Dear single men, please advise your fiancée that she will not be getting a diamond because there are so many fake stones that look like diamonds that you want no part of that mess and you are sure that such a logical woman as she is that she would not want to participate in such an endeavor.
Ha! I cannot imagine that would go over very well. She would STRONGLY encourage you to investigate and be sure you come to her with a real one because they do exist be there 10,000 fakes or more. LOVE would be sure to get a real one.
In the same sense, just because there are many fakes seeming to have the gifts of the Spirit or others that are abusing the gifts does not mean that the gifts are not real or not for today. God’s love will be sure you get the real thing if you seek Him for it. (Luke 11:9-13)
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
John admits that there are false prophets, but we know John was real. The Corinthian church had all the gifts and terribly misused them for their own pride, but the gifts were real. What did they have in the 1st Century that we do not have today? People were sick, demon possessed, lost unbelieving people and people sending out fake letters as if they came from Paul. We have all of these in some shape or form and then some.
Is it really reasonable that God, the Father, who changes not and Jesus, the same, yesterday and forever who has all power would send the Holy Ghost with His power and gifts for a season leaving the Church to fend for itself throughout the centuries, especially in the last days?
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Is the Lord still calling people to salvation and giving them the gift of the Holy Ghost? If He gives the Holy Ghost, is He only giving us a percentage of His power and gifts? Has God had to cut back on the Holy Ghost’s power due to a lack of resources? Has He needed to downsize?
Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Now, would you not think the elect had experience with the real so that they could identify the false? Even our Treasury agents only study genuine money so they can quickly identify a fake. Moses had no trouble taking down the false miracle Pharaoh’s magicians came up with because he had the real deal.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There will be people deceived and think they are doing things by the power of God and will find that they are are not, but that does not rule out people having the true gifts and the real abilities these folks thought they had.
Maybe my cessationist friends have missed the boat. After forty years of being one, I am having to rethink my theology. Indeed, as I look at some Scriptures and one keynote one we used, I really believe we erred and missed the power and abundance we were promised.
1Co 13:
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Much of my cessationist theology rested upon this passage. Does it not say that tongues shall cease? Greek scholars would tell you that indeed it is a ceasing in and of itself. OK, but when does that happen? Many say that tongues and the sign gifts ceased when the canon of Scripture was completed. Well, then if all the things that are in part are done away when that which is perfect or complete is come why do we still preach since we have the canon of Scripture?
We say that preaching is the forth-telling of the Word versus foretelling like the ancient prophets and the Apostles did. Well, if the canon is what is spoken of in this passage then all prophesy whether forth telling or foretelling should cease. No scholar would ever suggest that the canon ended that part of what is in part and that we should stop preaching. .
Knowledge shall vanish away. I agree that sometimes it seems like knowledge is almost totally absent from our society, but in reality we have greatly increased our knowledge and we are still seeking and gaining knowledge. Indeed, with all we know we realize how much more we still not know so knowledge has not vanished since the canon was completed. All of our knowledge will vanish away when we stand before the omniscient One and we receive true knowledge at a level we cannot now comprehend.
We are still children and until we are glorified we will stay children in the big picture. We will mature if we walk with God and grow in the knowledge of Him, but we will not be full grown until this flesh is put away. We call our teenagers children even though they have far more knowledge than a toddler for though they know a great deal they still only know in part and will learn much more before they die. We are still seeing through a veil or flesh or a poor mirror of who we are and who God is, but when we are there with Him face to face we will see clearly. We will know Him as He knows us. That day has not yet come even though the canon has been complete for two thousand years. When that day comes we will put away the childish things we have in this life and will take on the things of full grown redeemed men.
So that which is perfect has not yet come and indeed the Millennium is not the perfect or complete plan of God. Yet, many of the things we are experiencing in the Church will change and so many of the gifts may pass away then since we will be in the presence of Christ on the throne. Until that day or after the last day of the Millennium we can safely say that which is perfect or complete has not yet come.
Therefore, we can expect the Holy Spirit to act in the same way as He did in the first century. He is still convicting the world, sealing the believer until the day of redemption and dispensing gifts to the Body. Since that is all the same, it is not unreasonable to expect the gifts to stay the same because the needs are the same.
Truly, in every generation, the Church needs to be established in the hearts and minds of the people. We are surrounded on every side by the enemies of God, who have their own message, but also come at times as angels of light using the name Christian, but have another gospel. Paul said that there must needs be divisions among us that the approved may stand out. The gifts are what has us stand out from the other religions and also the cults.
Paul said that he came to preach, not only in word, but in power so that our faith did not rest in enticing words, but the power of God. He also warned that there would be those who had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof. That power is in the gospel and that gospel was preached in power of the Spirit and the preachers exercised the gifts and the gifts were given to the saved. Why would that change? Are cessationists denying the power when they limit what the Spirit can do and what He can give? It seems to be that way. Many denominations have apostatized from the truth and have a form of godliness in that they use the bible, terms and symbols, but deny the power of the gospel in many ways by errors in Christology. Soteriology, Hamartiology, Ecclesiology and Pneumatology and in the end become cults instead of being part of the Body. Are the cessationists in danger of doing the same at least in Pneumatology?
The Spirit gives life to the letter. If we start telling Him what He can and cannot do are we sucking life from the letter and are left with only the letter and erudite homilies of men? Is that why we need Starbucks and entertainment to fill our buildings? Paul said to stay away from those who have form and not power thus showing the ecumenical movement as something needed by those who lack the power because they deny it. Machinations of men to promote programs that only work short term because they lack the power.
We need to seek the Lord and ask for the Spirit to be who He is and do what He does in our lives! We need not fear fakes and in essence erase some portions of Scriptures for fear of fakes and delusional. I know people who would never practice James 5:14,15 because that is in the past or it would make them look like Pentecostals. Some will not raise hands in worship, but might shoot an arm out for an instant like some kind of salute to avoid looking Pentecostal. They must stand perfectly still when they sing lest they look like those Holy Rollers. That is all silly as no Scripture belongs only to one group. We are exhorted to lift up holy hands and even David danced before the Lord, but we dare not look like one of those crazy people.
Fakes and fanatics should only cause us to dig deeper into prayer and draw closer to God to be sure we get the real deal. Why miss out on power and abundance because someone is a fake or an abuser of something that will empower our lives to live holy, be fruitful in our ministries and draw us into His presence? Seek Him. Ask for the Spirit to bring you into a closer relationship with Christ and show you where you are to fit in the Body and what gift has been given to you do what you are called to do. You will never regret it. We still need D. L. Moodys, Hudson Taylors and others to win the lost. Even more so we just need the Body to be filled with people are filled with the Spirit and exercising their gift that we may stand out as the approved of God and that the world will be moved by the people of God who are moved by the Spirit of God. Will you seek all that He has for you? May we all receive His abundant power! Maranatha!!!!
