WHY ARE THERE SOME SPIRITUAL GIFTS WE DON T PRACTICE? 1 Corinthians 12:28-31

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1 WHY ARE THERE SOME SPIRITUAL GIFTS WE DON T PRACTICE? 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 Introduction: Three Views On Sign Gifts 1. Continuationism Miraculous gifts are operative today 2. Cessanionist Miraculous have ceased 3. Open, But Cautious Doubts sign gifts are operative but doesn t deny they have ceased. I. The Priority Of Spiritual Gifts (28) 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. A. God Has Out The Gifts According To His Will 1. Every Church Has What It Needs Don t Focus On What We 2. God Has Different Gifts To Different People Don t Seek What You Don t Have B. God Has The Gifts According To His Will 1. The Preeminent, But Temporary Gift: Apostles 2. The Second Most Important Gift: Prophets 3. The Third Most Important Gift: Teachers 4. The Fourth Most Important Gift: Miracles 5. The Fifth Tier Gifts: Healing, Helping, Administrating, Tongues The Purpose For The Gift Of Tongues The Gift of Tongues was not: a special language for worship and prayer that only God and angels understand a primary means of evangelism a permanent authentication of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in every believer The Gift Of Tongues Was For: 1. The Authentication Of Apostles And Their Message (Eph 2:20; 3:5; Heb 2:3-4) 2. The Confirmation Of The Spoken Word (Mark 16:17-20; Heb 2:3-4) 3. The Witness To Unbelieving Israel (1 Cor 14:21; Cf. Isa 28:11-12) - Tongues Is A Sign To Israel In Their Unbelief C. God Has Temporal Gifts According To His Will ( 1. The Gift Of Tongues Was Distributed To Some, It Was Not To Be Sought By All (1 Cor 12:7-10; 27-30)

2 2. The Scriptures Point To A Time When Tongues Will Cease (1 Corinthians 13:8-12) Paul s Statement On The Cessation Of Tongues: The Gift Of Tongues Is Temporary Paul s Support On The Cessation Of Tongues 3. A Historical Perspective Of Tongues 4. Montanism A Heresy Of New Revelation & Tongues 5. Pentecostalism 6. The Healing Movement 7. The Charismatic Movement 8. The Third Wave II. The Prevalence Of Spiritual Gifts (29-30) 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? A. No One Gift Belongs To Believer B. The Expectation Among Charismatics For Everyone To Speak In Tongues Is III. The Passion For Spiritual Gifts (31) 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. A. Higher Gifts: It s Not About What Gifts You And Which Is Greater B. Higher Attitude: It s About How You Use The Gifts You Have With

3 WHY ARE THERE SOME SPIRITUAL GIFTS WE DON T PRACTICE? 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 Introduction: Three Views On Sign Gifts 1. Continuationism Miraculous gifts are operative today 2. Cessanionist Miraculous have ceased 3. Open, But Cautious Doubts sign gifts are operative but doesn t deny they have ceased. I. The Priority Of Spiritual Gifts (28) 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. A. God Has Passed Out The Gifts According To His Will 1. Every Church Has What It Needs Don t Focus On What We Lack 2. God Has Distributed Different Gifts To Different People Don t Seek What You Don t Have B. God Has Prioritized The Gifts According To His Will 1. The Preeminent, But Temporary Gift: Apostles 2. The Second Most Important Gift: Prophets 3. The Third Most Important Gift: Teachers 4. The Fourth Most Important Gift: Miracles 5. The Fifth Tier Gifts: Healing, Helping, Administrating, Tongues The Purpose For The Gift Of Tongues The Gift of Tongues was not: a special language for worship and prayer that only God and angels understand a primary means of evangelism a permanent authentication of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in every believer The Gift Of Tongues Was For: 1. The Authentication Of Apostles And Their Message (Eph 2:20; 3:5; Heb 2:3-4) 2. The Confirmation Of The Spoken Word (Mark 16:17-20; Heb 2:3-4) 3. The Witness To Unbelieving Israel (1 Cor 14:21; Cf. Isa 28:11-12) - Tongues Is A Sign To Israel In Their Unbelief C. God Has Removed Temporal Gifts According To His Will ( 1. The Gift Of Tongues Was Distributed To Some, It Was Not To Be Sought By All (1 Cor 12:7-10; 27-30)

4 2. The Scriptures Point To A Time When Tongues Will Cease (1 Corinthians 13:8-12) Paul s Statement On The Cessation Of Tongues: The Gift Of Tongues Is Temporary Paul s Support On The Cessation Of Tongues 3. A Historical Perspective Of Tongues 4. Montanism A Heresy Of New Revelation & Tongues 5. Pentecostalism 6. The Healing Movement 7. The Charismatic Movement 8. The Third Wave II. The Prevalence Of Spiritual Gifts (29-30) 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? A. No One Gift Belongs To Every Believer B. The Expectation Among Charismatics For Everyone To Speak In Tongues Is Unbiblical III. The Passion For Spiritual Gifts (31) 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. A. Higher Gifts: It s Not About What Gifts You Have And Which Is Greater B. Higher Attitude: It s About How You Use The Gifts You Have With Love

5 WHY ARE THERE SOME SPIRITUAL GIFTS WE DON T PRACTICE? 1 Corinthians 12: Corinthians 12: And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. Introduction: Three Views On Sign Gifts 1. Continuationism Miraculous gifts are operative today The gift of tongues is normative for the church today as the Book of Acts is the normative mode for the Church to operate today. o Even the Pentecostal, however, has problems following the pattern found in Acts. If tongues speaking is normative, why are the rushing might wind and the tongues of fire sitting on those gathered together in the Upper Room not normative?...the other tonguesspeaking passages in Acts present more problems for the normative interpretation. In Acts 2, no laying on of hands occurs, but it does in Acts 8. In Acts 10, the Spirit is received immediately at the point of salvation before water baptism and without either prayer or laying on of hands, but in Acts 8 a delay occurs between salvation and speaking in tongues. (Larry Pettegrew, p. 112) The gift of tongues is a manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 2. Cessanionist Miraculous have ceased The cessationist position argues that there are no miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit today. Gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and healing were confined to the first century, and were used at the time the apostles were establishing the churches and the New Testament was not complete. (Grudem, Today, p. 10) Les Lofquist: Cessationists believe that the end of the apostolic age and the completion of the New Testament brought about a cessation of the miracles associated with that age. Cessationists also teach that while God can and still does perform miracles today, the Holy Spirit no longer uses individuals to perform miraculous signs. ( Cessationism and the IFCA International, Voice Magazine, Nov/Dec, 2012, p. 7) 3. Open, But Cautious Doubts sign gifts are operative but doesn t deny they have ceased. There is ye another position, held by a vast number of evangelicals who think of themselves as belonging to none of these groups. These people have not been convinced by the cessationist arguments that relegate certain gifts to the first century, but they are not really convinced by the doctrine or practice of those who emphasize such gifts today either. They are open to the possibility of miraculous gifts today, but they are concerned about the possibility of abuses that they have seen in groups that practice these gifts. They do not think speaking in tongues is ruled

6 out by Scripture, but they see many modern examples as not conforming to scriptural guidelines; some also are concerned that it often leads to divisiveness and negative results in churches today. (Grudem, Today, pp ) I. The Priority Of Spiritual Gifts (28) 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. A. God Has Passed Out The Gifts According To His Will 1. Every Church Has What It Needs Don t Focus On What We Lack has appointed = Gr. etheto men don t choose their gifts God distributes sovereignly That means we shouldn t be griping about what our church doesn t have It means we have what s needed to do what God wants us to be doing Of course it s different for a church of 50 vs. 300 vs But sometime we re looking with envy what other churches are doing or what they have It s funny big churches like our youth groups and Day Camp, but they have counseling ministries and women ministries that are different than ours I was recently at a church that has a wonderful college ministry, but they don t have a youth ministry or children s ministry ENVY can be a big problem big or small 2. God Has Distributed Different Gifts To Different People Don t Seek What You Don t Have Don t seek to be apostles Don t seek to speak in tongues B. God Has Prioritized The Gifts According To His Will 1. The Preeminent, But Temporary Gift: Apostles Apostles established the church a. Definition: This gift was an office of the early church that laid the foundation and direction for the church. The apostles were commissioned by Christ to build the church. Apostolos is one who is sent with a commission. b. Distinction: The qualifications for this office 1) Personal contact with Jesus (Acts 1:8, 21-23) 2) Eyewitness of Jesus resurrection (Acts 1:21-22; Luke 24:48; 1 Cor 9:1-2) 3) Personally appointed by Jesus Christ (Luke 6:13-16) 4) Ability to perform signs, wonders & miracles (Rom 15:15-19; 2 Cor 12:12)

7 2. The Second Most Important Gift: Prophets Prophets proclaimed the truth Definition: Those with the gift of prophecy were channels or conduits of direct revelation of God. They were used by God to speak forth God s mind and counsel about present and future events. 3. The Third Most Important Gift: Teachers Teachers clarified and applied the truth Men specially endowed with this power in the early church consistently displayed it along with the preaching of the Word (1 Cor 2:4; 4:20; 2 Cor 6:7; 1 Thess 1:5). In each case, the miracle s effect on the hearers was to create an impression of God s direct involvement in what was being said. (Robert Thomas, p. 62) 4. The Fourth Most Important Gift: Miracles Miracles authenticated the truth before the Bible was complete 5. The Fifth Tier Gifts: Healing, Helping, Administrating, Tongues The Purpose For The Gift Of Tongues The Gift of Tongues was not: a special language for worship and prayer that only God and angels understand a primary means of evangelism a permanent authentication of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in every believer The Gift Of Tongues Was For: 1. The Authentication Of Apostles And Their Message (Eph 2:20; 3:5; Heb 2:3-4) Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. The apostles are commissioned to receive the mystery and to convey it to believers Hebrews 2:3-4 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? 2. The Confirmation Of The Spoken Word (Mark 16:17-20; Heb 2:3-4)

8 Prior to the completion of the revelation of the New Testament, the Word needed to be confirmed as authentic. The sign gifts brought confirmation that the preaching and revelation through the apostles were of the Lord. Tongues does not confirm Word today. If the Word still needs to be confirmed then it would be questionable as to its reliability today. Mark 16: And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. 3. The Witness To Unbelieving Israel (1 Cor 14:21; Cf. Isa 28:11-12) - Tongues Is A Sign To Israel In Their Unbelief In Acts, Jews were always present when tongues were spoken. Tongues is intended to rouse Jews to repentance even though they ignored it 1 Corinthians 14: In the law it is written: With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me, says the Lord. 22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers Isaiah 28: For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest, And, This is the refreshing ; yet they would not hear Context: Isaiah 28 occurs during the reign of Hezekiah (Judah, BC). The Assyrians invaded and defeated Israel (No. Kingdom). The Jews were reprimanded by Isaiah for drunken revelry and warned them of judgment. The Jews did not listen to God when He spoke in plain Hebrew so God said that He will speak to them in a language they don t understand. Tongues is a sign of the removal of blessing from Israel. Principle: The principle was as follows: every generation of Jews to which God sends a prophet spokesman and which God judges for rejecting His message and prophet spokesman will be forced to listen to foreign language which it cannot understand as a sign of that judgment. (Renald Showers, The Connection Of Isaiah 28:11 To The Gift Of Tongues, Israel My Glory, Feb/March 1989, p. 19)

9 Application: Jesus was a prophet (Mt 21:11,46; Lk 7:16; 24:19; Jn 4:19; 6:14; 7:40; 9:17), even the most superior of prophets (Heb 1:2-12) Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son Jesus was rejected as a prophet (Mt 21:33-45) by the Jewish community of His time. They would then receive the sign of judgment of tongues as determined by Isaiah 28:11. Paul was indicating that the gift of tongues in the New Testament Church had the same God-intended purpose or function toward the generation of Jews of Jesus time as did the foreign language of Isaiah 28:11 toward the generation of Jews of Isaiah s time. In other words, Paul concluded that the gift of tongues in the New Testament Church had the God-intended purpose of functioning as a sign to that wicked, unbelieving generation of Jews which had heard and seen Jesus Christ, but then killed Him. God purposed the gift of tongues to be a sign to the effect that that generation of Jews was subject to the severe judgment of God.Because this generation of Jews has rejected God s message and killed His ultimate prophet spokesman, Jesus Christ God is now moving His base of operation for His program in the world from the nation of Israel to the Church (Mt 21:43). (Showers, p. 22) According to Isaiah, when the Old Testament Israelites heard foreign languages spoken all around them, it would be a sign that god was judging them. It would mean that they were in captivity, out of their land, away from the promised place of blessing.the symbolism of tongues also pointed to the international character of the church program which God had temporarily replaced Israel in its mediatorial responsibility. Thus, the gift of tongues was a dramatic sign to the unbelieving Jew (v.22). (Pettegrew, pp ) C. God Has Removed Temporal Gifts According To His Will Preface: o Brothers and sisters in Christ will disagree on the subject of temporal spiritual gifts o This doctrine does not effect Salvation by Grace o This does affect one s view of the Holy Spirit and Sanctification The Apostles only functioned in the first century Their gift expired when they passed away It was not perpetuated or propagated to successive generations

10 1. The Gift Of Tongues Was Distributed To Some, It Was Not To Be Sought By All (1 Cor 12:7-10; 27-30) 1 Corinthians 12:7,10-11, 30 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. 10 to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? v.30 - Do all speak in tongues? - implied answer as with rest of questions in NO - God distributes gifts sovereignly - no emphasis on seeking a gift (eg. tongues) ie/ Charismatics believe that everyone should speak in tongues as a confirmation of the baptism of the HS which is an extra-sanctification over salvation - Paul doesn t place a high priority on tongues 2. The Scriptures Point To A Time When Tongues Will Cease (1 Corinthians 13:8-12) a. Paul s Statement On The Cessation Of Tongues: The Gift Of Tongues Is Temporary (8) 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Prophecy will fail (katargeo = become inoperative, taken out of action, to render entirely idle useless [Strong s Concordance]) Tongues will cease (pauo = to cease, pause, restrain; middle voice carries of ceasing itself) The form lends itself to the thought of the gift s passing out of existence under its own power, as it were. (Thomas, p. 78) [Pauo] means to cease permanently. It implies that when tongues ceased, they would never start up again. (MacArthur, p. 230) Knowledge will vanish (katargeo) The ability to speak in a foreign language, without having studied it, stopped when the purpose for this gift was completed. Paul clearly explained this gift to be a sign (14:21`-22) that was specifically to Israel to indicate that the nation had been removed from its mediatorial position and replaced by the international church. Although the content of tongues when they were translated was the same as prophecy, the form (foreign languages) was a sign to the nation of Israel that it would lose its impact and significance after a few years. Because the nation ceased to exist in about A.D. 70, it was clear by then that God was not working with His covenant nation. The gift of tongues stopped then. The gift of foreign languages was thus a minor gift that was necessary to the infancy of the church as a sign to Israel, but it ceased when its purpose was fulfilled. (Pettegrew, p. 181)

11 b. Paul s Support On The Cessation Of Tongues (9-10) 1) Tongues is unique in that it fulfilled its purpose. Knowledge and prophecy only saw partial fulfillment. (9) 1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 3. A Historical Perspective Of Tongues Before the 20th century, the Church did not practice the gift of tongues Tongues were only mentioned in earliest New Testament books: Mk 16:17; Acts 2:4; 10:46: 19:6; 1 Cor Outside of Acts and a questionable portion in Mk 16:17, 1 Corinthians is the only NT book that mentions tongues 1 Corinthians was written around 55 to 56 AD 1 Corinthians was Paul s 4 th book written chronologically. Paul never mentioned tongues in his next 9 letters to 6 different churches. Spiritual Gifts As Presented In Scripture Romans 12:3-8 1 Corinthians 12 Ephesians 4 1 Peter 4:10-11 Prophecy Helps/Service Teaching Exhoration Giving Administration Mercy Wisdom Knowledge Faith Healing Miracles Prophecy Discernment of Spirits Tongues Interpreting Tongues Apostleship Teaching Administration Helps Apostleship Prophecy Evangelism Pastoring/Teaching Speaking Serving The last recorded miracle in Scripture was 58 AD when Paul healed Publius father in Acts 28:7-10 Epistles that were written later in time, Ephesians and Romans, dealt with the area of spiritual gifts but the sign gifts were absent It is particularly noteworthy that the Pastoral Letters do not anticipate the necessity of regulating the exercise of such gifts as prophecy and speaking I tongues. (Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit, p. 230) From AD when Revelation was completed (final book), there were no miracles recorded There were no more apostles after John and the need for temporary gifts was over History records that tongues did cease. Again, it is significant that tongues are mentioned only in the earliest books of the New Testament. Paul wrote at least twelve epistles after 1 Corinthians and never mentioned tongues again. Peter never mentioned tongues; James never mentioned tongues; John never mentioned

12 tongues; neither did Jude. Tongues appeared only briefly in Acts and 1 Corinthians as the new message of the gospel was being spread. But once the church was established, tongues were gone. They stopped. The later books of the New Testament do not mention tongues again. Nor did anyone in the post-apostolic age. (John MacArthur, The Charismatic Chaos, p ) Historians claim that tongues have ceased Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine cite that tongues were extremely remote in early church history The practice of tongues was not revived until AD when Montanus (a heretic) & disciple Tertullian tried to revive it in ecstatic utterances 4. Montanism A Heresy Of New Revelation & Tongues The heresy was prominent from the 2 nd to the 9 th centuries Originated in Phrygia, spreading to Rome and North Africa Montanus (2 nd Century) o A former priest of the cult of Cybele (mother earth goddess of fertility) o According to Eusebius, Montanus experienced an ecstatic state (c. 172) They promoted asceticism (self-denial) They believed in the literal Millennium (Chiliasm) They anticipated an imminent Millennium o Encyclopedia Britannica: The prophetic movement at first expected an imminent transformation of the world but later evolved into sectarianism claiming a new revelation. ( 2/Montanus) They spoke in tongues (glossolalia) They believed prophetic revelation from God still was being given to the church They would have emotionally extreme and uncontrolled outbursts of the Holy Spirit Other than their doctrine of the Holy Spirit, they were mostly orthodox They recognized themselves as truly spiritual, while all others were carnal As the power of the bishops grew and the role of the laity diminished, the Montanists challenged to moral laxity of the church. They opposed any kind of art They saw martyrdom as a virtue As it was rejected by the church, the church was forced to study and define the issue of the authority and canon of Scripture 5. Pentecostalism

13 Pentecostal refers to any denomination or group that traces its historical origin back to the Pentecostal revival that began in the United States in 1901, and that holds the following doctrines: 1) All the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the New Testament are intended for today; 2) baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering experience subsequent to conversion and should be sought by Christians today; and 3) when baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs, people will speak in tongues as a sign that they have received this experience. Pentecostal groups usually have their own distinct denominational structures, among which are the Assemblies of God, the Church of God in Christ, and many others. (Wayne Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts For Today, p. 11) The roots of the Pentecostalism in America begins with Charles Fox Parham, a former Methodist pastor, who taught internal evidence after observing a student (Agnes Ozman) in the school he taught (Bethel Bible School) speak in tongues (glossolalia). He taught this was the evidence of being baptized by the Holy Spirit. The speaking of tongues started to spread from Topeka, Kansas in Though speaking in tongues was not new to America or England (Edward Irving, Presbyterian, London; Anne Lee, Shaker, England & U.S.; Joseph Smith, Mormon, U.S.), the Pentecostals popularized it. The Azusa Street revival started in an abandoned church in downtown Los Angeles with services led by William J. Seymour, a black

14 Holiness preacher from Houston and a student of Parham. This would launch Pentecostalism worldwide. Pentecostalism flourished within the Holiness movement (a 19 th century spinoff of American Methodism) under the leadership of Phoebe Palmer and John Inskip. Inskip taught the second blessing which brought a new level of sanctification when a person was baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Keswick movement (1874) among English evangelicals also taught a secondary Holy Spirit sanctification or higher life. The Holiness movement spread Pentecostalism worldwide. In 1895, the concept of the fire was struck in Iowa by Benjamin Hardin Irwin (from Lincoln, NE) which was a third blessing which made this new movement called Fire-Baptized Holiness Church more intense than the Holiness movement. Alma White led this movement in the U.S. and R.C. Horner led this movement in Canada. Pentecostal teachers stressed believers to seek a Crisis experience through prayer and faith that would result in a graduating sequence: conversion (justification), baptism of the Holy Spirit (second blessing, sanctification), fire, healing through prayer, then rapture. Though Pentecostalism originated in the Holiness Movement, most Holiness believers rejected Pentacostalism. These Holiness movements that sided against Pentecostalism include the Church of the Nazarene, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Church of God (Anderson, IN) and The Salvation Army. But other Holiness pilgrims such as G.B. Cashwell (NC), C.H. Mason (TN), Glen Cook (CA), A.G. Argue (Canada) and W.H. Durham (Chicago) became Pentecostal through the Azusa St. revivals. Pentecostal denominations were sprouting between including the Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Church of God in Christ, the Church of God

15 (Cleveland, TN), the Apostolic Faith (Portland), the United Holy Church, and the Pentecostal Free-Will Baptist Church. Most were in the Southern states. The Church of God in Christ and the United Holy Church were predominantly black. (Vinson Synan, The Portable Seminary, p. 534) Pentecostalism spread to Norway, Sweden, England, Germany, Chile (1909), Brazil (1910), So. Africa (1908) and Korea (1906). The Assemblies of God formed in 1914 and became the largest Pentecostal denomination. William Durham stressed the finished work theory in 1910 which taught that sanctification was progressive after one was baptized by the Spirit as a second blessing. The A.G. followed Durham s teaching. The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was started by Aimee Semple McPherson in The Oneness ( Jesus Only ) controversy started in Los Angeles in 1911 when Glen Cook and Frank Ewart denied the Trinity and taught that Jesus Christ was simultaneously the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Pentecostalism flourished post World War II as the middle class felt more elite than the lower class they left behind. In 1943, the Assemblies of God, the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), the Foursquare Gospel and the Pentecostal Holiness Church bound together to form the National Association of Evangelicals (N.A.E.) which grew into a moderate evangelical movement in the 1970 s in opposition to the fundamentalists that disfellowshiped the Pentecostals in The Healing Movement The healing movement came with R. Charles Cullis, a Boston physician, who built a healing home in 1864 where prayer was given for treatment, not medicine. A.B. Simpson (Christian and Missionary Alliance & Simpson College founder) and A.J. Gordon taught that physical healing was a result of Christ s atonement. Simpson s 4 key doctrines were 1) salvation, 2) baptism in the Spirit, 3) divine healing and 4) Christ s Second Coming. Alexander Sowie (Australia) built Zion City near Chicago in 1900 that would be a healing center for the nations. 7. The Charismatic Movement

16 Charismatic, on the other hand, refers to any groups (or people) that trace their historical origin to the charismatic renewal movement of the 1960s and 1970s and that seek to practice all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament Charismatics by and large have refrained from forming their own denominations, but view themselves as a force for renewal within existing Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. (ibid) 8. The Third Wave In the 1980s a third renewal movement arose, a movement called The Third Wave by missions professor C. Peter Wagner at Fuller Seminary.Third Wave people encourage the equipping of all believers to use New Testament spiritual gifts today and say that the proclamation of the gospel should ordinarily be accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles, according to the New Testament pattern. They teach, however, that baptism in the Holy Spirit happens to all Christians at conversion and the subsequent experiences are better called fillings or empowerings with the Holy Spirit. Though they believe the gift of tongues exist today, they do not emphasize it to the extent that Pentecostals and charismatics do. (Grudem, Today, pp )

17 The Vineyard churches are the prominent Third Wave group today. A variant extension of this movement is the Holy Laughter movement who holds to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through uncontrolled laughter or animal noises with the Toronto Blessing Movement. II. The Prevalence Of Spiritual Gifts (29-30) 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? A. No One Gift Belongs To Every Believer B. The Expectation Among Charismatics For Everyone To Speak In Tongues Is Unbiblical Do all speak with tongues? the pattern of the 7 rhetorical questions is NO If all the gifts are available, as Charismatics claim, why do they not seek the 4 higher gifts listed in v. 28? If only some spoke in tongues that possessed the gift, why do the Charismatics seek to claim tongues is a manifestation for potentially every believer? Les Lofquist: Why are the miraculous sign gifts completely omitted in the New Testament discussion of the Christian life and growth in such key theological epistles as Romans, Ephesians, Galatians, Colossians, and Philippians? Why is there a conspicuous absence of exhortation to seek out the exercise of miraculous signs as the norm for a believer s spiritual life? In the New Testament lists of spiritual gifts, tongues occurs last (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28:30) or else is omitted altogether (Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Peter 4:10-11). How can this be? Isn t that rather incredible if miraculous gifts, tongues-speaking and healing had the importance in the early church that it is accorded by some today? Why did Paul leave people sick (Philippians 2:26-27; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20)? Why did James have the sick call the elders and not someone with the gift of healing (James 5:14-16)? Do we see people today being raised from the dead on the nightly news? What about John the Baptist? John the Baptist was the greatest of all prophets who came in the spirit of Elijah (the miracle worker). Yet John did no miracle (John 10:41). Why not? Speaking in tongues, being bitten by poisonous snakes without harm, miraculously expelling demons, and spectacular supernatural healings were among the signs displayed by the apostles and by those to whom they personally ministered (Mark 16:17-18, 20). If

18 all Christians were supposed to perform such deeds, how could they have served as the signs of apostleship (Mark 16:17, 20; 2 Corinthians 12:12)? ( Cessationism and the IFCA International, Voice Magazine, Nov/Dec, 2012, p. 9) III. The Passion For Spiritual Gifts (31) 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. A. Higher Gifts: It s Not About What Gifts You Have And Which Is Greater Earnestly desire = covet o Either covet gifts that will bring growth and harmony to the church o Or Paul is reprimanding them for the covetousness (zeloute used frequently as a fleshly desire) B. Higher Attitude: It s About How You Use The Gifts You Have With Love More excellent way leads into 1 Cor 13 - Love