The complete response on church offices, gifts, tongues, and healing
Claim examined: Other scriptural questions
Scriptural Answer
Faith wrote, "I never deny God's Word. I deny your interpretation. Big, big, difference." No in many instances you deny God's word... Not just this time... Faith wrote, "I do not believe that raising people from the dead is a listed gift." I didn't say that it was listed as a gift... I asked if anyone was able to do this today... Faith wrote, "The five gifts listed by Paul in Ephesians include: Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher." You are mistaken, these are offices not gifts... There were nine (9) gifts of the Spirit... (See 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Faith wrote, "Paul tells us that there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit. The spirit gifts some people with special wisdom, knowledge, faith and the like. Further gifts listed are things such as faith, discernment of spirits, the gift of helps which would be in supporting or assisting the Body, and the gift of governments which carries the idea of steering-piloting or directing." These gifts were only given as stated in scripture until as Ephesians 4:13-14 states, "13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting," Faith wrote, "By His Spirit, God has provided for the operation of His Body in history. We are even told to earnestly desire the greater gifts." Sorry to disappoint you, none of the nine gifts of the Spirit are available today... Faith wrote, "I think that there are some signs of the Holy Spirit that people have still today, such as healing, and miracles and speaking in tongues-- that are there to edify God and to be a testimony of God--they are not for personal use and not everyone can exhibit these signs--yet they still have the Spirit in them if they believe." If these signs were still available today then people would be able to prove it... No one today has the gift of healing nor can anyone speak in a tongue (that is another language) of which they have never heard... Faith wrote, "Pentecostals think that this is like a second baptism when people suddenly show these signs. I have a girlfriend who suddenly was gifted with the ability to speak in tongues. She never does it in front of me though, so I can't say I know much about it." Yea, they claim a great many things... The problem is they cannot prove that these "tongues" come from God... I would like to see one of them communicate in a language that they have no knowledge of like those in the first century were able to do... This they cannot do...
KJV Scriptures Used
Read each passage in its chapter and compare the Scriptures together.