Power Gifts: Gift of Faith, Gifts of
Healings and the Gift of Working of Miracles
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| Source: Google Images |
This group of Gifts of the Spirit
almost always involves some type of action on the part of the person operating
in the gift to release the power of God into a situation. Some people refer to
them as Action Gifts or
the Doing Gifts.
As we've established earlier
on, each one of these Gifts of the Spirit are expressions of God himself in us
and through us.
With this as background, let’s now
delve into the Power Gifts.
The Gift of
Faith
Before we look at what the Gift of Faith is, we need to understand what FAITH is and as is our custom, we will
appeal to the authority of Scripture:
1 Now faith is the assurance (the
confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof
of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality
[faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. – Hebrews 11:1 AMP
That is essentially what FAITH IS, the assurance of the reality of what we hope for and the evidence
or proof of what we haven’t yet experienced with our five senses. The Word of God also makes it clear
that any attempts at pleasing God are absolutely futile without faith.
6 Without faith no one can please God.
Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who
sincerely try to find him. – Hebrews
11:6 GW
The good news is, every one of us has
been given “the measure of faith”. If you believe in Jesus as your Lord and
Savior, then you have faith.
3 For I say to every man that is among
you, through the grace given unto me, not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think, but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith. – Romans
12:3 KJ21 (emphasis added)
No wonder when the disciples asked
Jesus to increase their faith? He didn't say “OK sure, I’ll increase
your faith” no, He instead told them to use the faith they already had and even
if it’s as small as a mustard seed it will still work wonders. (Luke 17:5-6)
Jesus is the one who enables us to have faith. Doesn't the Word
rightly declare that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ?
(Romans 10:17)
One cannot “hear” the Word of Christ and not have faith. Think about it, Jesus
is called the Author, Pioneer, Perfecter and Finisher of Faith.
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the
pioneer and perfecter of faith. – Hebrews
12:2a NIV
Christ is the source of faith, apart
from Him there is no faith.
Just agreeing with the
Scriptures isn't faith, it’s a step towards it but if it just ends
there then it is simply mental assent and sadly many confuse that with faith. Mental assent is precisely
that, mental whereas faith is active, it is alive, that’s why it is always
accompanied by relevant corresponding actions.
Having faith in one’s faith is also
futile, our faith should always be based on what Christ has spoken to us – His
Word, not on our fasting or praying as good and desirable as those two
disciplines are. You see beloved,Timothy Keller put it this way:
“It is not the
strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves
you.”
You can have very strong faith in an
idol but that idol won’t save you because it can’t, regardless of how much you
believe in it...It’s that simple…really!
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| Source: Google Images |
This ties in perfectly well with the
Gospel, from John 3:16 all the way to Ephesians 2:8 – Jesus, the object of our faith is
the One who saves us. We are saved by the grace of God and that happens through
faith in Christ, not only that, the life that we now live, we live by His faith
(Galatians 2:20)
Now having established that every believer has faith, what then
is this Gift of Faith and how do we operate in it? I’m glad
you asked… OK you didn't…but I’d like to share some thoughts I
have about that.
>>> TO BE CONTINUED
>>> TO BE CONTINUED
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