The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 14

What follows is pretty much an addendum to this post, http://soapypetesbox.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-gift-of-spirit-spiritual-gifts_7679.html. While reading in 1 Peter recently at the gym, I recognized that 1 Peter 4:10-11 probably refers to gifts of the Holy Spirit, generally and to a couple of gifts in particular:

1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; ...

I will not claim, with the same certainty as with 1 Corinthians 12, that these verses definitely speak of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I will show reasons why I believe this to be the case. These 2 verses (actually, 1 1/2) are part of a larger context, verses 7-11, which are general instructions given to believers in light of the end of the world system being “near”.

The word in verse 10 translated "special gift" is the word karisma. While the literal meaning of this word is an unmerited favor or gift of grace, it is also the word Paul used throughout 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 and in Romans 12:6 to denote the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The word in verse 11 translated “speaks” is laleo. It is used in 1 Corinthians 12-14 in reference to speaking in tongues. The word is also, however, used to mean speaking, generally, including in those very same chapters of 1 Corinthians. I do not think, on the basis of this word alone, that it must refer to prophecy and/or speaking in tongues, but the word translated “utterances (of God)”, logion, does support that understanding. Logion means just as the NASB renders, an “utterance”; in the New Testament the word is specifically used to mean words spoken by God or an oracle of God (e.g. the Law given to Moses).

The word in verse 11 translated “serves” and “serving”, diakoneo, means an a servant or attendant who waits on some one's needs. It is used frequently in the New Testament to mean “serve” or “minister”, and is the Greek word from which we get the English word “Deacon”. It is also the verb form of the noun Paul used in the Romans 12 list of spiritual gifts for the gift of service. The clause, “as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies,” makes very clear that the serving to which Peter especially referred is more than just a natural ability, job or incidental action. Peter reminded his readers of the source of strength for their serving and urging them to make full use of their gift.

The brevity of these two verses and their context of a summary list of instructions, in my mind, preclude a definitive conclusion that these verse must specifically refer to gifts of the Holy Spirit. My opinion is that they do refer to the spiritual gift of service and to the gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues, and I think the words of the text very strongly support this conclusion.

There is a significance to this passage beyond being yet another partial list of gifts of the Holy Spirit. It feels almost silly to point this out, but this is the one mention (that I've recognized, at least) of spiritual gifts that is not in a Pauline letter or in Acts (written by Luke, who ministered with Paul). Paul's writings are not, to me, any less authoritative as Scripture than, for example, the writings of Peter or John, but this demonstrates that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were not peculiarly manifested in/through Paul's ministry or some figment of his imagination. As brief as this mention is, I believe it shows Apostles' recognition of the importance of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit that are above and beyond believers' natural abilities. This makes sense, generally, as believers should be reliant and dependent on God for and in all the ministries of the church and believers.

Did Paul Believe Jesus Would Return Within His Lifetime?

In reading 1 and 2 Timothy recently, I noticed something interesting. Both books include some teaching that I believe looks toward the "End Times". These passages have gotten their share of attention in the last several decades' books about eschatology. It is commonly believed that these teachings indicated that Paul believed that Jesus might return any time, possibly within Paul's lifetime.

What caught my attention was 2 Timothy 2:2: And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well. Follow the train of Paul's thought: he was a first-generation Christian leader; he had taught, mentored and apprenticed Timothy to be a second-generation leader; in this passage he urges Timothy to teach the next, third, generation of Christian leaders; so that they could then teach a succeeding, fourth, generation of Christian leaders.


While I'm sure Paul would not have minded had Jesus returned in his lifetime (and believed it possible), he anticipated the need for at least three generations of Christian leadership beyond himself (he probably meant for Christian leaders always to be preparing the next generation of leaders). Paul probably knew that he was unlikely to be alive when those third and fourth generation Christian leaders actual became leaders. In other words, Paul was very aware that Jesus might not return within his lifetime, and set things in motion toward the possibility that Jesus might not return for decades, centuries, or even millennia.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 13

Speaking more personally, my posts last weekend and this have a bit of been here before nostalgia and irony for me. Back in the early days of the charismatic movement (back when school cafeterias were serving the last of the dinoburgers) I read several testimony books. Besides telling of the authors' experiences, a de rigeur chapter covered NT passages concerning speaking in tongues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I suppose every book did that because the authors had to assume that many/most Christians reading his/her book would be unfamiliar with the topics. But after a couple such books, I started skimming the chapters, looking for ideas I hadn't seen before, but otherwise moving on fairly quickly. And now I've written just such a survey! It's hard for me to say, at 4 decades' remove, how much of what I wrote above was informed by those books' gift/gifts chapters, and how much from personal Bible reading and study, but I can say that I drew from both. I won't say my posts, taken together, are better written than all those books' gift/gifts chapters (I think at least a couple were written by Jamie Buckingham, who co-authored scores of books), but I do think I covered the ground - in number of passages considered - in greater completeness. I'm not boasting. Those books' purpose and scope imposed practical limits on their chapters about the gift/gifts. And I am very well aware that even a very plain-spoken, get-to-the-point pastor-teacher could spend months teaching from "just" Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4. IOW, my posts may have scratched the surface of these topics. And the gift/gifts of the Holy Spirit are like one detail in a very large jigsaw puzzle.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 12

1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Hebrews 2:4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

I suppose I could have grouped these passages with those from Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 14 and Ephesians 4. I think, though, it's a fitting conclusion to my survey of New Testament teaching about the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, with particular focus on speaking in tongues and prophecy. Spiritual gifts are not toys, they aren't a personal power base, and they aren't badges of maturity. Spiritual gifts are given by God, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen believers – individuals and churches – and often does so by working through gifted believers (re-read Acts 13:2-3 in light of 1 Timothy 4:13 and 2 Timothy 1:6). Spiritual gifts can be neglected, ignored, despised, and abused. When that is done, harm is done, and God is hindered from working in believers as He might. When believers use their spiritual gifts – all believers, all the various gifts – the Body of Christ is built up.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 11

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good 

1 Corinthians 14:29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.

At times I think that the chapter-and-verse reference system – not part of the original texts – that aids in referring to and finding specific Scriptures – can be distracting or misleading. It is visually tempting to perceive each verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 as a separate and distinct statement. While Paul was winding up his letter, giving brief instructions, they are interconnected, forming a unified context. Thus, the instruction not to quench the Spirit is linked to the instructions not to despise prophecies and to think about such prophecies and retain what is good. Taking these verses from 1 Thessalonians 5 together, four things are worth pointing out. First, Paul would not forbid despising prophecy unless that were an actual problem in the church at Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians being in part a corrective letter – addressing problems in a church – it's a reasonable to infer that these verses were intended to be corrective. I think that very correction is relevant and needed today! Second, despising prophecy would have the effect of quenching the work of the Holy Spirit. Besides discouraging prophecies, it would also tend to hinder the expression of other Spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation, generally. Third, utterances purporting to be prophecies were to be considered carefully and judged. These are the two errant extremes: reflexive rejection; credulous acceptance. Persons “prophesying” could be mistaken (or worse, of course); what was done in such a case, beyond rejecting the message, is not mentioned (a prophet judged to have been mistaken or wrong would not, of course, have been killed, as in the Old Testament). My guess is that the character and severity of the mistake/error and the character of the person would have been key considerations in what would be done. Fourth, a prophecy judged to be true prophecy was to be treated as very important (though not as Scripture, as I pointed out above).

The big picture – in 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Thessalonians 5 – is that prophecy (and all the other Spiritual gifts, for that matter) was/is not a toy or a tool for self-aggrandizement. Prophecy was given – as a gift and as messages – for the benefit of assembled believers. Paul communicated this clearly in these two letters, and likely taught this wherever he established a church.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 10

One of the (sort of) arguments put forward by Cessationists is that speaking in tongues is the “least” of the Spiritual gifts. Kind of a sour-grapesy, “Speaking in tongues isn't important, so why worry about whether speaking in tongues is for today anyway?” The idea of calling any] gift from God unimportant seems pretty arrogant and outrageous to me, and I think any of the Spiritual gifts is very important at the time that gift is needed. At any rate, Paul contradicted this argument in verse 5: ”Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues ...”. Even allowing for the statement that followed, (”... but even more that you would prophesy”), it's safe to conclude that Paul saw speaking in tongues, properly used in the right contexts, as important. Putting the two statements together, it was Paul's desire that every believer in the church at Corinth would both speak in tongues and prophesy. And lest anyone mistake his comment in verse 5 for hyperbole, Paul also said (verse 18), ”I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all.”

Another, “You shouldn't want to do this anyway,” argument used by some Cessationists is based on the first half of verse 4: “One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself”. How selfish! Right?! And Christians shouldn't be selfish, right? Well … Paul didn't say this was selfish, only that the benefit of speaking in tongues, of it self, is limited. Were Paul saying that speaking in tongues is selfish, why would he say in verse 5, ”Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues”, and in verse 18, ”I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all”? Cessationists advancing this argument also ignore the second part of verse 5, “greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.” Properly used in the church, a message in tongues is accompanied by its interpretation, and thereby the church is edified, negating the speaking-in-tongues-is-selfish argument. More fundamentally, this argument doesn't make sense. Consider, why would the Holy Spirit give a gift that was entirely selfish?! The problem isn't that speaking in tongues, properly used, is selfish, but in the, ”Throw any and every kind of mud at the wall and see if any of it sticks,” mindset of those Cessationists who assert this argument.

Another misconception I've heard concerning speaking in tongues is that it was a gift to enable missionaries to preach the Gospel to people whose language the missionary doesn't understand. While something sort of like that did occur in Acts 2, and I wouldn't presume to say that God couldn't do that, 1 Corinthians 14:6-19 demonstrates that this is not the principal purpose of speaking in tongues. In this passage many/most of those hearing the message in tongues are assumed to be believers, and these believers need the message interpreted, as they do not understand the language of the message.

Over all, 1 Corinthians 14 – along with Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16 – describes a “church service” very different from what is currently done every Sunday in most Christian churches. Whether a Catholic church celebrating mass with much the same liturgy as has been used for many centuries or a simpler Evangelical-Fundamentalist church service featuring several hymns, a sermon, plus announcements, all have some things in common: the leader(s) plan and implement what happens; the congregation is partly audience, partly participant, doing what the leader(s) have planned. Sometimes I wonder if the Holy Spirit would be unable to work in many/most modern churches, for lack of room! In the kind of “church service” Paul described, any and every believer might on any day be a “worship leader”, a teacher, prophesying, praying for some need, with the Holy Spirit leading and the leaders of the congregation overseeing to ensure things didn't get out of order and teachings didn't contradict Scripture. I wonder whether a believer raised with modern leader-audience “church services” would even recognize the leadership of the Holy Spirit, orderliness, and ministry happening in the believers' assemblies Paul knew.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 9

1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. ... 12 So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. 13 Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What is the outcome then ? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. 16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen " at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. 18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. … 39 Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. 40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.

1 Corinthians 14 is kind of a nuts-and-bolts, here's-how-you-do-it chapter. It's also the epitome of Paul's shaggy writing style – covering lots of ground, winding here and there, briefly tossing in multiple miscellaneous ideas. Paul mixed some detailed teaching about the purposes and usages of two (actually, three) spiritual gifts with some general information about what churches did when they assembled (hint … if you read 1 Corinthians 14 expecting some sort of proto-liturgy, you'll be disappointed and/or puzzled). What emerges from this passage and passages such as Ephesian 5:18-19, Colossians 3:16 and Hebrews 10:24-25 are several common elements: honoring God with thanks and praise; encouraging and building up God's people; all of God's people contributing to these goals; the Holy Spirit being a sort of Producer-Director-Playwright, writing, and directing a sort of drama in which all the assembled believers are at once audience and actors.
 
Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
 
Hebrews 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

When, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul taught that every believer is an essential part of the Body of Christ, he wasn't spouting a beautiful-sounding, hollow platitude. He was describing how the Body of Christ was and is meant to function. Everyone contributing; everyone receiving.

Back to 1 Corinthians 14, verses 18-19 and verse 28 hint at a private and personal usage for speaking in tongues. Paul's focus in this chapter, however, is what is done in assemblies of believers. Basically, in verse 11 Paul gives what amounts to an equation: (Speaking in Tongues) + (Interpretation) = Prophecy. So, then, what is the purpose of Prophecy (and, therefore, of a message in Tongues plus Interpretation)? Verse 3 gives the answer:  edification (build up other believers); exhortation (urge fellow believers to action); consolation (comfort and encouragement during troubling times). Giving power and authority to these purposes is the fact that prophetic messages - if genuine - are from God. For this reason, Paul attached particular importance in this chapter to prophecy. It should be pointed out – this being a common misunderstanding (plus or minus a bit of Cessationist agenda) – that prophecy is not skillful or "inspired" teaching or preaching - teaching is another, distinct, spiritual gift. A comparison of Acts 13:1 and 2 Timothy 1:11 suggests that one of Paul's gifts – before and after being called to be an apostle – was teaching. So he would have known and lived this difference first-hand.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 8

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. ... 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 As mentioned above, the church at Corinth was a mess, having all kinds of problems. At the core of many of the problems was selfish disunity; one of the manifestations of this was the prideful, self-exalting manner in which certain spiritual gifts were used, especially speaking in tongues. In chapter 13, with unaccustomed brevity, Paul dug down to and both exposed the reason for their disunity and revealed its cure: the Corinthians' need for self-sacrificing love. Love – this particular kind of love – needed to motivate (i.e. from their hearts outward to their hands, feet and lips) the Corinthians' fellowship, their faithfulness in the face of persecution, their charitable giving, and their use of spiritual gifts. While it is true that a large part of 1 Corinthians is devoted to discussing spiritual gifts, Paul put the gifts into their proper place in the broader context of the life of the church and of believers by placing this chapter about self-sacrificing love right in the middle of the discussion of the gifts – spiritual gifts are important, but not central to the Christian life and faith.

Verses 8-12 show where Cessationists are correct, and where they are incorrect. Faith, hope and love are enduring, will last into eternity; spiritual gifts will cease (you know, Cessationist). The question is, when. Verses 10-12 answer this clearly: the gifts of the Spirit will cease when they are no longer necessary, when Jesus' return makes spiritual gifts unnecessary.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 7

Romans 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit ; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. ... 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
 
Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

In these four passages of Scripture – only two in 1 Corinthians 12 – Paul lists spiritual gifts (abilities and people who minister using those gifts). As can be seen from the four passages above, none of the lists is comprehensive. There are gifts common to more than one list, and there are gifts unique to a particular list. Giving and Serving are unique to Romans 12; healing and miracles are unique to 1 Corinthians 12. Teaching (Teacher) is mentioned in the Romans, Ephesians and one of the 1 Corinthians lists; Prophecy (Prophet) is on all four lists. Paul wasn't writing a Systematic Theology textbook chapter about spiritual gifts, but illustrating points he was making. One important thing worth noting is that obviously supernatural gifts – e.g. Prophecy, Speaking in Tongues, Healing – are, in all three passages, mixed with less obviously supernatural gifts (e.g. Teaching, Evangelism, Giving). Scripture does not segregate or differentiate between obviously and less obviously supernatural(or “revelatory” and “non-revelatory”) spiritual gifts; spiritual gifts are all supernatural, all are given by the Holy Spirit.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 6

As a sort of introductory note before moving on to passages from the Epistles, one of the arguments used by some who dismiss Pentecostal-charismatic teaching is that they ”just” “have” the books of Acts and 1 Corinthians. The “reasoning” behind this dismissal is:  Acts speaks of the earliest days of the church, when things were just getting started and thus things done were not necessarily intended to be the long-term norm for the church; 1 Corinthians was addressed to a church that was a mess, and things the Corinthians did should not be regarded as anything like normal. While it is correct that the book of Acts is about the earliest beginnings of the ~2,000 year history of Christianity, there is no explicit Scriptural basis for Cessationists' dismissal. There is no express statement to the effect that the book of Acts was a never-to-be-repeated transitional period. To the contrary, it can be seen in several of Paul's Epistles that these gifts were part of the life of the church throughout New Testament times. As for 1 Corinthians, that letter is indeed an example – not the only such – of Paul writing to correct serious problems in a church. While obviously, it would be a mistake to emulate the problems and errors of the churches in Corinth or Colossae, Paul's corrective teaching should be accepted as worth applying today (is is done with the books of Galatians or Colossians); that would, of course, include the large portions of 1 Corinthians  12, 13, and 14 Cessationists want to ignore or relegate to an irrelevant past. As for the idea that  Pentecostals and charismatics ”just” “have” the books of Acts and 1 Corinthians, well …

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 5

Acts 21:3 When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. ... 8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

These two passages, again show an aspect of “normal” in the church of the New Testament. It has been speculated whether God was trying to deflect Paul from his plans – which would lead to years of imprisonment – or was letting Paul know in advance where Paul was being led by God. I'll leave that speculation for other people and times. What is relevant here is that prophecy was a normal and valuable part of the over-all life of the church. Further, one of the arguments Cessationists advance is that speaking in tongues and prophecy are “revelatory gifts” and, with the completion of the New Testament, there is no need for further revelation and hence no need for “revelatory gifts”. The New Testament does make this distinction between “revelatory gifts” and “non-revelatory gifts”. “Revelatory” can be a useful adjective in describing some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (e.g. in a teaching context), but Cessationists (some, at least) have crafted a doctrine from this adjective. That problem aside, there is a further problem with the argument. It assumes that prophecy was used to reveal Scripture. While that was partly (but far from entirely) true of Old Testament prophets, the book of Revelation is the only book in the New Testament that is a prophetic revelation. These passages, together with Acts 11, identify a prophet, Agabus, and mention four others, the daughters of Philip the evangelist; Acts 13 vaguely mentions others, but without identifying them. For Agabus, Acts mentions but two instances of what I believe should have been a much more extensive ministry for him to be called a prophet. I suppose my opinion is open to quibble (not reasonably, I think), but the New Testament identifies Philip's daughters as prophets, but not a word of their prophecies has been recorded – not by direct quote (ala Acts 21:11), not by indirect quote (ala Acts 11:28). My opinion is that if prophecy functioned in the New Testament era church to reveal Scripture, the New Testament would have a book of Agabus and another book recording the prophecies of the daughters of Philip. So, not only is this “revelatory gifts” argument based on a distinction Scripture does not make, its premise – that New Testament prophecy revealed Scripture – is largely false.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 4

Acts 8:4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. 6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. ... 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. ... 14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:1 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

These passages, plus the account, quoted above, in Acts 10, topple some neat, tidy, God-in-a-box schemes. In these several passages, becoming a believer, being baptized in water and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (being baptized in the Holy Spirit) are shown to be individual, separable, events/experiences, happening in no particular order other than becoming a believer being first. In Acts 10, Cornelius and family received the Holy Spirit first and then were baptized in water; in Acts 8 and 19, the believers in Samaria and Ephesus were baptized in water first and afterwards received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Samaria, while the passage does not state exactly how long, the distance from Jerusalem to Samaria dictate that a day or more separated the Samaritans becoming believers and being baptized from their receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. I'll leave the spiritual “physiology” and “physics” of it to God, but these passages make clear that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that every believer has is something different from having the gift of the Holy Spirit. Speaking of neat and tidy God boxes, Part 1 … some Pentecostals teach that if some one does not speak in tongues they are not saved. The Acts 8 and Acts 19 accounts contradict this teaching; the Samaritans and Ephesians are clearly identified as being believers prior to their receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (and speaking in tongues). Speaking of neat and tidy God boxes, Part 2 … traditional Pentecostals teach that speaking in tongues is the evidence one has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. I believe these passages demonstrate that this teaching goes farther than Scripture does. Acts 8 makes clear that it was apparent to others when the Samaritan believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit, but does not mention what made it apparent. As for the believers in Ephesus, one very reasonable understanding of Acts 19 is that some were speaking in tongues, while others were prophesying – in other words, two “evidences”. While the incident in Ephesus was of sufficient import for Luke to recount (consider, how many hundreds or thousands of times might Paul have seen people become believers, be baptized in water, and/or receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Incidents not recounted in the book of Acts?), I do not see the event of the Ephesian believers receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit being perceived by Paul and those accompanying him as unusual. To the contrary, the flow of Paul's actions show that he was simply bringing these believers into a more complete Christian faith and experience, of which receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit was a normal part.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 3

Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Acts 11:15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"

This is from the account of Peter speaking the Gospel to the Roman centurion, Cornelius and  his family. Peter stated it, twice, the other believers present recognized it, and the author of the book of Acts, Luke, stated it: the Holy Spirit had been given to these new believers, as recognized by their speaking in tongues. That the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to believers did not surprise the believers who had come with Peter, but that these recipients were Gentiles. This indicates they regarded believers receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit as normal.
 
Acts 11:27 Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. 29 And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.

Acts 13:1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

These passages show two ways in which prophecy served the church at Antioch. Knowing of the upcoming famine in advance, the churches were able to prepare to relieve those in need. The latter passage is the initial calling of Saul (Paul) to be an Apostle, along with Barnabas.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 2

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9 "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs - we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." ... 15 "For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; 18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.

This is from the account of the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to believers. Verse 1 states that the believers were all together. Sunday School lesson illustrations I've seen depict this gathering as just Jesus' surviving eleven disciples, possibly with Matthias, who had been chosen (in Acts 1) to replace Judas. Acts 1:15, however, indicates that a gathering of “all” the believers would have been some 120. Verse 4 indicates that these believers' speaking in tongues was the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit gave them the words they spoke. Verses 7-11 are also interesting; there may have been as many as 14 languages represented among the hearers, and possibly more. 120 people speaking, some 14 languages heard … it is possible that the believers were speaking in perfect unison, or that particular believers, by the action of the Holy Spirit, spoke the language of the person(s) near them. Personally, given the din of 120 persons speaking at once and how the hundreds or thousands of persons from various regions might have been scattered among the thousands in the crowd, my opinion is that various people hearing their native languages was a miracle in addition to that of the believers speaking in tongues.
 
Acts 2:32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. ...

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren , what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself."

Verse 32 reiterates the fact that what the onlookers heard – the speaking in tongues – was due to Jesus having given the Holy Spirit to His followers. The source of the speaking in tongues was God; that Peter felt it necessary to repeat this indicates that the hearers thought the speaking in tongues “weird” (some hearers sneered that the believers were drunk). Verse 39 gives the “limit” God placed on this gift – the Holy Spirit, as verse 38 states – all believers, wherever, for all time.

The Gift of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy, Part 1

I've been participating, to some degree, in a discussion about the gifts of the Spirit, and thought it important to that discussion to do a fairly full survey of what the New Testament has to say about that and related topics. Having done that, I thought it would be good to post what I wrote here as well in a series of posts to make reading it all a little easier. I'll start by setting out, first, some terms of reference: how I will use Scripture; what I will endeavor to show from Scripture; things I am not saying.

Taking the last item first, I will neither claim all instances of purported speaking in tongues or prophecy are genuine, nor proper usage thereof. I do not and cannot know every speaker nor be there to witness everything every speaker does. So making such a claim would be silly, defying common sense. Making the reverse claim – that no instances of purported speaking in tongues or prophecy are genuine and proper usage – would be equally silly for the same reasons, IF there is a Scriptural basis for such activities.

That ”IF” leads me to what I will be endeavoring to show – and not show – from Scripture. Much of what will follow will be quotes from Scripture – not brief, out-of-context, snippets. First, I will show that speaking in tongues and prophecy happened in the church, and these were: part of “normal” for the church; useful in the life of the church; gifts from God. I will not, however, claim that these things were a central focus for the church. That would be silly. I view speaking in tongues, prophecy, and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit as tools. A contractor's focus is not on the coolness of his/her tools – saw, hammer, drill, trowel, air compressor – but on what (s)he makes with those tools. In the same way, the church's focus was and should be on the needs served by the gifts of the Spirit in the greater context of the purpose of the church, not on the gifts themselves.

Finally – and foundationally – I will use Scripture as authoritative. Scripture is not exhaustively complete: it does not instruct Peter to be an electronics technician and Steven to be a pastor; Scripture usually speaks to and at a general level. Where Scripture so speaks, it sets a standard. More practically, if I have a problem with something Scripture says (or seems to), the problem is me. I may misunderstand what is said, or the context or people addressed. But if I do understand a Scripture properly and ignore it because it seems weird to me, I am dismissing instruction from God. Not a good idea. In using Scripture, I will focus on the clear and plain meaning of a text; if I express interpretive opinion that goes beyond the meaning of a text, I will indicate that I am doing so.

As I move on to quoting and pointing out the meaning and significance of Scripture passages having to do with these topics, I want to note that I will not be citing the second half of Mark chapter 16. Its genuineness is disputed: I don't want to dive into the Textus Receptus vs. Westcott & Hort ditch; as will be seen, scriptures pertaining to this topic are plentiful and clear. Finally, unless noted otherwise, the translation I will be using is the New American Standard Version. I've used it for many years, but, more importantly, it's fairly literal, not idiosyncratic, and doesn't mix commentary into its text. No translation can be perfect, but the NASV is among the best modern English translations.