Releasing the Power of God:

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by n david

What happened between Mark 16 and 1 Cor 12? What changed?

Why does Paul contradict what Jesus said?

Jesus: "These signs shall follow them that believe ..."
Paul: One of you gets word of knowledge, one of you gets faith, one gets healing...

So now it's eenie meenie minie moe, you get healing, you don't? Duck, duck, goose? You get healing, you get healing, you're the drummer?

I believe it is speaking of special gifts. One might seem to naturally flow with the Word of Knowledge based on what God has imparted to him. But it doesn't mean that the same individual can't speak and release healing into the lives of the sick and suffering. He might not be known as a healer... but he can call upon the gift of healing.

It's like the difference between one who is a prophet... and one who might walk in the prophetic for a season. Any of us might walk in the prophetic for a season... but it doesn't make us prophets. An anointed minister known for words of knowledge may not be a healer... but he may occasionally call upon God and release the power to heal through the gift of healing.

[n david]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Nothing changed from Mark to Corinthians. Paul does not contradict Jesus. There is no "gift of drumming."

If 1 Cor is to be believed, something indeed changed.

Mark 16 is wide open to all who believe.

1 Cor is narrowed down to only a select few whom God chooses. No more is it all who believe.

[houston]

because they were approaching cessationism...
things were slowing down

[houston]

Jk

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Nothing changed from Mark to Corinthians. Paul does not contradict Jesus. There is no "gift of drumming."

Gift of drumming.

You mean like the little drummer boy?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Gift of drumming.

You mean like the little drummer boy?

pa rum pum pum pum

[votivesoul]

Paul wrote about "measure" in 2 Corinthians, and it seems to be that his point is, he believed it proper and important to make sure one didn't go boasting about things he hasn't done, or been allowed/used by God, to do.

Jesus said "All authority in heaven and earth" had been given to Him. And while His authority and power is operative in the Body of Christ, it is not individually given out in full capacity, else that one lucky soul then would have all authority in heaven and earth.

I don't think it prudent to assume too much about ourselves or the fact that we have the Holy Spirit, in terms of whether or not anything we desire or want God to do is just going to happen because we have the truth, or etc. Jesus explained that we must first abide in Him, then we can ask. To abide is to live and dwell, and to do so doesn't mean we carve out of Christ a life we hope to have, but rather, we live the life He chooses to give us. Personally, I can't ever recall Him asking my permission to do anything.

Also, there is a difference between screwing up our faces and desperately wanting a thing from God and convincing ourselves we believe, and knowing whether or not God is already predisposed to giving us that thing and all we have to do is wait for Him to do it, even without us asking. Every time I knew God was going to do something, or was in the process of doing something, all I had to do was say "God is going to..." and He would do it, not because I said so, or even that I petitioned. Rather, in those instances, He allowed me to be especially in tune with His desires and foreknowledge.

Faith is not "believe harder". It's trust and the outward reflection that trust generates in everyday life.

When the Acts of the Apostles are looked at carefully, conversions far outweigh healings or other instances of miraculous events, by the thousands.

If we all began a serious tally of the miracles, healings, deliverances, and other instances of charismata that we have personally experienced, or personally witnessed firsthand, and then also other credible stories, I think we'd be heavily surprised by just how often God does in fact do these things.

But if we were to take that number and compare to the number of conversions we've all seen and know about, we'd see the same pattern as Acts gives us.

My point is, these kinds of discussions don't seem to have ever been conducted amongst the believers in 1st century Judea and the surrounding Mediterranean region. We don't have a record, at least, as far as I know. These things weren't the concern. These things were simply the natural outgrowth of what eternal life and salvation in Christ looked like.

So don't be dismayed, or turn toward aberrant practices to try and wield the power of God out of some sense of desperation or presumed need. God is healing everyone He wants to, performing as many miracles as He wants to, and is doing whatever He has decided He is going to do, after the counsel of His own will.

If He permits you an opportunity to be a part of that, awesome. It's an amazing thing. If He seemingly takes that away, don't count it against yourself like He's punishing you personally.

The promises of God in Christ Jesus are yes and amen. When God says "yes" to our prayers, never think your prayers twisted His arm into giving you anything. And when God says "no", never think your prayers are useless and He's not interested. Rather, be accepting of whatever is in His hand when He holds it out to you.

There might not be anything in it, but an invitation to put your hand in His and walk awhile with Him in the cool of the day, in paradise.

[Aquila]

Jesus gave His disciples authority over specific things. In Matthew 10:7-9 those things are:

- the healing of the sick
- cleansing of the lepers
- the raising of the dead
- the casting out of demons

These disciples went forth KNOWING that it was the Lord's will that they exercise power and authority in these areas. They didn't go forth pleading and begging Jesus to answer their prayers in these areas. Nor did they go forth passively assuming that God would just do it for them. They went forth knowing that they were indeed empowered, equipped, and commissioned to do these things. They were not thinking too highly of themselves. Nor were they thinking that in some way they were twisting God's arm to move on their behalf. They were COMISSIONED to do these things. They were ordered to use the power of God in these areas.

In Luke 10:19 Jesus focuses in on the seventy and gives them supernatural power and authority to wage spiritual warfare against evil spirits. We read:

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Here, we see Jesus granting power in specific areas. These are:

- Power to tread on serpents and scorpions (evil spirits)
- Power to break curses, hexes, generational curses, evil constructs, deceptions, etc. of the enemy
- Powerful protection from all spiritual attack and opposition.

Remember, the seventy were amazed that they were granted such authority and power:

Luke 10:17
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

While the greatest thing is to rejoice over being saved, this illustrates that they did indeed have the power to do the things Jesus specifically asked them to do. They didn't go out begging for Him to heal or remove a demon, they spoke healing and cast out the devil themselves.

This is power granted to the believer to use and employ. We don't have to beg that God banish demons that are behind sickness, oppression, curses, deceptions, demonic plots, or possession. We have been given this authority to release the power to uproot, bind, and cast out all evil spirits and over all the power of the enemy.

When a soldier is issued a weapon and deployed for war, that soldier has the orders to use that weapon within the parameters given to accomplish the mission. We are like soldiers. We have been issued authority and power through the Holy Spirit to release the power of God within the parameters of the mission. As long as we release the power to accomplish what is within the parameters of the mission, we can be assured that the power will yield the results our Lord said it would. In Mark 16 Jesus clearly explains what is to be expected in the wake of believers:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Here we see that the signs following true believers are:

- Casting out devils.
- Speaking in new tongues.
- Uprooting spiritual strongholds (taking up serpents, treading on scorpions).
- Divine protection from harm.
- The healing of the sick.

We shouldn't question if we have the power and authority to do that which is expected of us by God. I wonder, is it possible that on occasions God heals in response to prayer, but is disappointed that the body of Christ He empowered didn't use the power granted to heal the sick? Might our rejoicing over His healing of someone within our number be an indictment against us at some point? Might God turn in the Judgment and ask, "Why didn't YOU heal them my children? I called and empowered YOU to do it."

Regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians 12 we see spiritual gifts given by God to individuals as He desires. We know that the manifestation of the Spirit in these gifts is given to every believer that they might profit and serve the body (I Corinthians 12:7). Everyone has at least one of these gifts imparted to them. These gifts can be divided into three categories:

Speaking Gifts:
- Prophesy
- Tongues
- Interpretation of tongues

Revelatory Gifts:
- Word of Knowledge
- Word of Wisdom
- Discernment of Spirits

Power Gifts:
- Gift of Faith
- Gifts of Healing
- Miracles

While no one has all of these gifts imparted to them at any one given time, these gifts are readily available to all as God chooses and as the situation may require. We know that Peter had the gift of healing, but Peter also performed miracles, and received visionary words of knowledge at times. We know that Paul prophesied, but he also discerned spirits as necessary. One may have a gift or a specific category of gifts in which they flow naturally... but that doesn't rule out their being able to operate in the other gifts in a given circumstance.

When Jesus said that all power and authority was given unto Him, He was clearly declaring that He now has all power and authority. Therefore, He has all right and authority to grant power and spiritual authority as He desires. To say that Jesus has all power and authority, therefore we shouldn't concern ourselves with walking in the power and authority given unto us is only to tell half the story. Jesus received all power and authority... and as a result, it is He who has granted power and authority until His church.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

CONTINUED...

Up until this point in this thread I've not shared the areas of spiritual gifting I've operated in. Frankly, because I didn't want to boast, because I'm a nobody. It is Jesus who is everything. Nonetheless, I wish to share what areas of gifting I've been used in so that none might assume that I'm talking about spiritual gifts while having never been used in them.

The Gifts of the Spirit that I find flowing most freely in my walk with God have been Prophesy, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, Discernment of Spirits, and miracles (namely, casting out devils). These are rarely in operation all at the same time. However, they often work in clustered combinations. For example, I might receive a Word of Knowledge followed by a Word of Wisdom when ministering to an individual. Sometimes these come as "impressions", phrases to be said, or even "snap shots". At times, I've spoken in Tongues and the gift of Interpretation come over me, and I end up prophesying. When one gets a feel for the gifts, they more and more become less separated and appear to operate together in a complimentary fashion. And so they become less separate and become more of a single source to pull upon or that overwhelms, given the circumstance. I can feel their presence when I'm "plugged in", even if I do not feel compelled to use them. I've also felt their presence and not been able to connect to operate the gift. Not sure why, I'm still praying and studying that one. I firmly believe that any and every believer can be used in the gifts freely if they simply step out in faith. They are not strange or spooky. They should be the norm among a Spirit filled body. The one gifted must realize that they are nothing. I am nothing. It is God who is glorified in us, in our ministries, and in our exploits as we go forth in His name.

I've never been actively used in gifts of healing. Although, a man was healed from chronic back pain during one of my sermons back in 2006 or 2007. The sermon was, "When God Seems Cruel". He had been struggling with a number of health problems but one of the major one's was his back pain. It nearly immobilized him. He had prayed for healing time and time again and had been told that perhaps it just wasn't God's will to heal him. For a little over a year the man couldn't grasp why God would want him to endure such pain and as a result, he began to blame God for the troubles in his life such as not being able to work, not being able to be a husband, and not being able to volunteer to be used in the Kingdom. During the sermon he said that I had made a point (God isn't cruel, it is life that is cruel, and as a result we all suffer from powerful blows that leave us broken wondering why) and it struck home. He went to raise his hands and there was no pain. He began rejoicing and praising God as I was preaching and some stood with him. I had no idea what was going on as I continued to plow forward in the sermon. It was after the altar call that he approached me and testified as to what God had done for him the second he ceased to blame God. I was beside myself. I had no idea he was healed in the pews. Although all his health problems weren't healed, the back pain was gone and it made all the difference. I saw him last year and he was still pain free. To God be all the glory!

I've also never been used in the Gift of Faith. In all honesty, since I've never experienced this gift, I'm not even entirely sure what it is exactly. I've always had the impression that it is a supernatural impartation of faith that defies all logic in a given, seemingly hopeless, situation or circumstance. I've heard of brothers and sisters who faced such tragedy I just couldn't see how they got back up on their feet and praised God in the midst of the storm. Things that I fear would rock my faith beyond recovery. Yet, for some reason, God in His infinite mercy blessed them with the Gift of Faith to not only make it through the trial... but to share and impart a measure of that faith with others who find themselves faced with overwhelming circumstances. I can only be seated and stare in awe when I see this gift of the Spirit in operation. It's the kind of empowerment that allows one to stare death in the face and say, "Whatever man... Jesus is still worthy."

I've needed healing in my mind and body and yet for some reason it has yet to manifest. And at times, I've faced some disappointments that left me shaken and I've had to tie a knot in the rope and just hang on for dear life. I'm no superhero. In fact, I'm just as imperfect as the next guy. Sometimes more so.

In a previous thread the subject came up about why there are times when we don't see people healed. That's when I began digging back into a study I started late last year on the power of God. I'm going to unleash the power and declare my healing in the name of Jesus. If that doesn't work, like Paul, I'll accept that God's grace is sufficient and that His strength is made perfect in my weakness, and so I will glory in my infirmities, testifying that if God can use a broken and imperfect man like me... certainly He can use you and others who have so much more to offer.

I also have a circumstance that has been very challenging for my family. I went to get some fresh air on the porch one morning at about 5 am. I hadn't slept because worry was keeping me awake. As I sat on the porch, I decided to pray and release the power of God into my situation in the name of Jesus. So far, the results have been absolutely amazing. It's not finished working the work it was released to do, so I'll share my testimony with you when the dust settles.

There is both power and authority available to us in Christ. Don't be afraid to step out and use the power that Christ purchased for us at Calvary. Everything you need, you already have it. It's right there in your tongue. Pray the prayer of faith and release the power of God through speaking words of faith and power and watch as the power of God begins to go to work in your circumstance and in the lives of the people you love.

May God bless and keep you and yours.