“Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts…” (Part 5 of 6)

If someone asked you if they could do a prophetic word what's the right response. What's a difficult question to answer. If you're unclear on what it means today on Truth for Life Alastair bed continues. A study of spiritual gifts by explaining what the gift of prophecy is and how it relates to biblical truth. We continue to pursue our studies here in first convenience. 12 and specifically as it relates to this question of spiritual gadgets.

We've been looking at this subject now for couple of weeks and will do for some time.

Beyond this bods we are in the midst of the list that is provided for us here between there are seven and verse 11. Last time we start to ask and answer four questions.

Who gives these spiritual gifts. The answer to which was God. I why are they given the answer to that was for the common good. There tools to be used, not toys to be played with who gets them answer to that is, every Christian gets them, and what are they, well then we began to look at the list that was provided for us and we said it was a selective list, not an exhaustive list. We have said in various things about spiritual gifts I came across a court this week. By the late Ray Stedman who said that a spiritual gift.

I think quite helpfully is a capacity for service which is given to every true Christian, without exception, and which is something that each did not possess before he became a Christian spiritual gift is given to each question and it is something that we didn't have before natural talents are not spiritual gifts. Although natural talents are gifts from God and a Christian.

Interestingly, may exercise a spiritual gift through a natural talent.

If you think about it. An individual may have a natural talent for communication and be given the spiritual gift of teaching the spiritual can gift combines with their natural talent to make it a powerful impact and also we discovered and importantly so that these gifts are given to each one reminding us that every one of us having received a gift is to have a part in our expression within the body of Christ and all the members are involved in ministry. Now we have reached the gift of healing in our going through this list and we come to the issue of healing. In Calvin's commentary on first Corinthians in addressing these various financial gifts. He gives some time to the first three and when he comes to this gift of healing. He says quotes everyone knows what is meant by the gift of healing, and then he proceeds to the next So I thought everybody knew something that we don't know RLC didn't want to touch it or whatever it was. I'm not sure what it made me smile really made me smile and fight and I'm still smiling is quite incredible and coming to this gift, which is one of the most volatile of the list of gifts in the minds of some people is necessary for me to dip into an area that needs to be addressed and which will return. Certainly when we come to chapter 14 and it centers on the question as to whether this gift and other spectacular gifts are still present in the church today or whether these miraculous occurrences were actually signings of the apostles. They were given for a specific period of time in order to authenticate the ministry of the apostles in the establishing of the church. That's the question that is very important question and needs to be addressed and along with it. This question when we read here concerning the gifts of healing that were manifest in the New Testament church at this time are we to believe that what is spoken off today in terms of healing ministry in terms of gifts possessed by individuals whereby they are apparently able to heal our religion. Just admit in assuming that those present-day professions are identical with the New Testament instruction provided for us here in order to answer that question.

There are a couple of things we need to note. First of all the healings that marked the ministry of Jesus and of the apostles was direct they were able to heal by their words or by their touch the spoke or the touch, and people were healed. They healing was an instant healing. The healings were not simply psychosomatic but they were organic. Many of them such as wasted and crippled limbs being restored as well as functional and symptomatic things being addressed. The healings of Jesus and the apostles lasted there is no record in the New Testament of any relapse in relationship to healings, so there healings were direct they were specific they were by word. They were by touch.

They had immediate impact. The board immediately and apparently healed and there was no apparent reluctance for those of us who lived and moved in charismatic circles. We need to be honest enough to say that is very, very different from what is mostly spoken of today in relationship to the gifts of healing. Most of those expressions cannot be squared with the outline that I just given you in terms of apostolic ministry that loved ones does not mean that we no longer have the privilege of asking God for healing. We do and God does heal and may choose to heal to accomplish his purpose and his glory. But I do not believe that individuals possess gifts of healing as per the abilities of the apostles in the fourth century, whatever their profession may be in the same respect miraculous powers, which is next on the list are directly related to the foundational element of the apostles of a court to you. These miraculous gifts were part of the credentials of the apostles as authoritative agents of God in the founding of the church. Their function can find them distinctly to the apostolic church and they necessarily passed away with it as BB Warfield so that we begin to put together an understanding of things where there were certain gifts which are said to have been temporary in their foundational element under other gifts which are permanent. Some people choose to be exceptionally dogmatic concerning this. Others are helpfully on helpfully vague, but you should understand that there is a very great difference between the view which says that all the gifts of the New Testament where operative went into abeyance and all of a sudden lately in the resurgence of interest in the spirits ministry in the last 13 years by means of the charismatic movement have once again been unleashed upon the church. They were gone and God has blessed them to the church that view is very different from the view which says no, there were certain signs of the apostolic church which were there to authenticate the ministry and to lay foundation and that even as you read the acts of the apostles, you discover that those events are beginning to dwindle. Before you come to the conclusion of the book of acts in the founding of the church and by the time you get into the New Testament epistles themselves. There is largely no mention of them whatsoever. What about the gift of prophecy prophecy to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy. Some of you may not know what I'm talking about here, but that's all right. That's not unusual, actually. But the question once again is whether what is spoken of in terms of charismatic prophecy can be realistically viewed as the restoring of this New Testament signing gift you've not been exposed to this one really know what I mean. But, for example, I have friends who come over to my home at least that in Scotland they would come over to my home before the evening was ended.

They would give to my wife and I various words of prophecy and on the strength of that and we would go to bed and get on with our days. I can make mention of that. I probably will in a moment or two from now, but by prophecy in charismatic circles, what they mean is an immediate revelation from God. The receiving and the relaying of what purports to be a divine message okay and existential moment disconnected from and not necessarily related to the revelation which we have in holy Scripture and in charismatic circles the understanding of this gift of prophecy is number one that it is a direct revelation from God of thoughts that are on the mind of God that would not otherwise be known very important.

If this person did not say this in this moment than all of us who were within earshot would not be the beneficiaries of this word, which was on the mind of God. Secondly, that such words of prophecy frequently include specific directions from God concerning his plans for the future.

Thirdly, that the proper verbal form of these words of prophecy. In my experience is in terms of the Old Testament oracles in which the guy who speaks is frequently God himself.

If you moved in these circles and some of you have you will know that when a word of prophecy is given most usually in this context it comes in the first person singular. I say to you I say to you my people, I say to you, Alastair beg or whatever it might be. So it creates and brings with it a tremendous sense of transcendence and power and a and can be tremendously compelling, especially for those who are unsure concerning the Scriptures. Fourthly, the notion is that it was a sign gift in the apostolic church which with the other sign gifts. As I said, has been in abeyance until lately. Now that's the view of prophecy from the charismatic point of view.

What would we want to say in relationship to that will first of all I would want to say that the prophecy of Joel in acts chapter 2 where Peter quotes from the prophet Joel concerning the fact that in the last days, God would pour out his Spirit on all people.

And the sons and daughters would prophesy in your young men will see visions year-old men will dream dreams. One of the things that most March. This prophecy is the fact that it is universal rather than it being unique and exclusive. We ought to expected to be manifest in every age, rather than the spirit of prophecy having been put in a box is aware for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Just all of a sudden being brought by code the spirit of prophecy that is manifested here, recounted in the prophecy of Joel suggests to us that this is not something that we ought to find absent in any age, but present in every age and in the essence of the prophetic ministry was not foretelling but was forth telling. In other words, the prophetic ministry was and is God's present word for God's present people, ask yourself the question, where do we have God's present word for God's present people right here okay so we have it all. All we need.

With nothing left out, and nothing put in. That shouldn't be there. God has completed his word of revelation to us all the more that is necessary for all time and for all of his people is contained right here in this book and in the same way that Old Testament prophets proclaimed the law and recalled the people of God to face the claim of God upon their lives and to call them to obedience so the New Testament prophets. If you like. They preach the gospel. They preach the life of faith. They called for conversion they call for edification and for encouragement and interestingly will find us when we come to chapter 14 Paul's concern for the church in Corinth was that all without exception should share in this ministry is not what he says.

I would that you all prophesy. I would that you all were involved in bringing God's present word to God's present people and when we come to first Corinthians 14 and you can notice if you want to flip over to in verse 26 in verse 30 were going to see that a prophetic revelation was a God prompted application of truth that, in general terms had been revealed already a God prompted application of truth that have been revealed already, rather than a disclosure of divine thoughts and intentions that had been previously known and had been previously knowable so you think in terms of the prophetic gift.

We ought not to think of it in terms of the augmentation of truth but rather the application of truth and there's no indication whatsoever that any of the New Testament prophets give their messages in a verbal form that personally to the father and the son and never spoken that way the authority of the prophetic message is not in its form. It's in its content. Now let me explain to you if you come to me for award of counsel right and you, and you share your life with me and tell me what you're involved, it would be possible for me. Having listened to just say, dear friend, I want to give you up prophetic word just for you before you go select violent prayer and let me give it to and then in the first person singular.

I can speak to you and tell you that I believe that this is what God has to say to you at this moment in your circumstances are present word from God for your present situation. I could take my knowledge of the Scriptures and frame it in such a way as to make you feel or believe that I am speaking in some kind of ex cathedra fashion.

As a result of being on the receiving end of a previously unknowable truth that is coming directly to me and threw me for you and I can say something like this, I say to you, my sister, that if you only find your joy and your delight in following after me, and in listening to my word, I will give to you all, that your heart desires. You could go out the door and say it's unbelievable the guys going to read telephone up there. It really freaked me out. He had a thing. He said, and he just came right through. I don't know what happened to Kim right through and he came right, what was it, Sam.

37 verse four. Delight yourself also in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. That is why for many of my dear friends who are involved in this kind of prophetic ministry and charismatic service. I don't get upset with them and they don't get upset with me because I tell them I say Frank if you want to turn. Romans 12 into a kind of divine transactional statement for me that's okay, but I know what you're doing. Frank you're just quoted in Romans 12 designer Romans 12 to and Frank if you ever pull one of these stunts in my house where you don't quote something from the Bible.

I want to throw the other door so fast you won't even imagine because if there is something that is supplemental to the Bible we know to throw it out. In any case, and if what it is is simply a restatement of the Bible. What in the world are we going through four in the first place.

The gift of New Testament prophecy is the application of God's given work to God's given people in a given moment in time. Search the Scriptures to see if these things are, so let's go on, let's try one or two more distinguishing between spirits, the gift of distinguishing between spirits is simply the gift of discernment. If you think about it is a particularly important gift before the New Testament canon was completed.

One commentator says the Holy Spirit's discerner's where the churches protectors John on writing of this said that God give a special gift of discerning spirits to contend against courts. The ministry of Don in the church because at that time.

With an abundance of spiritual gifts in operation and the ease with which they could be counterfeited.

It was absolutely necessary that they would know what was true and what was false and while all are given a measure of discrimination between the spirits. It would appear that the Psalm that is given special insight into its meaning into its application into the manner of it in a way that is definitely similar in kind to what is mentioned here and express the next 16 if not so immediate in terms of degree. Now what was going to say to you again that you have to think these things out for yourselves. I don't believe that my purpose in going through this is to browbeat you into some kind of position on spiritual gifts. I will teach you as best as I understand the Bible, but your sensible people. You need to examine the Scriptures you need to test your life you will experience your encounters against the word of God. Now some of you wondered because I answer the question out there in the open air. During the summer. Someone said do you believe that the gift of tongues is still present in the church ranch that was yes I do. The real question is what is this what is it that is present in the church here were at the question is what people give testimony to what Paul is addressing here in first Corinthians 1214 I actually don't think it's once again an area of study where undue dogmatism is really unhelpful and where spiritual sensitivity is vital you can take some of your favorite theologians lay them into and they will reach a conclusion. For example Charles Hart regarding both the Pentecostal IED asked to tongues and the Corinthian tongues as the same. A gift of other languages. Abram Kuyper regarded both as the altering of unintelligible sounds. He said that it was probably the language that were going to speak in heaven, so that the gift in that case, the miracle was one of both hearing and speaking the people spoke what he didn't know on people really couldn't understand far out Calvin and many who followed Calvin think that the Pentecostal tongues were languages in the Corinthian tongues were not so, how you doing filling real clear on this. Charles Hodge, I carry systematic theology around like this. This guys bright. He says are both languages. Here comes Kuyper. He says they're both in unintelligible sounds, here comes Calvin is essay writing one's 191's the other what you think. Why cannot quite a name says it seems difficult if not impossible to make a final judgment on the matter of thank you, but what is your experience been your experiences being the cause of a great desire for black-and-white and no grays in life. Your experiences being you got a come down on one side of the other. Here, and as soon as you do. Some are another you going to defensive shell to fight off anybody wouldn't believe what you believe, or you go on the antagonistic route to try and bring everybody who hasn't got what you got into the experience that you have remember this love ones.

The main things in the plain things in the plain things are the main thing distancing real plain visit what you that talents should tell is that anytime we exult something that there is an amazing clarity on in the Bible to a position of undue significance were probably getting really out of line when it comes to the subject of spiritual gifts are you seeking to stick to the main and the plain things as Alastair talked about the key take away from today's message on Truth for Life and as Alastair made clear spiritual gifts are toys to be played with their tools that were given as believers for the benefit of our local church body that ties right into our mission here at Truth for Life. Our goal is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance. We know that when God's word is taught. Local churches will be strengthened as the body of Christ is built up through this program and the supplement Alistair's teaching one of our great joys is to choose high quality books that we recommend to you each month. This is the final weekend were offering Alastair Biggs book titled pretty big. Learn to pray like an apostle. As you read through this book, you'll revive your prayer life by learning how the apostle Paul prayed boldly for his fellow believers.

You'll find that the truths that shaped his prayers will not only motivate you to pray, but also help you to know what to say. As you read the book, pray big, your focus will increasingly turn from your daily distractions to Jesus and the gospel and eternity. Request your copy of the book pray big and the accompanying study guide today by visiting Truth for Life.a large Bob Lapine thanks for listing next weekend will wrap up our study on spiritual gifts by addressing questions that arise regarding speaking in tongues is this a gift that involves speaking another language help us grow closer to God. Alastair answers these questions and more next week, so be sure to join us. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living