The Gifts
October 5th, 2006 by Carl Thomas.This is not going to be a theological post. I am not going to debate anyone. If you disagree, that’s fine. Move on.
I have received an array of correspondence from people who happen to stumble upon this blog who come to say the same thing,
I want to see the power of God in my ministry.
I have good news for you, God wants the same. But where do you start? The truth is, there are two ways to catch a log on fire.
- You can use friction till it smolders and then feed the smoldering embers with oxygen till it spreads to the whole log.
- Throw the log on an existing fire.
So the easiest way to see the gifts in operation in your life is to get around people who have Holy Ghost activity in their lives. Pray with them, minister with them, study the Word with them. There is a giga-church in my area that is lead by a man who is a strong Bible teacher and evangelist. Guess what every leader in the church is? This is a spiritual law. Trust me, it works.
If there is nobody in your circle of influence that functions in these areas I have great news! You are the beginning of a revival! Here is what you do. Get two or three people who are as hungry as you and you begin an ongoing prayer meeting. When I was hungry for the gifts, this is what I did. I had a couple people and I would say, “We are going to pray until something happens!” And we did.
Sometimes someone would get a vision, or someone would get a song they would sing or someone would get a verse from the Bible that was for us but we would pray until something happened. You should do the same. Whether you are called to take care of the little ones, teach the Word, or heal the sick, you will do it better with the power of the Holy Spirit working through your ministry.
There is no excuse for a powerless Christian.
Possibly Related Posts
- Second Mission Baptism - with 0 comments
- What They Say - with 0 comments
- A New Mission Blogger - with 0 comments
Great advice Carl! I agree with you wholeheartedly: God will feed the hungry. If you have a hunger for His power to flow through you to others then He will satisfy it if you seek Him about it. Everything flows from relationship with the person of Holy Spirit, so take time to develop that relationship.
If I may offer something else? For anybody that doesn’t have someone who can coach and mentor them in the power of the Spirit, it can be difficult to trust what the Spirit starts to stir within you as you start to seek Him. You need a frame of reference, a launch-pad from which to leap. Obviously, the best frame of reference possible is Scripture and Holy Spirit will illuminate it for you. But I think it can also be very helpful to find some good books by trustworthy authors. Maybe you’d like to post-up a short-list of good authors / good books based upon your own experiences? (Sadly there’s some flannel out there, so it’s good to have first-hand recommendations.)
I can think of a number of authors who have coached me through reading their books, but if there is to be one book to start from then most people I know very highly recommend “When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide To A Life Of Miracles” by Bill Johnson (ISBN 0768429528). Somehow I managed to miss this book myself and so I’ve just recently got myself a copy and I’m really looking forward to diving into it. There’s a companion 40 day devotional that goes with it too.
That’s a right-on amen! I like the analogy of throwing the log on the fire. You have convicted me to get off of my d.b. (dead b-tt) and find a few guys to help me to stay on track praying for gifts.
The power of the Holy Spirit is a God-approved, time-tested integral part of ministry. Don’t leave home without Him!
George Barna (Iknow a lot of craziness surrounds him these days)
stated recently as long as the church settles for only the teaching ministry, the church is going to continue to flounder…(recent Ministries Today)
We need sound Biblical teaching! But we also MUST have the power of the Holy Ghost to back up what we are teaching, with signs and wonders following!
Hi Carl, great post! I couldn’t agree more with you. Been looking for a few burning logs myself!
I also appreciate Bill Johnson’s teaching on honour that releases life. By saying : honour your father and mother -that your days may be long …. tells us that by honouring them, we get what they have. Pllying this to ministries and other brethren Bill Johson teaches and practices actually honouring other ministries, honouring your larticular Christian heritage, etc tec in order to tap into what they have/had.
Bless you Bro. and keep on keeping on!
John - Gibraltar.