But the manifestation
of the Spirit is given
to each one for the
profit of all:
for to one is given
the word of wisdom
through the Spirit,
to another the word of knowledge
through the same
Spirit, to another faith
by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healings
by the same Spirit,
to another the workings of miracles,
to another prophecy, to another discerning of
spirits,
to another different
kinds of tongues,
to a none other than
the interpretation of tongues.
But one in the same
Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each
one individually as He wills.
1 Corinthians 12: 7
-- 11
It has been
mentioned several times in my blogs that to be a real Christian it takes
courage, and it takes commitment. We
are disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ and the conditions of our discipleship
is laid down by our Savior in Luke 14: 26 -- 27, 33, and those verses mean that
the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are
those in the whom He has done everything.
It is not for us to decide what the Holy Spirit can only decide for we
are the workmen while here on earth for Jesus Christ. Did not Jesus say: "If
anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And who ever does not bear his cross and
come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14: 26 -- 27). Jesus Christ is implying that the only men
and women He will use in His service are those who love Him personally,
passionately, and devotedly beyond any of the closest ties on earth. The conditions set forth by Jesus Christ may
seem extremely stern and they are, but they are also glorious. These days many are running to and fro
attempting to have some spiritual gift especially that which they call speaking
in tongues that is simply nothing more than gibberish and does not meet even
the Greek language for the word tongue or language. These are the days, when people are trying to work for God: and
there is where the snare lies. This is
profound and must be understood: we can never work for God. We must allow the Holy Spirit to take us
over and uses for His enterprises, for His building schemes entirely, and no
person has any right to claim where he or she shall be put.
Christian
have a necessary dependence upon the Spirit’s operation and influence, both for
our sanctification and perseverance, for our reconciliation and acceptance with
God. No man can confirm this or this proves
with a miracle, but only by the Holy Spirit.
What ever pretenses there are for inspiration or miracles, among the
enemies of Christianity, they could not be from the Holy Spirit of God; no man
could believe with his heart, or prove with a miracle that Jesus was Christ,
unless by the Holy Spirit. All the
extra ordinary operations and powers that the Corinthian church exercised, for
them to be of God, had to be from the Spirit of God. All appearances of illumination must be counterfeit and those who
refuse the Lord Jesus and give Him the honors that belong to Him. Far too often, church services are more like
a circus where people are babbling in some sort of unknown gibberish language,
or writhing about as in a trance, or falling over saying this is being slain in the Spirit, all which is not in the Bible. They go about attempting to prove their Christianity to anyone and everyone. In fact the Bethel Supernatural School
students run around with a piece of paper like it is a treasure hunt checking
of boxes when they have encountered someone who will listen to them. All this as though this is of God when in
actuality they are the only ones who are receiving for themselves in
glory. Jesus never asked us to do
that! It is very simple for real
Christians to follow the commandments of God in everything they do, in every work
that there are involved in, and run their households, like teaching their wives
and children about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a black cloud is cast upon real Christianity by those who
are misusing what they have come to believe is the operation of the Holy
Spirit. Paul makes it very clear and no
one, no one, decides for themselves any gifts the Holy Spirit wills to impart. Did not God inspire men to write that He willed
to be written so that what He wills to reveal about himself is written, recorded for us, and how we are to
exercise our faith in Him? Yes! Real Christians get up in the morning and go
about their day living what Jesus Christ has taught us and wherever we can
speak and defend our faith we should be prepared to do such. What was necessary, before the Bible, is not
necessary to day for we have the Providentially preserved Word of God that
teaches us all that we need. We do not
need some secretive special revelation, and some teach, for if we did then all
we have done is to say that the Bible is incomplete. We must take care in how we live out our Christian faith and
religion so that there is nothing that we say or do that will bring combination
upon our Savior Jesus Christ. Good
news! Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to
aid us in this effort for He knows that we will face all sorts of pressure,
trials, and tribulations. We know the
end of all things, therefore, we have nothing to fear and we have nothing to
prove. Jesus Christ by his death and
resurrection, and ascension into heaven saves and for all eternity.
Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;
revive me
according to Your judgments.
Many are my persecutors in my enemies,
yet I do
not turn from Your testimonies.
Psalm
119: 156 -- 157
Consider now His precepts
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