Interested in spirituality? This may be the post for you! Today a large portion of Christians have a world view that the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, 29–30; Romans 12:4–8; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10–11 are some how no longer in effect. This leads to certain denominations neglecting the spiritual gifts all together, and through the length of the fork in the road the blessings of these gifts become more, and more distant. People have such a hard time with spirituality so to speak. Because we are born into a physical world it is very easy for us to be predominately carnal minded. We have become so skeptical until the point where we negate what we cannot see, not to mention the fact that many people claim to use the gifts but blow them out of proportion, and in doing so they do more harm than overall good. These misunderstandings root from the nature of man, his need to exalt himself, and the common craving of attention. Not only this but there are cases when a person feels confined to act. How often do we see the preacher who claims to feel the anointing of the holy spirit, then immediately starts calling for certain people to show spiritual witness in the church. In my opinion the people who are called are normally the people who have been used previously, or because they have seen the physical nature of these gifts then they simply do the same. This is obviously not in every case, in every church body, but it can be very detrimental to a persons beliefs, their use of the gifts, and overall their faith. I read an article online that already had made a good point just within the title itself. It was called Expectation without agenda in the article it warned of the danger in convincing someone that they are filled with the spirit without the evidence of the fruit in their lives. It also describes that it is equally dangerous to demand specific manifestations, or agenda at a specific time. There has also been a misunderstanding in the term filled with the spirit In better words this term doesnt not mean the literal filling of the spirit, because Christ poured out the holy spirit on Pentecost after he was crucified. It simply means that the spirit is working within you, and showing evidence through the fruits that paul mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. To think that the spirit is absent to begin with negates one of the purposes in the crucifixion itself. With that being said, if you are interested in the spiritual gifts provided in scripture it would be reasonable to study them from a variety of sources. The gifts mentioned in the scripture given at the beginning of this post include -Administration -Knowledge -Apostleship -Leadership -Discernment -Mercy -Evangelism -Miracles -Exhortation -Pastor/Shepherd -Faith -Prophecy -Giving Serving/Ministering -Healing -Teaching -Interpretation of -Tongues -Speaking Tongues -Wisdom All of these gifts compliment, and correlate with one another. The truth is that our lord through the holy spirit can manifest any of these gifts into any believer. At times you may find each of these gifts stronger than others, because you are blessed with them in any way the lord sees that it is fit. (In any way that is most effective at the time) Some of these gifts are more apparent than others, and many of them have different purposes, but on a larger scale they all are used to build, and strengthen the body of Christ (Christians or the church in other words) as a whole. They often are a witness to the none believer as well. They can only be used out of love, and faith.Not out of selfish reasoning. If these two fruits are absent then visual miracles will never be granted. Some of these gifts radiate through prolonged action, but some are used in instantaneous miracles. After looking at the gifts listed above it is easy to see which category they would fall in, but the truth is that the will of our lord is the will of our lord. He can do as he pleases. There is broad controversy on some of the gifts mainly of which dealing with tongues, and interpreting them. I have talked to many people concerning this gift, and many will tell you that the person initiates the speaking of tongues. This seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts given in scripture. At this point I am still praying for knowledge on what the true form of speaking in tongues happens to be so I am not trying to demote a persons beliefs. Frankly I do not know, but it is evident that this gift is used in common falsity. Some people use this for the wrong reasons, and put on an act all together. It has often deterred me from going to the denominations that i see this predominately in. I almost felt as if i was being lied to, but enough of that! lets get down to what this post is really all about! read these scriptures, and what follows! John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Luke 9:49-50 John answered and said, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us. But Jesus said to him, Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you. Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Christ name has authority. Through his stripes we are healed, and saved. His name can do many things. It can cast spirits taking many forms of oppression mentally, and physically. Within this it can heal. Since we have the authority in christ name we are sometimes able to transmit miracles for a lack of words. This can only be done by the believer, over all through the power of the holy spirit. The power comes through the spirit so it can even be possible to cast spirits without praying aloud, but most use the authority aloud to witness to the non believer. It seems to be even more powerful as it adds to the physical representation. To use the authority of the name you simply begin, or end the prayer in the name of christ, but rather than asking the lord you take authority through the name by commanding whatever ailment, or form of spiritual oppression the person is suffering from to leave, and/or to be healed. Before you use this power given to you, it would be wise to ask yourself a few questions, because in certain situations the lord has intentions for the prolonged suffering, illness, or infirmity. This temporarily can deter people from having faith so we absolutely have to be wise in using this, and we must be sure that we use this authority only out of love, evangelism, and overall to build the body of christ. Discernment, and comfort are completely different. Using this will bring us out of our comfort zone, but if the spirit truly leads you away from taking physical authority then I would advise listening to it. You will have many witness to this. The questions you should ask yourself are for example is it evident that they are hurting themselves? will this oppression make them stronger? If something does not happen instantaneously will it hurt them even more? Listen to your heart, and the guidance of the holy spirit before taking authority. You will know when the time is right. With this being said it is vital to know that you must expect, believe, and have faith yourself even if something does not happen immediately. Alot of the time it does, but on the other hand there are cases where using the authority brings results at a slower rate. In the words of a simpleton it could happen instantly, it could happen in seconds, minutes, or even days. Just know that the will of the lord will be done, and nothing happens without reason. The physical, and spiritual world tie hand in hand. What affects you spiritually will affect you physically likewise what effects you physically will affect you spiritually. It is undeniable that we can use science to spot the problem in a person, but the cause of that roots deeper than just physicality. It is oppression. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.........so in conclusion stay in faith irregardless, and use what has been given for the benefits of not only yourselves but others, and ONLY out of love.Freely you have received so freely you give. Gives thanks to the lord for the ability to do this whenever you see fit. If you have any questions on the definitions of each gift just study a few different sources, use scripture, and then you decide, but like a friend of mind mentioned, if you are still young in Christ be aware that peoples beliefs are not always true, and in the long run can be deceptive!
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 02:14:13 +0000
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