January 12, 2009TEST YOUR SPIRIT
What percent will you score?
Are tongues for everybody? No! Jesus said they are for those who believe (Mk. 16:17).
Why are tongues so important, and have you ever personally sought the gift?
If someone becomes hung up on what has been called ‘the least of the gifts’, how can they be free to receive the greater gifts?
To conduct this test of faith, simply print a copy of this document and circle the number on each list that corresponds with what you believe to be valid for today. Add up the ones you accept and your score will reflect the percentage of faith you have in each biblical statement. Then lay your score before the Lord in earnest prayer and ask for more love, more power, and more of him in your life. Don’t settle for anything less than 100%.
BEGIN TEST:
Section one:
Mark 16:17, 18 lists five signs that follow them that believe.
#1 Cast out devils.
#2 Speak with new tongues.
#3 Take up serpents (authority over demons).
#4 Drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them (hearing deceit, toxic opinions, ect).
#5 Lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
Section two:
1 Corinthians 12:8-10 lists nine gifts of the Spirit.
#1 Word of wisdom
#2 Word of knowledge
#3 Faith
#4 Gifts of healing
#5 Miracles
#6 Prophecy
#7 Discerning of spirits
#8 Divers kinds of tongues
#9 Interpretation of tongues
Section three:
1 Corinthians 13:8 lists three criteria for the time when perfection will come and spiritual gifts will no longer be needed.
#1 Prophecies shall fail
#2 Tongues shall cease
#3 Knowledge shall vanish
Section four:
Ephesians 4:11 lists five ministry callings.
#1 Apostles
#2 Prophets
#3 Evangelists
#4 Pastors
#5 Teachers
The Bible is not partially inspired; every word of God is pure. The New Testament gifts and callings of God are as valid for today as the New Testament itself. There is nothing wrong with seeking spiritual gifts. For instance, wisdom is the first spiritual gift on the list of nine in 1 Corinthians 12. Thank God this gift is not limited to one special person in some rare case somewhere far away. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without finding fault) and it shall be given him." According to the entire Bible, wisdom is a wise gift to pursue.
1 Corinthians 14:1 exhorts, "Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts…"
As New Testament believers we should always seek, search and desire more of God’s Holy Spirit. Every Christian should hunger to be filled with the Holy Ghost. You receive the Holy Spirit by grace when you are saved, but you can only be filled with the Holy Ghost as you yield. Jesus, in his humanity, is the only man in history that has ever been completely filled with the Spirit without measure. Unlike us, he was a totally yielded vessel. John 3:34-35 "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hand." Jesus was filled without measure.
Concerning section one:
To receive from God, you must first believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The devil has always challenged the authenticity of God’s word by casting questions of doubt upon it. Genesis is the seed bed of all truth. In the Garden of Eden the serpent said to Eve, "…Yea, hath God said…" (Genesis 3:1). When it comes to signs, wonders and miracles the serpent often uses that same lie - ‘Did God really say that?’ to deceive the church. He has managed to cast widespread doubt on the existence of Mark 16:9-20.
On the Mount of Temptation the devil offered Jesus the world, Satan’s seat of authority. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the devil is referred to as "…the god of this world." Egypt is a type of the world. The city of Alexandria in Egypt is where the Alexandrinus manuscripts, the Codex Sineaticus and the Codex Vaticanus came from. The so called ‘older therefore more reliable manuscripts.’ They omit the latter portion of Mark 16, eliminating the appearing of Jesus, the great commission and the signs that follow the believer. The serpent ends Mark 16 at verse 8 "And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid." They said nothing and they were afraid; period, end of story. Once again the serpent is saying, "Yea, hath God said?"
There is in existence today a Syriac translation of the Bible called the Pechitto. It predates the Alexandrian manuscripts by a couple of hundred years, 175 AD. It contains the latter portion of Mark 16. Even earlier than that in 150 AD, Iraneus, an early church father, quoted the later portion of Mk16 in his commentary, some 200 years before the Code Sineaticus. Also Hipalatus writes in the second century, the latter portion of Mark.
The manuscripts used for the King James Cannon of Scripture are known as the ‘Textus Receptus’, also called the ‘Received Text.’ They came from a city in Israel called Antioch, where believers were first called Christians and the Apostle Paul considered it to be his own home church. There are over 5,255 ancient manuscripts, 80% of these are in agreement with the Textus Receptus which includes Mark 16:9-20 as the authoritative word of God.
In another case of the serpents lie, "Yea, hath God said" read section three.
Concerning section two:
Spiritual gifts are spiritual not natural. You cannot find your gift by finding what you are good at. Chances are the gifts that God has called you to minister in are the opposite of what you are naturally inclined to be good at. Your natural talent may very well be a gift from God, but gifts of the Spirit are not natural, they are supernatural. Can anyone with the gift of miracles claim to be good at it? Can anyone with gifts of healing say they just have a knack for it?
Take the gift of the Word of Knowledge for example. Is it to read, learn and become knowledgeable? No! It is a supernatural knowledge; an impartation of information from the Holy Spirit; a secret or divinely inspired revelation of truth. It is something shared with you from God, it does not come from you nor did it originate with you. Much like the gift of tongues, it is by the Spirit that we pray with our spirit not our understanding. Some have said, "I don’t see what good it does." That is because they cannot see beyond their own limited natural ability to understand. Natural laws of gravity and logic have no place in the commencing of miracles.
Not everyone has the ministry gift of tongues that need to be interpreted, but all can participate in a simple prayer and praise language. Singing in the Spirit is certainly something that every believer can enjoy without the need for an interpreter. The whole congregation can sing in an unknown tongue all at the same time. ‘Worship’ has a uniquely different order to it than ‘teaching’ does. Each participant offers praise to God corporately in a private and personal way. Paul the apostle said, "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1Corinthians 14:15). He prayed and sang with his spirit by the Holy Spirit that was within him. We are told in
1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing and in Jude 20 to build up ourselves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. When our spirit prays, we are praying in the Spirit, as Jude 20 proclaims, ‘in the Holy Ghost’. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit…(Romans 8:16). To pray in the Spirit is most likely prayer in its purest form. We by faith speak forth the wonderful works of God. A prayer language in an unknown tongue is just as much a gift for every believer today as the gift of wisdom or faith.
Concerning section three:
Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" The serpent rearranged what God had said and then tempted Eve with knowledge and told her that her eyes would be opened. This is an amazing parallel with how he has twisted 1 Corinthians 13 to declare ‘that which is perfect’ is the Bible and that it has replaced spiritual gifts. His lie purports that perfection has come, we have all knowledge, and we no longer see through a glass darkly. He leads people to believe their vision is no longer obscured and they know even as they are known. In short, they have arrived, their eyes are opened and they are like gods.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 must be kept in context. When Jesus comes we will see him face to face. Until then we only know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come (Jesus) then that which is in part (gifts) shall be done away. In context, three out of three things must occur; all three criteria are in the same verse. Prophecies shall fail, tongues will cease, and knowledge will vanish. You cannot pick and choose one over the other, all three happen simultaneously. If you despise the gift of prophecy and say that it has failed or forbid to speak with tongues and say they have ceased, what do you do with the rest of the verse, ‘knowledge shall vanish.’ The Old Testament predicts that in the last days knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4). God’s progressive revelation to man will continue until the revelation of Jesus Christ is complete, not when the Bible was completed. The Bible is the inspired record of God’s gradual revelation of Himself.
The Bible is not one book, but many. The term ‘Cannon’ came to be used in connection with the books of the Bible in about the fourth century. The word ‘Cannon’ is Greek, and denoted originally a measuring rod or line. Later it came to mean a standard of measurement, and last of all the space covered by such a measure. The perfection or completeness of the Cannon of Scripture is the 66 books that were marked off from all other books. This collection of books occupied a special place; a standard of measure or space covered by such a measure. The Cannon of Scripture is complete but the final unveiling of Christ is yet future. When Jesus who is perfect has come, every eye will see him. We will be transformed at his coming. Then we shall be like him. This corruption will put on incorruption and we will no longer see through a glass darkly, for we shall see him face to face.
Concerning section four:
The five fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 says what it means and means what it says. Apostolic authority and the prophetic ministry are in the realm of the supernatural therefore the religious mind of man has in modern times rejected them. Reason and logic have replaced the anointing. The five fold ministry has been reduced by many denominations to three: Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.
Apostles are sent ones with an anointing to start church’s. The original twelve apostles of the Lamb never at any time spoke disparagingly of the gifts and callings of God. The apostle Paul advised Timothy to "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery (1 Timothy 4:14). And then he exhorts him to "…do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." Not everyone is called to specifically be an evangelist, but we are all called to evangelize, it’s the great commission. Not everyone is called to specifically be a prophet but 1 Corinthians 14:31 says, "For ye may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted." Not everyone is called to the office of a prophet as a seer, however, all may have a measure of prophetic insight and inspiration. If you are saved, you have the testimony of your conversion. That alone involves the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10 says, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
God has always had prophets, Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets. Acts 3:21 says speaking of Jesus, "Whom the heavens must receive until the restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by his holy prophets since the world began." Notice, ‘since the world began.’ Amos 3:7 states, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
Peter quoted the prophet Joel as saying that in the last days your sons and daughters shall prophesy (Acts 2:17). If the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was a one time event limited to only the single day, the prophet Joel would not have said ‘Days.’ The best spokesman concerning The Day of Pentecost, which was the beginning of spiritual gifts to the church, would be Peter himself, the speaker that day. He declared in Acts 2:17 what the prophet Joel had prophesied and then in verse 39 he expounded on who and when this outpouring would occur, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The outpouring of Pentecost extends to all that are afar off (future generations) who call upon the name of the Lord; your sons and daughters and their children’s children. The same power of the Holy Ghost that was present at the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost will last for the life of the church throughout the ages to come (during the church age). "And it shall come to pass in the last days saith God, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). It would seem very difficult to me to say that prophecy is not a valid gift for the last days when God said by the mouth of Joel that it would be, ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days SAITH GOD’.
When we read in the Word of God ‘thus saith the Lord’, or ‘these things are the commandments of the Lord’ we had better shelf our opinions and listen. I Corinthians 14:37-40 "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order." Paul did not say to eliminate these things to keep decency and order, he said, "Let all things (these things) be done decently and in order."
Do you covet to prophesy (earnestly desire and set your hearts on prophesying)? If not, why? Do you accept the Apostle Paul’s teachings as the commandments of the Lord and take his advice? If so, you will be eager to prophesy and you will follow his teaching as the commandment of the Lord which clearly states, do not forbid speaking in tongues. Do the words of Paul taken straight from the Bible stir your heart to desire all the gifts of the Spirit including prophesy, unknown tongues and the interpretation of tongues, or are they repulsive to you?
The purpose of this test is to confront you with the scriptures that will in turn cause you to confront yourself. Why do most Christians forbid speaking in tongues when Paul clearly cautioned them not to?
In Revelation 2:19 Jesus said, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Have you developed a deaf ear?
Can you receive and personally acknowledge that the things Paul taught concerning the gifts and callings of God are true? Again, I quote the words of Paul, I Corinthians 14:37 "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write are the commandments of the Lord."
By reading 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14 regarding spiritual gifts, you can see that Paul was dealing with a lot of controversy and hostile opinions. Chapter 12 begins with, "Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you ignorant." Chapter 14 ends with, "But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant."
Seek, search and desire the Holy Ghost and may the Lord richly bless you in your search,
Pastor Tilson
