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Apocalyptic Hope
Part 1 -- Gifts of the H.S.;
Part 2 Fruits of the H.S.
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"to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man" Ephesians 3:16
POWER OUTAGE
In the Last Days, the Bible tells us that the Church will have a
"form of Godliness, but deny the power thereof" [2 Timothy 3:5]. That is a way of saying that we the Church
will be putting more emphasis on externals [show] rather than on
internals [empowerment by the Holy Spirit]
We Body of Believers in the Last Days will look good. We will
have large membership and networking. We will be very active and
relevant in all phases of life, and some will even have sound
doctrine. But we will lack the power and gifts of the Holy Ghost
operating in our lives.
"For
the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." I Corinthians 4:20
What are these gifts that
we should evidence ?
The NINE GIFTS of Jesus Christ
shown by the HOLY GHOST (
John 16:14 and Ephesians 4:8 )
Well, I
Corinthians 12: 8-11 tells
us that these 9 gifts are:
1. Word of Wisdom…a
general message from God, received in the Spirit/or by vision;
example: Acts
9:15 (a concept of
understanding)
2. Word of Knowledge…more specific than above , factual
(details). See 2
Kings 6:9-12
3. Faith ….to Apply,
or to receive, God's
touch in one's life. I Kings 17:15
4. Gift
of Healing…. by
the power in the Blood of Jesus Christ . Acts 3:6
5.
Working of miracles….conduit
of God's power to act beyond normal physical
circumstances…as when Elisha purified the waters 2 Kings 2:19-22.
Includes resurrections: I Kings 17:17-24 and Acts 9:40
6.
Prophecy….a
message from God received in the Spirit…geared to the
future.
Acts 21:11. Spoken in one's known language...(to prophesy)
Must be received with Discernment. I John 4:1
Prophecy, with a "c"
is a noun ( an announcement or subject matter).
Prophesy, with an "s",
is a verb.....for one to speak out in an assembly, under the
guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
7.
Discerning of spirits….realizing
what is of God and what is not--2 Kings 4:9
also seeing into the world of angels and of demons 2 Kings 6:16,17
Needed for exorcism Acts 16:18
8. Divers (different) kinds of tongues (specified Gift)
'Tongues' covers two aspects:
1. Your Heavenly Language (HL) whereby your spirit speaks intimately to
God while in private prayer (Rom. 8:26 and I Corinth. 14:2)
or singing
("sing with the Spirit" (SWS)…I Cor. 14:15.
(also called 'Psalming' ....Psalm 40:3)
For victory: 2Chronicles
20:21
2. And there are ( DT ) different tongues used as a gift to give messages to
the Assembly, and also for witnessing in
foreign fields.( I
Cor.14:22)
Tongues (HL) is TO GOD and for every
Believer;
Divers Tongues (DT) is TO THE ASSEMBLY and is a gift
given to some (not all).
All Believers are to receive their Heavenly Language (HL) [Mark 16:15-18]; Only some Believers have the gift
of different tongues (DT) [I Cor. 12:10].
And finally,
9.
Interpretation of tongues…the
explanation by one person, of the message given.
Mark 15:34…(John-Mark interpreting) We are to ask
for this gift I
Cor. 14:13.
These gifts were present in the Old Testament, but more greatly
enhanced in the New Testament . For instance the gift of prophecy
was given in Moses' time to the 70 elders, and Moses wished that
all spoke with prophecy [Numbers 11:25+29].
Balaam (Num.22:38), Samuel, and Saul (1 Samuel 10:5-13) received prophecy from the Lord. The Apostle
Paul also hoped that all would prophesy (I Corinth. 14:1+ 5+ 39).
BUNDLES
The above gifts of the Holy Spirit come one at a time. A person
may receive only one gift. However, usually the applying
of that gift can bring other gifts.
Gifts work together in many instances.
A.
THE REVELATION GIFTS:
A Word of Knowledge, a Word of Wisdom and Discernment are called
the
Revelation Gifts, many times acting in harmony.(Examples in I Samuel)
B.
THE POWER GIFTS:
Faith, Miracles and Healing are called the Power Gifts and are also intertwined.
(Examples in
I and II Kings)
C.
THE GIFTS OF UTTERANCES:
A Word of Prophecy, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues are
called the
Gifts of Utterances, and are often seen together when in Assembly.
(Daniel;
Ch.5 is similar to
tongues, but not the same as the New Testament gift)
Many times these gifts interact with one another, or come in
rapid succession. A good example of this is
I Samuel 9 …knowledge (specifics v.16)…prophecy (future v.17)…wisdom (v.20b concept of understanding).
In all the gifts there is an "inner witness", a
recognition on the part of the soul that the spirit has been
prodded by God, and we act accordingly, obediently.
MINISTRIES
A Word of Prophecy does not make a person a Prophet. A Prophet is
someone with the specific anointing of God upon them with a life
long ministry (calling in life).There are various vocations in
the church under the leadership of the Holy Ghost. They are
called "offices" or "ministries". They are
given to us in I
Corinth. 12:28...Apostles,
Prophets, Teachers, Ministers of Miracles and Healings. These
ministries have "helps" (assistance ministries) as well
as "governments", persons of administrative ability.
Some are called to be evangelists or pastors (Ephesians 4:11) These are the professions of anointed people.
The Gifts are means by
which the Body of Christ, especially the laity, ministers to
others when the Spirit leads us in our relationship with Jesus.
FOR ALL
The 9 Gifts are for the layman as well as ministers. We are able
to speak with our Heavenly Language (Romans 8:26,27) the moment we repent of our sins and confess
Jesus as Lord of our life (when we are Born-Again). It's up to us
to apply our new
Heavenly Language (HL). See "Stir up the Gift". www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/tongues.html
Sometimes we are reluctant
to "let go" , and this of course blocks the receiving
of our new language.
We receive that confidence
in proportion to our Faith and submissiveness of our spirit.
The other gifts are given by God to whomsoever He wills. ( The
Sovereignty of God)
The Bible does not say that tongues (our Heavenly Language) is
"For Pentecostals only"…nor does it say " for
the early Church only". The Bible says,
" I would that ye all spake with tongues (HL)…1 Corinthians 14:5.
"Desire spiritual gifts,
1
Corinthians 14:1
We have not because we ask not James 4:2. We need to ask
to be baptized in fire and zeal of the Holy Ghost. Luke 3:16 and Luke 12:49
We are to "come behind in no
gift" 1
Corinthians 1:7…
"the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man 1
Corinthians 12:7….dividing
to every man severally
as He will" 1
Corinthians 12:11……..
The Holy Spirit manifests Jesus to us and we apply the power
bestowed by Jesus in accordance with the Holy Spirt's leading.
The Gifts are for all,
but we don't have all the gifts;
we have some. We ALL are
eligible to speak in our Heavenly Language when praying
(confidently-believing and receiving), and we ought all to covet
more of these gifts.
Yet today, our assemblies lack healings, casting out of demons,
messages in tongues with their interpretations, etc. We lack the
varied voices giving out testimonies
of healings, deliverances and miracles in our Congregations to
build up our Faith. In short, we do not
manifest the Gifts of Jesus Christ shown by the Holy Ghost as
shown forth in ACTS in many (most) of our Christian
church-assemblies today.
Why does this power outage [or brown-out] exist in our church
today?
FAITH: THE
POWER GRID
Again, why do we lack this manifested power in these Last Days?
It is because our supply of Faith is wanting. You see, there are
3 major layers of Faith.
God uses ordinary people with
extra-ordinary Faith. He uses people who truly care
about the welfare of others…who are burdened about their
condition (salvation, healing, etc.). When God gifts us with
these tools to help others, we should remind ourselves that we
are servants who do the Lord's bidding.
There is no technique to manifestations of healing etc. There is
only RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, nurtured by the Holy Spirit.
It is interesting to note that Jesus gave the gifts of Healings
and Exorcism to his 12 disciples and to His 70 at the beginning
of their ministries…long before Redemption and Pentecost
took place. (See Luke
9:1,2 and Luke 10:1, 9, 17--20.)
These ministries are a foregone conclusion of the true missionary
(plain witnessing). They were and are not considered spectacular
or unusual in reaching the lost. They were and are customary
tools. Where are they today in the general laity?
Unfortunately, there are some, who after receiving these gifts,
begin to see themselves in the wonderment of it all, and they
begin to walk in pride and to sin. And soon their sin is found
out Numbers
32:23 to the scandal of
the Church. Yet they still have the gifts. How can that be?
Because God says He gives the gifts without repentance Romans 11:29…meaning once given, He does not take them
away. God is not petty, but always hoping we will return to Him.
THE TRUE
LATTER RAIN
Every born again person who has received Jesus as Lord of his
life has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. The new Believer is
"spirit-filled" from that point on. As the Believer
matures in Faith and puts on the mind and lifestyle of Jesus
Christ, he becomes more and more of a new person. But
the releasing of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit comes with
the intense desire to express this new life.
The more we fellowship in a Spirit-filled church, the more
examples we have of the full empowerment that is ours, if we
earnestly covet the gifts of Jesus Christ.…the Latter Rain
spoken of by Joel
2:28,29….
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My
Spirit upon all flesh;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions:
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days
will I pour out My
Spirit".
When Peter repeated Joel's prophecy, he said "this
is that"…meaning the time is NOW during the whole
Church Age…not just at the beginning, but all throughout,
and especially as the Church Age closes.
"But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do
exploits " Daniel 11:32
"Exploits" = miraculous acts,
similar to those found in the Gospels, Book of Acts, I and II
Kings and all throughout the Bible.
Strong = forthright, courageous, bold. To know God, one must be
steeped in His word and abiding in the vine . John 15
"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." Acts 2:39
We
should be going out in a blaze of His glory,
instead of just going out.
NEAR TO
HEAR
This is why the command is given in Hebrews 10:25 to not
forsake the assembling of ourselves together "but exhorting
(includes word of prophecy) one another, and so much more as you
see the Day approaching (Day of Apostasy, of anti-Christ, of the
Rapture and tribulation…the Last Days).
We were to come together to hear the word of God specifically for
our time and generation to better prepare ourselves. Jesus told
us at the Last Supper that the Holy Ghost would reveal even more.John 16:13. If we're not in a Spirit-filled fellowship in
order to hear and to receive these Latter Day exhortings
(warnings, encouragements,and prophecies etc., I Corinthians 14:3) then how can we respond and obey
God's specific will for these Last Days?
"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His
secret unto His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7
We need daily
exhortations Hebrews
3:13
The "sons of the prophets" received daily words from
God as evidenced in
II Kings Chapter 2.
Can't find a spirit-filled, spirit-led fellowship ...filled with
the Spirit of Jesus Christ ? Then assemble at home:
Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I
in the midst of them."
Matthew 19: 19 and 20. Read the Word, sing hymns, give
testimonies, pray for one another.
No one else at home but you ?
Then let Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit be the two and the
three :
"If any man hear My voice ( Holy Spirit) , and open the
door, I ( Jesus) will come in to him and will sup with him, and
he with Me" Revelation 3:20.
FEAR
Even though these gifts are for all, we do not see ALL expressing these gifts. Could
it be that fear holds us back?
Fear oftens paralyzes growth. It could be fear of what other
people think if we get "radical" and apply God to our
friends' situation. We fear what others [or even ourselves] would
think if we spoke in tongues.
Fear of man is a snare Proverbs 29:25.
Then there's that Fear that we may not get the gifts.."I'll
look foolish; worse yet, God might not like me enough to give me
the gifts" etc. etc.
God doesn't give us the gifts because of who we are, but because
of who He is. He has a plan, and if you're willing to be a
conduit of His "virtue", His power, then He can use
you. But the first step is willingness.
A perfect love casts out fear. I John 4:18
"For God hath not given us the spirit of Fear; but of power
and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
COVET
Paul tells us in 1
Corinthians 12:31 and 14:39
to not only ask for these gifts , but to covet
these gifts (greatly desire…keep on asking until
getting). We need these spiritual gifts
because the Spirit-world is more real than this material world.
There are powers and principalities ( demons) at work 24 hours a
day, and they are getting more and more aggressive as we near the
end of this age.."for he (Satan) knows that his time is
short"
Revelation / Apocalypse 12:12.
GATE OF
BABEL
Our tongues are the most unruly member of our body (James 3:5-8). When we read Chapter 3 of James carefully, we see that we can gage our
spirituality ( or others too for that matter) by the words we
use. Wishful thinking does not change our speech.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" (old
saying). That is because we are trying to solve a SPIRIT-problem
with a soul-solution. It won't work.
Jesus said that out of the Heart
(spirit/attitude) comes our words (Matt. 12:34-37; and Matt.
15:16-19)..more so than
our mouth. Who makes mouths? God does… Who can purify them
with tongues, our Heavenly Language? God does. He solves our
human spirit-problem with a Holy Spirit-solution….
Isaiah 6:5 "Woe is me!...I am ...of unclean
lips."
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his
hand (fiery tongues, as on Pentecost) which he had taken with the
tongs from off the altar: and laid it upon my mouth, and said,
"Lo this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity (sins of
the mouth) is taken away, and thy sin purged" (daily use for
daily sins).
It isn't recorded that Isaiah spoke in tongues, but Isaiah
himself did in fact write the following:
"With stammering lips and another tongue
will he speak to this people"
Isaiah
28:11.also IS. 33:19
(Could Hanna too have had this gift? I Samuel 1:13-15)
Only the Holy Spirit can remedy our spirit: "O
God…renew a right spirit
within me" Psalm
51:10. (Also Ezekiel 36:26,27 " A new heart also will I give you, and a
new Spirit will I put within you…I will put My
Spirit within you.")
We need a new spirit because we are battling a spirit-world of
demons. We can't rely on our own human spirit. (That is why
Humanism will never work).
Our warfare IS spiritual. It says in Ephesians Chapter 6…..
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, and powers against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 thrones and dominions Colossians 1:16. These demons are the Trouble behind our
trouble.
But, "Greater is He [God] that is in you than he (Satan)
that is in the world"
I John 4:4. We are told that when the enemy comes in like
a flood, the Spirit of the LORD
shall lift up a standard against him. Isaiah 59:19 We are to put on the whole armor of
God…"praying always with ALL prayer and supplication in
the Holy Ghost (your Heavenly Language)
"Ephesians
6:18. This brings
Overcoming Power!
"The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take
it by force".
Matthew
11:12
We are to APPLY with all diligence the tools God has provided for
us.
We are not to appease Satan with territory that belongs to God.
When Satan trespasses upon our bodies with sickness and disease,
we are to boldly confront him "but you grounded in the FAITH
must face him boldly."
I Peter 5:
8,9.
Every healing that has ever come has come from God, whether
through doctors, medicine, over the course of time, or miracles.
We have the privilege of asking for these healings, and
oftentimes time-lapse occurs and miraculous-wholeness takes
place.
These gifts conform themselves with the plan of God; they do not
"manipulate" God.
When illness remains, we are still in God's grace and unknowable
plan all the same
2
Corinthians 12:9…
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made
perfect in weakness."
And should even death occur, it is, "thy will be done, not
mine"… Matthew
26:39.
God is Soveriegn in all of our affairs.
God has 3 answers to prayers for
healing:
1. He may miraculously remove the infirmity, or problem. ( soon )
" I am the LORD that healeth thee" Exodus 15:26 "Jehovah Raptha"
2. He may walk through it with you ( like He told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 ); also see
Isaiah 43:1,2.
Or,
3. He may call you home. [Rev. 14:13…"Blessed
are they who die in the Lord"]
God's will and plan prevails over all.
The Gifts do not manipulate God. He is their author and
stipulator.
We are to "lay hands suddenly on no man"I Timothy 5:22. We must be led of the Holy Ghost, and act in
obedience…not in performance.
To Part 2 Fruits of the Holy Spirit ; Pentecost ; including Links on FRUITs of the H.S.
Links
on GIFTS
of Jesus Christ, manifested by the Holy Spirit :
Healing
Ministry
http://www.layhands.com
Healing
is God's Will for You ..... access "Edit" then access
"Select All" in order to read
www.gospels.com/shekinahbiblestudy.htm
Word
of Wisdom; Word of Knowledge
http://www.contenderministries.org/biblestudy/giftsofthespirit2.php
Discernment ... Discerning of Spirits
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/discernment.htm
The Good Seed and the Bad Seed ; Steven Braun, Pretoria, South
Africa
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2007/stevenb316.htm
1 Corinthians 12 -- Rick Walston http://www.columbiaseminary.edu/coffeetalk/063.html
Gifts of the Holy Spirit http://www.porn-free.org/spiritual_gifts.htm
Transformed http://www.biblrytr.com/transformed7.htm
Barry Chant http://www.wesleymission.org.au/ministry/chant/default.asp
Receiving the Gifts---- Bill Subritzky
http://www.christian-faith.com/html/page/gifts_of_the_holy_spirit
The Gifts manifested by the Holy Spirit http://sureword.faithweb.com/giftsofthespirit.html
Gifts; including MINISTRIES http://www.christian-faith.com/bible-studies/giftsoftheholyspirit.html
Gifts of SERVICE http://www.spiritualcuriosity.com/Holy%20Spirit%20Gifts.htm
Occupy till I come Gifts ( vocation, calling, mission) 1
Corinthians 12:28 ; Ephesians 4:11-16
Gifts of Administration
http://home.gwi.net/~maxswan/gifts_of_the_holy_spirit.htm
Spiritual Gifts http://sureword.faithweb.com/propheticsection.html
Baptism
of the Holy Spirit : Speaking in Tongues www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/tongues.html
Pentecost www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/pentecost.html
LIGHT
About those
rolling electrical blackouts .......
The Maccabeans had light for 8 days from their Menorah, which was
miraculously provided.
That is what Hanukkah is all about. [ Feast of Lights ]
Also, the land of Goshen had light when there was complete
darkness in all of Egypt.
And also, the Lord was a pillar of fire (emanating light) all
through the 40 years of wilderness, during the time of Exodus.
With Faith as our Power Grid, all things are possible.
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