Weapons for the Believer 5.3 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Working of Miracles

Weapons for the Believer 5.3 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Working of Miracles

According to Paul, there are weapons of warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We are considering ten weapons that the Believer has at their disposal. We looked at the first four in previous posts. If you haven’t read them I encourage you to do so.

The next weapons are referred to as The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits,

Different Kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues.

When our faith intersects with the Spirit’s power, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished in those moments. I do not believe these are given permanently as some teach. I do not believe that some “posses” these gifts, but instead are given in the moment when needed. Consequently any or all of these may manifest in each Believer as the Spirit chooses.

There are nine gifts list by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. Traditionally these have been divided into three groups: The Power Gifts, The Revelation Gifts, and The Speaking Gifts.

            The Power Gifts:                  Faith (or special faith, as some have described it)

                                                            Gifts of Healing (the only plural gift)

                                                            Working of Miracles

            The Revelation Gifts:          Word of Wisdom

                                                            Word of Knowledge

                                                            Discerning of Spirits

            The Speaking Gifts:                        Prophecy

                                                            Tongues

                                                            Interpretation of Tongues

Today we will look at the third of these in more detail: Working of Miracles. There is certainly a fine line between some of these gifts mentioned. For instance, a healing can be seen as a miracle. Something that manifests by the exercise of special faith could be seen as a miracle. Apparently the Holy Spirit differentiates between these, but our human minds may have difficulty seeing that line. Personally, I don’t believe it matters what we call an event as long as it is accomplished through our response to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Whatever He wants to do, we should be willing agents to work in concert with His leading.

The best working definition I’ve ever heard for “miracle” is this: something that defies the natural laws in operation on earth. When God created our world He set in place certain laws to govern our existence; things like gravity, thermodynamics, biology, etc. A miracle is something that occurs outside of these laws. One Old Testament example is when Joshua prayed for more time in the day to fight an enemy.

Joshua 10:12-13 (ESV) At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

A New Testament example is when Jesus turned water into wine. The molecular structure of the liquid in the barrels changed from H2O to that of fermented grapes. That is a miracle!

John 2:7-9 (ESV) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom

Some in the Church assert that the Believer’s life should be one filled with the miraculous. I do not believe this is what Paul was attempting to communicate. He stated later in 1 Corinthians 12, after giving the list of the Gifts of the Spirit, a series of rhetorical questions:

1 Corinthians 12:29-31 (ESV) Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

The answer to each question is, “No.” “Do all work miracles?” The Believer lives a life guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Miracles are available when needed, but are not part of our normal existence. When we follow the Spirit’s leading He will keep us out of many situations that would require miraculous intervention. In essence the Believer does live what the world might view as miraculous, but it is the result of the Spirit’s presence.

Our life after being born again is a process of learning how to respond to the prompting of God’s Spirit coming to live in us. As we spend time learning the character and nature of God, and allow His nature to change us into the image of Jesus, our actions will also begin to reflect that of Jesus; showing the love of God to those we encounter, being used as an agent of the Holy Spirit to manifest the Fruit of the Spirit, and also manifest the Gifts of the Spirit when needed, including the Working of Miracles.

Weapons for the Believer 5.2 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Gifts of Healing

Weapons for the Believer 5.2 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Gifts of Healing

According to Paul, there are weapons of warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We are considering ten weapons that the Believer has at their disposal. We looked at the first four in previous posts. If you haven’t read them I encourage you to do so.

The next weapons are referred to as The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits,

Different Kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues.

When our faith intersects with the Spirit’s power, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished in those moments. I do not believe these are given permanently as some teach. I do not believe that some “posses” these gifts, but instead are given in the moment when needed. Consequently any or all of these may manifest in each Believer as the Spirit chooses.

There are nine gifts list by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. Traditionally these have been divided into three groups: The Power Gifts, The Revelation Gifts, and The Speaking Gifts.

            The Power Gifts:                  Faith (or special faith, as some have described it)

                                                            Gifts of Healing (the only plural gift)

                                                            Working of Miracles

            The Revelation Gifts:          Word of Wisdom

                                                            Word of Knowledge

                                                            Discerning of Spirits

            The Speaking Gifts:                        Prophecy

                                                            Tongues

                                                            Interpretation of Tongues

Today we will look at the second of these in more detail: Gifts of Healing. This is the only one of the nine gifts named in the plural. It implies there are more than one Gift that Heals. Some have described it as gifts particular to a disease or malady. There are biographies of those who were used to minister healing to particular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, polio, etc. It could be that the Gifts of Healing come more than once in the life of the Believer.

Like the other Gifts, I do not subscribe to the notion that a person “has” a Gift, be it healing or any of the others. Gifts of Healing seems to indicate that God will bring healing to us through various means and at various times. Most imply that when one of the Gifts of Healing is encountered the result will be instantaneous. My main question for those is this, “Whose version of instantaneous are we making reference?” God’s perspective is clearly different than our human experience.

Here are a few passages from the New Testament that speak about healing in the life of the Believer.

James 5:14-16 (ESV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

It took me a while to complete this post. I had to look at some things that troubled me about some of the past teaching I received, and wanted to be sure that what I presented here accurately reflected what the Bible actually teaches about healing, specifically the Gifts of Healing. After researching for myself, and getting counsel from scholarly people, I have come to this conclusion. Jesus is the focus of all scripture.

All of the Old Testament is the history of how we came into existence, fell from God’s grace, and how God put in motion a plan to redeem man back to Himself. The New Testament is the introduction of Jesus into man’s world and what He did to accomplish God’s plan of redemption. With this understanding it makes perfect sense that the Holy Spirit, sent to us by Jesus after He ascended to the Father, would bring with Him Gifts of Healing. Everything the Holy Spirit does points us to Jesus. Jesus ministered healing throughout His earthly ministry. I would expect nothing less from the ministry of the Holy Spirit that now lives in us as Believers.

As is the case with most of the Weapons of the Believer that we have considered in this study, Gifts of Healing for the most part is a “defensive” weapon. It keeps the Believers whole as we spend our lives sharing the love of God to our world. However, these Gifts of Healing could certainly be seen as “offensive” when used to bring healing to an unbeliever for the sake of demonstrating God’s love to them, even before they have heard the Good News of the Gospel, and have responded to Christ by identifying with Him and being Born Again.

It is the responsibility of the Believer to be a vessel to carry the Holy Spirit, and His Gifts, to those with whom we have contact, and then be available to be used as the instrument to communicate His grace and love to them. Let’s be the Church as we live our lives in communion with the Father, through Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Weapons for the Believer 5.1 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Faith

Weapons for the Believer 5.1 – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Faith

According to Paul, there are weapons of warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We are considering ten weapons that the Believer has at their disposal. We looked at the first four in previous posts. If you haven’t read them I encourage you to do so.

The next weapon on the list is another list. These are referred to as The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits,

Different Kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues.

When our faith intersects with the Spirit’s power, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished in those moments. I do not believe these are given permanently as some teach. I do not believe that some “posses” these gifts, but instead are given in the moment when needed. Consequently any or all of these may manifest in each Believer as the Spirit chooses.

There are nine gifts list by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. Traditionally these have been divided into three groups: The Power Gifts, The Revelation Gifts, and The Speaking Gifts.

            The Power Gifts:                  Faith (or special faith, as some have described it)

                                                         Gifts of Healing (the only plural gift)

                                                         Working of Miracles

            The Revelation Gifts:           Word of Wisdom

                                                          Word of Knowledge

                                                          Discerning of Spirits

            The Speaking Gifts:               Prophecy

                                                           Tongues

                                                           Interpretation of Tongues

Today we will look at the first of these in more detail: Faith. This Gift of the Spirit is also referred to as Special Faith, or Miraculous Faith. The reason is because everyone is given “a measure of faith.” This is known as simple faith, or saving faith. Without it we would not even be able to respond to God.

Romans 12:3 (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

So clearly there is a difference between saving faith and Faith as a Gift of the Spirit. There are times in the life of the Believer that extraordinary faith is needed to accomplish the purpose God has placed in them. One example of this is found in the life of Barnabas.

Acts 11:23-26 (ESV) When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

While most were fearful of Saul (Paul) after his conversion because of his history of killing Christians Barnabas, in Faith, went to Saul and basically endorsed his ministry in Antioch. The result was many grew in their faith, so much so that they became known as Christians (Christ followers). Barnabas was able to move beyond his own fear and emotions, empowered by Faith given by the Holy Spirit, and helped change lives forever.

It is possible that Paul and Silas were operating in the Gift of Faith when they were imprisoned. If not, they were at least totally convinced of their salvation through Christ.

Acts 16:25-26 (ESV) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

I do not believe it is God’s intention for us to rely on “miraculous” things for all of our Christian life. I believe it is His intention for us to grow, not only in our knowledge of the Word of God, but also in our ability to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. I believe that is one use of the Gifts in the life of the Believer. The Spirit uses them to help us in moments where we have not yet allowed the full expression of the Holy Spirit to manifest in our life.

This is not to imply that we ever “attain” to a level where we no longer need the extraordinary work of the Gifts of the Spirit in us, but I do believe there is an expectation of maturity as we grow in Him.

Weapons for the Believer 4.8 – The Fruit of the Spirit – Self-Control

Weapons for the Believer 4.8 – The Fruit of the Spirit – Self-Control

According to Paul, there are weapons of warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We are considering ten weapons that the Believer has at their disposal. We looked earlier at The Fruit of the Spirit in the post “Weapons for the Believer 4.” If you haven’t read it I encourage you to do so.  Paul gives us the list in Galatians.

Galatians 5:22 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The original post on The Fruit of the Spirit (Weapons for the Believer 4) I mentioned a popular way of looking at this topic. Some teach that the Fruit of the Spirit is singular, Love, with each of the other fruit coming from the one. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to go back and read it.

Now I’m considering each Fruit of the Spirit in this manner. This time we are looking at Self-Control. Using Self-Control as the focus let’s see how it is reflected in our experience with the Lord.

            The Fruit of the Spirit is Self-Control.

Love is the ignition of Self-Control.

Joy is the outcome of Self-Control.

Peace is the wake of Self-Control.

Patience is the fuel of Self-Control.

Kindness is the focus of Self-Control.

Goodness is the currency of Self-Control.

Faithfulness is the benefit of Self-Control.

Gentleness is the rest of Self-Control.

 This last Fruit of the Spirit is somewhat of an oxymoron. The whole point of the Fruit of the Spirit is that they are produced by the Spirit and not through self-effort. However, even though “self” is part of the title it only identifies that which is being controlled. Because we have a soul and a body (flesh) that are not immediately born-again the way our spirit is at salvation, we need help controlling the propensity we have toward doing wrong. Paul described it like this.

Romans 7:13-20 (ESV)

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

This is not the end of Paul’s explanation, but you get the point. Once our spirit becomes alive through Christ we want to see the image of Jesus manifested in us. Our soul and flesh have to be taught, and thus the need for the Holy Spirit to work Self-Control in us. I have seen more people side-tracked from seeking the Lord because they felt it was up to them to “get right.” Until you understand that you can NEVER get it all together on your own you will live a frustrated life.

Paul’s final conclusion is this: “I must die daily.” (1 Cor. 15:31) Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 ESV) This doesn’t mean we have to be saved anew every day. It the admonition for us to realize all that has been provided for us through Christ and His sacrifice, so that we can live in the power of His resurrection by the Holy Spirit. This is not just religious jargon, but absolute truth by which we are saved completely, spirit, soul, and body, and have the Fruit of the Spirit being produced in us to be a witness of what Jesus has done in us.

Take time to review these posts regarding the Fruit of the Spirit. Allow God to make it part of our conscious thoughts throughout the day, and you will find yourself showing more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.