toldailytopic: Spiritual Gifts. Do they still exist today?

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for September 10th, 2010 12:14 PM

toldailytopic: Spiritual Gifts. Do they still exist today?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

 

[Lon]

I'm not exactly cessational but I'm skeptical and guarded with any kind of 'yes.'

For instance, I don't remember anybody since the apostles saying "Money I don't have, but rise and walk."
Also, We haven't added anything to our scriptures in over 2000 years, so it would follow that there haven't been Apostles/prophets for awhile either. Does God still speak to us? Yes. Does God still heal? Yes. Do people have the gifts of prophecy and healing? I don't know but back to my first sentence.

 

[nicholsmom]

I'm not exactly cessational but I'm skeptical and guarded with any kind of 'yes.'

For instance, I don't remember anybody since the apostles saying "Money I don't have, but rise and walk."
Also, We haven't added anything to our scriptures in over 2000 years, so it would follow that there haven't been Apostles/prophets for awhile either. Does God still speak to us? Yes. Does God still heal? Yes. Do people have the gifts of prophecy and healing? I don't know but back to my first sentence.

This sounds reasonable to me :up:

I have the gift of gab; does that count?

 

[Ktoyou]

The gift of Grace, the Holy Spirit. What more do we need?

 

[MaryContrary]

The gift of Grace, the Holy Spirit. What more do we need?

:thumb:

 

[The Berean]

I guess my first question is what is the definition of "spiritual gifts"? In the context of what Knight is probably asking, "spiritual gifts" probably refers to "power" and "sign" gifts, speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing. I like to call theses the "in-your-face" gifts. When the Apostles exhibited these gifts there as no doubt something supernatural was going on, thus it was in-your-face. :chuckle:.

In October 1998, on a Wednesday night, I was invited to a church by a friend. This was before I became a Christian. At the end of the service the pastor asked us to form small groups and pray for each other. A man named "Mike" was sitting right in front of me. He turned around ans looked right at me. He didn't ask me my name. He asked me a question. "Do you know Jesus Christ?" I thought that was such a odd question. I responded, "No, I do not". Mike then asked me, 'Do you I wanted to?" I think I said something like, "I'm not sure.". Mike then asked me if he could pray for me. So he and my friend and a few others laid hands on me and prayed for me. To be honest nothing really happened to me at that moment. However, I was so curious about who Jesus Christ really was, I continued to come to this church and for the first time in me life I really read the Bible for myself. About four months later I committed my life to Jesus Christ, thus my Christian life began.

Mike later told me what happened that day. His mother had just passed away. That very day that he prayed for me he had buried his mother. After the funeral he went home to spend some time alone and grieve. He wasn't planning on coming to church that night. But after he spent some time praying at home he said God "spoke" to him. According to Mike God "told" him he needed to go church that evening because he need to meet a young man. Mike told me that God said "Mike you need to go to church tonight. There will be a young man there who doesn't know Me but he wants to". So Mike got up and went to church. I was that young man Mike was supposed to meet. I never asked Mike how exactly God "spoke" to him. Did God give Mike a revelation?

 

[Nang]

The gift of Grace, the Holy Spirit. What more do we need?

Amen, Ktoyou!

Plus, we have a completed canon of Holy Scripture, from which we are commanded to not add nor subtract.


Nang
(A cessationist)

 

[Nang]

I guess my first question is what is the definition of "spiritual gifts"? In the context of what Knight is probably asking "spiritual gifts" probably refers to "power" and "sign" gifts, speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing. I like to call theses the "in-your-face" gifts. When the Apostles exhibited these gifts there as no doubt something supernatural was going on, thus it was in-your-face. :chuckle.

In October 1998, on a Wednesday night, I was invited to a church by a friend. This was before I became a Christian. At the end of the service the pastor asked us to form small groups and pray for each other. A man named "Mike" was sitting right in front of me. He turned around ans looked right at me. He didn't ask me my name. He asked me a question. "Do you know Jesus Christ?" I thought that was such a odd question. I responded, "No, I do not". Mike then asked me, 'Do you I wanted to?" I think I said something like, "I'm not sure.". Mike then asked me if he could pray for me. So he and my friend and a few others laid hands on me and prayed for me. To be honest nothing really happened to me at that moment. However, I was so curious about who Jesus Christ really was I continued to come to this church and for the first time in me life I really read the Bible for myself. About four months later I committed my life to Jesus Christ, thus my Christian life began.

Mike later told me what happened that day. His mother had just passed away. That very day that he prayed for me he had buried his mother. After the funeral he went home to spend some time alone and grieve. He wasn't planning on coming to church that night. But after he spent some time praying at home he said God "spoke" to him. According to Mike God "told" him he needed to go church that evening because he need to meet a young man. Mike told me that God said "Mike you need to go to church tonight. There will be a young man there who doesn't know Me but he wants to". So Mike got up and went to church. I was that young man Mike was supposed to meet. I never asked Mike who exactly God "spoke" to him. Did God give Mike a revelation?

I don't believe so, because the events do not accord with the teachings of Holy Scripture.

You, no doubt, were being drawn to the Lord, but I believe you should give God the Holy Spirit the credit and glory, rather the attributing His invisible powers and call, to coincidental events or a person named Mike.

Nang

 

[The Graphite]

I thank God often (yes, regularly) that He does not perform overt, supernatural miracles during this time in human history. The Body of Christ is in bad enough shape without being saddled with such a burden and hardship as supernatural healing and other such things.

 

[elohiym]

Spiritual Gifts. Do they still exist today?

Without question, they still exist. 1 Cor 12:7-11.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

 

[elohiym]

I don't believe...

How are those events not in accord with the teachings of Holy Scripture?

And he wasn't giving credit to a guy named Mike.

 

[The Berean]

I don't believe so, because the events do not accord with the teachings of Holy Scripture.

You, no doubt, were being drawn to the Lord, but I believe you should give God the Holy Spirit the credit and glory, rather the attributing His invisible powers and call, to coincidental events or a person named Mike.

Nang

Hmmm... Me meeting Mike was a coincidental event? God had nothing to do with it? :idunno: I do give God ALL the credit and glory. It was He who placed Mike directly in my path. Mike was simply a messenger doing what God told him to do.

 

[Son of Jack]

I thank God often (yes, regularly) that He does not perform overt, supernatural miracles during this time in human history. The Body of Christ is in bad enough shape without being saddled with such a burden and hardship as supernatural healing and other such things.

How would it be a burden for God to act in an overt way in the world today? The acts of the Lord Jesus were a burden to the people...:idunno:

 

[Son of Jack]

I think most of the confusion that exist about spiritual gifts has to do with what their purpose is. They were never meant to be a stand alone. They were meant to edify the body (1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 26, 33).

 

[Clark Frugal]

The less God works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure, the greater your dependance on mere Ethics.

When God works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure the Kingdom of God is upon you. The toppermost poppermost is Gifts-of-Healing. The foundation is Christ in you (the hope of Glory).

God working in you is walking by the spirit. That includes knowing things you couldn't have known with your five senses, Knowing what to do in a situation, inspired action inspired utterances.

Having someone on your heart, a sudden unexplained yearning to reach out to that one.

And yes worship manifestations that build up the people in a fellowship, exhorting fellow Saints, comforting your fellow believers while you magnify God and speak His wonderful works.

The less spiritual gifts and fruits of the spirit the more dependant you are on mere ethics.

 

[Krsto]

Hmmm... Me meeting Mike was a coincidental event? God had nothing to do with it? :idunno: I do give God ALL the credit and glory. It was He who placed Mike directly in my path. Mike was simply a messenger doing what God told him to do.

Yeah kinda hard to give God the glory as Nang suggests when you deny that God did anything, as Nang does.

 

[elohiym]

Hmmm... Me meeting Mike was a coincidental event? God had nothing to do with it? :idunno: I do give God ALL the credit and glory. It was He who placed Mike directly in my path. Mike was simply a messenger doing what God told him to do.

There you go again, giving the glory to a guy named Mike, as if Mike predestined the whole thing.

Mike worshiper! :sibbie:

:chuckle:

 

[The Berean]

There you go again, giving the glory to a guy named Mike, as if Mike predestined the whole thing.

Mike worshiper! :sibbie:

:chuckle:

I've been exposed! I'm a Mike :bow: worshipper! :devil: :reals:

 

[GuySmiley]

Yes, but I dont think they are for a sign today.

Mike wants to stay under the radar today . . .

(the first sentence is serious though :chuckle: )

 

[elohiym]

I've been exposed! I'm a Mike :bow: worshipper! :devil: :reals:

Do you guys chant, "I wanna be like Mike?"

"In the name of the Mike, his Friend, and the Wholly Unsubstantiated Rumor against them. Amen."

"Have your received the Wholly Unsubstantiated Rumor?"

:chuckle: