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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<strong>Spirit</strong>ual <strong>Gifts</strong> are Needed Until Christians Reach Unity in <strong>the</strong> Faith<br />
Paul asserted that all <strong>the</strong> gifts Christ gave would continue in His church until it comes to full<br />
unity <strong>of</strong> faith and to mature spiritual development in Christ:<br />
"It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists,<br />
and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works <strong>of</strong> service, so<br />
that <strong>the</strong> body <strong>of</strong> Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in <strong>the</strong> faith and in <strong>the</strong><br />
knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Son <strong>of</strong> God and become mature, attaining to <strong>the</strong> measure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
fullness <strong>of</strong> Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13).<br />
<strong>The</strong> church has not yet reached that stage, and it still needs all <strong>the</strong> gifts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Spirit</strong>.<br />
Healing <strong>Gifts</strong> are Given to <strong>the</strong> Whole Church for All Time<br />
<strong>The</strong> Bible is clear: healing gifts are given to <strong>the</strong> whole church for all time and <strong>the</strong> elders <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> church are to have a regular healing ministry:<br />
"Is any one <strong>of</strong> you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs<br />
<strong>of</strong> praise. Is any one <strong>of</strong> you sick? He should call <strong>the</strong> elders <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church to pray<br />
over him and anoint him with oil in <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord. And <strong>the</strong> prayer <strong>of</strong> faith<br />
will make <strong>the</strong> sick person well; <strong>the</strong> Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he<br />
will be forgiven. <strong>The</strong>refore confess your sins to each o<strong>the</strong>r and pray for each o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
so that you may be healed. <strong>The</strong> prayer <strong>of</strong> a righteous man is powerful and effective."<br />
(Jas. 5:13-16)<br />
<strong>The</strong> statement "If he has sinned, he will be forgiven" emphasizes <strong>the</strong> interrelatedness <strong>of</strong><br />
body and soul. For instance, Jesus healed <strong>the</strong> paralytic spiritually when He said, "Your sins are<br />
forgiven," and physically by saying, "Get up, take your mat and go home" (Mk. 2:5,9-11). Jesus<br />
heals soul and body to make man complete.<br />
Confession <strong>of</strong> sin and praying for one ano<strong>the</strong>r in faith are vital ingredients <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> healing<br />
ministry in <strong>the</strong> Christian community. When sin is removed, <strong>the</strong> power <strong>of</strong> prayer becomes evident<br />
in its effectiveness.<br />
As we have already seen, healing is not limited to <strong>the</strong> elders <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church as God has also<br />
gifted certain individuals within <strong>the</strong> body <strong>of</strong> Christ for such ministry. Thus <strong>the</strong> kingdom <strong>of</strong> Christ<br />
is meant to have miracles as a normative part <strong>of</strong> church life.