For somewhere near ten years, I’ve seen the Holy Spirit on trial. And He is not interrogated or cross-examined; for doing so would reveal His power and intent. But He is ignored, thought little of, and judged without an ear to convict. This has dismantled the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit in our Church.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant…
1 Corinthians 12:1
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
John 16:7
The fatal responses I’ve heard in the Church about the wonder-working Power of the Holy Ghost, whether present or not:
“Those things only happened in the First Century…”
“Those things are the works of the Devil…”
“I don’t need the manifested gifts, I just want to know Christ intimately…”
“We haven’t time for all that right now…”
“It’s just too weird to do such things, and we will only repel the unbeliever with them.”
Elementary, these things are. I thank God for those like my father, Dave Ellis, Ray Goolsby and Dan Stallbaum, to teach me the truth at such a young age; that anything else would only make me chuckle.
We cannot discount or disown the gifts of our God. Why would we? If for no other reason than fear and confusion—both brought on by the Prince of Darkness.
The gifts are promises to us, written of, and expressed by Jesus, His Disciples and Paul. If they are not present in your life, it is a reflection of your absentmindedness, confusion, sin, or ignorance.
Nonetheless, they are present all around you, ready to be received and used, just as salvation is ready to be received by the sinner.
If we have not the promises of God, what do we have? Yet too many preach that the promises are dead, and Believers* walk about their lives as though they were. The Follower of Christ should lead a life displaying the works and wonders of Christ, both in character, righteousness, love, and miracles. Throwing out an entire portion of this life—proclaiming that miracles “are a distraction” or “only for some”—usually is done by the Christian who leads a life of pride and insecurity.
No doubt, it is a fearful thing to step into the miraculous. It only comes from an understanding that we are nothing without the Christ, and it is His gift, not our own. When our pride tells us we are noteworthy to receive such a thing, the well dries up; or when our insecurity tells us we are unworthy, the river stops running. And not because It is reliant on us, but because we are reliant on It.
So, in like manner of believing for healing (which I wrote a few weeks ago here), we can see that “it doesn’t always work”. Well, that is not a strong enough reason for us to give up on believing. God is not a genie; nor is He on your timetable.
So you finally got over yourself to give it a shot and said in your heart (if not there, at least in your action), “Alright, Lord Almighty, You have thirty seconds to perform a miracle; without my fasting, prayer, life of sinless behavior, or faith. In the name of Jesus, I test You to perform a miracle through me or else I will know for certain that You only ever did such a thing two thousand years ago.” What pompous, insecure profanity we are capable of living!
Or we sub-consciously declare, “I just haven’t the time. I’m certain He performs miracles, but I’m too busy with ministry elsewhere to stop and listen to Him. I’m above all that.”
Or we “act” the part of Believer, conjuring up a feeling, but walking away before we see a result, “in the Name of Jesus, it is done; now I must look away and walk on before I wait to see if what I believed manifested.”
Or, God-forbid, we ignore the moving of the Holy Spirit because we are fearful others will reject us or we will irritate them with our taking so long in church service. For the record, pastors, if a church-member leaves the church because you took too long yielding to the Holy Spirit, then they are not true Followers of Christ (but I’m getting off topic. I’ll speak on “performing” church next week.)
Absolute faith derives from absolute humility and obedience. Without faith, we cannot perform miracles; without love, our miracles will dry up.
(*parentheses indicate a deeper understanding of the Hebrew)
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
(There is the division of favor given not by merit, but by He the Holy Spirit of God.)
…for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit,
(the intelligence of the written or spoken word or doctrine)
to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
(the understanding, specifically moral understanding, of the word spoken, given, or heard)
to another faith by the same Spirit,
(conviction of the holy truth)
to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
(healing received with no merit of their own)
to another the working of miracles,
(the operation of the power of God)
to another prophecy,
(conversation between God and oneself to admonish the sinner or encourage the saint by foretelling the future)
to another discerning of spirits,
(the judging and discerning of holy spirits, evil spirits, and/or the spirit in a man albeit on, influencing, or possessing)
to another different kinds of tongues,
(the ability to speak in unknown languages)
to another the interpretation of tongues.
(the ability to understand those unknown languages)
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4; 8-11
Unfortunately, this passage of scripture is usually taught without the subsequent chapters. Here, Paul is not looking to explain the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but to emphasize the pride and insecurity that potentially bubble up in the Church from them. That’s why following this passage, he discusses the Body of Christ having many members and none of them being greater than the last.
It is not a passage on whether miracles will or should happen. All of these gifts should happen in all of the Believers’ lives, not because we are special enough to receive one or un-special enough to fail to receive (as some would have us learn); but to accept that the Spirit of God will distribute them however and whenever He sees fit. Our humility, faith and obedience will let them work through us. Our pride, doubt, and reluctance will thwart them.
The problem that many Believers face when reading this scripture is that they get overwhelmed and impressed by words that were common to Paul at the time; and should be common in our lives. If all of us were working in these gifts as they were in the First Century, we wouldn’t be scrutinizing whether Paul said that only some receive them; but we would understand Paul is saying to stop being prideful in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Here, I emphasize “of” because they are the gifts belonging to the Holy Spirit. They are not “from” Him, meaning they are not a gift He gave, and we have acquired and now own. They are a gift “of” Him; and therefore able to be taken away when He sees fit. And this is the heartbeat of all this message.
Paul said that he wished all spake in tongues, and even more prophesied (1 Corinthians 14). And again, all of this before and after 1 Corinthians 13. He emphasizes that we cannot manifest the Power of God without Love, or we are loud, noisy, and useless as a gong; big, powerful, shocking, yet ultimately leave no impression but hurt and battered ears. Plenty of Believers work the miracles of God without love, and in so doing, shock and attack, and leave the listener with a hurt understanding in the wake.
Furthermore, Paul addresses that speaking in tongues, without an interpreter, is only for the individual speaking, as they are solely edified in so doing; but those listening gain nothing from it. Which is true! If I were to preach in gibberish and nonsense (as the word “tongues” means), you would gain nothing from it. Although, I myself would be greatly encouraged—which is why I speak in tongues as much as I speak in English in my day-to-day life. But I do not preach or pray for others in that manner. Although, I may pray in tongues before I pray in English over an individual—but this would be to align my heart with the Spirit of God, that I may discern and know what He would have me pray over that individual (especially because most of us ask for prayer not knowing what we need it for.)
But the idea that we should “never pray in tongues”, or never in front of another, is nonsense. We should not pray only in another tongue; there is a difference.
Praying in tongues is lovely and life-giving to the individual. I would go so far to say it is necessary and even elementary. Yet sadly, many of us place it so high on a pedestal that we either never touch it or debate it ceaselessly. Elementary indeed, as Paul said, these base things that you have forgotten—when can we go on to greater things?
Nonetheless, it is greatly needed that I discuss such things; although I wished that all of Christ’s Followers knew and executed these things.
Defining the Gifts.
Let me first warn that to define the Spirit or His Gifts is foolhardy. The Spirit does what He wants when He wants; that’s His prerogative. All I can do is give the simplest understanding, with the further notion that all of His Presence in your life will depend on your ability to act humbly, obediently, righteously, and faithful. Without those characteristics, and especially with the opposite of them, you will only dispel the Spirit’s move in your life until you are left with watered-down milk. No, not even milk—but watered-down milk will be your portion. Though, it is not perfection the Spirit seeks, but willingness.
Additionally, none of these should be “performed” in the sense of a show or to gain notoriety or fame; “if it is without love, it is only a noisy cymbal”. Historically, the gifts of the Spirit have been used for the performing individual to feel famous or special, and this is a misfortune; but that misfortune doesn’t extinguish the necessity for their presence in our lives. We will only ever understand Christ’s love and Person if we know His spirit well. Lean into Who He is and why He is speaking to you. And remember that the gift is not what the Follower follows or becomes addicted; it is the Person of Christ we become.
Words of Wisdom – the sudden wisdom necessary for another or yourself in making a life decision. Wisdom goes only as far as someone is willing to take it, and it is never specific. Usually imagery, metaphorical, or proverbial.
Words of Knowledge – the direct and spontaneous, perfect knowledge of something otherwise impossible to know. This could be about an individual, place, or situation. My personal belief is that this should never be paraded, but disclosed delicately, depending on the content.
Miracles – the act of healing, raising life from the dead, sudden financial blessing or deliverance from demonic forces.
Prophecy – the ability to foresee and call out those things that aren’t as though they were. The prophets in the Old Testament saw destruction. The prophets in the New Testament see the promises of heaven. Prophetic words are about propelling people to what they themselves cannot see or understand until they take the first step. Prophetic words can be interpreted very differently and ofttimes are considered vague or less direct as a word of knowledge or wisdom; however, they can be specific and terrifying to the individual receiving them. I believe strongly that prophetic words should never be looked down upon, nor ever blatantly received as the Word of God; therefore, a community of like-minded Followers is paramount; if you receive a prophecy that confuses and confounds, share it with someone you trust and test that word against the infallible Word. Prophecy can come through visions, the Word, dreams, and the audible voice of God.
Discernment – the ability to immediately sense the spirit of God or kingdom of darkness over an individual, place, or atmosphere.
Tongues – I suppose it makes sense that those in and out of the church would most ridicule this gift; because it wears foolishness on its sleeve. Yet our Bible says that He will take the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; we can only come to Him as children. I will take a moment longer explaining Tongues; as I just had a conversation last weekend with someone expressing their frustration with their church’s lack of teaching on it.
Tongues is babbling; it is nonsense. It makes absolutely no sense to the speaker or listener (*most of the time). But it is not for Wisdom, Knowledge or Prophecy. It is for the individual to align his or her heart to the Spirit’s. It is not the “Holy Spirit taking hold of your tongue and making you speak nonsense”. It is a voluntary action like any other gift of the Spirit, and therefore the most intimidating because it yields to looking like an absolute fool. (This makes me suspect that many Christians are closet-tongue-speakers, not sharing the experience with anyone else; I wonder how many Baptist preachers are speaking in tongues to hear the Spirit and then refusing to tell their elders about it in fear of removal.)
I began praying in tongues at age 14, and it was a very private thing. I repeated the same phrase often. My youth pastor asked me shortly thereafter if I prayed in tongues and I told him “no” because I was afraid he would make me do it in front of him. He encouraged me that if I had been baptized into the Holy Spirit**, I can speak in Tongues. I share that because I believe many Christians (especially young) pray in tongues, only to be discouraged by fear, embarrassment, ridicule, or bad teaching, and lock it away. But you can, and you should.
There is not much else Tongues does than bring the individual joy, peace, faith, and comfort. This is why Paul considers it elementary; “I would have it that all you spake in tongues, but I wish more of you prophesied”—because Prophecy actually helps someone else. But how great is it to have joy, peace, faith and comfort in an instant!
Now it doesn’t matter how many articles, movies, or sermons ridicule the act of speaking in tongues—and there are a lot if you look. When I speak in tongues, my thoughts clear, my focus is tuned, my spirit yields to His spirit, my chest warms, my heart slows down, and I feel immediate peace. Of course, it’s nonsense. I know that. As much as I know, it is by faith that I walk, and by not sight. And I will live by nonsense, shouting tongues over my pain, fears, and anxiety and watch them disappear. And until Christ removes it from the Holy Bible, I will continue to do it.
For the Believer who desires to speak in tongues, or (receive any of the gifts of the Spirit), I encourage you first to pray and yield yourself to the Spirit of God. Ask Him to invade every facet of your life. Then, as you begin to hear nonsensical words in your mind, speak them out and let your tongue fly. It will, no doubt, be difficult at first, as your common-sense will rage against you. But we do not live by common-sense (naturally given by God) but by spiritual-sense (supernaturally given by God). Shut your mind off and listen to your heart. As I have walked countless people through this act, I have witnessed everyone of them feeling joy and peace in their heart immediately.
Interpretation of Tongues – the ability to hear an audible tongue given by someone else and hear it in your native tongue; meant to share with everyone present.
Each of these I have experienced personally, and each of these I have seen “fail”, only to see them occur in someone next to me. And the Holy Ghost will distribute them as He sees fit. Sometimes the Healing will come from your hands; other times, it will come from Johnny’s. And still other times, you will have the prophetic word, and Susan will interpret it.
I believe how we act in these moments, letting either pride or humility flourish in our hearts, will determine how the Spirit uses us next time. And because He refuses to work in the same manner twice, and instead uses each of us as a whole, He demands that all of the Church work together to get the entire picture. And that, I believe, is the root of all His devices; by holding back and distributing elsewhere, He requires the Church to stand together. The Enemy would have it we argue, fight, and divide ourselves; what greater thing would Satan want to divide us over than the very gifts Christ died to give us?
Humility. Righteousness. Faith. Boldness.
Act in these things.
*I emphasize the difference between Believer and Follower, because I see quite a difference in them. The former who merely believes, and goes about his day as usual; a life of sin, foolishness, doubt, and frivolous living. And the latter who follows to the ends of his understanding and then some; he who disappears himself, that Christ may be fulfilled until there is nothing left and only the Christ in him. There is no doubt some may exist lower than the Believer at the macro-level of Christianity. But the mere Believer I have found has become a frail individual and will be judged as such. Even the demons believe in Christ, but the Follower of Christ will become Him. Ironically, it is usually the Believer that sits closer at the table than the Follower, because the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The Believer wants everyone to know he believes the best; the Follower is content; quiet at the end of the table next the Holy Spirit, conversing about things that no one else wishes to understand.
**Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I do not believe this is something that magically happens when we are water-baptized. I believe it is an act of yielding completely to the Holy Spirit and can happen as early as Salvation or any moment later in a Believer’s Journey; therefore, I believe many Believers have been baptized into the Holy Spirit and are unaware. They cry out in worship, “set a fire in my soul” “more of You, less of me” “give me everything” “pour out Your spirit”, and He does. At which they fall into spontaneous emotion; crying, laughing, visions, overwhelming thoughts and ideas; and do not know what to do with it all until they learn to bolster it up in a box and leave it at the bottom of their souls.
Keith G. Alderman 