faith, gifts of healings, workings of miracles
You can tell the next five are grouped together because Paul uses a different word for to another, but we're only looking at three of them today
9 faith – There are different kinds of faith. First, everyday faith: faith to be saved, to be filled with the Spirit, to be healed, to live the Christian life etc. This faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God; this faith can be cultivated; we can grow in this faith; we can be blamed when we fail to exercise faith.
Second, there is the faith that is the fruit of the Spirit, which is really faithfulness.
Third is the gift of the Spirit faith. This is a special faith for a specific situation. This “is miraculous faith. God has all wisdom, but He doesn’t give us all that wisdom at once. In a moment of need, He imparts to us a word of His wisdom by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, although God has all knowledge, He does not impart to us all that knowledge because we would stagger under the load. Again, in the moment of need, He imparts to us a word of His knowledge by the Holy Spirit. He imparts the gift of faith in a very similar way. Paul did not say God gives “a word” of faith, but this is essentially what it is. This is faith that comes instantly, supernaturally, as a gift directly from God by the Holy Spirit, very frequently in the form of a word. This gift, like the others we have examined so far, is operated only under God’s control. No one has a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom at will. No one discerns spirits at will. Likewise, no one has the gift of faith at will. These gifts remain under God’s control, but we make ourselves available to Him so He may operate them through us as He desires.” (DP)
This is faith for someone else. One Wednesday night prayer meeting we were praying for a sister (in another town) with a serious physical condition. I was praying she would receive grace to live with this blah blah – I just couldn’t see beyond that. Someone else prayed, without fanfare, but with confidence and boldness, that God would fully heal her. At first I was shocked, but agreed as best I could. The sister was completely healed!
9 gifts of healings – yes, both gifts and healings are plural. I don’t really know why. Some have suggested that every time someone is healed in response to prayer that is a gift of healing. Others have suggested that people are sometimes gifted with the ability to heal certain conditions. I believe Jesus still heals in answer to prayer and I have known people who are especially gifted in praying for the sick and seeing them healed. I am persuaded that a word of knowledge and faith flow together with gifts of healings. I have prayed for people with my elders, anointing them with oil, and they were healed (including cancer), which is one way to minister healing, but I’m not sure that was the gift of healing. One day, at a little church we were attending, the pastor’s wife came to church having great pain and difficulty with her knee. The whole church gathered around her, laid our hands on her (I said it was little!), and prayed as we felt led. I felt the Lord gave me a word, a verse, for her concerning this. I prayed it. She was healed. Praise God! Word of knowledge or faith? I don’t know.
10 workings of
miracles – Again with the plural. And again, I’m not sure why. I
believe Jesus still performs miracles, but I am pretty sure I have never prayed
for someone and seen a miracle before my eyes. What’s the difference between a
miracle and a healing? A healing may take place over time instead of all at
once. I was in the hospital for 58 days because covid tried to kill me. They
thought I was going to die. I almost died, but people prayed for me and God
healed me, raised me out of that bed, strengthened me, restored me. But it took
time. A miracle is more like Peter and the lame man in Acts 3, Then Peter said, Silver and gold
have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took
him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and
ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered
with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
That’s a miracle! I think it may also require faith
and a word of knowledge. Peter and John no doubt
saw the lame man several times until that one day when Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with
John, said, Look on us. I admit the Bible doesn’t say this, but I
believe Peter had a prompting of the Spirit, a word of knowledge and the gift
of faith and so he spoke to the man.
NEXT: Prophecy, discerning of spirits
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