The Propers are found on Page
111-112 with the Collect first:
The
Second Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY
and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth; Mercifully
hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of
our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dru Arnold read
the Epistle for today, which came from the Twelfth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans beginning at the
Sixth Verse. As Paul often does,
he gives guidance on what God would have us do. He notes that each of us have differing talents, skills and
resources. What God wants us to do
is use all of what He gave us to further His will and His way, so that we might
be truly happy here on earth. To
be gracious and hospitable to those around us, to remember each of us are equal
in God’s eye.
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AVING then
gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy,
let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait
on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on
exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth,
with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without
dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be
kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one
another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which
persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and
weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high
things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Hap Arnold read the Holy Gospel for today which came
from the beginning of the Gospel according to St. Mark, the First Chapter,
beginning at the First Verse. This
is the very first of the New Testament, a New Covenant or agreement with
God. It tells the story of “the beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” It talks of John the Baptist, who God sends as His
“messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins.”
And the people came to John “and were all baptized of him in the river
of Jordan, confessing their sins.”
But, as a harbinger the One to come, John told them of the One coming “
the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.” He told them of the Holy Ghost. When Jesus, in His submission as a man
to God came to John for baptism, as he came out of the water, “the heavens
opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him: and there came a
voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
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beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in
the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness,
and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went
out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all
baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was
clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he
did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier
than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and
unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming
up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove,
descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the
Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords
above.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… hear the supplications of thy
people, and grant us thy peace …
In the Collect, we are
asking God to listen to us and give us His peace in our hearts. God is perfect. He hears us when we pray, God hears us
when we call Him. This Collect is
really to remind us that when we pray to Him, we need to listen to Him. To often we ask Him what to do, when He
tells us what He wants us to do, it is not what we want, so we don’t hear. After all, there are none so deaf as
those who will not hear. So, the
question is not, Does God hear our supplication? Rather the question is, Do we hear His answer and abide by
it? Do we listen when His answer
is not what we want but what we need? We think that he doesn’t answer, but that
is often because we are deaf to His answer through our own condition of being
poor, sinful creatures that need His forgiveness desperately. If we open our
hearts and minds, then we will hear Him. Will we let him in to our hearts for
this to happen? It has to start with us letting Him in, and then we will hear
His answer loud and clear.
We all have some
talent; each has something they do better than others. Paul reminds us for the church, on any
organization for that matter, to succeed, we must do what needs to be done,
working hard, honestly, cheerfully, looking for no public praise, being kind to
all. Everybody needs to utilize
their talents according to the needs of the church, not to somebody elses
talents, but their talents. Everybody has a talent of some sort, be it
musically, talking (being a good with people). Almost anything else that can be
used for His Glory is a talent. Sometimes, we fail to remember that for the
team to be successful, each person needs to do the job they do best to the best
of their ability; not necessarily the one they like best the way they want to
do it at the pace they enjoy. The
reward of a job well done in and of itself should be sufficient. We should not be giving of ourselves to
God, so that we can get praise and recognition. That is not giving; it is selling. And that would not be
truly giving from the heart as is God’s desire. That would be using the talents He has loaned to us for our
own wants and ends, which would not be becoming of the Christians we are called
to be, the New Men we are called to be.
At the same time,
though we should not look for praise for our own work, we should look for
reasons to praise and encourage others.
We need to recognize hard work, sacrifice, thoughtfulness and talent in
others, remark on it and praise the use thereof! That which is rewarded most is that which grows best.
Even God Himself, looking on His Son’s baptism
remarked for all to hear, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
How oft do we praise the actions of others? To often we are quick to criticize the
failings of others. We must
understand that while it is valuable to know when we fall short, people strive
the most for praise of those whose opinion they value.
When you hear those words, “Thou art my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased,” remember to use them yourself. Lead others to God, don’t point the
way.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Bishop Ogles’
Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get
copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.
Today is one of those Sundays.
Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will
give you a lot to consider in your heart.
Sermon Notes
Second Sunday
after The Epiphany
20 January
2013, Anno Domini
The
Second Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY
and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth; Mercifully
hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of
our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in
the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness,
and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went
out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all
baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was
clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he
did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier
than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and
unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming
up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove,
descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
It
is unlikely anyone hearing this sermon can remember the day they were born.
With what words could you have remembered, since you had no words in your mind
at the moment of your birth? But we all remember the day Christ was born in
Bethlehem – and that was even before our own birth. How is that we know?
Because God has provided His Word for us to know and to understand. But even
having God's Word, and knowing it intellectually, does not mean that we truly KNOW
His Word and, furthermore, know Him! If you believe that you came into being
the day of your birth, you would be wrong. You were conceived some months
earlier; and if you believe that you came into being at the moment of
conception, you would be wrong again because God knew you and conceived of you
in the great eternities past. According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will .
(Eph 1:4-5) So what does St. Mark the apostle mean in his opening remarks in
verse 1 of our text: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God?
First of all, Mark does not mean this account
to be the Gospel of St Mark (though for simplicity, we call it that). He means
the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ insofar as we can know it. It is the
revelation of beautiful truths that have existed forever, but revealed to us in
the time of God's own choosing. It does not mean, for example, the beginning of
Jesus Christ, for He has eternally existed with the Father, and the Holy Ghost.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word WAS God!" (John 1:1) In fulfillment of the promise of God to
Abraham and His spiritual Seed, Christ came in the fullness of time to fulfill
all things spoken of Him by the prophets.
When
raveling to a new land, every great sovereign is preceded by emissaries who
prepare the way for his visit, make all arrangements for his reception by the
host people, and send out news (such as the Gospel news) of his coming. The
emissary sent should reflect, though imperfectly, the nature of the Sovereign
who comes. If the Sovereign takes particular interest in the poor and downcast,
so should the emissary in selecting his schedule of events, insure that the Way
is made ready so that those, especially, will have opportunity to be introduced
to Him. The old prophets spoke profusely of this coming Sovereign, but they
also spoke uncommonly often of His emissary. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3) and, Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant,
whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
(Mal 3:1) Truth is unquenchable and it resounds, not only across great
distances, but also across the ages of time. So it is meet and right that Mark
should echo and remind us of the great prophecies of one called John the
Baptist: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
I
have always been struck by this clear and precise description of John the
Baptist. He is one who cries, not among the false lights of the city, but
in the Wilderness. If men will come to hear a "voice crying in the
wilderness" then they must have a serious reason to leave the comfort of
Jerusalem and come. They either are drawn by the promptings of the Holy Spirit
(for those hearts whose soils are rich to bear fruit), or by the spirit of
anti-Christ who sends out his spies to learn of ways to stem the rising hopes
of the people in a Redeemer. We have the same among us today in both kinds –
and they are IN the Church more than OUTSIDE it.
The dress of John the Baptist would have met with serious disdain from the
First churches of today. And the same John had his raiment of camel's
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild
honey. (Matt 3:4) There certainly was nothing special about John's
appearance, but there certainly was something of an overriding importance in
his message! He was a burden on none that he taught, unlike many modern seekers
of filthy lucre. No one brought him steak and wine – he ate locusts and honey.
He wore neither Armani, nor Gucci, suits but, rather, a robe of camel's hair
and a leather girdle about his loins. The Pharisees and Jewish rulers must have
been in a pickle to understand John. He appeared so very low and common, but
what of these wondrous words that he spoke which so completely enthralled the
crowds who flocked to hear him in the Wilderness? They simply could not lower
their dignity from the dunghill of religious sophistry to the pinnacle of
simple righteousness and truth found in John's preaching.
John
did not simply speak in even tones when he preached – he roared the message of
the coming Savior as one "crying in the Wilderness."
The message was to ALL who believed – not the ones who failed of faith and good
will. The dark chambers of the heart were opened in the bosoms of many men and
women to a new Voice – a new Truth (to them) of hope and wonder. Yet, it was
not in the polished halls of the Temple at Jerusalem that they first learned of
this hope – it was in the lonely Wilderness. Have you ever considered how much
more clearly one can hear the Voice of God in a quiet place as opposed to the
hustle and bustle of the city? The point of John's preaching in the Wilderness
that most touches my heart is the fact that all who ever preached the Gospel
before, or after, were as a Voice crying in the Wilderness. Perchance, one is
easily enticed to go to the city square to hear a speaker; but they will not
travel into the Wilderness to hear the words of a man dressed in camel's hair
and a leather girdle unless there is something mighty special about his
message. Did I say HIS message? I should have said "the Gospel of Jesus
Christ." THAT message is worth travelling into the Wilderness to hear. If
you are a minister of God, or a devoted witness, you, too, will be as a Voice
crying in the Wilderness, calling men and women to the HIGHWAY –
not the BROAD and DESCENDING Way – of the Lord. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it. (Matt 7:13-14)
If a
man preaches the whole counsel of God, even with great love, the city crowds
will not flock to his audience. Therefore, I hope that the ministers of God
will cultivate the ground, and plant the seed, without expecting great success
in the eyes of the world. The world has never known the meaning of truth and joy
in Christ. If the numbers of Wilderness travelers remains few, be happy for the
FEW! We sow the seeds of the Gospel – their germination and
sprouting to the sun is the responsibility of the Holy Ghost. He works in the
darkness of the soil, unseen by human eye, in creating the new life in the
heart of the convert.
I
love John the Baptist as my true brother! He surely is! What does one see in
John that would discourage love? He speaks the truth, as any real friend would
do, even when it hurts the water of our face. He is dedicated and earnest.
Finally, he is HUMBLE! We are often lifted up with pride at our
tiny successes, or even a presumed superior knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.
Why should we be if the Word we have learned is not ours, but God's? 7 And
preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of
whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed
have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. It
was, in the time of John, the responsibility of the lowest servant in a
household to unloose the shoe latchets of guests, and to wash their feet. But
John, by contrast with Christ, was not even worthy to SERVE Him – and, friend,
neither are you and I. If He calls us to the duty, He will MAKE us worthy
through His own imputed righteousness.
It is the duty of every believer to be
publicly baptized. That is the means by which, like circumcision, we come into
the covenant relationship with Christ and His Church. Faith, too, must be
the work of the Holy Ghost in the heart. When, by the grace of God, faith is
confirmed in the "broken and contrite heart" the Holy Ghost
has baptized that heart in the heavenlies.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost. It is not the outward form of baptism that is efficacious to us before
God, but the inward and spiritual grace attaining thereto – else it is only a
work of man's hands. It is much like the calling to the ministry and its
recognition by the Church in the following ordination. If the head is ordained
to preach, and the heart is not, there is no authority granted to preach. There
is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:4-6) Must we be
baptized twice? Certainly not! There is one baptism for the remission of sins.
The Holy Ghost atte4nd the believing heart in baptism just as we see that it
presents Itself at the baptism of our Lord.
9 And it came to pass
in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of
John in Jordan.
"And it came to pass….." I love the casual manner in which God
speaks of momentous events! Sure it came to pass, but it didn't
simply come to pass as a matter of happenstance – it was foreordained from all
time and eternity! When all of the stars of Heaven were drawn in perfect
alignment; when all the words of the prophets had been met with fulfillment of
time and purpose; when Christ had been incarnated and made a man after our
physical likeness; when the approval of God the Father thundered down the halls
of time – Christ was baptized by John in the unseemly little waters of Jordan.
How seemingly inappropriate in the eyes of man, but altogether appropriate in
the eyes of God! There was a time fixed for you coming to Christ. Do you feel
that coming was accidental, or ON PURPOSE!
I hope you will notice that the presence of the Divine Trinity at the
baptism of Christ….Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! 10 And
straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the
Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there
came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased. The Holy Spirit descended at the moment of baptism –
not a long delay of months or years afterward; and the Voice of a joyful Father
thundered out of Heaven! Did you feel the love and comfort of God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost at your baptism, or in your confirmation?
Though you may not have felt it in the first, it was nonetheless, present; and
certainly the Trinity was present at your confirming faith in your baptism. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which
need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)
Bishop
Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant
speaker. He is able to take
biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me. Oft he provides the text of his sermons
and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:
Peace
Psalm 99, Zechariah 8, 1
Corinthians 12:12-31
Second Sunday after Trinity
January 20, 2013
Most of the Bible's teachings oppose what people
would naturally expect of God. For example, we naturally expect to make peace
with God through our own efforts. We think we can make ourselves good enough
for God and atone for our sins by countering them with good deeds, like
charitable giving, going to church, receiving communion, or doing acts of
penance. There are other ways people attempt to blot out their own sins, but
the point is that all these are human efforts, and man naturally tends to
believe he can accomplish his own peace with God through his own efforts.
The Bible presents a different view. The Bible says
peace with God is a gift. It is something God accomplishes for us, and gives to
us free of charge. It has to be a gift because none of our good works could
ever atone for our sins. Let me use a financial example. You owe God complete
obedience. Failure to pay Him 100% obedience is to default on your debt, and
any banker will tell you that you cannot make up for missing this month's
mortgage payment simply by paying next month's. Likewise, you can't make up for
not paying God all of what you owe, simply by paying Him part of what you owe.
That won't make up for your sins. Only God can atone for your sins. You can
only receive atonement as His gift. That's why it is called, "forgiveness."
The Church is a similar example. People naturally
assume church membership and attendance is a personal choice and voluntary
action. In our minds, our relationship to God is entirely personal and private.
Every other person's is too. It is nice for people to form associations in
which to worship, or pray, or attempt to persuade others to become Christians,
but such associations, often called churches, are purely a matter of personal
choice, convenience, and preference, and every Christian is free to join and
attend, or not, as he or she sees fit.
Once again, the Bible gives a different view. The Old
Testament Church, Israel, did not consist of individuals who happened to
believe in the God of Abraham. Israel was a nation, a people, a family. Israel
was the family of God. The same is true of the New Testament Israel, the
Church. In Matthew 16:18 Christ Himself said, "I will build My
church." In Matthew 28:19 the Apostles were commissioned to teach the
Gospel to all nations, and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Baptized converts were not just baptized and
left to be their own individual faith. They were baptized into the Church, for
Acts 2:47 tells us "the Lord added to the church daily such as were being
saved." Colossians 1:18 says Christ is the head of the Church. Titus was
placed in Crete by the Apostle Paul for the purpose of ordaining pastors of
local congregations, and bishops to oversee them (Titus 1:5-9). Unto whom did
Paul write the letters we now treasure as Scripture? "Unto the church of
God which is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2); "unto the churches of Galatia
(Gal. 1:2); to the saints, bishops and deacons in Philippi (Phil 1:1); and
"unto the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 1:1). Even when he doesn't
use the word, "church" as in his letter to the Romans, it is clear
throughout the book that he is addressing a particular congregation of
believers, as part of the larger body and Church of Christ. And the New
Testament assumes throughout that every Christian believer is baptized into
Christ through the Church, and carries out his faith and worship within the
context of the Church through its local manifestation in the local, particular
churches.
The reading from Zechariah 8 tells of God bringing
people together into the holy mountain of God. Jews will come, so will
Gentiles. Strong nations, and men of other languages will be made one with
faithful Israel.
1 Corinthians 12 teaches the unity that is to be of
the essence of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Corinthians weren't very good at
keeping the unity. In fact they are a sad example of how not to be a church.
They had adopted heretical views and practices, and had made ecstatic
experiences the essence of being a Christian. Thus, for many, worship was all
about having, and being known, to have an experience. Speaking in tongues or
prophesying, singing a song or anything to be seen by the rest of the
congregation to make them think you were filled with the Holy Spirit became the
objective. It needs to be noted that ecstatic experiences did happen in
Apostolic times. It also needs to be noted that they were not the norm. In fact
they were very rare. Divine healings were much more frequent than tongues, for
example, and even healings seem to have become rare just a few years after
Pentecost. So the Bible does not talk about healing services and tongues as the
normal way of worship. It talks about preaching and hearing the word, prayer,
the sacraments, loving one another, and holiness.
1 Corinthians 12 talks about valuing one another as
part of the body of Christ, rather than attempting to impress others with your
spirituality. It uses the illustration of the body, making the point that the
feet are just as important as any other part of the body. I have often heard
people compliment someones beautiful eyes, but I have never heard anyone
compliment another person's feet. Yet no one would say the feet are not
important. We take care of our feet. I've heard people say they're going to sit
down and put their feet up, but I've never hear anyone say they're going to sit
down and put their tongue up.
Here is the point, and this is what I am trying to
say in this sermon. First you are a part of the Church. It is not an option.
Your only choice is to be a good member or a bad member, and if you choose to
be a bad member you have reason to doubt the validity of your faith in Christ.
You are a member of His Church, so act like one. Conduct yourself with the
humble dignity, obedience and love you would expect of people of such a high calling
in life. Attend, support, and love a Biblical church. Take it seriously, God
does. Second, every other Christian is just as much a part of the Church, and
just as valuable to it as you. You need to treat them as though they are. You
need to treat one another with a sense of reverence, and address one another
with respect and humility. We would treat the actual, physical body of Christ
with great respect, and we would conduct ourselves with great care and
discretion in His presence. We should have a similar attitude toward the
spiritual body of Christ, and every member of it. God grant that it may be so.
--
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
www.HolyTrinityAnglicanOrthodoxChurch.org
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to
have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you
want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the
truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I
commend it to your careful reading.
Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Saint Peter noted in his first epistle (4:10) that: As every man hath
received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God. In St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthian
church (12:4-11) he reminds us that: ... there are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit... dividing to every man severally as he will. The Rev. Matthew
Henry once noted, “...that whatever gift, ordinary or extraordinary, whatever
power, ability, or capacity of doing good is given to us, we should minister or
do service with the same one to another. The talents we are entrusted with are
our Lord’s goods... It is required in a steward that he be found faithful.” In
our epistle lesson for today (Romans 12:6, and see also I Corinthians 12:11)
the apostle Paul informs us that our spiritual gifts are to be used for
edifying those within the body of Christ, while serving as a beacon to those
without that they too might be motivated to enter into the fold of Christ.
Consider also the variety of spiritual gifts which the Holy Ghost
imparts to believers as found in I Corinthians 12: the word of wisdom, and the
word of knowledge, (v.8); faith, and the gifts of healing,; (v.9); the working
of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the
interpretation of tongues (v.10). It is not uncommon for some Christians to
have more than one of these gifts. Likewise, it is not uncommon for some to
receive only one. However, whether a Christian has been given one or all nine,
the purpose of these gifts is furtherance of the gospel of truth in this
sin-darkened world. The Rev. Matthew Henry carefully examined each one, so let
us look at them in the light of his study.
The first is the word of wisdom which refers to “a knowledge of the
mysteries of the gospel and [the] ability to explain them, an exact
understanding of the design, nature, and doctrines of the Christian faith.” It
does not take a seminary-trained leader to have this knowledge. The Holy Spirit
puts a zeal for the study of God’s word into select believers for the express
purpose of teaching others.
The second is the word of knowledge, which has to do with the
“knowledge of mysteries wrapped up in the prophecies, types, and histories of
the Old Testament. Others say [it is] a readiness to give advice and counsel in
perplexed cases.” While this gift is similar to the previous one, there is a
difference in application. This one seems to focus on the implementation rather
than instruction. In order to be wise in the faith, one must possess a
knowledge of it.
The third is faith which refers to “the faith of miracles, or... in
divine power and promise by which they were enabled to trust God in any
emergency, go on in the way of their duty, and acknowledge and profess the
truths of Christ [regardless of] the difficulty or danger.” This is the one
gift which all born-again Christians must have because without faith we cannot
come to that saving understanding of Christ. We must believe that God can work
miracles, that he can exercise his divine sovereignty in matters related to this
world because he is the Creator and Maker of all things both visible and
invisible. St. Paul noted in Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. To quote Matthew Henry another time
with regard to this passage, he said, “Faith demonstrates to the eye of the
mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the
body.” To be a Christian— a true and faithful Christian— you must have the gift
of faith.
The fourth, the gifts of healing has to do with “the healing of the
sick, either by laying on of hands, anointing with oil, or with a word.” St.
James noted in his epistle that Is there any sick among you? let him call for
the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
How often this gift has been misused and in turn been made a mock of by the worldlings
who see the hocus-pocus show of charlatans who pass themselves off as servants
of the Most High. They promise healing to broad gatherings and then because no
one is healed the unbelieving critics heap ridicule on all believers. Yes,
healing is possible. We know that because we have faith in God’s word written
wherein it says healings can be had. But all has to conform to God’s plan and
purpose. There were many righteous people in the Bible who never were healed of
their ailments. But this does not disqualify the gift of healing, rendering it
fraudulent. We ought to follow the directions as found in St. James’ epistle,
then leave the rest to God in the firm belief that God can heal if he so wills
to do.
The fifth, the working of miracles refers to “the efficacies of powers,
such as raising the dead, restoring the blind to sight, giving speech to the
dumb, hearing to the deaf, and use of limbs to the lame.” We know that at any
time, God can do these sorts of things for it is part and parcel of his sovereign
authority in all areas of life and death. If he should so empower one or more
members of the church to carry out such works, then those thus empowered ought
to exercise that gift with much reverence and humility: not for gain or for
fulfilling the desires of flesh, but for the glory of God.
The sixth is prophecy and is described as “the ability to foretell
future events... or to explain scripture...” Prophesying remains a
controversial subject. Still, nothing in any prophecy offered by one supposedly
under the influence of the Holy Ghost will be at variance with Scripture. This
requires discernment on the part of the one uttering the prophecy, as well as
on the listener. God calls his own in different ways and we must not discount
any prophetic communication without first being Bereans in our studies of the
word.
The seventh is the discerning of spirits which refers to “the power to
distinguish between true and false prophets, or to discern the real and
internal qualifications of any person for an office, or to discover the inward
workings of the mind by the Holy Ghost...” St. Peter was given this in his
dealing with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) and with Simon the Sorcerer
(Acts 8:5-25).
The eighth and ninth, which are divers kinds of tongues, and the
interpretation of tongues must be exercised together. In the exercise of the
former, the latter is absolutely essential. While the gospel does contain
elements that are enigmatic; nevertheless, its presentation is to be plainly
spoken to all and in a language that all can understand. If the use of tongues
is carried out otherwise, the words of God will be rendered of no effect. Ergo,
those who do not speak the language being uttered must have an
interpreter present to translate. While certain charismatics will use Acts
2:1-11 as the proof text for their practice of speaking in tongues, such is
clearly not in line with what took place at Pentecost as there were people from
different countries present in Jerusalem to worship, and they each heard the wonderful
words of God in their native languages.
Therefore, speaking in an unknown tongue has been and remains largely
for the benefit of the unregenerate whom God is calling to himself. That is why
in St. Paul in I Corinthians 14:1-40 set the specific requirements for speaking
in tongues. Matthew Henry once noted that, “The Christian religion is a sober
and reasonable thing in itself... and should not be made to look wild or
senseless. Those [who do so] disgrace their religion and vilify their own character
who do anything that has this aspect... Religious exercises in Christian
assemblies should be such as are fit to edify the faithful, and convince,
affect, and covert unbelievers. The ministry was not instituted to make
ostentation of gifts and parts, but to save souls.” If we are not about that
last point, then all else is show and spectacle.
We must remember that these spiritual gifts were designed to render
glory unto God. Therefore a proper exercise of these gifts will be to our
eternal good. Likewise, we should be cautious in our assumptions of these
gifts, especially if we are doing so without godly permission. God will not
bless our presumed efforts, and we will find that our exercise of them will be
for naught on that day when we will have to give an account to our Lord Jesus
Christ regarding those gifts (St. Matthew 25:14-30). St. Paul’s admonition to
the Galatians (6:7) still stands: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap... Let us therefore live in
obedience to his word written in all things.
Let us pray,
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ather God, impart to us a proper knowledge of
those spiritual gifts which thou hast given unto us, and then assist us as we
utilize them in thy service; for this we ask in the name of him who is giver of
every good and perfect gift, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a
blessed week,
Bryan+
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