Discernment of Spirits

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT
“and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:10 AMP

Today, we look at another of the spiritual gifts listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, namely the discernment of spirits. The Amplified version, as usual, is very helpful in expanding what this means. All believers have a certain ability to distinguish between right and wrong, particularly as they become more mature in their faith. However, some believers have the spiritual gift of discerning spirits—that is, the God-given ability to distinguish between the truth of the Word and the deceptive doctrines propagated by demons. But we must begin with one important principle – the authenticity of the Word of God, the Bible. There are many today who lack trust in God’s Word or who adopt a more liberal approach to what is contained therein. These are Christians who approach their faith with an emphasis on personal liberty, human reason, and worldly experience rather than strict adherence to the things of God. They interpret chapters and verses in the Bible from a more socially inclusive and tolerant worldview that incorporates suspect and even blatantly sinful ideologies, resulting in the re-evaluation and rejection of what God intended through His Word. 

The spiritual gift of discernment of spirits is founded on what the Bible says, and, building on that, a believer moving in this particular gift will be able to feel that what is before them isn’t quite right. What they are being told might sound very plausible, and the person presenting it might even use Bible verses to support what they are saying, but that is where the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment kicks in and sometimes exposes a lie that probably originated from something demonic. 

The Apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here” (1 John 4:1-3). Immediately, the JW’s come to mind. They do not really believe the truth about Jesus being the Son of God and part of the Trinitarian Godhead, regardless of what they say, so straight away, they fall into the category of being a cult. 

Again, there are some Christians who believe the spiritual gifts died out with the Apostles, and they rationalise 1 Corinthians 12:10 so that their view is based on Scripture only. However, I believe the Holy Spirit can also bring direct revelation, helping believers and those around them to discern when something is wrong. This revelation will not conflict with what the Bible says, of course, but the Holy Spirit will bring to the believer’s attention something that leads them along a God-illumined path that discerns if the spirit behind what is before them is right or wrong. God is wonderful, and His gifts are limitless. 

Dear Lord. Thank You for Your gifts, and the Spirit dwelling within each one of us. We love You and worship You today. Amen. 

Prophecy

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

One of the Holy Spirit’s gifts is prophecy. According to the website bibleref.com, “Prophecy is usually described as delivering a message from God, perhaps with force and conviction. Some believe the gift of prophecy includes the supernatural ability to explain or describe things that cannot be known by the speaker beyond special revelation from the Holy Spirit. These might be things happening in the present or that will occur in the future”. However, a prophecy can also be speaking forth what God wants His people to hear, which may include the application of Biblical principles to the here and now. So, we sometimes have prophetic sermons delivered to address particular situations in a church or fellowship. Some years ago, I remember a particular message that proclaimed God’s displeasure with the behaviour of a certain group of people in the church who had a propensity to gossip. Prophetic words can often be uncomfortable to hear, but they are there to help God’s children change their ways and align themselves with God’s kingdom principles. 

Many Christians believe that, with the New Testament now complete, prophetic words that bring something new are no longer relevant or necessary. They believe that Old Testament prophets with their revelations of what was to come are not needed anymore, and in any case, anyone claiming to have a new revelation from God should be viewed with caution, particularly if their message requires an action that doesn’t conform to Biblical principles and teaching. So today, a prophet has become more of a teacher, expounding the Word of God sometimes in a forceful style that even shocks and challenges the congregation before them. Occasionally, a prophetic message will emerge that claims a certain event will happen at some time in the future, and the church needs to take appropriate action. These are occasions when God’s people need to pray and ask for confirmation and wisdom.

On an individual basis, a person may deliver what they claim to be a prophetic word to another person, and to facilitate this, some organisations have emerged onto the modern Christian landscape. In Glasgow, we have the “Global Prophetic Alliance”, and we read from their website, “Global Prophetic Alliance is inspiring, training and equipping the worldwide church in the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the voice of God. Formed in 2009 by Emma and David Stark, we are a global prophetic equipping hub based in Glasgow, Scotland. Our ministers broadcast, train and equip the church to transform nations by the power of the Holy Spirit as a testimony to Jesus Christ”. It is important for any prophetic ministry to ultimately point to Jesus, and that is what they claim to do. However, I’m more concerned about organisations that offer a service that could be described as spiritual fortune-telling for individuals seeking guidance or reassurance in their lives. We pilgrims must be cautious and discern the times.

Each believer is given a spiritual gift, and as we know from the parable of the talents, it is important that these gifts are used for the glory of God. But it would be wrong to major on one particular gift to the exclusion of the others. We pilgrims are blessed with many gifts, and we must never lose sight of the fact that they are given to us for the building up of the church. They are not provided to us for our own benefit. I personally have benefited from Godly men and women bringing prophetic words into my life, words that have mostly been contained within a sentence or two, but they have enabled me to change direction in my walk with God. We all have blind spots, and the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy brings light into darkness and revelation when needed. 

Dear Father God. You have richly blessed us with all that we need for life through Your Spirit. Please grant us sensitive spiritual ears with which to hear Your Word, no matter how it is delivered to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Same Differences

Posted on by korgrocker

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-8 NLT

Over the following few verses, one particular feature stands out – the words “the same Spirit” are repeated several times. There is only one Holy Spirit, who is not split into individual parts for each believer. We know that the Godhead includes three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit graciously provides spiritual gifts for followers of Christ, and for one purpose, so that they “can help each other”. God is in a unique position, as He knows every person’s heart, their thoughts, their needs and deeds, and everything else about them. So in His grace and loving kindness, He has given gifts to His children so that they can help each other, and these gifts come through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

Every human being needs help at some point in their life, some more often than others. Many of our basic needs are met by the society in which we Westerners live, with social security resources available for the needy. However, the state lacks the ability or even the desire to provide for a person’s spiritual needs, and for most, such needs are crucial to their well-being. But God, through His grace, has provided a way. 

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other”

John 13:34.

If we examine verse 7 from another perspective, we can see that God has given us spiritual gifts so that those believers around us who are in need can be helped. And as we look around our churches and fellowships, we find that this is indeed the case. From time to time, we all need support from each other, and in many cases, it is a spiritual gift being exercised by one of our believing friends that makes the difference. Sadly, many Christians live a closed life. When asked how they are, the response “fine” is the norm. But Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34). There is a responsibility for us to love our brothers and sisters, but they, too, have a responsibility to allow others to love them, and then love them in return. In our churches and fellowships, there are those who go about their daily lives hurting and sick, but instead of seeking the place where they can experience love and grace through others, they stay away from church until their problems are resolved. 

Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that each of them had at least one spiritual gift, and that gift was given to them by the same Spirit. This may have been to correct a notion that some of the believers there were “spiritual” but others were not. Paul also emphasised that the gift provided was not for the person’s benefit, but for the benefit of others, for the “common good” as some translations say. Today, we believers must ask God for clarity about the spiritual gift that He has provided for us. We, of course, pray about it, but it is also helpful to ask others what our gift is, because they may have a more objective view of us. But in it all, we must relax with the assurance that the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us and He will bring about what He intends for us. We look to our fellow believers in love and transparency, and remain open to the work of the Holy Spirit, who builds us up and guides us in His ways.

Dear Father. Thank You for the gifts that You have given us. Please help us to use them for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Differences

Posted on by korgrocker

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIVUK

In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, he mentioned a gift received by all believers in Jesus – the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Previously, Jesus had encouraged His disciples when He said that He would send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.“

John 14:15.

John 14:15-17, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you”. Jesus was faithful to His word, and we all know the Acts 2 story – “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:4). This wasn’t an occasion without drama and impact! But my point this morning is that all Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives through the repentance of their sins. There are not many different types of Holy Spirit, one for each person, because there is only one. This is how Paul began his teaching to the Corinthians about the gifts of the Holy Spirit: many gifts, but one Holy Spirit. In the days ahead, we will explore what these different spiritual gifts are. 

“All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives”

Paul continues with the thought that “There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5). In other Bible translations, the word “services” is replaced by “ministries”, but even though there are differences between ministries, there is only one Lord commissioning them. So, in our churches, we have the pastors and teachers, the evangelists and so on, with each person, or even several people, performing the same function. But these are the headline roles, and the ones that people think of when the word “ministry” surfaces in conversations. We forget about the other equally important roles that are present in a church or community. The people who maintain the building, cleaning and decorating, repairing and maintaining, are equally important. A bit further down in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul equates a fellowship of believers with a human body, as we read, “Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:14-15). Just as all our body parts have a particular “ministry”, so does the body of Christ as a whole. 

Paul concludes the three verses we are considering today with, “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work”. We have gifts, ministries, and different ways of doing things, but in everything it is God who is at work in them all. But if we stop and think, aren’t we all glad that each person is unique? What if God had created a race of human clones, each identical in looks and abilities? Where would the variety of gifts and ministries then be found? God created each one of us just as He planned, and after our creation, He broke the mould, so that there would never be another you and me. Yes, we may have character traits inherited from our parents. But they uniquely combine to make us who we are.

The differences between believers enrich the Body of Christ in all its facets and functions, and we should be content with how God has made us. We must never spend our time fretting because we are looking at someone else, wishing that we had their gift or ministry. Our function instead is to be faithful with the gifts God has given us, so that one day we will hear those wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for making us just as we are, with all the gifts and ministries that You want us to have. Please help us to be content and continue in our Christian lives, as we become more and more like your Son, Jesus. In His precious name. Amen. 

Living By God’s Power

Posted on by korgrocker

“Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?”
1 Corinthians 4:18-21 NLT

Do we believers talk a lot about the things of the Kingdom but fail to leverage the power available to us through the Holy Spirit? I think we probably do, because there is a disconnect between what happened in the early church and what is happening today. When was the last time we had a prayer meeting that was so powerful that the building shook, for example (see Acts 4)? When was the last time we were in a meeting where the power and presence of the Holy Spirit were so evident that healings occurred, a crescendo of praise erupted spontaneously, and everyone spoke out in tongues? Of course, the Cessationists claim that all this would have finished with the death of the Apostles, because they believe that certain spiritual gifts, particularly those considered miraculous or revelatory, ceased to be active after the first century. They believe gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing are not meant for the church today. In contrast, we have the Continuationists (like me) who believe that the miraculous gifts mentioned in the Bible, such as healing, prophecy, tongues, and miracles, are still given by the Holy Spirit to believers today and should be actively sought after and practised in the church. Whichever position we follow will have a profound effect on how we view and believe the Bible. Take, for example, 1 Corinthians 12, a chapter where Paul taught about the Spiritual Gifts. A Cessationist might be comfortable with the Holy Spirit gifts of service, enabling us to help each other (vs 4-7), but they would start to become a bit uneasy when it comes to verses 9-10, “The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said”, and in the end they would get a black marker pen out and find themselves redacting parts of these verses, because they don’t believe they apply today. After all, if they don’t believe what is written in the Bible, then they may as well remove the bits they disagree with, or treat the Holy Scriptures as nothing more than a good read or a history book detailing the life of the Jews and the early Christians.

As a Continuationist, I have no problem in accepting these verses, and those written anywhere else in the Bible about miracles and healings, prophecies and tongues, and in fact, I have personal experience of the Holy Spirit moving in healings and miracles. Some years ago, my daughter was totally healed of a brain illness with a prognosis so poor that my wife and I were told to expect, and prepare for, the worst. But she recovered through God’s grace and healing power, and her hospital medical notes were completed with the comment “this is nothing short of a miracle” written by an unbelieving medic. Today, through her, we have two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren (so far), bringing blessings upon blessings. We serve an amazing God, who loves us and cares for us.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers that there was no use in all their “pretentious speeches” and accompanying arrogant talk because there was a lack of God’s power at work. But what does “living by God’s power” really mean? In our own lives, God has supplied all that we need for life in His Kingdom. 2 Peter 1:3, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself through his marvellous glory and excellence”. We may not have the riches and means to live a prosperous life in our natural years, but God has supplied all that we need for life in His Kingdom. There is a difference. Jesus said to the church in Smyrna, “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! … ” (Revelation 2:9a). Here was a fellowship of believers who had little financially but who were rich with the resources and power of the Holy Spirit. Also, our needs have been met by God with all the resources of God being placed at our disposal. In our earthly lives, we are in the middle of a battle described by Paul in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms“. And Paul continued to describe the whole armour of God, set out to replicate the physical armour of the Roman soldiers to whom he was chained. We know the passage of Scripture, with the defensive items followed by one offensive weapon – ” … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b). And finally, Paul exhorts us to “pray in the Spirit”

Are we pilgrims living in God’s power, so freely available to all those who believe? Or are we in a place of fear and anxiety, depressed by world events, and hoping that Jesus comes soon? We pilgrims are made of stern stuff, solid in our faith, and dependable in times of crisis. Psalm 112:6-7 is a pillar in our faith, “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered for ever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord“. We share Scriptures like Psalm 105:4-5, “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced“. We can all recall the difficult times when God came through for us, and we strengthened ourselves with prayers of “do it again, Lord” when faced with a crisis. It is a tragedy that so many pilgrims can be stoics, gritting their teeth when troubles come against them, and sometimes hoping against hope that the Lord will return soon. But, folks, we have access to God’s power, and when we live by it, we are in a different world. Even when the world and society are falling apart around us, we can stand strong and firm, living in the power of God.

Dear God. Your power is limitless. Please forgive our lack of faith and help us to grasp all You have us with both hands, as we walk day by day in his sad and bad world. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Spiritual Gifts

Posted on by korgrocker

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

We often associate spiritual gifts with something supernatural, like prophecy or healing. But there is a “great variety of spiritual gifts”, according to Peter. He gave two examples here in his  letter – speaking and helping. But there are many more, of course, and they are to be used for serving “one another”. Peter encourages his readers by telling them that by exercising their spiritual gifts, they “will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ”. But the important message from Peter is that each one of us has a spiritual gift. It was true when he wrote to the believers in what is now Turkey, and it is just as true today. And we know from other Scripture passages that we may have more than one spiritual gift.

So if that is the case, we pilgrims are obliged to determine what our spiritual gift is and then use it for God’s glory and the benefit of our fellow believers. We will, of course, have natural giftings, and will make good use of these generally in our lives. So to use my wife as an example, she has a gift of needlecraft and is always producing one garment or another, often with complex patterns, for the benefit of the family. But when she uses her gift for others, using it well, with the Holy Spirit helping the process, then it will become a spiritual gift. What potentially might have been a naturally lengthy and difficult process somehow becomes easier and more joyful when the Holy Spirit is involved in the process.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul wrote in some detail about the spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all”. In verse 7 of this chapter he wrote much the same as Peter did, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”. And Paul finished this section with “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12 :11).

So how do we know what spiritual gift we have? There are various helps around that can focus our thinking and come up with an answer, but most times we can find our gifts through prayer, encouragement from those around us, who observe us functioning in our spiritual gift, and by asking the Gift-giver, the Holy Spirit Himself. We must of course avoid the temptation of seeing someone else moving in their gifting, and decide that we want to have that gift as well. I remember a young church member who decided that they had a gift of worship leading. So they learnt a few guitar chords and asked the pastor if they could lead worship one Sunday. But, sadly for them, the gift just wasn’t there and they ended up frustrated and demoralised. Thankfully, the pastor was able to lovingly and sensitively help them find out what their true gift really was. 

We must remember that the spiritual gifts are not for our benefit but for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. And Peter ended his thoughts excitedly exclaiming, “All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” A good place to finish, giving glory to God.

Dear Father. Thank You for the gifts You have given us. Each one fits exactly with the person You want us to be. So all we can do is give You all the glory. Amen.

Personal Gifts

Posted on by korgrocker

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.”
Romans 12:6 NLT

Paul develops his theme of the body of Christ, the church, being made up of individual people, and he wrote to the Christians in Rome, pointing out that God had given each of them a “different gift”, “for doing certain things well”. We don’t know much about the Roman church, or churches, and what giftings were present, but we can be sure that the spiritual gifts were present there. It was as though Paul was reminding them of this fact. Paul also told them that it was through God’s grace that they were given the gifts, and he highlighted the gift of prophecy. Was this the most important or just the first that came to his mind? We also see that the gifts Paul mentioned in the following verses in addition to prophecy – serving, teaching, encouraging, leading, giving, and showing mercy or kindness – were all there for the benefit of the local church. These were gifts that formed the “glue” that held them all together. There was something about the Holy Spirit empowering the gifts so that they become far more effective than any natural equivalent. Peter also said that God has a “great variety of spiritual gifts” (1 Peter 4:10), so perhaps the seven listed here in Romans 12 were just a few out of many. 

Is it the case that the church today has the same spiritual gifts that were bestowed upon the First Century Christians? Is it being presumptuous to reply in the affirmative? There is nothing that I can find in Scripture that says the gifts were only for the First Century AD, or the Apostolic age, so I think it is safe to assume that the spiritual gifts are still alive and well today. We should note that the Romans 12 gifts are gifts for service. Paul lists some more in 1 Corinthians 12, gifts such as healing and faith, miracles and knowledge, all gifts manifesting the power of the Holy Spirit. 

But before we get into the list of “certain things”, are we personally sure that we do, in fact, have a spiritual gift? How do we know? Well, first of all, Paul said that God has given us “different gifts“. 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another“. 1 Corinthians 12:7,“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other“. If God has said it, then we must have it. Is it wrong to say that to deny that we have a spiritual gift is to deny God? 

So, how do we find our spiritual gift or gifts (some people have more than one)? They can only be found by seeking God, though there are some helps that He has provided. Things like, do we feel a rise in our spirits at the mention of a particular gift? Or is there a friend who has pointed out to us something we are particularly good at? We should of course beware of looking for gifts that we think are a good idea rather than what God really has planned for us. 

Our loving Heavenly Father so kindly knows our shortcomings, and how we need much encouragement. He provides these practical gifts to help us and our churches, helping us shine as beacons in the world around us.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for Your graciousness, so sensitive and practical, providing all that we need for our Christian lives today. Amen.

Gifts

Posted on by korgrocker

“Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.”
Romans 11:28-29 NLT

God is unchanging. The promises He has made, and still makes, are always fulfilled. And one promise He made concerned His chosen people. Deuteronomy 10:14-15, “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today”. Paul wrote that God’s gifts and calling can never be withdrawn. And he adds that even though many of the Jews rejected Jesus when He came to Planet Earth, that didn’t stop Him loving them. To God, His chosen people were not like a garment, worn one day and discarded into the recycling the next. They were, and are, His forever people.  

We pilgrims should note two things from Romans 11:29 – God gives gifts and He calls us. When we think about gifts, we immediately associate this with a present or something personal. There are gifts of money, or something that is just for us personally. A gadget or trinket. An object, gift wrapped and hidden behind the packaging. The “wise men” from the East brought gifts for Jesus – we know them well from the Christmas story, recorded in Matthew 2. And we know, of course, that Jesus was a gift given for mankind as a whole. Through His willingness to be sacrificed at Calvary, we receive what is the greatest gift of all, as we read in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”. Eternal Life is a priceless gift. It costs us nothing, but instead cost Jesus His life. All we have to do is accept Jesus and His message, responding in repentance for our sins. 

Jesus informed His disciples about the Source of gifts. Matthew 7:11, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him”. We read in 1 Corinthians 12 about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. …  A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:4,7). And then we read about the “gifts” God gave His church, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). In fact, as we look through the Bible, the last conclusion we can draw is that God is reluctant to give gifts. He is so generous and kind, giving us the gifts we need for life here on this planet. Not temporal gifts, received one day and discarded the next, but those that will last for eternity. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17).

We too need to emulate our loving Father by giving good gifts to others. And in the process we will benefit in some way. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38).

We have a loving Heavenly Father who cares for us. Who looks after us. And who will welcome us one day into Heaven. Why does He care for us so much? Because He loves us so much. How else can we respond to Him unless it involves all the gratitude and worship that we can muster.

Dear Father. Thank You for all the gifts You provide for us, through Your grace and love. We worship You today. Amen.

Personal Contact

Posted on by korgrocker

“One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”
Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT

We look back at the mayhem of the last two years or so, with periods of “lock down” and societal restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic, and realise how much we depend on personal contact. The opportunity to speak to someone face to face. The opportunity to read body language as well as hear words. The times when a vulnerable person needs a kind touch or hug. Yes, technology helps with the video conference apps, but a lonely old person next door or along the street is denied such methods of keeping in touch. There is no substitute for in-person contact. Mankind is wired for social interaction. God planned it that way.

Paul, in his letter, seemed to be desperate to make personal contact with the Christians in Rome. He had heard much about them, snippets of news carried, word of mouth, by travellers making the long journey between Italy and the lands West of the Mediterranean Sea. Businessmen or merchants trading their wares perhaps. There was none of our modern technological aids in those days, and even paper-based media non-existent. And even no social media. How did they manage?

Paul wanted to visit the Roman Christians so that he could “bring [them] some spiritual gift that will help [them] grow strong in the Lord”. What a lovely reason for visiting. What an expectancy that would have brought to the Roman church. 

The people in Rome would have heard all about Paul. His exploits would have reverberated around the Middle East at that time. The stories of miracles and other events encountered on his missionary journeys would have made news in those days. So the idea that he was about to come with a “spiritual gift” would have greatly encouraged them. Life for Christians in Rome at that time wasn’t easy by any means, and any encouragement should have been greatly welcomed and appreciated.

What “spiritual gift” would Paul have brought? He mentioned faith in his letter, but is that what he had in mind? If a man or woman of God was visiting our churches, what “spiritual gift” would we find encouraging? I’m sure we are all at different stages in our spiritual journeys, but God knows what we need. And Paul, through his relationship with God, would have delivered the gift needed in Rome. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul provides a list of spiritual gifts. Gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, healing,  faith, miracles, prophesy, tongues and interpretation. At a God-level, the working of these gifts in people can be transforming, building up faith in the very One who is the Source of the gifts. And in 1 Corinthians 12:11, Paul wrote, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” Paul, through the Spirit, was totally open to be God’s delivery man, equipped to bring to the Roman church what they needed to help them “grow strong”  in their situation.

What spiritual gifts do we pilgrims need? Jesus said, as recoded in Luke 11:11-13, “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”. God has available to Him the greatest gift of all – the Holy Spirit, and He is unstinting in His willingness to give Him to us. But we have to ask. Is that how we start our days, asking for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit? By not doing so, are we missing out on the greatest gift of all time? How empowering it is to be able to go into our work-a-day lives with the Holy Spirit helping us at every turn. Giving us wisdom when we are faced with a difficult decision or situation. Knowledge when we need enlightenment. We can see an application for every spiritual gift that Paul listed, but we need to ask for the Holy Spirit to be with us, enhancing and building our faith that He will help us in every situation that we meet. We may need to take small, tentative steps, but as we do, our spiritual faith muscles are built up and extend to more and more of the life issues we all encounter. What a wonderful God we serve! A loving Heavenly Father, the Giver of good gifts to His children.

Dear Father God. We are eternally grateful for all You have done for us. We worship You today. Amen.

A Special Gift

Posted on by korgrocker

“However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.””
Ephesians‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus, the Son of God, is generous. I would say infinitely generous. There is no limit to His generosity. We read in our verses today that each of us has been given a gift through the generosity of Christ. But can you imagine being given a gift-wrapped package? Straight away, you notice that the wrapping paper isn’t that cheap stuff so thin that it tears as you look at it. This wrapping paper is of a quality fitting for a royal person. It looks as though it has been made of pure gold, sparkling with precious stones. But then you notice that in places on the package there are drops of blood. Before I get carried away any further with my analogy, Jesus’ generosity started with the greatest gift of all time at Calvary. There He gave His life for me, the very Son of God dying a horrible, blood-soaked death for the forgiveness of my sins. What a gift! What a Saviour! But I now stand before God as His child. A royal child of a Royal King. And I have this package in my hands. Jesus has just given it to me. Tremblingly, I start to open it, knowing that within is something special. It has to be so, because Jesus’ first gift was infinitely precious. Surely this gift will be something equally mind-boggling. And it is. 

I should say straight away, that this is no worldly gift. It’s not a gift-wrapped Rolex watch. Or some other such trinket. This is a special spiritual gift that dovetails into my natural giftings. What is it? Well, in three places in the New Testament there are lists of spiritual gifts.  Romans 12:6-8 lists prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 contains wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28 includes a few more – healings, helps, leadership, speaking in other tongues. And for good measure, there are gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11, gifts given to the church including the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers, but more about them in a future blog.

When we open our package, what do we find? Perhaps our expectation is to find a golden key and a box marked “Spiritual Gift”. Opening it will tell us what our gift is. Or perhaps we hope to find something like a spiritual cheque book, with blank cheques signed by Jesus Himself. An impressive gift enabling us to go out and do amazing things for God. Or perhaps we open it and find nothing there. Disappointed, we turn to Jesus and ask the question – “Where is my special gift”? 

Spiritual gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have”. However, it is no good sitting back waiting for our spiritual gift to arrive via some Heavenly postman, spending our time unproductively complaining that we can’t serve God because we don’t have the right gifting. We all have a primary calling, which is to serve God in the ways He has ordained. And strangely, as we faithfully and willingly serve Him in every situation that comes our way, He will supply the gifts we need. So if we find ourselves in a situation where someone is sick, we can in faith reach out to God for the gift of healing. If we find someone in a quandary about an important decision that has to be made, we can in faith reach out for a word of knowledge, or wisdom. At other times, as we faithfully use our natural gifts to do what we do well, He will supply that additional spiritual tools we need. 

Let us be a thankful people, thanking God for all He has given us. The unlimited gifts of a generous and loving God, so freely given to those with the faith to ask.