KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:1″ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant”.

Spiritual gifts as the Holy Spirit led apostle Paul  to write about in our key scripture, is one of the topics that have been very silent in other parts of the Bible although we see it’s manifestation throughout the Bible.

Our topic for discussion spans through 1st Corinthians 12:1-11. Verses 4 to 6 reveals that working of the Trinity or Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, in the functioning, administration and operation of the gifts. In verse 4 the Holy Spirit reveals the diversity of the gifts. Our Lord Jesus sees to the different administration of the gifts. The Father reveals the diversities of operations.

These gifts are very important to the church of God. When the supernatural gift are in operation the church’s evangelistic work is greatly enhanced. “Every Christian must earnestly desire for the gifts”.  1st Corinthians 14:1″Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophecy”.

Please note this: these spiritual gifts are different from talents (a talent is a natural ability given to an individual by God .A talent could be operated at will). Spiritual gifts are divine abilities that are solely the Holy Spirit operation that He manifests in the life of a Christian as He (the Holy Spirit) decides. The person can’t operate it at will) 1st Corinthians 12:7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal “.Note this they are the manifestations of the Spirit.  The supernatural gifts are never from one’s ability, it is purely the Holy Spirit who manifests them at His will. There are nine spiritual or supernatural gifts in all. They are as follows:

1. Word of wisdom (vrs 8)

2. Word of knowledge (vrs 8)

3. Discernment of spirits (vrs 10)

4. Divers kinds of tongues (vrs 10)

5. Interpretation of tongues (Vrs 10)

6. Gifts of prophecy (Vrs 10)

7. Gift of faith (Vrs 9)

8. Gifts of healing (Vrs 9)

9. Gift of working of miracle (Vrs 9)

These gifts can be divided further into 3 groups.

1. Revelational gifts: these include, words of wisdom, words of knowledge and discernment of spirits.

2. Gifts of utterance: These include, divers’ kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues and gift of prophecy.

3. Power gifts: these include, gift of faith, gifts of healing and gift of the working of miracles.

In our subsequent studies we would look at each gift, what it is and how it functions.

 PRAYER

Lord, thank you for these supernatural gifts given to the Church of God. I pray that these gifts would be manifested in all congregations, to reveal your glory and power.

FURTHER STUDIES.

1 Corinthians 12: 6. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all”.

1 Corinthians 12:8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

The Holy Spirit counsels us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. The word ‘rule’ also means ‘to be an umpire’,’to decide’, direct, or to control. The peace of God in our hearts among other things, also comes into play when taking decisions that one may not be so clear about the will of God. When our hearts are at peace after making certain decisions,it is mostly indicative that we are acting in the will of God.

Decisions like choosing a life partner, whether to make a particular journey, accept a kind of employment and many more are all the type that the Bible does not directly tell you what to do.   We are always faced with making choices or decisions that the will of God may not be known. The Bible says let the peace of God be the decider or your director.

 To be at peace means to be one with yourself. Your mind and heart are settled on the issue you may be grappling with. Romans 14:17 says “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”. The kingdom of God is the rule of God.It means God is in charge of affairs. Peace in your heart is a sign that God is in charge.

When our actions are not in agreement with the Holy Spirit, He is grieved. When the Spirit is grieved, we find out that our peace is gone. The Holy Spirit is our guide. He tells is what we must do. Anytime we follow his leading, He is pleased and so we also feel satisfied within or peaceful. To let the peace of God rule in our hearts also means to allow the Spirit of God to lead us.

Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us is not a one day affair; we develop into it as we practice the word of God.Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This means yield your body to the instructions of the Holy Ghost. The instructions of the Spirit is simply the word of God. As we practice the word of God, we would grow to be sensitive to the moment by moment leading of the Holy Spirit. We would also begin to know when the Holy Spirit is pleased with us or grieved about what we may be doing.

Whenever your heart is disturbed about anything, the first thing you must consider is; does this issue agree with the word of God? If it does agree with the scripture but you are still not at peace then pray asking the Lord to lead you, He will speak to you and as you agree, it will be shown by a heart of peace. .

   CONFESSION

God’s peace in my heart is my guide. As I allow His word to rule me the Holy Spirit dictates my peace. Every confusion is dissolved because I follow the leading of Holy Spirit.

FUETHER STUDIES.

Romans 12:1 ” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”.

Colossians 3:16  ” Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

 KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”.

One truth that has been a quest for many is about knowing or encountering the power of God. Many people find themselves in all kinds of predicaments and want to know how to contact the power of God for an answer?

The Apostle Paul in our key scripture shows us what the power of God is, as well as what to do to benefit from this power. He reveals that the gospel or good news is the power of God.This statement is presented in another form in 1st CORINTHIANS 1:18 “for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God: The message of the cross is the power of God.It is about the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1st Corinth 15:3&4)  

 The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus marked the end of the legal right of Satan’s reign over men. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden he surrendered the authority God gave him over the earth to Satan. He and all his descendants became subjected to the devil. Romans 5:12 put it this “wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all men have sinned.” The nature of Satan that is sin and death was transferred into men. The law of Sin and death began to work in men. (Romans 8:2)

In Luke 4:6, during the temptation of the Lord Jesus, the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them for that is delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I will give it”. When the devil said this the Lord did not challenge him. Who delivered this authority into his hands? Was it God? No,it was Adam. Satan therefore assumed the reign of the earth from them. It took the death of Jesus to seize this authority from him because he paid the price for all humanity. The Lord Jesus then said the following after his resurrection. In Matthew 28:18, he said “….All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

The believing in the gospel, that is his death burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus has become the only means to access the power of God. Anybody who believes in the gospel receives God’s power to handle any condition that is tormenting his life.

It is the answer to every human problem whether it is the Salvation of your soul, sickness in the body, a bad character, demonic bondage, mental torment or anything that has to do with men receiving peace of mind, the gospel will answer if only you would believe it.

 CONFESSION

Indeed there is no condition that is a worry to the human mind that the gospel has no answer. I believe in the gospel and so I always walk out of any challenge that comes against me.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ” Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

Apostle Paul wrote to the brethren in Thessalonica concerning the Lord’s coming. He tried to alleviate them of their fears that they should not be scared about certain information going round that the Lord had come.

He went on to state the very cardinal events that would occur before the Lord comes. He stated the following two invents would precede the Lord’s coming.

 1. A falling away. (The great apostasy)

 2. The revelation of the man of sin.

These are the two main events that will take place before the Lord comes.

In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus explained to the disciples how events leading to the end would be. In Matthew 24:8b, 9, the Lord said “All these are the beginning of sorrows; then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake”. What is going to cause all nations to hate the Christians? In Revelations chapter 13, the Bible spoke about the revelation of the man of sin, the Antichrist or the beast.

In Revelation 13:16, 17 the Bible said the following about this man of sin. “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or their fore head: And that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name”.

In recent times we have seen the introduction of the bio chip which contains the vital data of the individual.This chip is inserted into the right hand or the forehead, just as the Bible said. We see it as a preparation for the man of sin. The bio chip is also meant to be a means of all business transactions in every form. Those who do not have this bio chip cannot buy or sell. The world is advocating for a cashless society. This is one of the things that it believes would help achieve that. If you do not take the bio chip then you would be treated as a criminal. The church would   be persecuted because,they would not take it.

Presently India has adapted the bio chip and its population of 1.2 billion people are all supposed to be enrolled into the programme of placing it in their right hand or foreheads.Christians have already started refusing it.  It would soon be adapted in other nations.

Would this mark the great persecution of believers worldwide, that the Lord Jesus spoke about? Would this cause many to give up their faith as Apostle Paul said would happen before the Lord comes? What kind of Christian are you? Renew your dedication to Christ NOW, so you would be ready to stand for Him when conditions are adverse 

CONFESSION

I am not ignorant of the event leading to the coming of the master. My life is dedicated to Him. I receive grace to stand in such times.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.

James 1:12 ” Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 12:22 “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,”

(Read Hebrews: 12:22–29)

The above verse and a few that follow it shows some of the mysteries that the Holy Spirit revealed to Apostle Paul.

In this verse the Holy Spirit shows us that the believer is spiritually in heaven. He describes heaven as mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels. What also comes to us is the sense of being aware of such an elevation. This understanding also deepens our sainthood. It simply implies we are holy men and women, living in a holy environment. We must therefore walk, talk and do things in a manner that depicts saints of God.

Every Christian hopes and anticipates to be in heaven. By the understanding from this verse, you are already there. Your continual obedience to the word would ultimately warrant your continual stay in this place. This is one of the greatest revelations to be given the church. The scripture added that we live in the midst of an innumerable company of angels. Angels are God’s messengers who play various roles in heaven, and one of their roles is to minister to the heirs of salvation;that is you and I, who are born again. Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not ministering spirits who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation”. These angels come to serve us, upon the instruction of the Father. Note: they obey the father’s instruction, and so, do not ask help from them.Ask the father to send them on your behalf. We may ask the Father to assign them to various roles or our assistance.

What the scripture assures us is that we are in the midst of an innumerable company of angels. This must give us a lot of encouragement and also to kick out every fear from our lives. Another challenge faced by a lot of us is when our minds try to figure out how God would work out certain things for us. We need not worry our heads over how things would turn out. We have an uncountable number of angels who are there to assist us. Be always expectant of supernatural experiences.

  CONFESSIONS

I am not an ordinary human on this Earth, I actually live in the presence of the Father and in the midst of Angels. They always work for my comfort and deliverance. Glory be to God.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Ephesians 2:19, Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Ephesians 2:6 ” And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 6:12″ Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses”.

This verse (1st Timothy 6:12)reveals the real fight of Christians. Our fight is not against demons. Demons work to ground our faith but we must work to keep our faith active.  So long as your faith is active no devil can stop you. (Mark 9:23). All things are possible to Him that has faith.

Every child of God must focus on building his faith strong in the Lord. It is your faith that overcomes the world, including devils and Satan himself (1st John 5:4). Our key scripture says we must fight the good fight of faith. It is a good fight. It is the kind of fight that gets you hooked up to God and brings His help and power to you.

A look at our key scripture from the Greek give different meaning for the two words fight. The first fight is”agonizomai” in the Greek language, and it means “to enter into a contest” and the second fight is *”agon”*which means a place of a fight or an ‘assembly’ as an arena for a contest. What that scripture suggests is that as a Christian you are in an arena for a fight and you have no option but to fight. Many children of God are doing nothing about their faith and as a result the enemy is having the advantage over them.

To fight the good fight of faith means to keep your faith alive and active against contrary situations that seek to put you down. The essence of the fight of faith is not to cast away your confidence in the Lord in times of trials and difficulty. Hebrews 10:35,”Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward”. Our faith is expected to triumph in every encounter that we may face. We are advised not to cast away our confidence, but fight to maintain our faith.

 We engage in this fight as we feed on the word of God and declare with our mouth what the Bible says about that particular situation and then take a stand on what the scripture says.   It could be a persecution of your faith; you must maintain your declarations of the scriptures to keep your faith standing. It could be any other challenge that the enemy may raise against you. In all these declare God’s word boldly to yourself and the devil, keep your faith alive and you would ultimately triumph.  Do not complain and murmur. If you do so, it would be suicidal to your faith.

  CONFESSION

I keep my faith active and alive in all times of challenges by declaring God’s word to myself and the situation.My faith continually triumphs over all difficulties.

FURTHER STUDIES.

1 John 5:4 ” For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”.

Hebrews 11:33-34 ” Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 11:13″ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”.

The apostle in this instant reveals to us a very powerful principle to make your faith get results.

Within our key scripture are certain words that shows positive actions that made their faith to produce results. The words are:

1. Seen

2. Persuaded

3. Embraced

4. Confessed

For one’s faith to be potent and effective one must employ these principles. First you must be able to see your end or the answer: When the  Lord God wanted Abraham to receive  His promise,He made  him to have a picture of what He had for him; Genesis 15:5 “And he brought him forth abroad and said look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them, and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be”. Your faith is made stronger when you can see what you anticipate. You must first have a picture or be able to see what you hope to get. The sick man must stop seeing himself sick and see himself healthy and strong. The unmarried woman or man who aspires to marriage must see himself or herself married. Your vision would either lift your faith or kill your faith. You are praying for a meeting place, start seeing yourself meet in a new hall with all that you desire to be there, available. 

Secondly you must be persuaded about what you are seeing. To be persuaded means, to induce one by words to believe. This implies you start saying words like “indeed I see myself healed and well or I can see myself married” or “I see us meet in a five thousand seated hall”. You induce words that excite your faith.

The third act of faith to be taken to make your faith produce results is to embrace your answer. This means to receive joyfully or welcome” the answer. In a more simple term, you celebrate the answer. You rejoice in your heart about your answer.

The final step of faith is to confess that you have the answer. You keep declaring that everything is alright. Abraham started calling himself father of many nations although he had no child.

Please understand that before you make your confessions you would have first, seen the answer, persuaded yourself of it, and then embrace it excitedly. If you do these things rightly your answer cannot elude you.

CONFESSION

Thank you Father for your word. I see my answer as I persuade myself of it, embrace it heartily and boldly confess it.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Hebrews 11:6 “”But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.

 Hebrews 11:11. “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 6:12″ That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

One great lesson of all times is to learn to follow. Following makes things easier because you are not the starter but a follower or learner.

Our key scripture teaches us not to be slothful or lazy but to be alert and diligent to learn from those who have succeeded. The Bible said they inherited the promises through faith and patience.

Hebrews 13:7 has the following to say “Remember they which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, consider the end of their conversation”. We are to remember those who have taught us the word of God. He says we must follow their faith. To follow the faith of somebody is to consider the steps of faith taken by an individual as well as the outcome of these exploits,so you do likewise resting on the fact that if it went well with them it will go well with you.

The Holy Spirit gave an all-time statement after Heb. 13:7 as follows “Jesus Christ the same yesterday,today and forever”.(Hebrews 13;8) This scripture means the Lord Jesus who did not fail , these men who taught us the word of God and honored their faith stance would likewise honour your faith stance for He does not change. Note the man with an example to follow or learn from him.

 You can never be a failure following successful people. In the worst case scenario you would become like them. And remember these are successful men. The Bible said we must not be slothful to follow such people.

In our times God has raised a number of generals who have achieved so much for God and we would do good for ourselves and the next generation after us to learn from the life, faith and experiences of such men. An example of a few of some of these men who have passed on into glory are Dr Billy Graham, Kenneth E Hagin, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Smith Wiglesworth, Rev Mckweon and many more,

For some of those who are living in our times are men like our pastors and other leaders who taught us the word of GOD and many more. Get to know their stories and learn from their examples.

  PRAYER

O heavenly father help me to learn from the examples of all those who have taught me the word and by their faith made exploits.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Matthew 4:19. “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

2 Timothy 3:14. “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;”