“Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly” (Eph 3:2,3 NIV).
There are two Greek words used in Scripture for the word “secret.” They are “Kruptos” and “Musterion.” The Greek word “Kruptos” is where the word “crypt” comes from. It was used when something was secret or hidden away (Matt 6:3-4, Luke 8:17, Rom 2:16, 1 Cor 14:25). The English word “mystery” means something that is incomprehensible; unknowable and beyond understanding.
The Greek word “Musterion” was only used of secrets in the religious realm including mystery religions. In the Bible, they are sacred secrets. A secret is something that can be known, but it is not known by every person. The things of God are not mysterious or impossible to understand. They are secret only to those who don’t take the time to study God’s Word. When Jesus taught a Parable, He was speaking a facet, or portion, of the sacred secret of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 13:10-11).
On the day of Pentecost, something incredible happened that had never happened before – the Holy Spirit came as a love gift from the Father to dwell within those who would receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and to reveal the sacred secret of God held hidden for all of eternity past. It is now no longer a mystery (Rom 16:25,26, Col 1:26, also Eph 1:9).
The enemy and the hordes of hell didn’t know this secret. If they had, they would have never allowed Jesus to be crucified. No human eye had ever seen, no ear had ever heard - no mind had conceived what God had prepared for those who love Him because they were hidden until the Cross (1 Cor 2:6-10).
In the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit came upon a person, they often gave a word of prophecy. In the New Testament - the Church Age of the Sacred Secret - when a person gives their life to Jesus Christ they receive the Holy Spirit, and they also receive the right and privilege to receive the manifold Sacred Secret of Heaven.
The Facets of the Father
It was God’s intent that through the church:
“the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph 3:10-12 NIV).
The word “manifold” means “many-faceted,” and the wisdom of God’s sacred secret was revealed after the Cross. Listed below are just some of those facets of blessings.
Starting from the creation of Adam and Eve until the Day of Pentecost that was spoken of in the book of Acts, God dealt with mankind as a master would to an indentured servant. God changed the way that He dealt with mankind because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
The Church is one Body with Jesus as the Head because of the Cross. The Father chose to lavish His great love on those who would receive Jesus and willfully choose to become a Christian (1 Jn 3:1; 1 Pet 1:23). Every Christian is a child of God and a member of His body. They are spiritually identified with Jesus.
Christians are partakers of the divine nature and are now a new creation (2 Pe 1:4; 2 Cor 5:17). Jesus has anointed every Christian and set His seal of ownership on them, and placed the Holy Spirit in their hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Nothing can separate them from God’s love (Rom 8:38-39, 12:4-5, 1 Cor 10:17, 12:12-27, 2 Cor 1:21-22,5:22, Eph 1:13, 2:16, 4:4; Col 3:15).
When Jesus was crucified, the Christian was crucified. When He died, they died. When He was buried, they were buried. When He was raised, they were raised. When He ascended, they ascended. When Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, they sat down as well! (Rom 6:4,6,8; Eph 2:6)
The sacred secret revealed that God is now working through His Church - each individual member of His Body - to do those things that He did directly prior to the Cross. Every Christian has been given power and glory, unlike anything that has existed on the face of the Earth before.
It is the responsibility of every Christian to make His wisdom known by living naturally in that glory and power and includes operating in the miraculous manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit and actively healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, setting the captives free, casting out demons, teaching the truth, and turning people from darkness to light through the love and goodness of God because, as a result of the death of Jesus, the world has entered the Age of Grace (Luke 4:18).
The Age of Grace
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you” (Eph 3:1, 2 NIV).
The Church has now entered into the age of grace. The Law that dominated the Old Testament was a “ministry that brought death” (2 Cor 3:7). The all-encompassing sacred secret is that the Church has now entered into a new age that is more glorious than the Law because it brings righteousness (2 Cor 3:3-10). This truth was once hidden but now has been made known.
The administration of the grace of God is the administration of the multi-faceted sacred secret. It is now the responsibility of every Christian to live in the power and glory of what God’s wisdom has revealed.
“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works so that no one can boast" (Eph 2:8-9 NIV).
Christians are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is NOT something that can be earned because God’s love comes free of charge. It is absolutely unconditional with no strings attached. Grace is not based on what someone does or how they respond back to Jesus. He loves every human being as much as an infinite God can possibly love. There is nothing a person can do to make God love them more - and there is nothing they can do to make God love them less. It is grace that allows frail and failing humanity to encounter a supernatural infinite God.
Grace is far more than just changing a person’s eternal destiny and giving them unhindered access into the throne room of God without having to work their way there. The salvation that grace affords through faith to those who receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior also bring about wholeness and fullness into a person’s life. They don’t have to wait until they die to receive it.
The Freedom of Grace
With the freedom of salvation that grace has given every Christian comes the responsibility to respond to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit - who dwells in them - and to express the will of God for their life as they "Work out” their “own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12 NIV). Christians are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!” (2 Pet. 3:18 NIV)
The new life given to every Christian through grace needs to be developed and nurtured. Jesus commanded His followers to be “perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48 NIV). The word “perfect” come from the Greek word (Teleios) which means to be complete, mature, or functional. It does not mean to be without a spot or wrinkle. As shown in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), God is always there to welcome those who have struggled, stumbled, or fallen into disobedience and unfaithfulness, because He is the God of second chances.
Grace is what empowers the Christian to stand before a holy infinite God without shame or fear of punishment. It is grace that is constantly at work to heal the pains and scars of the past.
Christians are to yield to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and be ready at a moment’s notice to share the great news of the Gospel to those they come in contact with, whether it is by words spoken or actions taken. Christians have been freely given the gift of grace so that they can show His grace freely to others.
If a person needs a touch or guidance from God, the Christian should pray that the person receives whatever spiritual gift is needed at the time because they are gifts of grace! Christians should treat everyone as if they were a fellow Christian.
The Gift of Grace
God’s grace offends the fallen nature of mankind because it is a gift from Him that cannot be worked or bargained for. The evidence that the Holy Spirit has truly taken up residence and begun to work within a person is the faith and good works of the Christian - which is ultimately the result of the faith and work of Jesus. Trusting-faith leads to visible transformations in lifestyle and growth in holiness over time (Matt 7:15-27; Gal 5:6, 19-24; Jas 2:14-26; 1 Jn 3:4-10).
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (Matt 7:16-18 KJV).
If a person claims to be a Christian and does not do the “will of God” then their faith has no foundation. Trusting-faith moves the Christian to do good works. Faith without works is dead, and yet no one is saved by their own work because it is the gift of God (James 2:17, 18). The working of faith is trust. Good works are an evidence of genuine professed faith, but not a proof of it. The work of Jesus alone saves the Christian, not the other way around. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to finish the work within the Christian (Phil 1:6).
No matter what one believes about ‘good works’ or receiving ‘rewards’ in Heaven, it is God’s loving grace that should be the only motivating factor for every Christian to walk in holiness and obedience to His commands, not a desire for extra rewards, or a position of authority in the kingdom of Heaven. The humility of love must be the only motivation for pleasing God.
Instruments of Grace
The word “Grace” comes from the Greek word “Charis.” The supernatural gifts from God are charismatic grace-gifts. The word has various meanings in the Bible. One such use of the word is in reference to goodwill and loving kindness shown to people.
The nine spiritual manifestation gifts are instruments of grace just as are the teaching of God's Word, the reading of the Scriptures, daily prayer, the ministry of the church, etc. The healthy growth of the Christian is stifled and hindered when the utilization of the supernatural gifts of grace are minimized, or their need and use today are diminished. When a church, or teacher, or leader devalues the use of the supernatural gifts, they run into the danger of becoming legalistic and receiving "the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor 6:1 KJV).
In Jesus dwells all the fullness of grace and truth which includes the supernatural manifestation gifts of God.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14 NIV)
Jesus was both 100% fully man and 100% fully God. Every Christian has received the fullness of God through grace (Jn 1:9,16). They are “complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Col 2:10 NKJV).
Those who walk in humility before God are given a greater portion of grace so that they can stand in the gap for others and help to influence change in the human heart. Jesus called every Christian to serve the homeless, hungry, sick and imprisoned as if they were Jesus Himself (Matt 25:34-40). The grace gifts of God are to be given to others just as they were freely given by Jesus to those He came in contact with.
“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble" (James 4:4 NIV, also 1 Pet 5).
The grace gifts will flow freely and naturally through those that walk humbly before God and mankind. They will be given greater opportunities by the Holy Spirit to share those gifts with others. Every Christian has been given the command to grow in grace (2 Pet 3:18). Because they have received gifts of grace, so they are to:
"minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet 4:10 NIV).
Many Christians are taught that they are given a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation. There even exists Spiritual Gift assessments that are available to be used to help a person figure out which of the multiple “gifts” listed in Scripture were given to them by God.
The negative effect of this kind of man-made teaching is the creation of a Christian caste system where those with the so-called ‘greater’ gifts, such as “prophecy,“ healing,” or “working of miracles,” hold higher positions of authority and ‘power’ than those who only have the gift of “helps,” or “mercy,” or “hospitality.”
This belief has created a ‘class’ composed of spiritual elitists who have a supposed greater spiritual authority and fullness of anointing given by God than the laity, or lower ‘class’ Christians. The reality is that there is no ‘five-fold’ ruling class in Christianity. Every Christian share in the fullness of the Triune God because all of the Godhead bodily is in Jesus and Jesus is in every Christian.
It is the Holy Spirit who mobilizes all Christians to do the work of the ministry. He disperses spiritual gifts as needed and qualifies people for leadership in the local church, not seminary training or advanced degrees. Sadly, most churches entrust spiritual leadership and ministry to professional ‘clergy’ which can cause the Christian to neglect their own responsibility for ministry and diligent Bible Study.
The end result of the belief that each person has been given a specific gift is that the person assumes they are limited to the ‘gift’ they were assessed to possess and must rely on others who have “gifts” they don’t have when they come across a need or situation that requires a different gift, or even multiple gifts.
As an example, let’s say that someone comes to a Christian in the workplace, or in a social setting, for counseling because they are struggling with multiple issues in their life that have reached a serious climax. It becomes evident that the person needs more than a word of encouragement. The issues are so severe that they need deliverance and healing using the gifts of Discernment, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Healings (or more!) so that they can be fully restored emotionally, physically and spiritually.
If the Christian were taught that they were only given a specific gift, then they would have to get on the phone and call those that were assessed as having the gifts needed to help the person. To avoid such a scenario, it would be best to have a team of emergency spiritual gift paramedics ready at a moment’s notice! Of course, the church would have to organize a committee to study the need and then put their recommendations on a ballot to be eventually voted on by the congregation - providing the Pastor doesn’t get fired because he suggested it in the first place!
That would be like a medical professional yelling out in a restaurant “is there a Doctor here?”, or waiting for an ambulance to save a life, while someone was choking to death, rather than immediately ministering personally to them because they knew how to treat and save the person.
Gifts of Purpose
The purpose of the nine supernatural manifestation gifts is to provide what is necessary to bring a person to the place of forgiveness, repentance, healing, and restoration. These gifts are very powerful because they are working from God who is working from within the Christian.
The ultimate and full purpose of the manifestation gifts is to bring humans face to face with the reality of the invisible God and to make the Church realize that the Holy Spirit is always present. He is the only source of life and power in ministry. These gifts are available to every Christian:
“But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor 12:11 NIV).
The gifts are very powerful, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit is integral for the manifestation gifts to begin flowing freely as the Christian moves from the natural to the supernatural.
No Respecter of Persons
God uses people in different ways as they each move in the gifts. That does not make anyone more ‘anointed’ or powerful than the next Christian because Jesus sees everyone as co-equal as a result of the Cross.
Every Christian has been called and anointed by God to appropriate what He has given them. He will not take them back or change His mind because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29 NIV).
God is no respecter of persons. He has blessed EVERY Christian with "every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3 NIV).
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things” (Rom 8:32 KJV).
The reason some Christians genuinely flow more freely in the anointing and power of God is that they are more broken than others. Those who choose to walk in trusting-faith with Jesus when everything hits the fan will begin to manifest more of Jesus and less of themselves.
God is not the author of trials and tribulations. When they do come (and they ALWAYS do!), it is those who resist the wooing of God during those troubling times who will not experience the power of the resurrection. God makes use of both good and bad to mold and shape the Christian so that they can have an intimate relationship with Him.
The anointing is living water that flows in the river of life which proceeds from the throne of God. It never stops flowing and is available by God’s grace to enable and empower every Christian to draw from it to heal, deliver, impart, teach, equip and accomplish God’s good pleasure.
All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit must be subject to His governance. Jesus said that apart from Him, Christians can do nothing (Jn 15:5). The manifestation gifts are ALWAYS to edify, exhort and comfort people (1 Cor 14:1-3). They must flow freely from the foundation of love because God is love. There is no eternal value in ministry if the anointing of the Holy Spirit is not present.
The Easy Way
In order to naturally flow in the gifts as needed, the Christian must be willing to obey the Holy Spirit when He prompts them - at any given moment in time - to minister to another. Using the supernatural manifestation gifts is a free act of the will and not something the Holy Spirit forces upon a person because He will never violate anyone’s will.
It is the Holy Spirit who provides the power and anointing to effectively change for the good those whom Christians come in contact with on a daily basis. The truth is that since ALL of God’s gifts are available to every Christian to give to others when the need arises, they don’t need to call on someone else who is more
“qualified.”
To illustrate this truth again, let’s suppose someone receives a new car as a gift for their birthday. Who possesses the gift – the person who is giving the gift or the person receiving the gift? Clearly, it is the person who received the gift. Likewise, when a person needs to be healed they become the possessor of the gift when they are healed - not when they are sick. When God heals someone, they are the one who received the Gift of Healing!
In every unique circumstance a spiritual gift is necessary the Holy Spirit will manifest it through the Christian who is in need for the “common good”:
“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Cor 12:7-11 NIV)
The Christian possesses ALL the glorious riches of Jesus who is the Hope of Glory! (Col 1:27 NIV) Since EVERY Christian possesses all of Jesus, they possess all of the gifts and are to make use of them actively. The gifts begin to manifest when the Christian empties their self of SELF and allows the anointing of the Holy Spirit to flow from the inside out!
