Gifts of Grace: Are the 9 Charismatic/Sign Gifts still active today?

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 1 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV

5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:5 KJV

 When you think of Grace, have you ever thought about the Gifts Grace has provided? Throughout the New Covenant Paul speaks of gifts from God. We see Ministry giftings, we see spiritual giftings many scholars call the motivational gifts that all believers have. We also see the Charismatic Gifts mentioned, the nine manifestation gifts. 

 What are these manifestation Gifts you may ask? Allow the Spirit through Paul to answer;

8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 NKJV

 These are the powerful manifestations of the Spirit in our midst. The question many have is are these Gifts for today? Ministers of religious tradition attempt to convince us unequivocally that they have in fact ceased. That God gave us gifts but then took them back. 

That God is in Heaven and we are on our own down here until we get to Heaven. That God doesn't move in our lives in supernatural ways any longer. That believers in Christ cannot expect God's hand to move in their lives in healing, or prophetic words, or supplying provision. Now, of course, they say you can pray generally for God to bless you, but He is "sovereign" and whatever will be will be. God may be teaching you through hard times. Does this sound like Jesus, the Person of Grace?

 Whenever Jesus encountered lack, He brought provision. When He encountered sickness and disease He brought forth healing. When He encountered infirmity, He brought strength. When He encountered oppression He brought deliverance. When He encountered sin and condemnation, He brought forgiveness and mercy. Whenever He encountered brokenness He brought wholeness. The Good News is Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Jesus hasn't changed.

 So if Jesus is the same, has the Spirit and His operations in the Church somehow ceased because of the passage of time? Tradition says it was the Apostles who worked miracles and since they've passed on, hence the Gifts ceased. Is this correct?

 If so what do we do with Peter's own words? What am I referring to? You can see Peter's words in Acts completely destroy this narrative. Peter declared it wasn't his power that brought forth that miracle healing. If the miracle was simply because He was an Apostle that God healed the man why didn't he attribute that to the root cause? 

 Peter doesn't take any credit for the healing. He doesn't attribute his apostleship. He doesn't even take into account his personal holiness or goodness. He attributes God's goodness and the God kind of Faith in Jesus name with this miracle.

The problem with religion only attributing signs and wonders with apostleship is they omit the goodness of God. They are omitting the love of God. They are forsaking the mercy and compassion of our Good Father. Instead of God ministering life, healing and wholeness because He loves His creation, He is a cold diety merely endorsing the ministry of 12 men. He isn't concerned with afflictions humanity suffers. Love looking to alieve suffering isn't the heart behind miraculous healing, rather it's just God endorsing titles of a few men until the Bible can be fully written. 

One other point to ponder. Acts records that people other than the Apostles flowed in signs and wonders. Stephan was no Apostle, he was merely a Deacon, yet he was full of faith and flowed in signs and wonders. Look at Philip. He was an Evangelist. He was not an Apostle and he flowed in powerful signs and wonders. We still have Evangelists today, and Deacons, so why couldn't the Gifts still be active?

The Gifts haven't ceased But Faith for the Gifts have ceased

 If we go back to Peter's words, what other principle does he attribute that miraculous healing too? The authority of Jesus name, and Faith in that name. Yes, the Faith that comes through Him. Faith brought forth the sign and wonder. 

 Uncertain, doubtful, unconvinced and unbelieving prayer didn't bring about this miracle. The reason some like this idea of the Gifts ceasing, and that it was only through the original Apostles, that Gifts manifested because it gives them an opportunity to make excuse for their unbelief and lack of Faith. Though it is lack of Faith and the presence of unbelief, there is still hope.

 When we relinquish the traditions of men and listen to truth instead of tradition Faith comes. The cure for unbelief is no longer feeding on doubt and instead focusing on and feeding our spirit God's Word, seeing who Jesus is. It's believing Jesus is who He said is. This means not just seeing Jesus as Savior, but also as Healer, Deliverer, Provider, Baptizer in the Spirit, and Triumphant, Victorious King of Kings, the One who already soundly, perfectly defeated the enemy! 

 In Summation, have the Gifts ceased? Are they no longer active today? Is Jesus still who He said He is? Has the Spirit changed? Not one single passage in Scripture states these Gifts will not continue year after year. Not one passage states when the Bible is complete or the last Apostle dies these signs and wonders will cease to function. 

 These Gifts are also called the Charismatic Gifts. Charismata means Gifts of Grace. His Grace is definitely still active today. God's Love is still active today. God's Goodness is still active today. God's power has not waned or grown inactive. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. These Gifts have not ceased nor will they ever in the life of the Church.

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The Suffering Question: God Why? Trials...Tragedies...Trauma....Triumph!

 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
Nahum 1:7 NKJV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 
Psalm 107:1 NLT
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 

Psalm 145:8-9 KJV
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8 NKJV

We've been in an extended study examining God's Love, mercy, and all the time Goodness in light of human suffering and tragedy. We've looked closely at God's role in the adversity, difficulty, and distresses we've all experienced in some form or fashion living in this fallen world. We've explored extensively God's Word on this subject.

 In this series, we've seen God is always good no matter the circumstance. We've seen God post-Cross is not sending wrathful judgment on nations. We've seen the truth that God is not the author of our sickness or disease or our troubles. We've thoroughly examined Job and all the traditions birthed from it. 

 Today, I sense the leading to conclude this series by simply asking God why. More clearly stated, concluding this study by addressing the questioning of God many of us have done at some point in our walk with God. All of us have experienced things that we can't always understand. There are people who have gone through things and they can't make sense of it. What do we do in these times?

Don't run from God, don't quit talking with God, run to God!

 When trouble arises that's not the time to abandon our walk with Jesus. It's not the time to listen to the lies of traditional religion. It's not the time to forsake the assembly of the brothers and sisters in Christ. It's especially never the time to listen to the lies of the enemy the accuser. 

 Listen, when the enemy can't convince you of your unworthiness, or unrighteousness, when he can't push you into accepting his accusations about your standing with God, he will immediately attempt to persuade you to accept accusations about God. He begins to accuse God to you. He tries his hardest to get you to accept his lies about the Father. He impugns God's Goodness, His justice, His will for you. He tries to get you to question God's faithfulness toward you. 

 He works to get you to accept religious lies about God;

 "God's willing to heal some but not you."

 "God's goodness and mercy only go so far."

"God's putting this on you to punish you."

"God brought this in your life to better you if you resist it you're rebelling against God."

 Resist these tactics from the enemy. The Word promises when we resist the enemy he will flee. When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Spirit will lift up a standard against him. Rejoice the enemy is defeated.

Troubles of our own making

There are two aspects of this I want to address. First, if we are experiencing difficulties, sometimes we need to take a moment to see the source of the trouble. Sometimes just knowing the source affords us the opportunity to bring a quick end to the negative.

 For instance, take the financial arena, now this isn't about condemning anyone but just about covering all our bases when it comes to answering the suffering question. Again, look at the financial arena. If struggles of insufficiency plague you ensure you're not living beyond your means. Ensure you're using wisdom in finances. Sometimes we can make poor choices and then see the result. 

 Now this works the same in all areas of life. Our health, our employment, our relationships, etc. It's not about guilt and shame ridden self-introspection either. It's about ensuring there isn't something you may be doing that is the cause of the trouble and seeing if there are ways to rectify it.

 Now when it comes to troubles of our own making the other aspect is the reality of His great Grace. What can we expect from the troubles of our own making? That is what is God's response to us? Are His hands folded in disgust and disapproval? Does He say, "this is your fault, you made this mess, deal with it, I am not going to help you"? 

 No! God is a Good Father! He sought after Peter after he denied Christ. He declared David was a man after His own heart. He said Abraham was the friend of God. All these men were imperfect vessels. 

 No matter the cause, God is always willing and ready to turn it around for your good. He is always there to turn a mess into a message of hope and deliverance. He's even ready to turn your sin into a win, turning what was darkness to light bringing redemption and wholeness and effecting change to all. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble. 

 Some would read this and think I am saying God is ok with our sins and wicked deeds. That we should sin so Grace may abound. If you don't get accused of this then you aren't preaching the Gospel that Paul preached. What I am saying is God is amazing in His Grace that He turns around even the most wicked situation and redeems everyone involve. For instance, we've seen well-known people, who were involved in criminal activity, sang music that uplifted self and wickedness, those who performed in pornographic films later in life give their life to Christ and due to their former notoriety, they have a larger platform to share their testimony. God indeed turned their sin into a win!

In the middle of the mystery

 Now that we have settled the issue that God is good and only does good we can address some of the situations and circumstances many have gone through and they just can't seem to make any sense of it. These hard times create questions. They make us sometimes doubt God's goodness. 

 This is what I like to call living in the middle of the mystery. That there is a promise given, there is a response of belief yet the answer seems not to be manifesting. Do we conclude that God lied? Do we conclude God says one thing and reserves the right to do another?

 I won't accept that God is partially good. I won't accept that God says one thing and won't fulfill His Word. Before I continue, don't think I don't know what it's like living in the mystery. I can share this, my wife and I have wanted children for many years now. Yet, we have not seen this come to pass.

 We've conceived twice and in both cases, we lost the child due to ectopic or tubal pregnancy. Now as a believer in Jesus, the One who knows us before we were born, I believe life begins at conception. So yes those were two lives lost in the womb. Sadly, both of my wife's tubes were lost in the process. Now aside from a recreative miracle, we cannot conceive naturally. Again, so we know what it's like living in the mystery.

 My heart hurts sometimes when I think about having children, yet I have a peace that surpasses human understanding. Why? Because I know who Jesus is, this is Jesus;

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 NKJV

 Jesus is always good. I have a Father in Heaven who loves me. A Father that is good and only does good! That is my conviction, and I have seen His goodness over and over and over again in my life and in those around me.

 Ok, you may say, I get it God is good, but I am going through some really hard times. I can't see His goodness. What now? What do we do in the middle of the mystery? I am glad you asked.

 What do we do in the middle of this mystery? When I was going through the worst of it, we just went through this last December, I had the same reactions and many questions. The answer came as I was listening to a worship song.

 There was a line that spoke of being in the middle of the mystery. The answer went off in my spirit like a nuclear bomb! I saw it and it brought me so much joy and refreshing. I was renewed with this simple truth. That is we praise Him even more in the middle of the mystery.

 Singing His praises in the middle of the mess, in the middle of the trial, in the middle of the hard times brings supernatural peace and refreshing. So whatever you're going through, turn your eyes to Jesus. Put Him in remembrance. No matter how bad it seems, His goodness and Grace are greater. Raising a praise is your weapon, it's the solution.

 In summation, concluding this series, we know and understand God is always good. We know that He is the healer and the One who makes us whole. He is not the One bringing destruction. He is the One who brings life and turns our situation around. In the midst of the worst scenarios, let praise be your response. Let a melody of praise and worship be the weapon you raise against the enemy. The suffering question? Jesus is the answer! 
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The Suffering Question: Suffering and Sovereignty

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
Nahum 1:7 NKJV
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8 NKJV


We've been in an ongoing study examining the suffering question. We are exploring human suffering in light of the Finished Work and God's Grace and all the time Goodness. So far we've seen God is not the author of sickness, disease or the one sending you trouble. We've looked closely at the concept of "hyper-control" that is, God, controlling and ordaining all events on Earth.

As of late, we've been on a journey through the book of Job. The reason being, whenever Christians begin discussing either human suffering or God's goodness the book of Job will be mentioned. You will hear Job mentioned even more if you speak of the God who heals and sets free and brings blessing and wholeness. 

 You see when the fullness of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, that is His all the time Goodness and willingness to save, heal and deliver, traditional religion will inevitably ask well, what about Job? The response? What about Job? Well, what about Jesus? What about the Finished Work? What about His perfect redemption purchased and paid for? What about His unconditional love and mercy? What about His Grace? What about His healing power? As one minister said, Job may be the question but Jesus is the answer!

I want you to see from the New Covenant what we are to take away from the story of Job.
 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. James 5:11 KJV

 In this passage, we are exhorted to look at the end of the Lord. How God was full of compassion and merciful. Interesting we are not told to focus on Job's suffering or why it even happened. We are told to look at God's compassion and Goodness. 

Who was Elihu?

 Last week we looked at some of the theological debate between Job and the three "comforters." We saw that the main point of this long discourse between all these people was to reveal what man does when he tries to understand and interpret God in light of feelings and circumstance and rather the credible source of His eternal, infallible Word. 

 This week it seems good to address the discourse of Elihu and then see the end of the Lord. When studying Elihu we have some school of thought that says he was some divine spokesperson. That he was a prophet and even a type and shadow of Jesus. Then other schools think he was a young fellow who was just nobody to pay attention to.

 I like what one minister said about him, the truth is somewhere in the middle. He couldn't be a spokesperson for God, a prophet, or a type of Jesus because if he was why did God basically interrupt him and address Job and all five generally? Some create these ideas because God is not recorded to have rebuked Elihu.

 Does that mean all he said was right and proper? I refuse this view for one major reason. When we talk of Elihu we are merely speculating. Because the truth is we are arguing from a place of silence. 

 We can't with definitive certainty make claims about Elihu because the Word never speaks of why God didn't rebuke him. It also doesn't confirm that as Elihu claimed to be God's mouthpiece. What we can see is the entirety of his words or his arguments. 

 Look at the entirety of Elihu's words. Not a snippet. His whole discourse from Chapter 32 onward. It's not good to just take a portion here and there to argue what was said. 

 Elihu did make some right points about God. That God is just and doesn't necessarily afflict people. However, Elihu does promote a theology that is seen today in many religious quarters of the Church today. The idea that perhaps the suffering isn't because of your sin but because God is chastening you, that is teaching you and God can do this because He is sovereign and how dare we question God, the supreme ruler.

 Elihu in light of the New Covenant does proclaim a performance-based faith. That God punishes us when we don't produce fruit. He claims if we obey and serve Him we will spend all our days in blessing but if we fall we will suffer for it. He teaches suffering is God's training method. That God with pain will chasten you. 

 Elihu's point is that God is God and you are not and who are we to question Him? What Elihu was right about is the fact that Job was questioning God's justice and righteousness. In other words, Job knew He hadn't sinned so why is God punishing him or putting him through so much he questioned. 

 Where all these people missed it by miles is the basic foundation of all the debate. The premise all five are operating on is this idea or concept that God is behind this suffering. That God was punishing Job for some sin. That God is testing and perfecting him through this suffering, that God is in charge and can do what He wants. 

When God shows up, see His first words

“Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge? Job 38:1 NKJV

 What God did is remind all of us that all five were debating without full knowledge. What we also know is that Job had not sinned causing God to punish him for his sins.  We also know God wasn't exercising His sovereignty by killing Job's family and taking away his possessions. What do we know for certain?

 What we know for certain is that God was not an agent in the suffering of Job. When God speaks He begins to reveal the existence of the wicked one, the enemy, satan.  He reveals the work of the enemy to Job. 

 The point is Job wasn't suffering because of anything he had done, as in sinful deeds. He wasn't suffering because God was chastening him. He wasn't suffering so God could teach him or humble him. He wasn't suffering because God was sovereign, he certainly wasn't suffering just so God could win a "wager" with satan. Job was an upright man who began to fear, which comes from trusting in our works and not in God alone, and in this state the enemy simply came in doing what he loves to do, to steal and kill and destroy. 

 In summation, God's sovereignty isn't an answer to why bad things happen. We live in this fallen fractured creation. God has given us His Word, His Spirit within, the whole armor of God, His great Grace, His goodness and mercy that follow us always and His Gifts to overcome in this world. 

 What we should take away from Job's life is the fact that Job didn't quit, and that God showed up in His love and all the time Goodness. God turned the captivity of Job. God gave him double for his trouble. God turned the tragic situations around and blessed and restored Job.

 Why we are told to look to the end of the Lord in the New Covenant is because one, there can be no New Covenant Jobs. We have an intercessor, we have a mediator, we have the Finished Work of the Cross and God's Spirit within. Secondly, I believe the exhortation to look to the end of the Lord, is because God is showing us if He can turn around one of the most extreme cases of personal suffering humanity has seen, surely He can turn your situation around for you good. Because of this, we know God is with us always and therefore we can completely trust Him no matter what we're experiencing. 

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