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Post by pitbull on Jul 5, 2008 7:54:32 GMT -5
I. WHAT IS A GIFT OF THE SPIRIT OR A SPIRITUAL GIFT? It is a spiritual qualification given by the Holy Spirit to each individual believer to enable him to serve within the framework of the body of Christ to win others to Christ and to edify other believers.
II. WHO CHOOSES THE GIFTS THAT WE ARE TO RECEIVE? It is God alone, through the Holy Spirit, who by virtue of His sovereignty, decides upon the qualification of which we stand in need for a ministry that He alone foresees. [1 Corinthians 12:11]
III. EACH CHILD OF GOD IS GIVEN A GIFT. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
IV. BELIEVERS DO NOT ALL RECEIVE THE SAME GIFT.“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." [1 Corinthians12:4,11] “Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” [1 Corinthians12:30] “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us...” [Romans 12:4-6]
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Post by pitbull on Jul 5, 2008 7:54:48 GMT -5
V. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SPIRITUAL GIFTS? 1. The gift of wisdom [1 Corinthians 2:6-7; 12:8] Everyone should ask for wisdom [James 1:5] and strive for it, but some Christians are blessed with wisdom [beyond what can be gained from natural experience]. The word used for wisdom here is sophia, which literally means “wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual)”. It is the same word used in James 1:5 and is a derivative of sophos, which means to “wise” or to “make understanding clear”. Those with this gift know how to take a spiritual truth and apply it to life. It can also mean a piece of sagely advice or guidance that a Christian gives to another and not know where it came from. This is not a source of extra-biblical revelation as some within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement have tried to make it out to be.
2. The gift of knowledge [1 Corinthians 12:8] Everyone should study and have a comprehension of facts from the Bible [2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3:18], but some Christians are blessed with knowledge. The word used for knowledge is gnosis, which literally means “knowing (the acts), i.e. (by implication) knowledge :- knowledge, science”. It is the same word used in 2 Peter 3:18 and is take from ginosko, which means “to ‘know’ (absolute), in a great variety of applications and with many implication (as follows, with others not thus clearly expressed) :- allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know (-ledge), perceive, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.” They are able to pull truth or facts out of passages [beyond natural talent/ability] and are great at research and apologetics. This gift is demonstrated in people who have a great knowledge and understanding of the Bible without much [if any] study of Scripture. God gifts them with the ability to know the facts of His revelation. As mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13, the prophetic nature of this gift has passed since the completion of the Bible as the final source of divine revelation.
3. The gift of faith or of prayer [Matthew 17:19-21; 1 Corinthians 12:9] What faith is this, since it is a gift not given to every member of the body of Christ? What type prayer is this since not every Christian can do it? Every Christian has to have faith and needs to pray, but some Christians have their entire life and thoughts even turned over to the control of the Holy Spirit. Their prayers seem to get answers before they get off their knees. Their faith even strengthens others. They are beyond normal faith from themselves – it is from God. Some are like Peter and they step out of the boat by faith. It concerns a special gift of faith that supplies power for carrying out a ministry such as, for example, that of George Mueller or of Hudson Taylor.
4. The gift of healing [1 Corinthians 12:9] This gift would allow a person to heal another of physical infirmities. There are some things that need to be noted about this gift: 1. It is not given to all believers and remains the exceptional. [1 Corinthians 12:9] 2. God may withdraw it. For example, people could be healed by merely touching handkerchiefs that had been touched by Paul [Acts 19:11-12], yet Paul was unable to heal the following later: a. Paul [I1 Corinthians12:8,9] b. Epaphroditus [Philippians 2:25-30] c. Timothy [1 Timothy 5:23] d. Trophimus [2 Timothy 4:20] 3. The gift of healing is not effective in every case. Nowhere do we find a promise on God’s part to heal us during this present life from every one of our infirmities, for this would imply that we should not die physically. [Romans 8:23] 4. The gift of healing is often feigned. There are many false prophets that have “healing services” that are unbiblical, especially within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The Gospels record 18 specific miracles of healing by the Lord Jesus Christ. A careful study of these reveals the following facts: a. Christ healed people where He found them – no special healing meetings were ever conducted. b. Christ healed all manner of sickness – no screening process was employed to eliminate the hard cases. c. Christ's healings were complete – no failures, relapses, no convalescence. d. Christ's healings were free of charge – no offerings, no books, no handkerchiefs, no gimmicks. e. Christ generally healed without touching – no theatrics. f. Christ never prayed before He healed someone. g. Christ discouraged testimonies [see Mark 7:36] h. Christ's healing ministry was related to Israel. i. Those He healed were generally either unsaved, or were saved at the same moment. Compare this to how the Pentecostals and Charismatic crowd conduct their “healing services”. Nevertheless, the evidence of Scripture confounds the charlatans of Christendom who generally operate by any or all of the following methods: • Selective sicknesses – psychosomatic illness, no broken bones please! • Sideshow stooges – people who are miraculously healed at every town! • Surging sensationalism – emotional pulsating music, rhythmic repetition, climactic clowning
God healed people, is healing people, and will heal people through one of following ways: 1. Supernaturally and directly as the answer to prayer of God’s faithful [James 5:14-15] 2. The natural processes of our bodies, since God created them. Even the healing of a cut is miraculous! 3. Through medicines and medical practices [1 Timothy 5:23] 4. Through death [Philippians 1:21]
5. The gift of the working of miracles [1 Corinthians 12:10, 29; Galatians 3:5] The gift of miracles has been given/exercised at only four points in history according to the Bible: a. Moses: to validate his message from God to the unbelieving Pharaoh. b. Elisha and Elijah: to validate their message from God to the unbelieving Baal worshippers. c. Jesus: to validate His authority and message to the unbelieving Jews. d. Apostles: to validate that God had established His church to the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles.
Did God perform miracles during other points in history? Yes, but for some reason God saw the need to increase the frequency of miracles and to direct them through a human instrument. This was according to His sovereign will and not the desires of men.
As with healings, this does not mean that God is not performing them today. It means that He does not allow an individual human being to perform miracles at will as in these examples. The Bible is our means of validating a message today to see if it is from God or not. Also the miracles were performed for the benefit of non-believers, not believers. God can very easily give this gift to a missionary who is taking the Gospel to a part of the world that is similar to the conditions of the first century Roman Empire – devoid of the Bible and filled with pagan idolatry.
6. The gift of prophecy [Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10] This gift does not solely convey the faculty of foretelling the future but also, according to the definition found in 1 Corinthians 14:3-4, that of edifying, exhorting, and comforting. Hence, it is not just for foretelling but also for forth telling of the revelation of God. While every Christian needs to be about proclaiming the Gospel, some are gifted [beyond natural talent/ability] at preaching or proclaiming the Gospel. This could be a missionary, a pastor, an evangelist, a deacon [e.g. Stephen, Philip], a street preacher, or just an “ordinary” Christian. From reading the book of Acts, it would seem that, in the Early Church, the practice of the gift of prophecy consisted more often in the delivery of an inspired message or some revelation for the purpose of instructing and edifying the Church in the course of general meetings. [1 Corinthians 14:3-4, 24, 29-33] The fulfillment of this gift is seen in a. Bible Preaching [Acts 13:1; 15:35; Romans 10:17; 12:6c] b. Preaching Directed To The Church [1 Corinthians 14:4b, 5, 22b] c. Preaching With Specific Goals. 1. Exhortation [Acts 15:32; 1 Corinthians 14:3] 2. Confirmation [Acts 15:32] 3. Instruction [1 Corinthians 14:31] 4. Edification [1 Corinthians 14:3] 5. Comfort [1 Corinthians 14:31]
There is also the office of being a New Testament Prophet. [Acts 13:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20; 4:11] They are mentioned as being the "foundation of the church", or that which our church is built upon. This position is no longer part of the church hierarchy. They would fall in the same position of importance to the church as the Apostles, but in a different arena. They would teach the application of the Apostles doctrines at the local congregations. They would explain the scriptures and revelations. Occasionally, they would have a new divine revelation. They served more of an administrative function. They serve as successors to the Old Testament office of prophet, since they taught God's revelation to the people [mediator from God to man].
There are many false teachers today [especially in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement] that claim to have this gift. Yet the extra-Biblical prophecies that they claim to have received from God many times contradict the Bible and may actually be coming from demonic sources. It is prudent to use the Bible to discern the counterfeit use of this gift from the Biblical usage of it.
7. The gift of discerning of spirits [1 Corinthians 12:10] Few ages have required this particular gift so much as ours. Every Christian is to test doctrine and other spiritual matters to see if they are of God [1 John 4:1], but some Christians have the ability to do this supernaturally. They just know when things are evil or good without much investigation. They are better able to defend themselves and other believers against the deceptive practices of the Devil (II Corinthians11:14) and his minions.
8. The gift of tongues [1 Corinthians 12:10] This is the ability to speak one or more foreign languages without having learned them. Acts 2:4, 8-11 gives a perfect Biblical example of this gift. It is a gift to allow the believer to share the Gospel with the lost who do not speak the same language as the believer. Applying the rule of proper Biblical interpretation (hermeneutics), we can immediately see that true Biblical "tongues" are known languages and dialects – not unintelligible gibberish! Acts 2:8-11 lists 16 known languages and dialects.
A brief look at the Greek terms used for “unknown tongues” gives a better understanding of this gift: • heteros – other or different [we get our words “heterogeneous” and “heterosexual” from this word] • glossa – tongue, language (specifically one naturally unacquired); used in Acts 2:3,11; 10:46; 19:6 [we get out word “glossary” from this word] • dialektos – discouse, i.e. dialect – language, tongue; used in Acts 21:40; 22:2; 26:14 [we get out word “dialect” from this word] agnostos – unknown; used in 1 Corinthians 14:2,4,14,19,27 [only passage in Bible that uses this word]
The term "unknown tongue" in 1 Corinthians 14 refers to a language unknown to the hearer. According to 1 Corinthians 14:2-11, that if you do not understand the language of the other person, “…Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me." It is very clearly referring to human dialects being unknown and causing confusion, not a prayer language or something to be used in a church service.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13:1, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” This passage is not saying that there is a language spoken by the angelic host. There are three things that need to be realized: 1. The word “though” is to make this statement into a hyperbolic expression, not a factual statement. Paul is not saying that he can speak in every known language or tongue of the universe [even that of the angelic realm]. This verse is not saying that Paul spoken an “angelic” tongue or that one even exists. 2. Paul understood at least three languages: Greek (since he wrote his epistles in it), Hebrew (Acts 21:40; 22:2), and Lycaonian (Acts 14:11,14). 3. There is no doubt that God also gave Paul the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues to share the Gospel with the unsaved Gentile pagans that he encountered.
What about a prayer language? Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” It is interesting that when the Holy Spirit prays for us when our heart is so burdened that we don’t know how to put our thoughts into words for God, that this intercession “cannot be uttered”. When the Holy Spirit is praying for us, it is not something that is spoken like the babbling done by those who supposedly “pray in the Spirit” at Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. A Biblical example of praying in the Spirit is found in 1 Samuel 1:12-15 with the prayer of Hannah. Nothing was spoken from her lips for others to hear, but God heard it clearly from the heart as the Holy Spirit spoke on her behalf.
Also, despite the claims of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement, this gift is not given to ever believer (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30) and cannot be used as a test to affirm the salvation of a person. This is rather a miraculous gift given of God only for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with an unsaved person who speaks and understands only a language or dialect different from the Christian who is presenting the Gospel.
9. The gift of the interpretation of tongues [1 Corinthians 12:10] This gift would allow a person to not only be able to understand a foreign language but also to tell another person what is being said. We call this person today an interpreter. The Bible gives certain rules for interpreting languages in church services: a. Only three such persons are to speak [1 Corinthians14:27] There should not be a message being interpreted into more than three languages. After that it starts to distract from the preaching of God’s Word. This does not matter if it is sign language or a spoken language. If two people are interpreting in the same language, which one do you listen to? b. Such persons are to speak in turn [1 Corinthians14:27] If every person at a church service spoke in a different language, there would be only confusion and the preaching of the Word of God would be hindered. No one would receive God’s blessing. c. One person must interpret [1 Corinthians14:27] There should be only one person interpreting the message into sign language, one person interpreting the message into Russian, etc. d. If no interpreter is present, there is to be no speaking in foreign languages [1 Corinthians14:28] Why? [See 1 Corinthians 14:2,4,6,8,14,16-19,23] e. Speaking in a foreign language is to be controlled [1 Corinthians 14:32] It was to be done in a controlled fashion, not with chaos and disorder. f. Women are forbidden to speak in tongues [1 Corinthians 14:34] Actually, women are Biblically forbidden to preach also, so this eliminates many of the Pentecostal and Charismatic usages of the so-called gift of tongues.
10. The gift of apostleship [1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20; 4:11] An apostle was a man that had been specifically and personally commissioned by the resurrected Christ. They are mentioned as being the "foundation of the church", or that which our church is built upon [Revelation 12:14]. Once a foundation is made for a building, nothing more is done to it so that construction of the building may get underway. The same is in the church. This position is no longer part of the church hierarchy. They were the founders of individual churches. They would come to a city without a church, evangelize it, win converts, establish a church, and start a discipleship teaching program. They would then move on to a new city. They serve as successors to the Old Testament office of prophet, since they taught God's revelation to the people [mediator from God to man]. They were given special gifts [e.g. miracles, healing, tongues, prophecy] of the Holy Spirit to help to confirm to unbelievers that they were actually giving the Word of God [via preaching and writing the New Testament].
11. The gift of teaching [Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11] Churches today sadly lack “teachers”, that is to say, men who teach the Bible and produce a love of sound doctrine. This is easily realized by observing how the love of God’s Word and knowledge of elementary truths are lacking even among so-called Christians. This is why God gives this gift, to prepare teachers among those who will rise to serve Him by teaching the Word to the brethren. This is not to be confused with the office of a pastor/teacher. Even though a teacher will very likely have the gift of teaching, so will other Christians that do not hold this office. Every Christian is to teach what they have learned to others that are not up to the same education level or are ignorant of a specific spiritual truth, but some God specially gifts to be able to teach His truths. Many times, but not always, this gift is linked with the gift of prophecy.
12. The gift of giving assistance or helps or mercy or ministry or serving [Romans 12:7-8; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Galatians 3:5] Certain tasks within the Church seem too humble or mundane to require a special gift of the Spirit. And yet it is these more than any other perhaps that calls for more than common qualification. Every Christian is to help others or minister unto them, but some have been gifted beyond natural ability to be able to meet the needs of others around them. They are constantly about the business of helping meet the needs of others. There is fine work to be done in connection with the sick, the poor, those in distress, the aged, and the lonely. God equips believers to carry out this service.
13. The gift of governing or administration [Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28] Every Christian is commanded to have rule over his home, family, and his/her body, but some are gifted by God to do administrative duties either in a church, a missionary organization, or even a secular career. We need Christian statesmen whom God has raised up for our churches, our works, and our missions that will use their supernatural ability to lead with humility and a dependence upon the Lord.
14. The gift of being evangelists [Ephesians 4:11] God gifts some to be special servants of the Church. They help with church planting, missionary work, etc. They win souls to Christ and start the discipleship process. This includes missionaries to foreign fields as well as evangelists to local churches.
15. The gift of being pastors [1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11] This person is sometimes also called elder, overseer, under-shepherd, or bishop in the Bible. These titles are interchangeable. They are the successor of the New Testament prophets. They are responsible for a local congregation. They handle the administrative processes as well as “feeding the flock” from the Word of God.
16. The gift of liberality or generosity [Romans 12:8] Every Christian is commanded to be generous to others in need, but some are better equipped by God [not necessarily wealthy] to be more generous than humanly possible at times. Think of the widow who gave the two mites. She gave sacrificially. That is a perfect example of this gift. God regards those with this gift as His special stewards, prudent and faithful servants whom He has set over His people to give them nourishment in due season.
17. Exhortation [Romans 12:8] Every Christian is commanded to exhort or encourage other Christians, but some are gifted by God to be able to encourage and comfort people beyond any normal capabilities. There are some Christians that you just want to be around because they seem to be tapped into joy.
18. Singleness [1 Corinthians 7:26-34] The Bible teaches that this is the only gift that is optional. Some Christians do not have any sexual desires due to a gift of God to better serve Him, but they do not have to accept this gift. It is not a sin if they would chose to marry. There are five reasons given for staying single in you have the gift: (1) pressures or persecutions of a society, (2) problems of the flesh, (3) passing of this world system, (4) worldly cares and concerns, and (5) divided attention.
It may well be that mention is to be found elsewhere of other gifts, for no claim is made that the above list is complete. Whatever be the task to which God has called us, He will immediately give us, through the Holy Spirit, the necessary qualifications.
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Post by pitbull on Jul 5, 2008 8:05:42 GMT -5
VI. ARE SPIRITUAL GIFTS GIVEN IN ALL AGES ALIKE? Often believers are troubled by the fact that many of the miraculous gifts [so abundant in the Book of Acts] seeming to be so infrequent during our age. There are those who assert that if our faith was greater, we would see the same supernatural power at work again. They claim that many Christians today try to put God within a box and restrict His ability to perform the spiritual gifts today.
First, it is quite obvious that God has not changed. Second, it quite obvious that God is no less powerful now than during the age of the Apostles. Third, God never contradicts Himself or His revealed Word, the Bible. Consider the following facts:
A. Sign Gifts. As we look down the list of the spiritual gifts, we note that the majority of them have been granted at all times to believers who are faithful according to their faith. Yet the Bible specifically lists some as “sign gifts”. Mark 16:17,18 catalogs four sign gifts: • Casting out devils • Speaking in tongues • Taking up deadly serpents (miracles) • Healing
In actual fact, the Lord's prophecy in this passage has already been fulfilled, because every one of these sign gifts can be found in the Book of Acts. [See examples in Acts 2:4; 3:6-8; 16:18; 28:3-5] Therefore there is absolutely no Biblical warrant for seeking any further fulfillment of this passage.
B. There were two reasons or purposes for the sign gifts: 1. Accreditation [Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4] of either God’s man [Exodus 4:1-10; John 20:30; Acts 2:22; II Corinthians12:12] or God’s message [Mark 16:20; Acts 4:29,30]. 2. One of the characteristics of the Jewish heart is the need for a sign. [1 Corinthians 1:22] There are many references that demonstrate the importance of signs to the Jews [Exodus 4:30,31; 31:13; Numbers 14:11; Judges 6:17; I Samuel 10:7-9; Isaiah 7:11,14; Ezekiel 4:3; Matthew 12:38,39; 24:3,30; Mark 8:11,12; and Luke 2:12,34]. C. An End? In 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, we find the following regarding certain of the sign gifts: “…but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” The common interpretation among the Pentecostal/Charismatic crowd of "when that which is perfect is come" is that it refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ – meaning that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge would cease only at the point when Christ returns. However, according to Joel 2:28-31 and Zechariah 14:1-4, the exact opposite is the case: the return of Christ will in fact be accompanied by signs, wonders, dreams, and prophecies! This passage actually refers to the completed (written) Word of God. As the Books of the New Testament were written and circulated, the need for accreditation diminished accordingly. Today, we do not need signs to give authority to what is preached – we have the written Word of God as our only and final authority! The question of final authority lies at the heart of the `Charismatic Controversy' – do we believe our feelings, our experiences, what others say they have received...or God’s Holy Word? The gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are all mentioned here specifically. Why? These dealt with revelation from God. Also, with the rise of linguistic education, people can study the various languages today so God may gift someone with tongues in a means different than the first century but no less miraculous and still for the purpose of presenting the Gospel to a lost and pagan people. The other “sign gifts” are not specifically mentioned [e.g. miracles, healings]. There is no Biblical reason why God would not still give these gifts today [when needed], especially to missionaries going to parts of the world that the Gospel has never reached. There is no reason that God would not use these gifts to allow His servants to accredit the Bible and discredit local shamans and other occultic participants. Remember that God gives only the gifts need by the believer to accomplish the ministry to which he is called. D. Spiritual threat. There is also an extreme danger in seeking after the sign gifts today through our own personal desires or opinions. This is because Satan is also able to produce signs and wonders. He can duplicate and imitate the miracles of God: • Exodus 7:10-12–"And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." • Exodus 7:22–"And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments:..." • Exodus 8:7–"And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt." • Mark 13:21-23–"And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." • I1 Corinthians11:13-15–"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." • II Thessalonians 2:9–"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," • Revelation 13:13,14–"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live."
Satan is well able to provide any experience outside of the Word of God a Christian may seek. Just because a sign gift is demonstrated, it does not mean it is from God. This is the major peril with the Pentecostal and Charismatic crowd that goes chasing after anyone performing “signs and wonders”.
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