On Spiritual Gifts
If. . . your soul cries out to God, for the living God, and your dry and empty heart despairs of living a normal Christian life. . . then I ask you: Is your desire all absorbing? Is it the biggest thing in your life?. . . If your heart cries "Yes" to the questions you may be on your way to a spiritual breakthrough that will transform your whole life.
"Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren," wrote Paul to the Corinthians, "I would not have you ignorant."
Certainly Paul meant nothing derogatory by this. Rather, he was expressing a charitable concern that his fellow believers should be neither uninformed nor in error about a truth so vastly important as this one.
For some time it has been evident that we evangelicals have been failing to avail ourselves of the deeper riches of grace that lie in the purposes of God for us. . . One blessed treasure we have missed is the right to possess the gifts of the Spirit as set forth in such fullness and clarity in the New Testament.
A proper understanding of the gifts of the Spirit in the Church must depend upon a right concept of the nature of the Church.
The true Church is a spiritual phenomenon appearing in human society and intermingling with it to some degree but differing from it sharply in certain vital characteristics. It is composed of regenerated persons who differ from other human beings in that they have a superior kind of life imparted to them at the time of their inward renewal.
They are children of God in a sense not true of any other created beings.
Their origin is divine and their citizenship is in heaven.
They worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh.
They constitute a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.
They have espoused the cause of a rejected and crucified Man Who claimed to be God and Who has pledged His sacred honor that He will prepare a place for them in His Father's house and return again to conduct them there with rejoicing.
In the meantime they carry His cross, suffer whatever indignities men may heap upon them for His sake, act as His ambassadors and do good to all men in His name.
They steadfastly believe that they will share His triumph, and for this reason they are perfectly willing to share His rejection by a society that does not understand them.
And they have no hard feelings - only charity and compassion and a strong desire that all men may come to repentance and be reconciled to God.
. . .Another truth more revealing and significant to those seeking information about the gifts of the Spirit is that the Church is a spiritual body. . .
Each member is joined to the whole body by a relationship of life. As a man's soul may be said to be the life of the body, so the indwelling Spirit is the life of the Church.
As a normal man consists of a body with various obedient members with a head to direct them, so the true Church is a body, individual Christians being the members and Christ the Head.
The mind works through the members of the body, using them to fulfill its intelligent purposes.
As all man's work is done by his mind, so the work of the church is done by the Spirit, and by Him alone. But to work He must set in the body certain members with abilities specifically created to act as media through which the Spirit can flow toward ordained ends. That, in brief, is the philosophy of the gifts of the Spirit.
Paul mentions no less than 17 (spiritual gifts).
1 Corinthians 12:4-11: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues
1 Corinthians 27-31: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing helps, administration, tongues
Romans 12:3-8: prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy
Ephesians 4:7-11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers
Natural talents enable a man to work within the field of nature; but through the body of Christ God is doing an eternal work above and beyond the realm of fallen nature. This requires supernatural working.
Religious work can be done by natural men without gifts of the Spirit, and it can be done well and skillfully. But work designed for eternity can only be done by the eternal Spirit. No work has eternity in it unless it is done by the Spirit through gifts. He has Himself implanted in the souls of redeemed men.
The truth of the matter is that the Scriptures plainly imply the imperative of possessing the gifts of the Spirit. Paul urges that we both "covet" and "desire" spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:32; 14:1). It does not appear to be an optional matter with us but rather a scriptural mandate to those who have been filled with the Spirit.
Clearly, however, we have yet to see what God would do for His Church if we would all throw ourselves down before Him with an open Bible and cry, "Behold They servant, Lord! Be it unto me even as Thou wilt."
-A.W. Tozer; Keys to The Deeper Life; pp. 38-47
"Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren," wrote Paul to the Corinthians, "I would not have you ignorant."
Certainly Paul meant nothing derogatory by this. Rather, he was expressing a charitable concern that his fellow believers should be neither uninformed nor in error about a truth so vastly important as this one.
For some time it has been evident that we evangelicals have been failing to avail ourselves of the deeper riches of grace that lie in the purposes of God for us. . . One blessed treasure we have missed is the right to possess the gifts of the Spirit as set forth in such fullness and clarity in the New Testament.
A proper understanding of the gifts of the Spirit in the Church must depend upon a right concept of the nature of the Church.
The true Church is a spiritual phenomenon appearing in human society and intermingling with it to some degree but differing from it sharply in certain vital characteristics. It is composed of regenerated persons who differ from other human beings in that they have a superior kind of life imparted to them at the time of their inward renewal.
They are children of God in a sense not true of any other created beings.
Their origin is divine and their citizenship is in heaven.
They worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh.
They constitute a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.
They have espoused the cause of a rejected and crucified Man Who claimed to be God and Who has pledged His sacred honor that He will prepare a place for them in His Father's house and return again to conduct them there with rejoicing.
In the meantime they carry His cross, suffer whatever indignities men may heap upon them for His sake, act as His ambassadors and do good to all men in His name.
They steadfastly believe that they will share His triumph, and for this reason they are perfectly willing to share His rejection by a society that does not understand them.
And they have no hard feelings - only charity and compassion and a strong desire that all men may come to repentance and be reconciled to God.
. . .Another truth more revealing and significant to those seeking information about the gifts of the Spirit is that the Church is a spiritual body. . .
Each member is joined to the whole body by a relationship of life. As a man's soul may be said to be the life of the body, so the indwelling Spirit is the life of the Church.
As a normal man consists of a body with various obedient members with a head to direct them, so the true Church is a body, individual Christians being the members and Christ the Head.
The mind works through the members of the body, using them to fulfill its intelligent purposes.
As all man's work is done by his mind, so the work of the church is done by the Spirit, and by Him alone. But to work He must set in the body certain members with abilities specifically created to act as media through which the Spirit can flow toward ordained ends. That, in brief, is the philosophy of the gifts of the Spirit.
Paul mentions no less than 17 (spiritual gifts).
1 Corinthians 12:4-11: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues
1 Corinthians 27-31: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing helps, administration, tongues
Romans 12:3-8: prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy
Ephesians 4:7-11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers
Natural talents enable a man to work within the field of nature; but through the body of Christ God is doing an eternal work above and beyond the realm of fallen nature. This requires supernatural working.
Religious work can be done by natural men without gifts of the Spirit, and it can be done well and skillfully. But work designed for eternity can only be done by the eternal Spirit. No work has eternity in it unless it is done by the Spirit through gifts. He has Himself implanted in the souls of redeemed men.
The truth of the matter is that the Scriptures plainly imply the imperative of possessing the gifts of the Spirit. Paul urges that we both "covet" and "desire" spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:32; 14:1). It does not appear to be an optional matter with us but rather a scriptural mandate to those who have been filled with the Spirit.
Clearly, however, we have yet to see what God would do for His Church if we would all throw ourselves down before Him with an open Bible and cry, "Behold They servant, Lord! Be it unto me even as Thou wilt."
-A.W. Tozer; Keys to The Deeper Life; pp. 38-47
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