Spiritual Gifts...... my thoughts....................

A church is an assembly of believers and is made up of real spiritual people. When we look in the mirror, we are the part of the spiritual Church. We have to realize that a local church's accomplishments will depend upon members' spiritual condition. If the people are submitting to the Holy Spirit, who will give them fruit. Quality is measured by the Christ-like living of a local church members. Let the Holy Spirit do what He will through you and see what He does with you. 1 Corinthians 14:12 "So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church." The idea of the spiritual gifts is simply that the Lord uses that gift in a unity, in a unifying way. God will use our spiritual gifts by His Spirit as He wills. Spirit-lead is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." That if we have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make our joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16). Christian's accountability involves "one anothers" that every members are encouraged to be actively serving and ministering their gifts. Often pre-occupation and being too busy interferes our uses of spiritual gifts. One of the Devil's beatitudes is "Blessed are they who are too tired and too busy to serve and worship in Church, for they are my best workers." The writer of Hebrews 10:24-25 commands every believer to be a part of such a local body and reveals why this is necessary. NIV: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching." God wants us to be busy rejoicing in the gracious prospect of all opportunities of God's will. Providential of God leads us to what we call "coincidences" in their lives which perhaps God will make sure that His wills will be done at His right time and place. God blesses us with LOVE and the blessings of love flows through us to others. Without Christ, we are nothing. Along with love and under the control of the Holy Spirit, the power of love and Holy Spirit flows through us. The only way the spiritual gifts are going to operate is love. Love is the key. God is love. He gave us two commandments. We are to love God and others. With the Holy Spirit and love, I will walk in the Spirit, Christ produces the fruit. How do we witness others to Christ? Many have accepted Christ by watching Christians more than talking. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 says "Love does not act unbecomingly"; which means a Christian should demonstrate godly love and have real credibility. Your credibility is evangelism. 2 Timothy 4:4-6 (NKJV) "and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

It is very important for a Christian to be identified with a local church, to come under the authority of the elders, for accountability, and, to come into the ministry for the sake of serving Jesus Christ in that local church. When there is no accountability, there is no testing of your faith when you can float and a Christian should never be alone that ALL Christians should fellowship as a family under the shepard of a local church's pastor. This is a TWO-WAY street between the Church leaders and the members. Accountibility goes BOTH WAYS. God gives gifts as He sees fit, not how we see fit. According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 says that there are "diversities of gifts" which means healing is NOT the only source that God will provide.

As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:11, that these gifts are given by the Spirit that each member, no matter who he or she is, has a minimum of one gift. Often people will have more than one gift. These gifts are spiritual and that they come from heaven.

Spiritual Gifts are listed in Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:8-10; 1 Cor. 12:28-30; Rom. 12:6-8; and 1 Pet. 4:11. I believe "Partial Cessation with limited continuation of Spiritual Gifts" which means they are still active but only a selected few are not active. I can't say "total cessationism" or "partly cessationism"... I am saying I believe in cessationism in many parts of the world. There are gifts that are not needed in areas as part of the Great Commission. I believe God will use whatever sources He will use around the world because He is simply God. What I am trying to say, its all come down to common sense when we are ministering others and there are gifts God will provide for us to use at HIS discrection, not ours.

1. Apostles and Prophets. First in the lists found in Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 is the gift of apostles and prophets.

Apostles refers to those witnesses who were specifically commissioned by Christ to establish the church.

Prophets refers to those who received God's message (as had the prophets of old).

This is my belief: Neither one of these gifts exists today. We no longer have apostles or prophets in this sense.

There are those who says that apostles and prophets are present today simply because they "interpreted" the word "apostle" and "prophet" do not mean only the original band of authoritative spokesmen commissioned by Christ. That the word can also refer to anyone who is sent forth as a witness, particularly to establish churches. As they were "anointed" even though the Bible teaches that ALL Christians are "anointed".

2. Evangelists. The gift of evangelism applies to almost anyone. However, an evangelist is one who possesses a special ability in communicating the gospel of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. The Great Commission declares it. But it does mean that some are especially gifted in this area.

All Christians are evangelists in their own way as God uses them in their lives. What is interesting is that in modern great evangelist Billy Graham's own study of spiritual gifts in The Holy Spirit, points out that the only person in the entire Bible who is actually called an evangelist is Philip, and he was a deacon.

3. Pastors, Teachers and the gift of Exhortation. In Ephesians 4:11 the words "pastors" and "teachers" may be joined together due to the nature of the Greek phrasing in that sentence as gift of pastor-teacher.

"Pastor" refers to one who has a pastoral oversight over others as a "Shepherd". This position often requires by many Churches that pastors are to be "ordained". It is based upon the idea of shepherding and looks back to the pattern of Jesus, who described himself as "the good shepherd" (John 10:11) and is referred to as "the great" (Heb. 13:20) and "Chief Shepherd" of the sheep (1 Pet. 5:4). Many will have this gift who are not ordained are evangelists, elder, deacon and Sunday school teachers.

It is my belief that gift of teaching is probably the most important gift and may be one of the gifts most needed today to help guide the sheeps to discern the from false to truth. Teahching is part of Christ's Great Commission where Jesus says, "Go . . . and make disciples of all nations"

Another form of teaching is listed in Romans 12:8 "exhortation" follows immediately after teaching. The learned disciples are to encourage others to follow them as they follow Christ through their spiritual "wisdom" and "knowledge." Wisdom and knowledge are gifts particularly associated with the evangelistic, pastoral and teaching ministries.

4. Faith. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, those who understands God's Character have the ability to look ahead to something God has promised and act as if it were already present. These people who have this spiritual gift will understand the concept of faith as explained in Hebrews 11 where the heroes of faith are listed. Those heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 are described HOW their faith worked in their lives. Each heroe had their lives demonstrate "being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see" (v. 1). I can list current examples of such faith might include Corrie ten Boom and others.

5. Healings and Miracles. It is important in regard to interpreting the nature of the gift of healing because, although it is true that the word "healing" (actually "healings," plural) can refer to various types of cures-emotional as well as bodily ailments and by natural as well as miraculous means-the use of the word in these verses must refer to the miraculous.

6. Ability to Distinguish Spirits. This gift is quite important because it is the gift of discernment as it relates to a prophet's or a teacher's teaching. In 1 Corinthians 12:10 discernment occurs immediately after the reference to prophecy. To me, discernment is refer merely to discerning the truth or error of teachings (cf. 1 John 4:1-6). Today people who are quite easily taken in by any new "Christian" fad, and we know others who are not. Why some are not? Because they have the gift of discernment. Every local Church should recognize such persons and seek their judgments in areas where true discernment is needed.

Pros of using gift of discernment:
To identify false prophets - Deuteronomy 18:21–22; Jeremiah 23:25-30
To identify the heart motives of others- Luke 6:8; John 2:24-25
To distinguish our heart motives - Job 38:36; Proverbs 21:2
To lead one in the ways of the Lord - Hosea 14:9
To empathize with weak and strong - Romans 14:1–8.
To distinguish right from wrong doctrine - 2 Peter 3:15–18
To identify false spirits / apostles - 1 John 4:1–6; Revelation 2:2.

What would happen if a church do not use the gift of discernment?
Leads to a nations fall - Deuteronomy 32:28.
Leads to spiritual dullness - Matthew 12:1–8
Leads to misinterpretation - Mark 14:58
Leads to rejecting Jesus - Mark 15:29–30; 14:58
Leads to confusion - Luke 9:7–9.
Leads to foolishness - 1 Corinthians 3:18–20

7. Helpers. 1 Corinthians 12:28 is amplified in Romans 12:7, 8 by the gifts of contributing, giving aid, showing mercy and perhaps also rendering service. This gift is the most common and perhaps very important because Peter encourages those who render service to do it "with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11).

"When you have no helpers, see your helpers in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God. When you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord." Spurgeon, Charles

The ministry's objective is to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the afflicted people in practical ways while at the same time, Glorify God. God has a plan. God has a will. More are being saved through special ministries that are able to reach out to those who needs to hear that God is with them. Ministry is an ideal for all Christians; the image of Christ (Phil. 2:5-7; Mark 10:45) has been extended to the Christian church as a whole.

8. Administrators. Some versions call this gift "governments," but it really refers to administrative rule or leadership in a local Church as in Church Government. These are elders, deacons and other similar titles who are stewarding Church's physical activities. The main job for the elders is the "stewardship" of the local church especially under the "gift of administration". Everything belongs to God, the elders are to live in faithful stewardship of all that God has entrusted to them. Elders are our spiritual stewardship who are looking for members spiritual needs and to look at their lives spiritually in from God's perspective.

9. Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues. This was the miracle that took place at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-11); but it does not seem to be identical with the gift as it was practiced at Corinth, for at Corinth interpreters were necessary.

I know there are people speaking in tongues today but not many are able to interpret them. Tongues can be practiced in a matter that should be consistent with the Bible. Tongues spoken in private is permissionable because it is "in private between God and the person" and no interpreters are needed. Only God knows and understands. This all come down to common sense when we are using our spiritual gifts such as tongues that God provides for us to use at HIS discretion, not ours. Paul explained in his letters that the manifestations of the Spirit were given to everyone for the profit to all. I do suggest that you take God’s word on it and where things are clearly spelled out, that the churches obey it. The best thing is to testify of Christ, preach the gospel, apply his Word to the whole of life and thought, and do not forbid tongues, as long as they meet the conditions established by Paul to prevent their misuse. Of course, those conditions cannot be met today, but if tongues were "active" today, they no doubt would be something like Paul laid out in 1 Cor. 14:18. There are many languages around the world including sign language. There is Amercian Sign Language. There are interpretors who will interpret different languages between cultures. Tower of Babel that scattered everyone who were speaking different languages. In the New Testament, there were many verses that talked about Christians being scattered all over the world. Why? Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." Nation from the greek word "Ethnos". Strongs defines Ethnos as a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together as a company, troop, swarm. A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus the human family a tribe, nation, people group (Culture). I was involved in a deaf culture for many years and reached out to them. God had a purpose for each one of us.