Maturing as Christians

Paul teaches us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The context of this verse is (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1-9). Preaching the truth of Christ to the world has brought Paul and his co-workers much suffering. Yet they refuse to quit—they live with courage—because they are convinced that after they die, they will be resurrected as Christ was. They will receive glorified, eternal bodies where they will finally be free of all burdens and the groaning experienc

I’ve had believers say to me, “I have the anointing, and I don’t need human teachers because the anointing teaches me.” Is this what the passage teaches? Are they correct in their assessment? No, they are not! The problem lies in taking the words, “you have no need for anyone to teach you” (1 John 2:27) from its context. The context is 1 John 2:18-27, which warns against “self-appointed false teachers,” who oppose Christ in their teachings. In other words, the anointing isn’

I’ve had believers say to me, “I have the anointing, and I don’t need human teachers because the anointing teaches me.” Is this what the passage teaches? Are they correct in their assessment? No, they are not! The anointing isn’t meant to replace human teachers! John says, “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just

I’ve had believers say to me, “I have the anointing, and I don’t need human teachers because the anointing teaches me.” Is this what the passage teaches? Are they correct in their assessment? No, they are not! John says, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know” (1 John 2:20). The context of these words are 1 John 2:18–27. The word “But” is a term of contrast! The contrast is with those who went out from the Body and thus proved they were false believe

When I talk about the “practice” of anything, I mean, the actual application or use of an idea or belief, as opposed to theories relating to it. With that in mind, practicing God's presence means to live in a constant, conscious awareness of God's nearness throughout your entire day, and seeking a close, intimate relationship with Him! Practicing God’s presence involves developing and cultivating a mindset of conscious, ongoing fellowship with Him through practices like pray

How do I identify my spiritual gift? There is no magic formula or definitive test that can tell us exactly what our spiritual gifts are. The Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes the gifts as He determines (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). A common problem believers face is the temptation to get so caught up in trying to identify our spiritual gift that we only seek to serve God in the area in which we feel we have been gifted. That is not how the spiritual gifts work. God calls us to o

Let’s continue our teaching, which shows that the distribution of some gifts are limited as to time. The specific gifts are apostleship, prophecy, tongues, healings and miracles. While God can still perform miracles, the gift given to specific individuals to work miracles at will ended with the Apostolic age. For example, the Bible teaches that those who lived at the same time as Jesus experienced certain miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit that weren’t experienced by the ge

Let’s continue discussing the characteristics about the distribution of gifts. Third, some gifts are limited as to time. It stands to reason that since every believer doesn’t have all the gifts, neither does every generation of the church have all the gifts! Indeed, this principle is found in the Bible. The foundation gifts of apostles and prophets (see Ephesians 2:19-20) belonged not to this generation of the church but to the founding era of the church, and don’t appear in

Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:11, Romans 12:6-8) makes it clear that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people. The Holy Spirit decides which gift each Christian receives for the common good and to build up the church. However there are certain characteristics about the distribution of gifts. First, they’re limited by the Spirit who gives them. He knows best what’s needed by the church along with what best fits each believer for service. Knowing and embracing

Biblically, spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at salvation for the common good of the church , building it up in love, not for self-glorification. Key passages like 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4 list various gifts (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, serving, teaching, etc.) that serve different functions, emphasizing stewardship and selfless use for others, distinct from natural talents or learned skills