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“Now about spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be
ignorant.”
Jesus said, “You
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I
have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on
bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide],
so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I
AM], He may give it to you”. [John 15:16 (AMP)]
How does this happen- How are we chosen and appointed - ‘planted’:
Essentially the Word is ‘sown on good soil [that is sown into the heart], this is he who
hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it [‘ grasping and comprehending it = Word =
Jesus’ is a gift of God];
he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as
much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.
Matthew 13:23 (AMP)
What happens after ‘comprehension’ – the ‘oh my goodness,
there is a good God and it’s Jesus’ moment?
Romans 10:9-10 (AMP)
9 Because if you acknowledge and
confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in
your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart believes
(adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified
(declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth
confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely faith) and
confirms salvation.
Salvation is the experience where fear leaves us, and peace
and confidence takes its place. We are saved from fear [‘the devil’] and
spiritual death; this happens just ‘once’ thereafter we have to ‘work
salvation out’ – salvation then appears, is revealed to us, moment by
moment; we even have ‘new’ salvation like experiences in times of great trouble
– as I did, this is all part of the process of becoming more God-like.
Revelation 12:11
(AMP)
11 And they have
overcome (conquered) [the accuser] by means of the blood of the Lamb
and by the utterance of their testimony, [the confession of their lips]…
Again speaking the Word is the
motive creative force, confirming an enabling, changing our natural
state:
John 3:5 (AMP)
5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most
solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot [ever] enter the kingdom
of God
Being ‘born of water’ is the rite of
Baptism, this rite symbolizes our repenting from sin; - i.e. - accepting
we screwed up; confessing that we are both sorry and that we don’t intend
to do those things again, -- but being born of the spirit…
1 Corinthians 12:3 (AMP)
3 Therefore I want you to understand
that no one speaking under the power and influence of the [Holy] Spirit
of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed! And no one can [really] say, Jesus
is [my] Lord, except by and under the power and influence of the Holy
Spirit.
It’s the Holy Spirit that both begins and enables this whole
process; as Paul explains;
Titus 3:5-6 (AMP)
5 [God] saved us, not because of any
works of righteousness that we had done, [Salvation is a gift of God] but
because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath - baptism] of
the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 Which He poured out [so] richly upon
us through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Jesus cleanses us from the sins that
separate us, we that are imperfect - from the perfect God, and we are by
His Spirit, regenerated/renewed/recreated - our spirit is born again
Our first spiritual birth was at
creation as a vital spirit, our second birth is at salvation when we are
regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit, and so we can enjoy power
from on high.
As Jesus said: “And behold, I will
send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city
[Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.
Luke 24:49 (AMP)” – Remember Blind Bart threw off his beggar’s robes?
So it is we are clothed with Salvation and Power.
Power to bear fruit – that’s our purpose to prosper and to
be in good health; in spirit, soul/mind/heart and body – to be a fruitful
tree; this fruit is twofold;
First comes Galatians
5:22-25 (AMP)
22 …the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the
work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness),
peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence),
faithfulness,
23 Gentleness (meekness, humility),
self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things
there is no law
And following as a consequence comes ‘power’ plain and
simple:
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (AMP)
1 NOW ABOUT the spiritual gifts (the
special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you
to be misinformed…
8 To
one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit:[the power to speak] a
message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of
knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit;
9 To another [wonder-working] faith
by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing
by the one Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles,
to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine
will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish
[spirits] between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones],
to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the
ability to interpret [such] tongues.
11 All these [gifts, achievements,
abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy]
Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He
chooses.
Paul tells us he wishes everyone would speak in tongues,
and that we should earnestly desire the other - greater gifts;
these greater gifts through faith arrive on need by need basis – to all
believers with faith who expect them!
How does this all
happen?
Acts 10:44
(AMP)
44 While Peter was still speaking
these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the
message.
The Word Jesus makes it happen: “So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and
what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the
lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). Romans 10:17 (AMP)”
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God” – so
through ‘Church’ or better still by speaking the Word, confessing the
Word with our own lips and hearing ourselves do so, we bring about
creatively spiritual change.
So [to conclude], earnestly desire
and set your hearts on prophesying (on being inspired to preach and teach
and to interpret God’s will and purpose), and do not forbid or hinder
speaking in [unknown] tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:39 (AMP)
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