Spiritual Gifts Part 1
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I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Introduction.
Introduction.
Bro. Ivy’s singing Friday at 7.
Thank you for letting me go.
My purpose in teaching on spiritual gifts is not to set gifts in order, that’s already been done, or to chastise some other church for having or not having gifts, but to remind us from the Scripture in the light of the Message what they are and how they work.
Spiritual Gifts Come From God
Spiritual Gifts Come From God
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.
My Spirit. Not another Spirit.
It’s like this. Now…And as He goes out, one will fuss with the other one. “Did you speak with tongues or did you prophecy? If you…” Now, there’s where the people get these gifts all mixed up.
One will say, “Because you don’t do this, you haven’t got it, or you don’t do this, you haven’t got it.” Now, you’re wrong on that. God is like a great diamond.
Listen, so you can really understand this. God is like a great diamond. And each ... chip of a diamond has chip places, this big master diamond. And lay it in the light, great rays of light shines off from it.
And those are God’s messengers, gifts. All of it comes back to the selfsame God. The gift of healing, the gift of preaching, the gift of prophesying, all the spiritual gifts of the body are just rays or reflections off of the selfsame God.
See the big diamond? For to one is given knowledge, to another, wisdom, to another, gifts of healing, to another one, gifts of prophecy, but all by the selfsame Spirit, the great diamond.
And the big rays of light that we see shoot this way and shoot that way, all declare one thing: there is a God that lives and reigns.
And as long as you see those things in operation, know that God still is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I used to preach at the Baptist church at Milltown, Indiana, and I’d come home at night. There used to be an old nightingale set out there, and he would sing.
And I noticed on a stormy night, he didn’t sing as much as he did on a moonlight night. So I begin to study of the nightingale, and I come to find out that he looks up towards the heavens, and he watches.
And as long as he can see a star, he sings, because he knows somewhere the sun is shining. Oh, my, what a lesson we could learn by that.
And as long as you can see the Spirit of God operating through one of these little rays of light, there’s a God that still lives and reigns. 56-1207 - Gifts
Spiritual Gifts are Without Repentance
Spiritual Gifts are Without Repentance
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Paul is making the point that even the Jews who crucified Jesus were gifted, they were called. They were God’s people. One day the nation will be saved, but that doesn’t make what they were doing right.
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
The 400 prophets were real prophets. Balaam was a real prophet.
You say, “That stumbles me, Brother Branham. A prophet?” Oh, yeah. There was one in the time of Jeremiah, who said they would only be down there two years.
The Lord told Jeremiah, “seventy.” Put a yoke around his neck, and the prophet broke it, Hananiah. But you know what happened to him. Oh, yeah. You got to stay with the Word.
So these prophets came up and prophesied, and said, “Go on up! The Lord is with you.”
And one of them.... he put two iron horns and said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD. By this,” now that man was sincere, “you will push your enemy plumb back into their lands, and take what belongs to God. It’s give to you.” I don’t believe he was a hypocrite. I believe he was a good man. I believe all them prophets were.
You say, “Prophets?” Yep! Remember, the very man that consented to kill Jesus Christ, prophesied, because it was his office. He was high priest that year.
And being that he had that office, and held that office, the Spirit of God came to him. That didn’t mean he was saved or anything about it. And he prophesied, Caiaphas, because it was his office that did it.
And these prophets, being prophets, of office prophet, prophesied. And the Spirit of God came on them, men with gifts of the Spirit.
I realize I’m talking to ninety-nine percent Pentecostals. But men many times, a man, God can deal with them, give them a gift, and the people will squeeze in on those people. If they’re not perfectly called and sent of God, he’ll cause that man or woman to say something that isn’t His will, because the people constrains them to do it.
65-0718M - Trying To Do God A Service Without Being The Will Of God
(Bro. Neville)
And remember, they had prophets in those days. Caiaphas, the high priest, prophesied. How many knows that? Caiaphas prophesied. Notice the position of the weed in the field; it’s watered by the same anointing.
Why did the Bible say he prophesied? “Because he was high priest that year.” A rotten scavenger, a weed and a thistle, setting among the Wheat; but the Spirit was upon him, the genuine Holy Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit of God was upon him, to preach, prophesy, and foretell it to come to pass; and denied and crucified the very vindicated Word of the hour. 65-0725M - The Anointed Ones At The End Time
The Spirit can come out here and anoint you to do certain things, and you do it, but that don’t mean you’re saved. Think of it. Caiaphas prophesied. Judas cast out devils. See, the Spirit anointed him.
This rain falls on the just and the unjust, the weeds can rejoice with the wheat. But it’s what it is at the core. There is where you can…intellectuals can accept it, say, “Oh, sure, that looks good. I believe that.” That still don’t do it. No, sir. And the spirit can actually make witness of it, and still it isn’t so.
Because if that soul hasn’t come from God, it can make all the impersonations out here, but it cannot be real. You can act healing, you can act like you have. You can act like you receive it. Christians can act like they’re Christians, and act and be ever so good at it, but that don’t mean they’re saved.
The Spirit can be there, the real, genuine Spirit. The Holy Spirit can anoint you, that still don’t mean you’re saved. It’s that inside soul that never dies, it’s got Eternal Life. It always was Eternal Life. It come from God, it goes to God, it’s the soul. 65-1126 - Works Is Faith Expressed
(Bro. Branham and the two men with gifts in Michigan)
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Then all at once, before me, I seen the world rolling, and it was all disked up. And here went a man with white, with his head up, sowing Seeds like this.
And when he went, coming, just as he went over the hill, here come a man behind him, dressed in black, with his head down, sowing seeds. And when the good Seeds come up, it was wheat; and when the bad seeds come up, it was weeds.
And then it come a great drought on the earth, and the wheat had its head hanging over, just about perished, wanting water. And I seen all the people with their hands up, praying for God to send water. And then I seen the weed, it had its head down, bowing for water.
And just then the great clouds come across and the rain just gushed down. And when it did, the little wheat that was all bent over went, “Whish,” stood right up. And the little weed right by its side went, “Whish,” stood right up. I thought, “Well, what’s that?”
Then It come to me. There it is. The same rain that makes the wheat to grow, makes the weed to grow. And the same Holy Spirit can fall in a bunch of people, and can bless a hypocrite just the same as It blesses the other.
Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” Not whether he shouts, whether he rejoices, but “it’s by his fruit you shall know him.”
I said, “There you are!” “I got it, Lord.” I said, “Then that really is the Truth.” This man…You could have gifts without knowing God.
(Watch how Bro. Branham was balanced out on this)
So then I was getting too critical on speaking with tongues, you see. But one day, then, how God vindicated that to me!
(He goes through his commission and what happened at the river)
And one night, on about four or five times out…I couldn’t understand speaking in tongues and so forth. I believed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, believed the people could speak in tongues.
And one night when I was walking out onto the…in a cathedral, San Antonio, Texas, walking out there, a little fellow sitting up here begin to speak in tongues like a shotgun firing, or a machine gun, rapidly.
Way back, way back there, a fellow raised up and said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD! The man that’s walking to the platform is going forward with a ministry that was ordained of Almighty God.
And as John the Baptist was sent as the first forerunner of the coming of Jesus Christ, so he packs a Message that will cause the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 55-0117 - How The Angel Came To Me, And His Commission
Spiritual Gifts Should be Waited On.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
7 [He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; (AMP)
Solomon’s Temple
And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the Lord, which David the king had made to praise the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.
Timothy
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study means to be “zealous” to be “diligent”, to be “eager”.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Be ready, but don’t assume that your gift is needed right now.
God can train a man, take Him a hundred years, for thirty-minutes work. 59-1004E - Why Cry? Speak!
The Gift makes room for itself. Forcing it will do harm to the church and bring discouragement to the gifted person.
A man’s gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.
God reveals this Word in the season, and to whom He chooses to reveal It to. God chooses who He reveals It to. He chose that before the foundation of the world.
All of His doings were foreknown by Him, hidden from man. He just reveals them as He will. It is His chosen season, His chosen person. And He never did choose a party or sect; it’s a chosen person, how He does it.
Who is it that will dare to correct Him, and say, “Now, Lord, You made a mistake by putting this man in the ministry. This man doesn’t believe like we believe”?
Who is going to tell God He is wrong in it? It would take somebody that’s a little more of a delinquent than I am, to tell Him that. He knows what He is doing.
He knows who to choose and who not to choose, what to do and when to do it. No matter how much we think that a certain person is qualified to do a certain job, God knows who is qualified for the time and the season, or the time and the right time to do it.
And the real, true Christian; the real, true believer in God, waits upon the Lord for these things. Wait on your ministry. If you feel a call, be sure that it’s God. Be sure that it’s right. Be sure that it’s timely of what you’re saying.
The Bible said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with the wings like an eagle. They shall run and not be weary. If they walk, they’ll not faint.” 65-0718M - Trying To Do God A Service Without Being The Will Of God
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
What is the most spiritual thing to do if you are a mother and your children are crying?
Most of the time the most spiritual thing you could do is the most helpful thing that you can do at that moment, to edify the body of Christ.
A man without character can’t reign because power apart from character is Satanic. But power with character is fit to rule. CAB 04 - Smyrnaen
(Joseph the Dreamer)