings the realities of Heaven to the world that we live in, to see the culture of the Kingdom of God replace the cultures around us. And to fulfill the mandate from Jesus to: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, freely you have received freely give."

I have to admit, I'm kind of a sci-fi nerd. Growing up I loved Star Trek, and when I got to college, I fell in love with Star Wars too. Then a couple years ago I was introduced to Doctor Who and my training was complete. But it's not just the TV shows I like, and it's not just sci-fi that I like. I love watching these stories and then thinking about what implications they have in the real world, and how Christians ought to respond.
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I recently watched a movie called "Ex Machina". I have to admit that it got me thinking a lot about the future, AI, and human rights. Follow me on this. The movie is about a robot who can pass the Turing test, which if you're unfamiliar with is the test which will determine when we've designed true AI. Essentially, and I'm over simplifying here, a computer passes the Turing test when it can carry on a conversation with a human and the human doesn't know he's talking to a computer. It's one of the last things that is predicted to happen before what's called "The Singularity" which is the point where computers become intelligent to the point of having the ability to self-replicate and self-improve.

The really neat thing? It's projected to happen during our lifetime.

This is where we circle back to "Ex Machina" and human rights. In the movie, and I'll try not to spoil it if you want to watch it, the director really tries hard to make a bad-guy out of the robot's creator. Everything from the dialogue to the music to even the acting wants the viewer to see the creator of this human-except-for-not-being-human robot is the bad guy trying to "murder" his new robot.

And I just couldn't buy it.

I tried, I wanted to! After all, as a sci-fi nerd I love the idea of interacting with intelligent androids. I've always wanted to be friends with Commander Data. In fact, by the end of the movie I was so conflicted I actually called up the second season TNG episode "Measure of a Man" because if anyone can convince me that intelligent android AIs are people, it's Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Nope. Turns out Dr. Pulaski was right: "Mr. Data is a toaster."

A lot has changed since I first watched that episode as a kid. I'm a Christian now, and my faith has taught me what being human, bearing God's image, means. I tried to find a way around it, but I couldn't. No matter how intelligent, how indistinguishable, how lifelike robots and androids become, that's all they are. Life "like"; not actual life. Without that divine spark, without the Imago Dei, even Mr. Data really IS a toaster.

But why bother mentioning this at all? Well, if there's one thing that has defined the culture around us for particularly the last 20 years or so, it's the issue of human rights. So inevitably, the issue of sentient-android-human-rights will arise; and perhaps quicker than some of us think.

Ray Kurzweil, who is a noted futurist, (noted because his predictions have come true about 85% of the time) has predicted that what is known as "the singularity" which brings with it sentient and self-aware AI ought to occur between 2020 and 2040. Since I don't really plan on dying in the next 24 years, that's well within this generation's life span. Knowing this, I think it is at the very least conceivable though I would argue that it's downright likely that my generation will be the one to deal with this question first. "Should sentient AI have human rights?" My own position is pretty clear, and I think few thoughtful believers would disagree with me, but my concern isn't really if they should have rights but rather, how should Christians react when they get them.

The first thing I would suggest is that human rights for AI isn't a fight we should be fighting. It's not a hill to die on. We should absolutely participate in the conversation, after all we are talking about what makes us human, but we should avoid the kind of venom and vitriol that has come to categorize many evangelical arguments in areas like abortion, euthanasia, and LGBT issues. In the culture we live in, we will likely lose this issue as well, and true AI will gain similar if not identical rights to our own. Let's be engaged, but not jerks about it.

That's not to say that there aren't issues within this issue that are of critical importance to us as believers? Can an AI sin? Can an it come to faith? Can an android repent? Can they serve in churches? Can they serve in leadership? Pastoral ministry? These are the questions that matter to the church, or rather, will matter greatly to the church. but before we start wrestling with these questions we ought decide how we will interact with them in the world.

My suggestion is that we, in the spirit of winsomeness, do what our Lord commanded us to do in Luke 6:31: "as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them". Are they "people"; "humans"? certainly not, but there are some, perhaps many people who will believe they are, that there is no effective difference between android and human. It's for those people we need to be mindful about how we treat androids. We ought to treat AI and androids with politeness, dignity, and respect not because of our witness to them, rather because it impacts our witness to others.
Besides, who doesn't want Mr. Data as a friend?

I've been a dad for a while now. "A while", of course, is a relative term. My daughter was born five years ago, my oldest son turns three this fall and our youngest boy is just over a year. So to some who's parenting experience stretches into the decades and involves dating, puberty and perhaps even marriage and grand kids, I haven't been a dad very long. Many of you, though, are probably a tad younger than I am, and probably aren't parents yet. So with that in mind I wanted to share some of the things I've learned in my "while" of parenting.

1) It's Hard, But It Gets Easier
Being a dad is hard work to do well. Oh, it's easy enough to become a father in the genetic sense, to be a dad in noun only, but fatherhood, being a "verb dad" is hard. Here in the West, we live in a culture where being an above average dad is super easy, just be and stay married to your kids' mom, don't be an alcoholic, and don't abuse anyone, simple. Being a good dad, even a great dad is hard. It's hard to balance your needs and desires against those of your kids and wife and let theirs take precedence on a daily basis. That's the goal, it's hard, and I fail often, but by God's Grace I get up everyday and try again. Everyday, it's a little bit easier.

2) Dads, We Do a Lot During Pregnancy.
So goes the old joke right? "All dad does is supply the ingredients, mom has to endure nine months of pregnancy and childbirth".  It's an old and tired joke, and truth be told I'm tired of it too. Dads, you do a lot during pregnancy. One of the most important things we do is tolerate (in the classical sense) our wives. Now I know, that the "crazy hormonal pregnant woman" is just as tired a joke as the one above, but pregnancy and the postpartum period can and do wreak havoc on a woman's hormonal system. True story, my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our first after she absolutely flipped out on me in a car trip one day. There were witnesses, which if you know my wife, is also a tip-off that something was up. Of course all women, and all pregnancies are different, but in our family, pregnancy comes with a short temper and 40+ weeks of walking on eggshells. Not that I'm any kind of victim, my own insensitivity, stress, bad attitude, and sin often get in the way of being a good husband and dad during this time, but the idea of "nine easy months for dad" is a falsehood.

3) Fatherhood Is Not About Me.
I'll be honest, I would absolutely LOVE IT if any or all of my kids wanted to play baseball. I'd love to teach my kids the difference between a four-seam and a two-seam fastball, that velocity isn't everything, how hitting is just timing, and how "throwing like a girl" is a myth. But they may not like baseball, or documentaries, or history, or even Settlers of Catan! My job as a dad is to love what my kids love because I love them. If my daughter wants to become a vegan, I'll eat and cook vegan when she's around. If one of my sons want to do interpretive dance, I'll learn to understand and love it. I'll do those things because I want to celebrate who my kids are. I want to love who they are and be their biggest encourager and fan.

4) Discipline Is Not Punishment.
Dads, many of us function as the primary disciplinarian in the home. That may or may not be true in your case, but we are, on some level at least, an authority and responsible for some discipline. Punishment is purely a consequence for a wrong act. It's payment. It teaches nothing, redeems nothing, and solves nothing. Besides punishment is over. No, I'm not some anti-correction parenting advocate. When my daughter steps out of line, she hears about it. When my son steals her toy, he gives it back. One of the most important things I've learned about being a Christian though, is that we are no longer punished for our sins, all of the punishment for our sin was poured out on Jesus on the cross. It follows, then, that all the punishment for our kids' sins (Your kid's a sinner, get over it) was meted out on Jesus as well. What we are left with is discipline. What we are left with is the fine art of refining our kids into Godly, productive members of our world and the Kingdom. That's hard, really hard, and it's not accomplished by raising our voices and punishing rather than engaging our kids' hearts. It's a struggle everyday, and most days I feel ineffective after I say the same thing for the thousandth time, but I don't just want to mold their behaviour, I want to influence their hearts. I'm learning that that is FAR more important in the long run.

5) It's All About Jesus.
I'd love my kids to love the things I love. I want my kids to enjoy the things I enjoy, but I pray my kids love God more and better than I do. The single most important thing to me in terms of fatherhood is that my kids love and serve God. Not that that is ultimately up to me, but as a pastor and a dad, my primary concern is that I represent Jesus well to my kids so that I don't put a stumbling block between them and the Gospel. That's what I want to do more than anything, and from a human standpoint, that's how I'll measure my success or failure.

Despite what some people may tell you, the Christian life is not a study in black and white. You don't go from not being a Christian to being an awesome Christian who's done learning, done growing, and done being conformed to the image of Christ as soon as you're converted. Anyone who expects otherwise is either lying to you, or tragically wrong.

The thing about the Christian life is that it's more about long-term faithfulness and striving for a goal than it is about "being finished." Think about it this way: Jesus Himself spent three years, three years with the twelve. Three years teaching, training, pouring into their lives...one of them still betrays Him, and the other ones mostly behave like knuckleheads until Acts 2, well after the resurrection and ascension. If it took the Apostles three years and a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it'll take you longer.

I've been a Christian for about half my life. During that time I've changed my views on many topics of theology a number of times. I've believed things were sins that weren't, and vice versa. Back in my early days of being a Christian, it didn't take much to flip me on a topic. These days, I'm pretty settled. I've spent time at a seminary learning from wise, learned men how to interpret and apply Scripture, and now, on most topics, the threshold for changing my mind is pretty high.

But I could still get stuff wrong.

We worship a God who has forgiven us so much, certainly theology isn't where He draws the line. Not that correct belief isn't important to strive for, of course it is! But having doubts and having questions aren't bad things. In fact, I'd argue that the most genuine believers are those of us who have struggled and wrestled, who struggle and wrestle, mightily with God. Did you know that roughly a third of the Psalms are lament psalms? Psalms of struggle, of crying out to God and saying "WHY?!" Not all of those questions are wrapped up nicely in the end.

I have an easier time trusting people who are open about their struggles, or even that they are struggling, than those who "don't struggle" and have everything figured out. Because they don't, and they're lying about that. Either to you, or more dangerously, to themselves.

The truth of it is this: whether you're a new Christian or an old timer, a seasoned saint, or still drying off from your baptism, sanctification, the process of being conformed to Christ is a life-long process. sometimes progress is slow, sometimes it's intense. Ten years from now you'll be a different Christian than you are now. Ten years from then, different still. By God's grace, you will become more like Christ during that time, not less.

Christianity: It's about the journey rather than the destination.

It's September, and school has already started here in Ontario Canada, where I am from. Once again, parents find themselves talking about, fretting over, or outright protesting the "new" Health and Physical Education curriculum. Sorry: "The SEX-ED curriculum". It's been a simmering issue since it was released, and with so many kids entering school for the first time, it's worth going over again. Some time ago I wrote a pretty lengthy review of both the objections to the curriculum and the facts about what is actually in it. At the time I was pastoring in a small church and the goal was simply to educate and stem the tide of fear-mongering that was building up around the issue; I intentionally tried not to editorialize.

It appears now, though, that protesters and people who ignore facts when forming an opinion are at it again. This time, in the words of Ottawa Citizen columnist David Reevley: "cherry picking and distorting" elements of the 245 page document "at the expense of the children the demonstrators say they’re desperate to protect." I couldn't agree more. Since I wrote my initial post I've spoken to a number of educators. In those conversations, I've learned one very important thing: Curricula are SUPER subjective. Leaving aside the fact that committed evangelical teachers will likely teach this course differently than, say, a committed Atheist, every teacher will teach this course differently. That's the nature of how curricula are written; there's broad room for interpretation by a teacher. Some teachers may teach in a way that is thoughtful, tolerant, and sensitive to each of their students. Others may, in fact, be the nightmare scenario that the fear-mongers at Campaign Life Coalition are afraid of.

Whatever is a conscientious, Christian parent to do?

Be involved.

My daughter is starting SK (in a public school) and my wife has been serving on the PTA from the get-go. We are looking forward to another year with teachers and a principal who have shown care and tolerance of us in all of our interactions so far. Our hope is to continue building relationships and partnering with them as co-educators of our kids. They get my kids for roughly 30 hours a week to teach them. I get them the other 138. Anyone who thinks teachers have more influence on worldview than parents is failing as a parent. Every educator I spoke with wishes (Prays even!) that the parents of the kids in their class did this. Besides, it gives you a chance to be a good witness for the Gospel.
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Good parents are involved parents. You have more influence on who your kids become and what they believe than any school board, but you have to exercise it. The alternative is shipping your kids off to school to be educated by their teachers alone and abdicating your role in the home. If you do that, you've already lost them and it won't be any curriculum's fault.