Let Us Be Clear About One Thing
The Holy Spirit...
I
have had a number of interesting conversations over the years with
other Christians concerning the Holy Spirit.All believers that I have spoken with have agreed on the need to depend upon Him, that He leads us as we make ourselves available to Him, and that without Him, no one can come to Christ in true faith.
Yet as we get into the details, I've found that born again Christians have some very different ideas, even among themselves, about the third Person of the Trinity, largely formed by what they had been taught by church leadership at the beginning of their walk with Christ.
The most prevalent view that I've come across over the years is that the Holy Spirit moves very differently now than He did in bible times, and that it is because we now have the completed canon of scripture and that the gifts of the Spirit in particular are no longer needed for that reason.
Now, I confess that I actually fell into that line of thinking for a number of years after having become disgusted with some of the fleshly displays and attitudes that I'd witnessed in some Pentecostal churches and in some circles of believers.
That protracted experience though, actually worked to cause a deeper hunger in my spirit for the moving of God's Spirit in my own life, and for the wonderful Presence of the Living God that I had previously known.
I thank God to this day for continuing to draw and woo me as He did through those lean times.
Now, I want to be clear here- The years that I had abandoned my belief in the need for the gifts of the Spirit in this day and age were lean, lonely times...
I began seeking the Presence of the Lord more earnestly and started to cultivate the gift of tongues once again, and I could sense that God was freer to use me in any way He wanted to- which brought me face to face with the questions, How could it be that the gifts are no longer necessary?
Is moving in the gifts of the Spirit something that was once needed only because the Bible was not yet complete?
Do we not need physical as well as spiritual healing today? How about discerning of spirits? Faith? Word of wisdom? Word of knowledge?
Do we forget about casting out demons because it's now the 21st century, or did they cease to exist as soon as the canon of scripture became complete?....
Let's be real- we're engaged in a life and death battle here. We must allow God to use us as He wills, and we must begin now!
Pray in the Spirit. Seek His face with all your heart. Read through the New Testament and see how freely the Spirit of God moved in and through His people- then tell me that God doesn't do that anymore!
Tell me we don't need that today!
Read the biographies of great men and women of God in the past, and you'll soon long for that closeness, that intimacy, that passion for the Lord that these people had, and that YOU TOO can have.
They didn't worry about being 'respectable' or 'poised and composed' or 'intelligent'. They wanted Christ, and they wanted Him with every fiber of their beings! Not socially acceptable?
They couldn't have cared less- the Holy Spirit had a grip on them that they would never let go of, and we would do well to imitate their examples!...
Seek His face. Let Him move in and through you...
Be willing to be used of God to the fullest!
.
En Agape,
Pastor Jim Ewing
***
Why Does Today's Church Neglect The Holy Spirit?
Spiritual Gifts Are Presents To Be Opened By All Of Us Christians
The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit Are For Today
I desire for those who believe in the gifts of the Spirit to come out of the closet and to begin to proclaim and practice these gifts in local churches. My prayer is that the church of Jesus Christ might be renewed. I have no preconceived notion of what that must look like, only the conviction that it is much needed.
Lonnie Frisbee the evangelist visited a fellowship once that was out of control. He shouted out loudly, "Stop toying with the gifts!" Abuses in the name of the Holy Spirit are everywhere it seems. The result is not good when God's people withdraw and relegate the exercise of the gifts to a small room behind the block wall instead of during the main service.
There is no place in Scripture where it states that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. Recently a group of well intentioned Christians got together to support the idea that there are no gifts available today and that is because we have the Bible. On the surface it sounds very reasonable as they quote:
1 Corinthians 13:10
King James Version (KJV)
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
The "perfect" cannot be
taken to mean canonized Scripture. Paul is contrasting the partial with
the complete, things that befit a child versus things that commend
adulthood. The focal point for advance is the appearance of the
"perfect."
The Greek word teleios simply means "end," "purpose" or completion." Inherent in the word is no concept of a written record. This is simply a theological deduction.
Along with the faulty conclusion of 1 Cor 13:10 as a foundation, they deduced from Revelation 22:18-19 that prophecy ceased to exist with the closure of the canon.
However, John's prohibition is not all prophesy, but to the deliberate falsification of the one given to him by the Holy Spirit. That Revelation is the last book in our New Testament canon does not mean it was the last to be written or the final prophecy given.
To state that some gifts have ceased and others have not is to go further than Scripture allows. The gifts belong to the church and will continue to belong to the church until the end of the age. Theological viewpoints do not determine the gifts nor do they activate or deactivate them.
Satan wants to divide the church. He will take any opportunity to breach the wall. A church without the gifts is harmless and no threat to him.
Some abuse of the gifts cause a reaction to retreat into the security of uniformity with no exercise of them other then just reading about them in the Scriptures.
The gifts are not weird as they have been made out to be. To despise these gifts, either by theological negation or practical skepticism, will leave us wholly unequipped to meet the battle. Our ancient foe, the devil, has not ceased his struggle to subdue the light of God.
God does all things well. What He has appointed for His church has behind it wise purpose and meaning, for the mere reason that He is the One who has appointed it.
Part of the joy we have is discovering the purpose and meaning which God had in mind when He appointed the gifts for His church. If God's Holy Spirit is to function fully in our lives, we must have an open heart and a consuming desire to know all we can about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit. His gifts and His ministries to the body of Christ.
The gifts of the Spirit, the weapons of our warfare, can destroy any force the devil might use against the body of Christ.
You have to want the gifts of the Spirit. God will not force them on you. When you do receive them, have respect for them. Learn what God has said about them; then you will have great wisdom in the operation of these gifts, and they will remain with you. They are a vital part of your life as a Christian.
When our Lord Jesus came to this earth to conquer it and redeem it, He functioned only within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit. His total ministry on earth was not as God, but as a man, functioning in the gifts of the Spirit. All of the "miracles" Jesus performed were the result of a gift of the Spirit functioning at that time.
Jesus said:
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father."
John 14:12
The ministry Jesus performed on this earth was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that you and I have today. We can expect to do the same works Jesus did if we follow, line upon line and precept upon precept, everything the Word of God teaches.
Each one of us Christians has the right to every gift of the Holy Spirit. They are provided for the total body of Christ, and you are a part of His body.
The gifts of the Spirit
cannot be earned. They are called "gifts" to reveal that there is only
one way to obtain them: They are given to the church by God. These gifts
are not optional. The people of the church in the past missed God by
deciding for themselves whether or not they would accept them. The gifts
of the Spirit are not placed at the disposal of the church on a
take~it~or~leave~it proposition. We either take them or lose what we
have.
How can the church do greater works than Jesus did if it does not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit? If the church no longer has the gifts, if they ceased somehow, then Jesus lied to us about being able to do greater works than He did. Because He did everything by the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a man and not as God. Therefore we must have the gifts to do the same.
Some people have the idea that everything Jesus did was because He was God, but they are 100 percent wrong! The amazing ministry of Jesus Christ is a perfect example of a ministry that functioned within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.
If Jesus had performed His earthly ministry because He was God, then you and I could not follow His example because we are not God. But the remarkable thing is that He confined His ministry within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.
I use the word confined because, as the Son of God, Jesus was not required to operate in this framework. He did not have to function through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He could have spoken worlds into existence as was done in the beginning. But He deliberately confined Himself to minister within the limits of the gifts of the Spirit, and He did so for one purpose; that He might be a perfect example to you and me.
If what Jesus did, He did because He was the Son of Man and used the Holy Spirit to do it, then you and I can do it, too. If the ministry of Jesus was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit, then we can have the same kind of ministry because we have the same Holy Spirit.
Jesus functioned under the nine gifts that are in the New Testament, so can we.
What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
What Is Baptism of The Holy Spirit?
The Greek word teleios simply means "end," "purpose" or completion." Inherent in the word is no concept of a written record. This is simply a theological deduction.
Along with the faulty conclusion of 1 Cor 13:10 as a foundation, they deduced from Revelation 22:18-19 that prophecy ceased to exist with the closure of the canon.
However, John's prohibition is not all prophesy, but to the deliberate falsification of the one given to him by the Holy Spirit. That Revelation is the last book in our New Testament canon does not mean it was the last to be written or the final prophecy given.
To state that some gifts have ceased and others have not is to go further than Scripture allows. The gifts belong to the church and will continue to belong to the church until the end of the age. Theological viewpoints do not determine the gifts nor do they activate or deactivate them.
Satan wants to divide the church. He will take any opportunity to breach the wall. A church without the gifts is harmless and no threat to him.
Some abuse of the gifts cause a reaction to retreat into the security of uniformity with no exercise of them other then just reading about them in the Scriptures.
The gifts are not weird as they have been made out to be. To despise these gifts, either by theological negation or practical skepticism, will leave us wholly unequipped to meet the battle. Our ancient foe, the devil, has not ceased his struggle to subdue the light of God.
God does all things well. What He has appointed for His church has behind it wise purpose and meaning, for the mere reason that He is the One who has appointed it.
Part of the joy we have is discovering the purpose and meaning which God had in mind when He appointed the gifts for His church. If God's Holy Spirit is to function fully in our lives, we must have an open heart and a consuming desire to know all we can about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit. His gifts and His ministries to the body of Christ.
You have to want the gifts of the Spirit. God will not force them on you. When you do receive them, have respect for them. Learn what God has said about them; then you will have great wisdom in the operation of these gifts, and they will remain with you. They are a vital part of your life as a Christian.
When our Lord Jesus came to this earth to conquer it and redeem it, He functioned only within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit. His total ministry on earth was not as God, but as a man, functioning in the gifts of the Spirit. All of the "miracles" Jesus performed were the result of a gift of the Spirit functioning at that time.
Jesus said:
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father."
John 14:12
The ministry Jesus performed on this earth was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that you and I have today. We can expect to do the same works Jesus did if we follow, line upon line and precept upon precept, everything the Word of God teaches.
Each one of us Christians has the right to every gift of the Holy Spirit. They are provided for the total body of Christ, and you are a part of His body.
How can the church do greater works than Jesus did if it does not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit? If the church no longer has the gifts, if they ceased somehow, then Jesus lied to us about being able to do greater works than He did. Because He did everything by the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a man and not as God. Therefore we must have the gifts to do the same.
Some people have the idea that everything Jesus did was because He was God, but they are 100 percent wrong! The amazing ministry of Jesus Christ is a perfect example of a ministry that functioned within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.
If Jesus had performed His earthly ministry because He was God, then you and I could not follow His example because we are not God. But the remarkable thing is that He confined His ministry within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit.
I use the word confined because, as the Son of God, Jesus was not required to operate in this framework. He did not have to function through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He could have spoken worlds into existence as was done in the beginning. But He deliberately confined Himself to minister within the limits of the gifts of the Spirit, and He did so for one purpose; that He might be a perfect example to you and me.
If what Jesus did, He did because He was the Son of Man and used the Holy Spirit to do it, then you and I can do it, too. If the ministry of Jesus was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit, then we can have the same kind of ministry because we have the same Holy Spirit.
Jesus functioned under the nine gifts that are in the New Testament, so can we.
What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
What Is Baptism of The Holy Spirit?
***
Spiritual Gifts Not Natural Talents?
Finding Your Gifts
"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1).
Spiritual gifts are often set aside when confused with the perfecting of natural talent.
I have read through a lot of material on the subject of finding your spiritual gifts. The intellect of man always seems to have some natural, logical explanation for taking out the supernatural. Most teachings on Finding Your Spiritual Gifts would better be titled, Finding Your Natural Talents.
Gifts of the Spirit are spiritual, not natural. You cannot find your spiritual gift by finding what you are naturally good at. Chances are your spiritual gifts will have nothing to do with what your natural talents are. When we are weak, He is strong. Your natural strong points are probably not your spiritual strong points. How can anybody be good at working miracles? If somebody were to have the gift of miracles, could anybody say that it was because they were good at it? Our natural strengths are almost never our spiritual strengths.
The prophet Amos recognized this when God called him to prophesy, he said in Amos 7:14-15, "...I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdsmen and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel."
He was good at being a herdsman and gathering fruit, but being a prophet, that was something new, it was spiritual. It is not something that is hereditary, or by any means a naturally developed ability.
Gifts of the Spirit go beyond human boundaries. They enable a change of circumstances for a higher purpose. God uses spiritual gifts to alter the natural course of events.
There are many gifts of the Spirit and nine of them are clearly listed in 1 Corinthians 12. You cannot pick and choose which one of the nine best suits your religious preference and then leave the others out. God’s Word is not partially inspired, every word is pure.
Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. All nine of the gifts that are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are good and perfect.
The Pharisees of today say that it is wrong to seek signs and wonders and miracles. The Bible says to pursue them. "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts..." (1 Corinthians 14:1).
The disciples prayed for miracles, they sought the Lord for signs and wonders. They prayed in Acts 4:29 –31,
"And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness."
Did God shake the place in His disapproval, or His approval?
To seek an experience is good when you seek to experience God.
Pastor Tilson
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