“Powers and Gifts”...the Wayfarer 1/7/14

“Powers and Gifts”
1/7/14

“And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”

(Matthew 28 18-20)

Today we examine something that affects us throughout our lives, and beyond even to the next life as well.

Power is a small word, but so full of meaning that its effect is all encompassing  of all we do, all we say, all we believe, and in reality all that we are while we are here.

Many are given power, through leadership roles, by the consensus of those being led, or ruled by them.

Many others claim to have powers and gifts that in some capacity make them superior to others.

 I shall attempt to address both of these in today’s dissertation.

I shall begin by stating that any power or gift must come from one of two places. It is either through the auspices of God Almighty, and credit for it should go to Him alone, or it is derived from Lucifer in an attempt to glorify the defiled.

The latter is only something that temporal, and temporary, a pale reflection of real power, able only to induce and invoke damage and evil on others. The former is permanent, real and eternal, and seeks only to share the love and power that is still in possession of Jesus himself!

I call attention to that 18^th verse. Jesus said He was given ALL power in heaven and in earth. It stands to reason, therefore, that any other claim to power is a false one, because Jesus is incapable of lying to us.

Gifts, is the other half of our topics today. 

Any true gift is also a gift given by God, and again all credit for that gift must be given to Him alone.

Paul addressed this area with the following:

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one, is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit:

To another faith by the same Spirit: to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit:

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

(1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

The things that are indeed truly “gifts” that so many claim, are only theirs by the Spirit of God if they are real, and credit for them will be acknowledged by those given them of that fact.

If someone claims to possess a gift of any kind but fails to give credit due where it comes from, it is a false gift, and we must be wary of them.

Take note I said be wary, not afraid! When faced with claims of the ability to curse, or bless by any who deny God and his son, remembrance should be given to the fact that there is only One who is all powerful and only One worthy of our fear and respect.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:38& 39)  

As I have in the past already addressed the gifts spoken of by Paul, and intend to further address them in the future, I shall not today attempt to address them in depth, but I must indeed address them to get to the meat of our message.

I would begin by reminding the reader of what Paul just told us in the passage above, and what we are told so many times through so many scriptures in both the old testament and new as well, that we have nothing to fear whatever, except offending our God and invoking His wrath!

Wisdom is given to those who truly seek it, as did Solomon, not for themselves, but in order to provide for the needs and guidance of others. It is a gift to be honored, and feared, for as Solomon warned us it comes at a cost of great sorrow as well, because that wisdom will not always be comprehended, nor will the advice given, necessarily be followed. Wisdom is a gift, to be shared at no cost to those benefiting from it, so anyone charging for that benefit cannot derive what they purport to be wisdom as having come from the Spirit!

Knowledge is next on the list.

 This too comes at a cost to the one having it, as, much time and labor are required to attain it. Experience enhances it greatly, and this too comes only with time and age.

Care must be taken in the accumulation of that knowledge, and in what is accepted by its possessor in the acquisition of it.

It requires carefully sifting through information given, rooting out falsehood and lies that would lead to false knowledge and mislead the seeker at each turn possible.

To know what is true and what is false, one must first see what stands the test of time, and more importantly, the test of God himself.

Faith is the next being addressed. Faith is essential to any who seek any gift that is sought, and defined, far better than I could by the writer of the passage quoted being used as text here. Paul said:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

(Hebrews 11:1)

Faith requires that we take a step beyond what our physical senses tell us, and beyond the things to which they have access.

It is a gift that once sought must be continually pursued through the study of scripture given us, and through prayer. It something that I personally seek for more of, as diligently as  I am able, because there are so many thieves that would attempt to steal it from me, and any possessing it, through any means possible, physical or spiritual!

Again, one must be wary of those thieves, without fear of them!

Healing is next up to be examined. And, yes for all the scoffers who will deride me for it, I fully believe in that ability, but I also believe that ability comes only through faith, both in the one seeking that healing, and the instrument used by God to initiate and complete it.

Once again this is a gift from God, and any seeking payment for it is an abomination to God and a liar, serving only the Father of lies himself!

I have personally seen and felt God at work in instances and circumstances over which the physicians were powerless and admitted their inability to heal.

 All their years of study and experience are most useful, and in many cases beneficial and worthy of recompense, but paltry, when placed alongside the abilities of God himself!

Next up is the working of miracles. Once more, to the scoffers, I admit, and proudly proclaim that this gift not only exists, but may be found among us daily, if one only searches for it. 

 Through the ardent, effectual, and honest use of prayer, miracles can and do happen. Many of these go unnoticed and are considered coincidence, or a fluke occurrence.

 I know better! There can be no denial when God uses someone to provide the exact miracle needed at the exact time that it is needed!

When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, physical, financial, or spiritual, miracles can, and will occur…only when asked for, and only if the credit is then returned to the Author of that miracle!

Prophecy is next up, and yet again, to the scoffers, I know and believe that prophecy is not only possible, but exists in truths given by God himself.

This is another of the areas that must be closely examined when claims are made by those who would profit from it. The test lies in where that prophecy comes from. If it comes from God, it requires no reimbursement, because a gift is freely given with no payment needed or accepted.

True prophecy, and the interpretation of it, may only come, once again through ardent and sincere prayer and submission to the will of God.

Discernment of spirits: 

Now I know the scoffers are laughing a deep and long belly laugh. They do so because they refuse to acknowledge the existence of those very spirits spoken of.


 Once more their father, he who is the father of lies, has stolen their ability to see, hear and admit the two warring spirits fighting to possess their eternal soul, which many of them also refuse to admit exists.

This particular gift is available to those seeking it, but again comes at a cost of prayer, study of the scripture, and most unfortunately, experience, of what must occur in the life of the one seeking it.

It is not innate. It is expensive to the seeker. It is also accurate if sought through God and not through His adversary.

Diverse kinds of tongues, comes in the form of yet more study and prayer. It has meaning both to God and to man. It is a most useful and rewarding gift when properly exercised.

Communications between peoples of the various nations of the world would be impossible without its existence.

In one form, it is merely the ability to speak more than one language, and clearly express thoughts in those languages.

In another form, given to a select few, it is a language spoken only between God himself and the speaker, that defies interpretation to those not possessing that gift, but interpretable by others for them.

It is this interpretation of tongues that was next listed by Paul, and is again a necessity to coexistence on this planet by all of its many peoples.

It is also a requirement listed when used in the address of others in any tongue which is not spoken by them.

Interpretation comes, not through merely the words spoken, but also the spirit and intent with which they are spoken. If words are unclear, the feelings and emotions, and meaning may still be clearly understood if the gift is from God, not from his adversary.

Paul completed this treatise on these things, farther on in the passage I referenced, stating that not all have these gifts and powers. He also made quite clear that they are all a part of what constitutes the body of Christ and work together… when truly given by that Spirit capable of giving them.

Having covered most of the intended message, I must return to a thought given in its introduction.

Any power and any gift not derived from God is a false power and a false gift that attempts to steal blessings intended to be given.

Examine those placed in position of power to see if they follow our God, and if not then that power must be withdrawn, before all blessings and gifts are stolen from those they mislead.

Examine closely those to whom you listen. If they deny God, or His Son any claim they make of power or gift is also false and may only be through Lucifer, no matter where they claim they received it from!

I close in prayer, myself continuing to covet earnestly those best gifts spoken of by Paul, and continuing to search for and follow that more excellent way that he spoke of at the end of his discussion.

I remain your continual servant, His abiding, and continual, and ardent admirer and worshiper, the same simple sinner saved by faith through His grace I am destined to remain until I attain the promised resurrection to a better and incorruptible body, becoming the creature intended before even having been born. I also must remain ever vigilant in the service demanded of this particular old, and unworthy soldier, until such time as that service is no longer required, and I am freed, not from that service, but from any ineptitude in my ability to perform it.

2 Timothy 1:12 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen. 
the Wayfarer