Power of God

This is different from Godly or Biblical wisdom in that it is supernaturally given. Godly wisdom can be obtained through prayerful study and meditation on God’s Word.

Word of knowledge- Supernatural awareness of facts without the aid of the senses. A sharing of a fraction of God’s omniscience so that God makes known to humans something He knows but we do not.

Again, this is different than Bible knowledge. Often this gift can go unnoticed by others. Can refer to future events or outcomes.

Discerning of spirits- this is not criticalness, suspicion, or human discernment. Though all these things are helpful when used properly. Discerning of spirits is not guessing or analyzing information. It is, with certainty, the ability to tell if it is the Spirit of God, an evil spirit, or human spirit.

This next grouping is referred to as the power of God. This group consists of faith, working miracles, and the gift of gifts of healing. These are the gifts that most associate with the Holy Spirit moving. These gifts are not to elevated above the rest. In fact, Paul warns that all gifts are a waste if not done though love of God and others. He also points out that prophecy is the one we should all desire.

To be honest, these are, for some reason, the gifts I am naturally most sceptical of. I have seen them happen right in front of me. I have prayed for people and seen them healed, I have had the supernatural, abundant, specific faith. I have also seen people manipulate and abuse these gifts for personal gain. So if you are a little sceptical, welcome to the club. It doesn’t mean that you are a bad Christian or lack faith. It means that God has made you a watchmen on the wall. Someone who weighs the evidence and guards the people. If you are more accepting of these manifestation gifts, that does not mean that you are somehow naïveté or have a closer relationship with God. Usually, that means that you have been able to retain a childlike awe and wonder in the power of God. We need each other.

Gift of faith- for corporate settings. Not saving faith. Usually for a specific situation.

Faith, as a gift of the Spirit, is distinctive from “ordinary” saving faith which is a gift to every Christian: Eph 2:8

Ephesians 2:8 NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have recieved saving faith. This means that there was a time when you heard the Gospel of Jesus and believed that it was true without seeing an evidence. In that moment you had a choice. You could have responded or you could have ignored it. I am so glad that you did not ignore that feeling. We walk by faith and not by sight as believers. We all have faith, but the gift of faith spoken of here is very different. This gift is considered to be “mountain moving faith.” Some seem to have “more faith” than others consistently. That is based on how God created you. The gift of faith is often for specific situations to display the power and glory of God.

“Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”- St. Augustine

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

This faith is exceptional and, again, a gift for certain people at certain times as Jesus desires. We see the power of the gift of faith in Heb 11:33-34

Hebrews 11:33–34 NLT

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

The gift of faith often works hand in hand with the manifestation of other gifts. Specifically, but not limited to, gifts of healing and miracles.

I do want to reiterate here, this gift is just that….a gift. Just because you have never functioned in this gifting, that does not mean you are somehow less than others or don’t trust God enough. God will use you in the areas you will benefit His Kingdom and feel most fulfilled. This of Mary and Martha. In John 11-12 we read the story of Lazarus. Martha meets Jesus and tells Him, “If you were here he would still be alive.” Jesus asks if she believes in the resurrection. Her reply was filled with faith. “Of course he will rise when everyone rise in the resurrection at the end of time.” Jesus tells her, “ I am the resurrection and the life.” When her sister Mary shows up she says the same thing as Martha. But the Bible tells us that when He sees Mary weeping that, not only did He weep with her, “ a deep anger welled up within Him.” I believe that Mary’s gift of faith in Jesus ability caused a very real reaction in Jesus toward the consequence of sin’s power and the fact death existed in the first place. Jesus did not rebuke either woman. But He did respond to the differently.

Another example of Jesus responding to the gift of faith is in Matthew.

Matthew 8:5–10 NLT

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!

Matthew 8:13 NLT

Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Another thing about the gift of faith that I have noticed in Scripture and in my life. No one is yelling or commanding Jesus. It is a confident assertion that, if Jesus wills it, it will be done.

I love stories that speak on different levels. This story in Matthew is one of my favorites because it not only shows the power of faith, but of authority. Yes, the official showed great faith, but he also understood how authority works. His faith was displayed through his confident understanding that Jesus had all the authority. If Jesus decided not to speak, nothing would change. The officer accepted that it was unlawful for an israelite to enter the how of a gentile. He was submitted to the laws of the land while also acknowledging that Jesus was above that authority. The gift of faith was active and a little girl was healed. The gift of faith is often activated for someone else, not ourselves.

Acts 3:1-11

Acts 3:1–11 NLT

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

Jesus is not limited in His ways of working, but there is no doubt that the gift of faith plays a part in many miraculous events.

Gifts of healing- healing of the physical by “speeding up” natural means of healing, does not have to be inherently miraculous

“These gifts are the miraculous manifestation of the Spirit for the banishment of all human ills whether organic, functional or nervous; acute or chronic.”- Harold Horton

This gift is unique in that it is actually called “the gift of gifts of healings.” This means that each individual healing is a gift. The are no “healers”, however God can heal a foot and cancer through the same vessel. He can also only heal the foot. It’s important to remember that this, as all the other gifts, is from God.

· Sign of divine intervention

· Wonder to drive us to deeper intimacy with God

· Faith for healing is manifest through the minster, not the person needing healing

· Acts 9:32-43

Acts 9:32–43 NLT

Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda. There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!” And he was healed instantly. Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord. There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!” So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a tanner of hides.

Here we see multiple gifts on display. The gift of faith was given to Peter to believe she could be raised. Gifts of healing were in operation as her body needed to be restored. The gift of miracles was active because this lead many to believe in the power of Jesus over death.

Working miracles-works of supernatural power or deeds of might, rather than marvelous signs

Not to be confused with gifts of healings, working of miracles is not limited to healing the body.

“A miracle is a supernatural intervention in the ordinary course of the system of nature as we know it.”

In the church, the working of miracles has 2 purposes:

provide for special needs

to confirm the gospel witness

Miracles are ordinarily dramatic, outwardly visible events that are often tied to the gift of faith. Though they are distinctive events.

“The difference between the gift of faith and the working of miracles is that the gift of faith receives a miracle and the working of miracles works a miracle.”-Hagin

A couple examples of the working of miracles are:

Matthew 14:15–21 NLT

That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. “Bring them here,” he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Jesus fed about 20,000 people from a sack lunch. That is miraculous and powerful. As far as we know, the people where unaware of this miracle, though they were recipients of it. The apostles didn’t have the faith to believe, but they were they one distributing the food. Jesus was moved with compassion to feed the people. This miracle is one of the many Jesus did to confirm the message He was sharing.

Acts 20:7–12 NLT

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.

I hope I never preach someone to death. If I do, Jesus gives us hope that even death is not the end.

An important thing to remember about working miracles is that they are a sign to confirm the message of the messenger. however, they can be counterfeit. So how can you tell what is real and fake?

Mark 9:39 NLT

“Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.

This is the easiest test. The Holy Spirit will not confirm a counterfeit or a fake. And for those who do try to cause others to fall into sin knowingly by faking this gift, Jesus has a warning for you

Mark 9:42 NLT

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.

Jesus will not allow Himself to be used by someone who is abusing or harming another person.

I want to remind you again, these are gifts. It is ok to desire a gift, but do not allow your self worth or confidence in salvation to be caught up in the functioning of these gifts. God uses who He uses for HIs glory and His peoples good. These gifts are His to give. We will never fully understand God in this life and that is encouraging. Remember to walk confidently before our God. Even if you never see these gifts functioning in your life, remember Jesus still chose to give His life for you. His promises are still for you. That does not change.

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