The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity
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1. In <strong>the</strong> first one hundred years (<strong>the</strong> apostolic era) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Church healing was a common<br />
activity. A byword among Christians was, 'If you see a bro<strong>the</strong>r who is sick and do not heal him,<br />
his blood will be on your hands.' Healings, signs and wonders were an integral part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
proclamation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gospel in <strong>the</strong> Early Church.<br />
2. It is surprising to see how many references to healing miracles occur in <strong>the</strong> ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
early church fa<strong>the</strong>rs, e.g. Irenaeus (140-202), Origen (185-254). Ambrose (340-97), Athanasius<br />
(296-373), Basil (3209-79), Gregory <strong>of</strong> Nazianzus (329-89), Macrina (327-379), Augustine <strong>of</strong><br />
Hippo (354-430), Benedict (480-547), Gregory <strong>of</strong> Tours (538-594), Pope Gregory I (540-604),<br />
Bede (673-735), Marlarchy <strong>of</strong> Ireland (1094-1149), Antony <strong>of</strong> Padua (1195-1231), Edmund <strong>of</strong><br />
Canterbury (1180-1240), Richard <strong>of</strong> Chichester (1193-1253), Dominic (1170-1221), Francis <strong>of</strong><br />
Assisi (1182-1226), Thomas <strong>of</strong> Hereford (1218-1282), and Ca<strong>the</strong>rine <strong>of</strong> Siena (1333-1380).<br />
3. Healing was taken over into <strong>the</strong> Reformist Movement; cf. <strong>the</strong> life and work <strong>of</strong> Peter Waldo<br />
<strong>of</strong> Lyons (died 1217), founder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Waldensians, Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r (1483-1546), and Blaise<br />
Paschal, a leading Jansenist (from 1656 onwards).<br />
4. Healing has always accompanied <strong>the</strong> great religious revivals: John Wesley (1703-91),<br />
Prince Alexander <strong>of</strong> Hohenlohe (c.1815), Johann Cristoph Blumhardt (Black Forest-1842),<br />
Dorothy Trudel (USA) (1850), Alexander Dowie (1847-1906, Mary Woodworth-Etter (1876),<br />
Smith Wigglesworth (1860-1947).<br />
5. Healing has been a common phenomenon in <strong>the</strong> proclamation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gospel by many<br />
missionaries during <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> protestant missionary movement commenced by<br />
William Carey (1761-1834).<br />
6. In this present century Smith Wigglesworth, Alexander Peddie, F. L. Wyman, Kathryn<br />
Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, Francis MacNutt, Jim Glennon—and a vast number <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs have<br />
become increasingly involved. 34<br />
It is obvious from this study that all spiritual gifts have continued throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
centuries since <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> Paul.<br />
It is also true that <strong>the</strong> manifestation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> "sign" gifts became less after <strong>the</strong> first four centuries<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church. No reasons were given in <strong>the</strong> early church as to why certain gifts diminished in use.<br />
Only after <strong>the</strong>ir disuse do we see reasons given. <strong>The</strong>se seem to be rationalizations to justify <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
virtual absence. With <strong>the</strong> renewal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church <strong>the</strong>re has also been a resurgence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
"supernatural" gifts.