Have the Gifts of the Spirit Passed Away?

by Sue Spender
(England)

A Little Bit About Me...
Married, full time mum,been a Christian for 14 years - but thinking is this all there is to it.....

What I would like to discuss...

The Holy Spirit - well my husband would say that he speaks/prays in tongues - I was prayed for when I got baptized 14 years ago and have never spoken in tongues.

I have seen it practiced 'weirdly' in some churches, and we now go to a church that believes the gifts of the Spirit are not for today, as they say that when 'that which is perfect' has come - is the full scriptures, not just the old testament that the believers of Paul's day had.
So I really don't know one way or another.

I'm fed up going to wacky churches, and fed up going to a very dull service also - what to do?

My husband has been a Christian for about 24 years - yet he has never even read his Bible through completely even once. He never reads it in private or openly at home - yet still claims to speak in tongues. I wonder how he hears anything from God or how he knows he is praying right when he doesn't read ???

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The Gifts Remain
by: christian

It is unbelievable to me that people claim the gifts have passed away, when all they have to support their premise with is one passage of scripture in the entire Bible; and that passage of scripture is more easily understood as when Jesus makes everything perfect, when we see Him face to face- His second coming. Isn't that the common theme through scripture, that Jesus will bring perfection? There is nowhere in the entire canon of scripture that points to perfection coming when the Bible is completed- to claim such a thing is a huge stretch. Look at the world around, look at the church and you will notice that things are far from perfect. Do we know fully as Paul said we would when the perfect comes? No, far from it; we have only scratched the surface of knowledge. Yes, we have the gospel written in words, but the early church had just as much knowledge if not more about the truth. Paul sometimes speaks above our heads in His epistles- this clearly indicates that he had more knowledge than most of us do today, and yet we want to claim that "knowing fully" has come.

While I do argue that the gifts are for today, on the opposite side of the token, the charismatic church has abused the gifts. One major problem with the the charismatic church is that way too much focus is given to tongues. Jesus never said to wait for tongues- he said to wait for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said when you receive the Spirit you will receive power. Tongues was only a byproduct of the Holy Spirit possessing people. Also, Paul said that tongues is the least of the gifts unless someone can interpret. He said seek after the greater gifts because they will ultimately edify not just the individual but those gathered as well.

What we are lacking today is proper teaching surrounding this subject, thus what you end up with is a bunch of flakes who claim the gifts and power but really don't have them; on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have those who oppose all things of the Spirit and as a result become dull and lifeless. Neither is good. Both shun the true, genuine things of the Spirit, thereby grieving the Holy Spirit, and that is why we are at where we are at in the Western Church today. That is why we are so dead.

Obviously, this is fairly negative article. Negative is not bad though if it is truth. However, it must be known that not everything is fake and deceptive. There are those who really do walk in the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have been deprived of such men in this day and age, who are truly trustworthy, yet full of the power of the Spirit, and also mature in love. Men who preach that the gifts of the Spirit have passed away are walking on treacherous ground. In order to do away with the gifts of the Spirit you have to delete a huge chunk of the New Testament.

speaking in tongues
by: Tammy

Speaking in tongues is very much alive and real today,just as the bible teaches. I wasn't raised in a spirit filled church either but thank God someone prayed for me, and the Lord gave me true understanding. If you ask for knowledge, understanding in God's word He will give it to you. When you speak in tongues that is true evidence that you have been filled with the Holy Ghost. When you pray in tongues you are praying to God and God alone. It isn't for anyone else only God to understand,for His ways are higher than our ways.For we don't always know what we are to pray for or about,but He does.If the Lord healed you of cancer or saved your dying child by using one of His servants. by giving them the gift of healing, would you say that wasn't real either. All things work for the glory of God.No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.1Cor12-3 Quench not the Spirit1Thes5-19.One more thought, what do you have to lose to give it a try, ask God for it. He gives it freely but He won't make you keep it. If you truely love the Lord you would not even question it. The word of God does not lie...never has ...never will. I pray for understanding for those who write in and don't beleive.

no more tongues
by: becka

your church is right to say that speaking in tongues has passed away. It is scriptually sound.
" That which is perfect " refers to the Bible. The bible itself is Gods perfect word. After the bible was written there was no further need for speaking in tongues. sorry your going to a dead church but dont change churches just because another might be more exciting. too many churches today are getting swept up in making their services fresh and exciting and loosing sight of the basic need to win souls to christ. good churches are out there. just be careful.

Its all double dutch to me
by: John the Dipstick

Remember originally only one language existed and it was actually the True God himself who first put in place a communication barrier by confounding the peoples languages during the construction of the tower of babel ( Gen ch 11 )and today a global language barrier is still very much in place ; a barrier only the True God himself can tear down again at his own appointed time...

Anyone desirous today of adding a 2nd Language let alone multiple languages to their personal vocabulary generally have no choice but to learn the traditional hard way.Because of this it is by no means easily achievable for billions of ordinary folk around the world...

By the miraclulous power of the Holy Spirit Christs followers were endowed with the ability to spread the Good News far and wide in a language any hearer anywhere would understand , circumventing the frustratingly studious process of assimilating a completely new language or languages...So not only was this phenomenon an immediate and expedient way of spreading the Good News but it was also extraordinary proof that the True God's blessing was indeed upon them..

Speaking in tongues certainly fulfilled its original Divine Purpose namely that the effect would allow a hearer to understand what was being said...

Today do you really see that same Divine Purpose facilitating the speaking of a strange or foreign tongue when, unlike the original purpose and effect,it is often incomprehensible not only to those hearing it but also to those uttering it !
One may believe it to be proof of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God...but if it is not( and I believe it isn't )then believing it to be so makes both speakers and hearers potential victims of a cruel deception....and we all know the real power source behind a deceptive,lying tongue don't we?

No, they have not passed away...
by: Jacob

I personally too, have never spoken in tongues, but I do believe, as I've seen many exercise it truly. There are people who say they do, but actually they never live lives as Christ wants them to.
I do not believe that gifts can no more be exercised as we have not been made perfect still. If it was so, we would never feel a sense of incompleteness. We would never read in 1 Corinthians 12:31 to desire for greater gifts.
We also read in Joel 2:28, 29 about God pouring out His Spirit in the last days. We are living in the last days, so we should be able to see His promises come true. We all need to uphold each other in prayer. Of course, we need to read His word and let Him teach us. Else, we may easily be deceived in this age, when the evil one too is at work to mislead as many as he can. Encourage your husband to spend time with the word, as the source of our gifts should be God, not the evil one, who too manifests gifts.

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