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Have the Gifts of the Spirit Stopped? Of course not!
July 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
There are millions of pretribbers who believe the gifts of the Spirit stopped at the time the disciples died. They believe those who claim to be using the gifts of the Spirit at this time are being influenced by the devil, not God. Those who are against the gifts the most, who come right out and say they are of the devil, could possibly lose their salvation because of blasphemy. Jesus says some very strong words about this.”He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
MT 12:31
“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. MT 12:32 ” Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matt. 12:30-32; NASB Pradis CD-ROM)The Pharisees had accused Jesus of casting out devils by the main devil Beelzebul. It has not changed today. Millions of born again pretrib Christians believe those who cast out devils or use the gifts of the Spirit are of the devil. They have been taught that these gifts stopped. If these gifts of the Spirit have not stopped, then these Christians are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They could possibly lose their salvation, only God, the righteous judge, knows and will judge.
Notice Jesus words: “…either in this age or in the age to come.” It’s quite clear that the age to come is our age. The Holy Spirit is still working and He is still casting out devils and using the gifts of the Spirit. Those who are saying that those people who do those things are of the devil, could lose their salvation. If you are one of these, that should send a chill down your spine.
Let’s see if the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul said, “It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV).
Many Christians will accept apostles as missionaries, evangelist, pastors, and teachers, but they don’t accept or believe in the prophet ministry. Since prophesying has to do with the gifts of the Spirit, many Christians have thrown this ministry out of their Bibles and church. However, a prophet is listed within the fivefold ministries the Lord gave to His church to bring them into the unity of the faith–to bring the Church to maturity and attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The church has not achieved unity. We have not achieved maturity. We have not achieved the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Therefore, the prophets are very much needed in the church today. In fact, the prophets ministry has always been there, but Christians have not pursued it.
Why? (1) Because of this false teaching. (2) Because we have an adversary, the devil. He has been very good at controlling and manipulating the truth for centuries. It is obvious the gifts of the Spirit were flowing when Paul wrote to the Corinthians because he gave us correct directions how to use them. Through the Dark Age, true Christianity was almost wiped out for centuries. The Catholic church and some protestant churches killed saints for using the gifts saying they were witchcraft. There was revival in Europe in the 1700 and 1800, but few used the gifts because (1) it wasn’t taught and (2) because of the negative stigma attached to them. Then in the 1900, God began to revive the gifts of the Spirit. Through Pentecostalism, Christians began to speak in tongues, prophesy, receive healings, and perform miracles once again. All of these gifts have been labeled of the devil through most of history. For Christians to begin to receive them takes a lot of courage. In our present time, there has been a tolerance of the gifts so far by the media, unbelievers, and most Christians. That could change at any time.
Some pretribbers use the doctrine of dispensation and some scripture verses to claim that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. Some claim that when the last disciple died (John) that miracles and the gifts of the spirit died also. Saint Augustine who believed this false doctrine changed his mind later on.
Augustine (354-430), bishop of Hippo, was the greatest theologians of the early medieval Church and systematized much of the theology that governed the teaching of the Western Church for over a thousand years. Although in his early years Augustine believed that all miracles had ceased by the end of the lives of the apostles, his view was transformed by the compelling evidence of many well-attested miracles that occurred during a powerful revival that occurred throughout the churches of North Africa that were under his supervision. In the last section of his epic work The City of God, Augustine wrote about numerous miracles that he had personally witnessed and investigated, including remarkable miraculous healings involving breast cancer, paralysis, blindness, and even people who were resurrected from the dead. (Grant R. Jeffrey, Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible, page 229.)
These miracles are still going on today and there are a lot fewer Christians leaders denouncing them for fear of blasphemy. Let’s look at the scripture verses they use to claim that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased.
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 1CO 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 1CO 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 1CO 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 1CO 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. (1 Cor. 13:8-12; NASB Pradis CD-ROM)
The phrase in question is: “…but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” Those who believe the gifts ceased long time ago teach that the words “perfect comes” represent the New Testament, the canon. They teach that when the books in the New testament were finally agreed upon, at that time the gifts ceased because the “perfect” (the New Testament) the word of God was now complete. They teach the gifts of the Spirit were temporary until the perfect came, therefore we don’t need tongues, prophecy, or any of the rest of the gifts of the Spirit.
However, most Christians believe (because of the wording) that these verses are speaking of the public coming and the resurrection. The “perfect comes” represents Jesus at His coming and “…but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known” is referring to after the resurrection. There is a compare and contrast with the words: now, then. When we get our new bodies, then we will know as Jesus knows us.
Some pretribbers agree. They write: “But in the future believers will see “face to face” and shall, as Paul puts it, “know fully just as I also have been fully known” (verse 12). This refers to the resurrection, when all believers will stand together in their new, glorified bodies and enjoy the company of each other and the Lord.” (Tim LaHaye, Ed Hindson, general editors, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, page 412)
Since these verses in 1 Corinthians 13 are referring to the resurrection and not to the New Testament canon or the gifts of the Spirit, then the gifts of the Spirit have not ceased. They are still available to anyone who chooses to access them. In fact, they will always be needed in the church until Jesus comes back, because the church needs them. There are millions of Christians throughout the world who use some of these gifts on a daily bases. God gave them to help us.
The church would have a bigger impact if they did use them. For example, look at this order and sequence the church is suppose to be in.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 1CO 12:29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 1CO 12:30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 1CO 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. (1 Cor. 12:28-31; NASB Pradis CD-ROM)
Paul is trying to get the Christians to see that they are a part of a many membered body of Christ. Each Christian has a gift or part in the body and that each person has a function in the body of Christ. For what purpose? So that when they come together, God through gifted Christians can minister to His people. He wants to speak a word to His people through tongues, and the interpretation of the those tongues and through the prophets. God want to supernaturally communicate to His people words of edification, exhortation, and consolation through prophecy (1 Cor. 14:3).
Miracles bring in unsaved people so that they can hear the gospel and be saved. Miracles help desperate Christians get back on their feet to serve the Lord. For example, a Christian receives a large sum of money when the bank is trying to foreclose on them and he pays the bank off. A man of God is saved from a gun attack to continue to minister for many years like Paul who was raised up after being left for dead after a stoning. Miracles can be whatever is needed in a desperate situation. Miracles can be blind eyes opening, paralyzed people walking, deaf people hearing, deathbed people recovering, and etc.
If there were real (true) miracles done on a regular bases, the unsaved would believe there is a God and many would be saved. But very few churches even believe that miracles happen today. Most churches have only four of the eight gifts or ministries working in their church. They allow Apostles call missionaries. They allow teachers called pastors. They allow some Christians to do help ministries and they allow administration of these helps ministries. Where are the prophets, miracles, healings, and tongues?
The church is functioning at 50% of what God wanted it to be. Are denominations going to change this around and get back in the right order? No. There would be huge splits and they wouldn’t know how even if they wanted to. That’s why God has to raise up nondenominational Christians to do His will in the gifts ministries. Since God is not sovereign even in His own church, and because Christians have free will to believe a host of false doctrines, He is limited to what He can do on the earth today.
Millions of Christians are dying prematurely because of these false doctrines. The prophet predicted rightly and God is saying: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6; NASB Pradis CD-ROM). A huge part of the church today have rejected knowledge. Instead of a strong powerful church ministering to the nations, the church cannot even minister to itself. Why? It lacks the gift ministries.
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