Transcript Slide 1

SS Lesson of January 17, 2008
Spiritual Gifts and Prophecy
Introduction
Quotations on the word “Spiritual”
Love in its essence is spiritual fire.”
If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time,
because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore
it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.” Mary Eddy
“Be unselfish. That is the first and final
commandment for those who would be
useful and happy in their usefulness. If you
think of yourself only, you cannot develop
because you are choking the source of
development, which is spiritual expansion
through thought for others.” Charles W.
Eliot
“Man can no longer live for himself alone.
We must realize that all life is valuable and
that we are united to all life. From this
knowledge comes our spiritual relationship
with the universe.” Albert Schweitzer
“Your profession is not what brings home
your paycheck. Your profession is what you
were put on earth to do, with such
passion and such intensity that it becomes
spiritual in calling.” Virgil
“Life requires effort and love, a careful
cultivation of the spiritual life, and a
watchful, honest, active oversight of all one's
mental attitudes towards things and people.
It is not to be learned by world-flight,
running away from things, turning solitary
and going apart from the world. Rather, one
must learn an inner solitude, where or with
whomsoever he may be. He must learn to
penetrate things and find God there, to get a
strong impression of God firmly fixed on his
mind.” Menander of Athens
There is no object that we see; no action
that we do; no good that we enjoy; no evil
that we feel, or fear, but we may make some
spiritual advantage of all: and he that makes
such improvement is wise, as well as pious.”
Anne Bradstreet
By confronting us with
irreducible mysteries that
stretch our daily vision to
include infinity, nature opens
an inviting and guiding path
toward a spiritual life..”
Thomas More
He who interrupts the course
of his spiritual exercises and
prayer is like a man who
allows a bird to escape from
his hand; he can hardly catch
it again.” St. John of the Cross
Renunciation of thinking is a
declaration of spiritual
bankruptcy.” A. Schweitzer
“Audible prayer can never do the works of spiritual understanding, which
regenerates; but silent prayer, watchfulness, and devout obedience enable us to
follow Jesus example.” Mary Baker Eddy
“Affirmation of life is the spiritual act by which man ceases to live unreflectively and
begins to devote himself to his life with reverence in order to raise it to its true
value.” Albert Schweitzer
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more
money on military defense than on programs of social uplift
is approaching spiritual death.” Martin Luther King
“Physical strength can never permanently withstand the
impact of spiritual force.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Life at home is cramped and dirty, it is difficult to live a
spiritual life completely, perfect and pure in all its parts while
cabinned.” Buddha
“Who has ever seen an idea? Who
has ever seen love? Who has ever
seen faith? The real things in the
world are the invisible spiritual
realities.” They are spiritual gifts
that come from God up above.
Our lesson title this week is
Spiritual Gifts and Prophecy. Our
memory text is found in 1
Corinthians 12:4-6
“There are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit. There are
differences of ministries, but the
same Lord. And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the
same God who works all in all.”
What spiritual gifts are mentioned
in the bible? –Sunday, Spiritual
Gifts
Sunday
Spiritual Gifts
Romans 12:6-8 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us
prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation;
he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
1 Corinthians 12:28-30 And God
has appointed these in the church:
first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, after that miracles,
then gifts of healings, helps,
administrations, varieties of
tongues. Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Are all
workers of miracles? Do all have
gifts of healings? Do all speak with
tongues? Do all interpret?
Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give.
According to the New Testament,
spiritual gifts are given for the
completion of the mission entrusted
to the church. This includes the
nurture and edification of the church
today, as well as the proclamation of
the gospel to the world. –Monday,
Spiritual
Gifts in the Church Today
Monday
Spiritual Gifts in the Church Today
Ephesians 4:11-13 And He Himself gave
some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the
saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect
man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ;
But…
During two centuries, the church suffered a serious spiritual
and theological deterioration, and the spiritual gifts by and
large disappeared. During the time of the Reformation,
beginning with John Wycliffe in England, God used the
Reformers to restore neglected truth, and they certainly had
the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and teaching. None of the
main Reformers, though, claimed to have the prophetic gift.
This particular gift, according to Revelation 12:17, “those
who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony
of Jesus” was to be manifested again in the end-time
remnant church.”
According to Paul, the spiritual gifts, will be in the church
until Jesus comes, but does this mean that all the gifts will
be present all the time? Does this mean that only the
Adventist will have them or will there be Counterfeit Gifts--Tuesday.
Tuesday
Counterfeit Gifts
Counterfeit gifts are not just a perversion
of the true gifts of God, but can be similar
manifestations from a different source–Satan.
By the power of God,
Moses and Aaron,
standing before
Pharaoh, turned a
staff into a snake, the
river Nile into blood,
and made frogs come
out of the Nile to
cover the land; but by
the power of Satan
the Egyptian
magicians could do
the same. However,
from the third plague
onward the Egyptian
magicians were
unable to counterfeit
God’s miracles.
This teaches us two things: (1) Satan can produce miracles that look
like the genuine article; (2) Satan can work only within the limits set by
God.
The man who makes the working of miracles the test of his faith will
find that Satan can, through a species of deceptions, perform wonders
that will appear to be genuine miracles. It was this he hoped to make a
test question with the Israelites at the time of their deliverance from
Egypt.--Manuscript 43, 1907. (p. 53) {2SM 52.4}
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
“The coming of the
lawless one is according
to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs,
and lying wonders, and
with all unrighteous
deception among those
who perish, because
they did not receive the
love of the truth, that
they might be saved.”
They did not receive the
true Gift of Prophecy--Wednesday.
Wednesday
The Gift of Prophecy
The purpose of the prophetic gift is
to provide a means of
communication between the Creator
and His creatures. Prophetic
messages in Scripture have unveiled
the future (Dan. 2), counseled and
reproved kings (Isa. 7:3, 4), warned
of coming judgments (Jer. 1:14–16),
called for revival (Joel 2:12, 13), and
encouraged and comforted God’s
people (Isa. 40:1, 2).
Prophets were men and women who
spoke the word of God to their
generations. The emphasis in the
prophetic gift was not on predicting
the future (although this was one of
the marks of a true prophet), but on
setting forth what God wanted His
people to hear.
Thursday
Spiritual Gifts and 1 Corinthians 14
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
For he who
speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks
mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue
edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
The tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 are of the same nature as the tongues in the book of
Acts, especially because the same Greek word glossa is used for tongues in both
books. In other words, the evidence is that tongues in both places were the
supernatural ability to speak in foreign languages.
Some understand the gift to apply also to instances in which a person speaking in
one language is understood in another language or languages by those listening. In
either case, this undoubtedly rules out the common and popular notion of tongues
today, in which people babble in unknown languages. Also, God works through
man's intelligence. Would the Lord, Who warned us against babbling on as the
heathen do (Matt. 6:7), inspire unknown noises? In 1 Corinthians 14:22, tongues are
for a sign to unbelievers as at Pentecost, and how could someone uttering noises
that no one under-stands be a sign to unbelievers?
Tongues, as Acts 2 shows, are
real languages, given for the
purpose of building up the
church. Furthermore, spiritual
gifts were given for the common
good, ruling out using a gift
purely for personal gratification,
as the so-called modern gifts of
tongues is used today.
In spite of all the manifestations
of ecstatic speech today,
nowhere does the Bible teach
that the gift of tongues is
anything other than human
languages. Modern tonguesspeaking, called glossolalia, is
not the same as the biblical gift
of languages.
According to Scripture, what is the true evidence of a Spirit-filled life?
See Gal. 5:22, 23.
Think about the word you speak on a daily basis. How much is
meaningful, purposeful talk, and how much is nonsensical banter?
Conclusion
Christ's ascension to heaven was the signal that His followers were to
receive the promised blessing. For this they were to wait before they
entered upon their work. When Christ passed within the heavenly
gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon
as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the
disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even (p. 39)
with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity.
The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven's communication that the
Redeemer's inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise
He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token
that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on
earth, and was the Anointed One over His people. {AA 38.3}
"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each
of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." The Holy Spirit, assuming the form of
tongues of fire, rested upon those assembled. This was an emblem of the gift then
bestowed on the disciples, which enabled them to speak with fluency languages
with which they had heretofore been unacquainted. The appearance of fire signified
the fervent zeal with which the apostles would labor and the power that would
attend their work. {AA 39.1}
"There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under
heaven." During the dispersion the Jews had been scattered to almost every part of
the inhabited world, and in their exile they had learned to speak various languages.
Many of these Jews were on this occasion in Jerusalem, attending the religious
festivals then in progress. Every known tongue was represented by those assembled.
This diversity of languages would have been a great hindrance to the proclamation
of the gospel; God therefore in a miraculous manner supplied the deficiency of the
apostles. The Holy Spirit did for them that which they could not have accomplished
for themselves in a lifetime. They could now proclaim the truths of the gospel
abroad, speaking with accuracy the languages of those for whom they were laboring.
This miraculous gift was a strong evidence to the world that their commission bore
the signet of Heaven. From this time forth the language of the disciples was pure,
simple, and accurate, whether they spoke in their native tongue or in a foreign
language. {AA 39.2}
"Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together,
and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in
his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one
to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? and how
hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"
The priests and rulers were greatly enraged at this wonderful
manifestation, but they dared not give way to their malice, for fear of
exposing themselves to the violence of the people. They had put the
Nazarene to death; but here were His servants, unlettered men of
Galilee, telling in all the languages then spoken, the story of His life
and ministry. The priests, determined to account for the miraculous
power of the disciples in some natural way, declared that they were
drunken from partaking largely of the new wine prepared for the
feast. Some of the most ignorant of the people present seized upon
this suggestion as the truth, but the more intelligent knew it to be
false; and those who understood the different languages testified to
the accuracy with which these languages were used by the disciples.
{AA 40}
In answer to the accusation of the priests Peter showed that this
demonstration was in direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, wherein he
foretold that such power would come upon men to fit them for a special
work. "Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem," he said, "be this
known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye
suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was
spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God,
I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams: and on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out
in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy." {AA 41.1}
With clearness and power Peter bore witness of the death and
resurrection of Christ: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him . .
. ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God
hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible
that He should be holden of it." {AA 41.2}
Priests and rulers are there, the dark scowl of malignity still on their
faces, their hearts still filled with abiding hatred against Christ, their
hands uncleansed from the blood shed when they crucified the
world's Redeemer. They had thought to find the apostles cowed with
fear under the strong hand of oppression and murder, but they find
them lifted above all fear and filled with the Spirit, proclaiming with
power the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. They hear them declaring with
boldness that the One so recently humiliated, derided, smitten by
cruel hands, and crucified, is the Prince of life, now exalted to the right
hand of God. {AA 42.2}
Now they heard the disciples declaring that it was the Son of God
who had been crucified. Priests and rulers trembled. Conviction and
anguish seized the people. "They were pricked in their heart, and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
shall we do?" Among those who listened to the disciples were devout
Jews, who were sincere in their belief. The power that accompanied
the words of the speaker convinced them that Jesus was indeed the
Messiah. {AA 43.1}
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call." {AA 43.2}
Peter urged home upon the convicted people the fact
that they had rejected Christ because they had been
deceived by priests and rulers; and that if they continued to
look to these men for counsel, and waited for them to
acknowledge Christ before they dared to do so, they would
never accept Him. These powerful men, though making a
profession of godliness, were ambitious for earthly riches
and glory. They were not willing to come to Christ to receive
light. {AA 43.3}
Under the influence of this heavenly illumination the
scriptures that Christ had explained to the disciples stood
out before them with the luster of perfect truth. The veil
that had prevented them from seeing to the end of that
which had been abolished, was now removed, and they
comprehended with perfect clearness the object of Christ's
mission and the nature of His kingdom. They could speak
with power of the Saviour; and as they unfolded to their
hearers the plan of salvation, many were convicted and
convinced. The traditions and superstitions inculcated by the
priests were swept away from their minds, and the
teachings of the Saviour were accepted. {AA 44.1}
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:
and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls." {AA 44.2}
The Jewish leaders had supposed that the work of Christ would end with His
death; but, instead of this, they witnessed the marvelous scenes of the Day of
Pentecost. They heard the disciples, endowed with a power and energy hitherto
unknown, preaching Christ, their words confirmed by signs and wonders. In
Jerusalem, the stronghold of Judaism, thousands openly declared their faith in Jesus
of Nazareth as the Messiah. {AA 44.3}
The arguments of the apostles alone, though clear and convincing, would not
have removed the prejudice that had withstood so much evidence. But the Holy
Spirit sent the arguments home to hearts with divine power. The words of the
apostles were as sharp arrows of the Almighty, convicting men of their terrible guilt
in rejecting and crucifying the Lord of glory. {AA 45.1}
Under the training of Christ the disciples had been led to feel their need of the
Spirit. Under the Spirit's teaching they received the final qualification, and went
forth to their lifework. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were
they a collection of independent units or discordant, conflicting elements. No longer
were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of "one accord," "of one heart
and of one soul." Acts 2:46; 4:32. Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of His
kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their Master,
and men "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13. {AA
45.2}
Pentecost brought them the heavenly illumination. The truths they could not
understand while Christ was with them were now unfolded. With a faith and
assurance that they had never before known, they accepted the teachings of the
Sacred Word. No longer was it a matter of faith with them that Christ was the
Son of God. They knew that, although clothed with humanity, He was indeed the
Messiah, and they told their experience to the world with a confidence which
carried with it the conviction that God was with them. {AA 45.3}
They could speak the name of Jesus with assurance; for was He not their
Friend and Elder Brother? Brought into close communion with Christ, they sat
with Him in heavenly places. With what burning language they clothed their
ideas as they bore witness for Him! Their hearts were surcharged with a
benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the
ends of the earth, testifying to the power of Christ. They were filled with an
intense longing to carry forward the work He had begun. They realized the
greatness of their debt to heaven and the responsibility of their work.
Strengthened by the endowment of the Holy Spirit, they went forth filled with
zeal to extend the triumphs of the cross. The Spirit animated them and spoke
through them. The peace of Christ shone from their faces. They had consecrated
their lives to Him for service, and their very features bore evidence to the
surrender they had made. {AA 46.1}
The promise of the Spirit is not appreciated as it should be. Its
fulfillment is not realized as it might be. It is the absence of the
Spirit that makes the gospel ministry so powerless. Learning,
talents, eloquence, every natural or acquired endowment, may be
possessed; but without the presence of the Spirit of God, no heart
will be touched, no sinner be won to Christ. On the other hand, if
they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs,
the poorest and most ignorant of His disciples will have a power
that will tell upon hearts. God makes them the channel for the
outworking of the highest influence in the universe. {COL 328.1}
And see the storms and tempests. Satan is working in the
atmosphere; he is poisoning the atmosphere, and here we are
dependent upon God for our lives--our present and eternal life. And
being in the position that we are, we need to be wide awake,
wholly devoted, wholly converted, wholly consecrated to God. But
we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of heaven, wake
us up!-- Manuscript 1, 1890. {2SM 52.1}
Today we need to speak the truth with holy
boldness. The testimony borne to the early church
by the Lord's messenger, His people are to hear in
this time: "Though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed"
(Galatians 1:8). {2SM 52.3}
We know that “…the dragon was enraged with the
woman, and he went to make war with the rest of
her offspring, who keep the commandments of
God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”
(Revelation 12:17), but God’s Remnant Church will
continue to exist and endure.
Next weeks Lesson
4 is entitled, The
Gift of Prophecy
and God's Remnant
Church. May the
promise of
Zephaniah 3:13 be
ours today and
always: “The
remnant of Israel
will do no wrong;
they will speak no
lies, nor will deceit
be found in their
mouths. They will
eat and lie down
and no one will
make them afraid."