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Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Spiritual Gifts

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Battle_Faith
Member



Joined: 2012/2/13
Posts: 1


 Spiritual Gifts

How many of you are operating in the gifts of the Spirit? If you don't believe in spiritual gifts, what is your scriptural basis? Even though I know many will use the 1 Cor. 13 argument, an unbiased look at the passage and supporting Scripture shows it is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ.

 2012/2/13 19:16Profile
jimp
Member



Joined: 2005/6/18
Posts: 1481


 Re: Spiritual Gifts

hi, i have winessed the gifts o f the Spirit and many miracles in my life and no negit could convince me that they were not for today. ihave a close friend who had hands laid on him for he had one lung removed and the other was full of t.b.and when he got up he could breathe normally and when he went home the scar from his surgery was gone. he went to his doctor,vance byers, and he did a thorough examination and found that God had given my friend ,Gene Mullinax anew lung and restored the three ribs that had been removed in surgery and had cleared up the other lung healing him completely.

 2012/2/13 19:29Profile
twayneb
Member



Joined: 2009/4/5
Posts: 2256
Joplin, Missouri

 Re: Spiritual Gifts

Battle_Faith:

I have been thinking about your post a good part of the day and thought I would reply. It seems from what you said that you might have been in contact with some who would say the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for us today. You mentioned 1 Cor. 13.

Paul in 1 Cor. 12-14 gives a very detailed teaching of the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Spirit filled believer. There is nothing in the context of 1 Cor. 12-14 that implies that these scriptures have anything to do with the second coming of Christ with the exception that when Christ comes again and we are glorified we will see face to face what we see only dimly now.

Actually the context of 1 Cor. 13 is bound to the teaching on the gifts of the Spirit. God's kind of love is to be the motivation behind the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The reason that God gave the gifts is so that we might edify and build one another and more importantly that we might be used of Him to minister to others. You see, when a person needs healing I have no ability on my own to do anything about it. However God may choose to use me through the gift of healing to affect a supernatural healing. When God desires to speak to another person He may choose to give me a word of knowledge or word of wisdom to communicate what He has to say.

There are those who would use the gifts of the Spirit as a sort of badge of spirituality and in doing so they miss the whole point Paul is making in 1 Cor. 13. The gifts have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with God using me as a vessel to see His will done, His love and compassion poured out, and people receiving ministry. I am only the conduit through which the love of God flows, the tool in the hand of the one doing the work. The saw cannot boast in cutting the board. It is only being used by the carpenter. Without the carpenter the saw is useless and empty. This is the message of 1 Cor. 13.

So actually 1 Cor. 12-14 is a very good place to draw solid exegetical teaching on the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I have grown up around men and women of God who were used from time to time in the various gifts of the Spirit. I have witnessed bodies being healed. Just the other day a friend was healed in a moment from colon cancer. The doctors are incredulous and bewildered. I have seen words of wisdom and knowledge delivered that edified and encouraged believers. I am not talking about generalities, but specific things that only God could have known. I have seen prophecies that came to pass just as they were given. I have seen tongues and interpretations. Just this summer a young teenaged daughter of a friend was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and, knowing absolutely no Spanish, prayed fluently under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the back of a man they met on the street there. The interpreter stood with wide eyes as he heard this ignorant girl bypass his own function and pray in perfect, fluent Spanish. Yes, God has used me in some of these ways as well.

I realize this is a topic that many fight over. I think this is sad. I believe if we look at Paul's letters and read the book of Acts we will see that the manifestation of these gifts was commonplace. Joel contains a prophecy of the last days. It speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is this passage that Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost. But if you read the passage in Joel carefully it is one of those "bridge" prophecies. The prophecy is for the entirety of the last days. These last days began with Pentecost and have yet to be completed. Part of Joel's prophecy has occurred, part is yet to come. So the last days has not come to an end and neither has the event that Peter spoke of. Paul in 1 Cor. 2 speaks of the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit and what will happen as we have a ministry flow out of the Holy Spirit's empowerment and not our own. In fact, as good as it may appear and as much fruit as may be borne, if we minister out of our flesh we cannot through that ministry please God (Romans 8), but if we minister out of the Holy Spirit we will please God because we will be doing His thing His way.

So that is my perspective on your question. Study the scriptures. Pray over them. Hold man's doctrines VERY loosely and the straightforward reading of the Word closely. God did not design it to be vague.


_________________
Travis

 2012/2/14 18:39Profile









 Re: Spiritual Gifts

- also, for the propagation of the Gospel.


Quote:
There are those who would use the gifts of the Spirit as a sort of badge of spirituality and in doing so they miss the whole point Paul is making in 1 Cor. 13. The gifts have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with God using me as a vessel to see His will done, His love and compassion poured out, and people receiving ministry. I am only the conduit through which the love of God flows, the tool in the hand of the one doing the work. The saw cannot boast in cutting the board. It is only being used by the carpenter. Without the carpenter the saw is useless and empty. This is the message of 1 Cor. 13.

So actually 1 Cor. 12-14 is a very good place to draw solid exegetical teaching on the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.




This is very sound, Brother. Chpt 13 'sandwiched' between 12 & 14.
Very good.


 2012/2/17 13:16





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