I heard someone introduce himself as a great minister of
Christ for the reason that he had raised someone from the dead. I am sure you
have also heard someone supposedly attributing his closeness to God by miracles
or signs administered through him or her. They say, “I healed someone cancer…I
cast out an evil spirit…. I stopped rain”. And the listeners go woow, now they
can listen to every word from this person as gospel truth without critiquing!
All these (gifts) are inspired by one and the same Spirit,
who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (1 Corinthians 12:11, RSV)
Paul desiring that we should not be ignorant of the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, went on to expound their purpose to the body of Christ in 1
Corinthians 12; that is edification. He also helps us understand that the gifts
are varied and dependent just like the body is made up of different parts which
cannot live independently. Some were gifted to heal, to preach, to prophesy, to
be apostles, to be workers of miracle and so forth.
Isn’t it awkward that what Christians are mostly proud of is
their gifts? Oooh, I can speak in tongues, I can preach a sermon, I am an
apostle, I am a miracle worker. It is so unfortunate that this gifts become a
benchmark against which Christians compare others to! Yet they are merely
gifts! They are given by God through the Holy Spirit as He wills. Notice it is
not as to how worthy or qualified we are. He sovereignly determines this!
Therefore we are recipients of this gifts by the grace of God (the unmerited
favor of God).
Jesus had already seen this confusion in His own disciples.
He sent the 72 to preach with all power, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast
out demons and perform all miracles. When they came back, they returned with
joy for the reason that demons were subject to them. But Jesus aligned them to
the bigger picture!
Then the
seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to
us in Your name." (Luke 10:17, NKJV)
And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning
from heaven
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall
by any means hurt you.
"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits
are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in
heaven."
My friends, in as much as the gifts are necessary, let me
remind you that God is also seeking that we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22 NKJV)
It is the fruit of that seals the final conclusion on the nature of a tree. A tree is an apple tree because it bears apple fruit. It is impossible that an apple fruit be found on a mangoe tree! In other words, a mangoe tree does not have any ability to bring forth any other fruit apart after it's own nature.
Jesus Christ spoke about this subject in Mathew 7: 15 - 20:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (NIV)
Notice He did not say, by their miracles you will recognize them. My brothers and sisters, I feel indebted to remind you that God is very interested in our character formation. That we may be transformed in our thoughts, attitudes and consequently actions to bear the image and character of Jesus Christ. Then we may say that our nature is truly like His nature and through the Holy Spirit we can only bring forth love, joy peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Is God interested in the song we sing or the heart that sings the song? Is he delighted by your offering or the attitude of the heart that gives the offering?
Finally brethren, I need to emphasis that both gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit are very important. Paul wrote to Timothy and told him,
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4: 14, NIV)
He also wrote to the church in Corinthians, "Now eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:31).
Are you gifted, remember you must bear fruit. Are you full of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, even more desire the greater gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Shalom.
