The Apostle Paul wrote often about the “spiritual gifts”—manifestations of God’s power that He brings through His Holy Spirit. We know that the spiritual gifts are present, to some degree, in His Church today. But certain of the most profound and dynamic spiritual gifts—dramatic healings, signs from heaven, casting out demons, speaking in languages we have not learned—have not been poured out on God’s Church in great abundance since the first century after Christ.
Christ promised that after His departure, the Apostles and His Church would receive “power” when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8). Peter made it clear that the Holy Spirit would come only after repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38). In essence, this means that we must be committed to changing ourselves—conforming ourselves to God’s will—before the Father is willing to put His Holy Spirit in us to help us bring about that change. Each one of us has been given, or will be given, the opportunity to receive the amazing gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
God also chooses to give additional spiritual gifts as it pleases Him and according to His will (Romans 12:6–8). Furthermore, God actually commands us to wholeheartedly desire and pray for the “best” spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28–31). And we must never forget Paul’s powerful reminder, that the love of Christ must underpin these spiritual gifts. We may wield powerful spiritual gifts—working miracles, performing healings and speaking foreign languages—but if we do not have love for each other and for all human beings, the spiritual gifts are no better than noise and are good for nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1–3)! Christ noted that our love for each other is an indicator of our true discipleship (John 13:35). If God is going to pour out His spiritual gifts on His Church, His love in us must be evident to all, and must be the driving force behind the use of His spiritual gifts. Love is the foundation for all of the other spiritual gifts that God will choose to display through us.
We want to see more healings in the Church. We want to see the Gospel preached more powerfully than ever before. God can and will grant His Church the gifts that will make this happen. Dr. Meredith repeatedly encourages all of us to earnestly cry out to God for more spiritual gifts for the Church, so that we can be used more powerfully to do His end-time Work. We pray for these gifts. We beseech God in fasting. And we patiently trust that God’s timing will be perfect when He pours them out en masse on His Church.
But, what will happen if God starts pouring out His spiritual gifts through members of His Church tomorrow? Will we all be ready? Will we be prepared and have the faith to face the persecution, the media attention and the questions that will most certainly come with such an amazing development? What are you doing personally, right now, to ensure that you are prepared for the time when God chooses to display His divine power so visibly to the whole world through His servants? What should all of us be doing, young and old, so that we are prepared to be God’s spiritual instruments—tools whom He can use—when He pours out these gifts on His Church en masse? And ultimately, what are God’s expectations for each of us in regard to preparing for the spiritual gifts?
As end-time events move into “high gear,” we have the potential either to become powerful instruments in God’s hands, or to fall away and potentially hamper the fulfillment of God’s will for His Church (Romans 6:13). A tremendous responsibility comes with the gifts of the Holy Spirit—so, what should we be doing now to prepare to receive these gifts?
The Gifts and God’s Expectations
Why must we desire the spiritual gifts? Why did God not just say, “My grace is sufficient. Be thankful for what you already have”? God has a great plan for mankind—a plan in which He has called us to participate. In order to complete His plan, He requires the good news or Gospel of His coming Kingdom to be preached to the entire world as a witness (Matthew 24:14). And in order for His Church to preach the Gospel effectively, powerfully, and in the most far-reaching way, God directed that the “accompanying signs” would follow His Church (Matthew 10:5–8; Mark 16:17–18).
God will not just give His spiritual gifts to anyone or without any reason. With God’s spiritual gifts come important requirements (Luke 12:48). The Parable of the Talents makes it clear that when God gives gifts He does expect something in return (Matthew 25:14–30).
As each of us grows and overcomes—as we strive to put on more of the mind of Christ, as we earnestly desire the best gifts—we need to clearly understand what God’s expectations are for us when He gives us His gifts in abundance. Then we can properly prepare for them!
God Expects Faith and Boldness
A godly atmosphere of faith puts a demand not only on those to whom God gives His gifts, but also on those who receive their benefits. What does God expect? Imagine that you had a severe health condition, which doctors had diagnosed as terminal. Because of it, the doctors told you to call your family together for the last time, as they expected you to die very soon. They said there was nothing more you can do, and you called your minister to ask for an anointing even as your health situation looked more bleak than ever before.
Now, imagine that you were suddenly healed—and all traces of the previous terminal illness were gone! The doctors and their equipment could not explain what happened—it was clearly a miracle! If this happened to you, how would you respond to questions from your doctor and the hospital staff? Would you run and hide? Would you try to push people away and deflect their questions with vague and ambiguous answers? Would you just ignore their questions?
Or would you be prepared to be a light, and to let people really know why you were healed—and explain who was behind the healing? Individual brethren do have this happen from time to time. But just try to imagine how the attention—and the pressure—would be magnified if these miracles began to happen, again and again, to thousands of Living Church of God members and their families all around the globe! How would you react if the media became involved? Would you be willing and able to “bear your Christian cross” and allow God to use you as a witness for His truth (Matthew 16:24)? Or would you deny Christ and His power because you feel shy and do not want to be in the “spotlight?”
God warned: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10). Christ even asked, “Will the Son of Man find faith when He returns?” (Luke 18:8). Christ further admonished that we should not fear human beings who might persecute us, but rather should be sure not to deny Christ and His power (Matthew 10:19–33).
The Apostles showed us a powerful example of the type of faith and boldness that God expects when He powerfully pours out His spiritual gifts. After the Apostle Peter gave a profound sermon on the first Pentecost after Christ’s death, he and the Apostle John were thrown into prison and threatened, probably with the prospect of death, if they did not stop preaching in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:18–21). Upon their release from prison, what was their response when reunited with the rest of the disciples? Did they take the Church “underground” in order to avoid further persecution? Did they change the focus of the Church and omit “preaching of the Gospel” in favor of the “safer” option of just “feeding the flock” or “preparing the bride”? No! They prayed for increased faith and boldness to do the will of God and further His Work. They even prayed for more spiritual gifts (Acts 4:23–31)! They were not afraid! They were excited to fulfill the commission of Christ—to preach the Gospel to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14).
God states that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). When God begins pouring out His most dramatic gifts on His Church en masse, will we also have the love for our fellow human beings that will be needed to motivate us to press on with the Work? How much do we love the people of the world and want to share God’s truth with them? How much do we love God and His purpose and want to do His will? How much do we love the plan of God and have faith in our Father to bring it about? God promises that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can move a mountain, if it is His will (Matthew 17:20). Christ also illustrated the importance of prayer and fasting in order to develop the faith needed to powerfully use the spiritual gifts (Mark 9:27–29). Using God’s spiritual gifts takes godly faith and boldness. What are you doing now to build those traits in your character?
God Expects Humility
When God blesses His Church with abundant spiritual gifts, each of us must have the humility to fully acknowledge His backing of those gifts. Paul illustrated that humility is a key trait that must accompany the spiritual gifts (Romans 12:3–8). James also pointed out the obvious fact that “every good and perfect gift is from above”—it is God’s gift and not something that is humanly derived (James 1:16–17). Peter, when powerfully used by God, made sure to place the proper focus back on Him (Acts 3:11–13). Both Christ (Matthew 7:15–20) and Paul (Galatians 5:16–26) taught that true Christians will be known by their godly fruits, which include meekness and humility. God will not grant His people abundant spiritual gifts until and unless they are humble enough to handle them. He will not let us “take the credit” for His abundant power. We must be ready and able to handle the power of miracles performed through us—or for us—and readily point any and all observers immediately back to God. We must also make sure to put the focus of any outpouring of spiritual gifts, including healing, on God and the power of His Holy Spirit. We must be sure not to make the mistake of giving credit for true healing to a doctor, practitioner, herbal remedy, or therapy—because every good and perfect gift is from God and God alone (James 1:16–17)!
The Gifts and the Gospel Go Hand in Hand
But why will the spiritual gifts come in abundance, and what is one reason they may not be here in great measure yet? The powerful truth is that spiritual gifts facilitate the preaching of the Gospel. Stated differently, with spiritual gifts comes God’s expectation of the preaching of the Gospel. We see this truth demonstrated in numerous passages of Scripture.
One example occurred on the Feast of Pentecost in 31AD. During this event, God used the sound of a rushing mighty wind, flames of fire dancing on the heads of the disciples, and the gift of tongues (the ability to speak in foreign languages) to draw the attention of the masses to the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostle Peter (Acts 2:1–39). Here we see that the dramatic combination of spiritual gifts augmenting the powerful preaching of the Gospel resulted in the baptism of 3,000 people (vv. 40–47).
Another poignant example occurred shortly after the baptism of the 3,000. Peter and John met a man who had been lame from birth—for 40 years (Acts 4:22). After viewing the miraculous healing of this man, known widely for his lifetime paralysis, a crowd of 5,000 people was then ready to listen to the Apostle Peter’s sermon about repentance and the Kingdom of God (Acts 3:1–26; 4:1–4). Additionally, this powerful miracle resulted in an audience with the Sanhedrin and the opportunity for Peter and John to preach the Gospel to these powerful religious figures (vv. 5–22). God used this powerful sign to pave the way for the preaching of the Gospel to many people, including the Jewish leaders.
During Christ’s ministry, He assembled 70 of His disciples and commanded them to preach the Gospel with accompanying signs (Matthew 10:6–8). Christ Himself set the example of using such signs to draw attention to the Truth of God and to prove who He was. When Christ performed the powerful miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead after four days in the tomb, many Jews believed on Him and the miracle was undeniable, even to the Pharisees (see John 11).
God uses dramatic miracles like healings for two important reasons. First, He uses them to facilitate the preaching of the Gospel by drawing the attention of the audience to His message. Second, God uses the “accompanying signs” or gifts to “confirm” the legitimacy of the Gospel being preached (Mark 16:20).
One of God’s expectations for us is that as He distributes His spiritual gifts, He expects us to be “ready to give an answer” to those who ask the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15). When God pours out His gifts on us in abundance, He will expect us to have the boldness and faith to acknowledge His powerful intervention. He will expect us to have the humility to always and immediately direct people to Him. And, He will also want us to be prepared to “teach” about Him and His way, as people ask questions (Matthew 10:7). The question is, when God chooses to pour out His spiritual gifts on you and His Church, will you be “ready” to teach or answer the questions that are asked? Will you be ready to “bear your cross” and live up to God’s expectation, or will you expect someone else to “stand in the gap”?
Jesus Christ promised, when He departed from the earth almost 2,000 years ago, that greater signs than the ones He Himself performed, would be possible through the power of His Holy Spirit (John 14:12). With the Holy Spirit comes a command to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts. God uses the spiritual gifts to draw attention to and confirm the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom. God prophesied through Joel and again through Peter, that the spiritual gifts would be poured out during the “last days”—before the return of Christ (Acts 2:17–21; Joel 2:28–32). Christ wants us (as individuals and as His Church) to experience and to use His spiritual gifts. But in order for these gifts to arrive in abundance, God has a few important expectations for us:
- We must have the faith and boldness to handle the consequences of the gifts being poured out.
- We must have the humility to handle the gifts, and always to point back to the Giver of those gifts.
- We must be ready to preach the Gospel and share God’s Truth when the gifts draw attention to us and to God’s Church.
- Ultimately, we must have the love of Christ in us, which will motivate us to share God’s awesome Truth with a desperate world.
God gives us the tremendous blessing of His Holy Spirit—through which He can give us many great gifts. But are we truly ready to become more effective tools in His hands? Are we preparing in every way? Remember, prayer and fasting are key to this preparation (Matthew 17:21). We must all rise to the occasion! We must work hard to prepare for the spiritual gifts that God wants to pour out on us and on His Church.
As we grow in faith, boldness and humility, and as we spend time studying and meditating on the word of God—so we can be ready with an answer when the questions come—we will demonstrate to God that we as Christians are wholeheartedly preparing to receive His spiritual gifts. God’s spiritual gifts are a tremendous opportunity for His people, and bring with them a tremendous responsibility. We must be preparing so that we are ready for them. How earnestly are you preparing for God’s spiritual gifts?