THIS BOOKLET IS AN INTRODUCTION PRIMER TO THE PARACLETE, THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. WE WILL LOOK AT THE TALENTS=ATRIBUTES,THE TOOLS=CHARISMA, THE TRIBUTE= THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The power of Christianity’s impact on the world is marginalized because the Holy Spirit is not at the spiritual center of the rank and file Christian‘s life.
In the last fifty or so years there has come an awakening in the role of the third person of the Trinitarian God. However, there seems to be a tendency to emphasize the four steps for salvation without on-going teachings and mentoring for the new “born again” believer regarding living the new life under the power of the Holy Spirit
The proper place to start is to identify who is the Holy Spirit and what are His characteristic traits. Throughout the history of Judaism the Holy Spirit of God has come to minister to prophets, kings, judges and specially chosen persons to lead the Hebrews in their pilgrimage from Abraham to John the Baptist.
When Jesus entered the history of mankind, He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. a spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Strength, Knowledge, and Piety." These are the attributes that define the character of the Holy Spirit, this is is who and what He is. I refer to these traits as Talents
The Holy Spirit, who is the very personification that emanates from God, IS Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Strength, Knowledge, and Piety.
This is the spirit to whom John the Baptist referred when he spoke of Jesus, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus promised the Holy Spirit will come to mankind once he,Jesus, is resurrected and goes up to the Father in heaven.Jesus called Him the Advocate from the Greek word Paraclete i.e. he who is called in, a lawyer, a comforter, a counselor, a teacher.
THE TALENTS /ATRIBUTES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
What are the Holy Spirit’s talents that He brings when we invite Him to minister to us?
Isaiah lists them as WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, COUNSEL, STRENGTH, KNOWLEDGE, and PIETY. Each of these attributes has the adjective “INFINITE” describing it, for these are the infinite attributes of God’s Spirit.
His WISDOM is different from our “finite” wisdom because it is unfailing. His WISDOM is based on a perfect Knowledge of all the circumstances that led to this moment, all those that are in play now and, all that could come into play. In addition He has the perfect direction that the Father/God and Jesus the Logos, or mind of God, has shown Him.
When we ask help from the HOLY SPIRIT, He brings this WISDOM to influence our spirit to make the correct judgment or decision. We are free to follow His advice as perfectly as we can as humans or to live with the consequences of our own flawed wisdom.
The Holy Spirit’s UNDERSTANDING is based on His perfect access to all information and data concerning the problem to be solved. In cases that deal with human feelings, emotions relations etc. Jesus, who has experienced every human emotion and feeling, instructs Him with the perfect UNDERSTANDING needed at the time.
We all know how inadequate our understanding is when we are faced with ministering to a friend or family member who is in pain or suffering that we have never experienced. That is the moment we need to “call in“ the Advocate who always comes when invited.
When we need advice, He COUNSELS us with an Infinite array of talents that all come into play for us to receive the ministering we have asked for. This is not human advice that suggests, “maybe you should do this or that,” or “If it were me I would"¼ etc.
This is perfect advice that will always be God’s best direction for us. If we choose to not follow it, why do we waste the effort to call Him in?
When we call the Advocate for help and refuse to follow His advice , we are in truth disobeying God’s instructions. That is called Sin. The way we choose will either reap all the abundant life Jesus promised us or experience the consequences attached to disobedience.
THE HOLY SPIRIT INFINITE STRENGTH
The STRENGTH of the Holy Spirit is the power of a God that could create the universe from the largest planet to the smallest blind beetle that lives in the total darkness of the deepest caves. It is the endurance of Jesus. Though He knew full well the outcome, He volunteered to bear all our sins heaving His last breath while nailed to a cross. Most often this attribute is associated with the courage to continue following Jesus during the worse situations we face. I’m convinced that His STRENGTH is also the strength we experience in times of dangerous circumstances.
In the last week of March 1993, my wife Nicole and I had a first hand experience of the strength of the Holy Spirit when we implored God for help. This was our first day as full time campers. Believing we were following God’s prompting, we had sold our home and left to live as itinerant Christians. We had agreed to go wherever we felt God was calling and, we looked forward to seeing how He would use us.
We had parked our fifth-wheel trailer in the dark and left to have supper. As we always did, we had the two 80 pound Briard dogs in the truck. When we returned to the campsite the dogs jumped out of the cab while I unlocked the trailer.
Suddenly my wife, Nicole, screamed for me to come quickly. Unknowingly, I had backed the trailer, in the dark, within 10 feet of a small river. The river was about 40 feet wide at this point. The first 15 feet from the shore to near mid stream was ice. The dogs had run out onto the ice and slid into the water. In Massachusetts the temperature of the water could not have been more than 40 degrees.
I looked around for something I could use to have the dogs bite on while I would pull to get them out. Nicole had already raced to the campground office to call the fire department for assistance.I found nothing. I feared the lost of Nicole’s favorite dogs would be a severe blow to our trust in God’s protection.
I prayed what I could at the moment, “God you have to help us save the dogs.”
The thought came to me to go get the dogs. Very slowly I walked onto the ice trying to feel if the ice were breaking up. When I reached the edge of the ice, I bent down and grabbed the female by the nape of her neck. I yanked her out of the water and threw her sliding on the ice toward the shore. Then I bent down and did the same with the male dog. I turned around and commanded them to go while I gingerly walked back to shore.
At that moment Nicole ran up and said the firemen would take 20 minutes to get here. Then, as she saw the dogs, I yelled, “Call off the firemen. We don’t need them.”
Only then did I realize the risky and unwise thing I had done. The edge of the ice should have broken under the combined weight of my 140 pounds and the 80 plus weight of the soaked, longhaired dogs.
I should have slipped off the edge as I jerked the dogs out. Most of all I cannot lift 80 pounds with two hands much less toss it around with one hand.
He who is called in is faithful to deliver us from all harm. Thank you Holy Spirit, I never forget the impossible rescue of our dogs. Even our livestock is safe in God’s hands. The Spirit induced me to act without fear of death. I was concerned but I had no fear. This is the STRENGTH of the Advocate.
THE HOLY SPIRIT INFINITE KNOWLEDGE
It is impossible for we human creatures to grasp the Infinite KNOWLEDGE that the Holy Spirit of God has. The Knowledge of how the universe was and continues to be created. The knowledge of the thoughts of every human being ever created or to be created. Scientists delve into how things work and the physicists have developed what seems to be a valid concept of the atomic structure of matter yet, to my knowledge, no one knows where the energy that is at the center of the atom comes from or how it works. Since everything that has been created has an atomic structure, only the creator knows how it works and how He created it.
In addition to the Physical KNOWLEDGE the Holy Spirit has the Infinite KNOWLEDGE of the Spiritual world. The world in which we will eventually participate. To be Sovereign over all is the power of God’s Knowledge. I believe His life giving energy is at the center of every atom and this can be counted as the Omnipresence and the Omniscience of God.
An example of the Holy Spirit’s Knowledge gracing me with a thought, at a time when I had no insight into the matter, occurred at the end of a prayer meeting.
A lady from out of town asked the group to pray she might find her purse that contained her airline tickets for the flight home. The group Prayed silently for a minute and then we broke up to go home.
As I walked by her I said, ”Look behind the sewing machine I think it might be there.” To this day I don’t know why I blurted that out since I had never been in that house. She said, “I already looked there.” I suggested she look again.
The next week she came to the meeting and shared that when she got to the house she went immediately to the sewing machine and found the purse, intact, lodged behind it.
The Holy Spirit of Infinite Knowledge cares for all our needs
and responds to our petitions in the big and the small.
THE HOLY SPIRIT INFINITE PIETY
The attribute of PIETY, sometimes translated as Fear of the Lord, more often than not, is ascribed to persons who have a deep reverence and awe of God. At first sight it doesn’t seem to fit with the other characteristics of the Holy Spirit. However it is very important. The Advocate, when we call to Him, brings to our spirit a new grace of Piety. When He touches us, we are graced with an awe and reverence for Jesus and the Father that is out of our normal attitude.
There comes a sense of fear that we are not measuring up to that which the Divine Creator has in mind for us. Asking forgiveness and repenting from our sinful attitude follow more readily. Truly a special Talent that ministers to us at all levels.
The paraclete's reverance toward the Father and Jesus is the same as the reverance shared by the Father and the Son for the other two. It is this piety or reverance with which the Holy Spirit graces our spirit mind and soul.
THESE ARE THE TALENTS, THE ATTRIBUTES. THE VERY PERSON INFINITELY WISE, UNDERSTANDING, COUNSELOR, STRONG, KNOWLEDGABLE, PIOUS HOLY SPIRIT GOD..
This is the Holy Spirit who comes to us at Baptism. He resides with us, and in us, waiting for us to call on Him. He is the one who, without our realizing, puts suggestions in our spirit, hunches, and ideas, gut feelings. When we call Him in we have at our disposal His Infinite WISDOM, His total Infinite UNDERSTANDING of every emotion, relationship, virtue, sinful desire, temptation, physical strength and weakness.
We can trust in His perfect advice with His Infinite COUNSELING. We are STRENGTHENED beyond human capability. He KNOWS everything about everything, from how the piece of dandruff falls on my shoulder to how the stars stay in place for billions of years. He inspires us to more fervent PIETY, the worship of Jesus and the Father. He touches our spirit with a fervor to worship a God we can’t experience with our human senses. And, He graces us with an awe and reverence of the Almighty, creator of the universe.
We must understand that The Holy Spirit is our direct link to God the Father and to Jesus. He is THE SPIRIT of God. He teaches what God wants us to know.
Jesus says, “And when He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. Every thing that the Father has is Mine, for this reason I told you that He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16;13
The Holy Spirit has a direct line to the Logos of God, Jesus,and to the Father God.
He IS the Spirit of Jesus and the Father God.
THE CHARISM / TOOLS THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES TO THE BELIEVERS
In the early centuries of the church, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, it was by the power manifested when the CHARISMS /the gifts, (translated charisms from the Greek word Karisma), were practiced, that the faith of early Christians was built up. The witnessing to Jesus’ resurrection accompanied by healings and miracles drew more and more new believers in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
It was through the power of these Charisms that the church flourished. It was through the signs and wonders resulting from the operation of these Charisms in the lives of the Christians that attracted newcomers to Christianity.
The church grew in numbers and spread into many towns and villages. Soon the original disciples were gone and new leadership led the small individual congregations. Communications amongst these communities was infrequent and possibly non-existent. In a few centuries Christianity was accepted as the official church of Constantine’s empire. All citizens were free to be Christians.
The church took on political ties resulting, at times, in positions of authority being given as political favors. Rules of protocol and liturgical proprieties were set up. In that evolvement the uneducated received minimal instructions, which left them trying to live as Christians but with not much knowledge of what Jesus taught and did outside of His crucifixion and resurrection. The expectation of healings and miracles diminished.
In the long process the church developed the theory of Sacraments. The Holy Spirit came at baptism and at Confirmation. As time passed with less and less emphasis on the charisms, no Charisms, no power to heal, no power to discern between evil and good spirits, no power no miracles.
In the following blogs we will look at these charisms and how they work through any Christian who has been Infilled with the "Holy Spirit and Fire" predicted by John the Baptist.
The church gradually slipped into a dispensational attitude that taught that the charisms were for the early church but were no longer needed. Subtly, Christianity became a pick and choose religion.
This attitude weakened the power and devotion to the Holy Spirit whom the Father designated as our direct link to the Divine, to Jesus and Father/God.
More and more the signs and wonders, that were the driving force behind the rapid growth of Christianity, were relegated to fewer and fewer special holy men and women. This promoted the practice, of seeking answered prayer through the intercession of these saintly persons. As time went on this practice evolved to the concept that the Saints in heaven were the best way to persuade Jesus or Father/God to grant us our petitions.
I believe that God has gifted certain Saints with a charism in particular areas while they lived and that these charisms are still operative through their intercessory prayers, but the exclusive reliance on these intercessors has crippled the faith of laymen and women for centuries. It has literally blotted out the work of the Holy Spirit in the average layperson’s spiritual life resulting in the false belief that Jesus cannot be approached except through a special saint.
Thanks to God’s graces, in the past century, there has been a renewal in the teachings of the church, which has opened the door, for many Christians, to a new relationship with the Holy Spirit.
This new fervor for the Holy Spirit comes when the Christian makes a mature commitment to turn away from those elements in his/her life, which are against Jesus’ teachings. Then the Christian must pledge allegiance to Jesus the King in his/her life, that He is the only redeemer and forgiver of all our sins. The Christian must ask Jesus to baptize him/her in the Holy Spirit. Often, this occurs when a person who has previously received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, lays hands on the petitioner and prays the Lord to impart the Spirit and charisms to the one asking.
Next we will examine each of the Charisms as to their action on the individual who has received and those who are ministered to.
The term Baptize is synonymous with immerse, infill, renew, purify, initiate. This is NOT the sacrament of Baptism of Initiation. It is an individual’s commitment and pledge of allegiance to Christ and a sincere desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes and brings special Tools called Charisms, taught by St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians.
The charisms are gifts from the Holy Spirit to assist and instruct the Christian how to minister to others as is necessary. These tools are frequently manifested in the context of a prayer meeting or worship service. However, they are to be used at any time that God will lead a believer to minister to another.Let us look at these tools.
Paul‘s 1st letter to the Corinthians chapter 12;7-11,
“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit an expression of WISDOM; To another the expression of KNOWLEDGE according to the same Spirit; To another FAITH by the same Spirit; To another gifts of HEALING by the one Spirit; To another mighty deeds (MIRACLES); To another PROPHECY; To another DISCERNMENT of SPIRITS; To another varieties of TONGUES; To another INTERPRETATIONS of TONGUES. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as He wishes.”
It is of great importance to understand that in each case the gift is to benefit others and not the person exercising the gift. It is also very important to know that some gifts may have the same name as those listed in the attributes of the Holy Spirit, but they are not the same.
There are many books on the market that explain the charisms in depth. I will simply define them as I have seen or experienced them, and use short examples when helpful. I invite, you dear reader, to read some of these books so that, when you minister to someone, your consciousness of the proper charism will come to the surface and the person will be graced by it.
The following will be brief intoductions to each charism and how they are manifested. Deeper study would not be practical as blogs. If you have an interest in more expanded discussion use COMMENTS.
I'll respond accordingly.
THE CHARISM OF WISDOM:
The charism of WISDOM is circumstantially based. When confronted with a situation, the Holy Spirit will influence us to sense the proper direction we or the person involved should follow. This Tool is most important for the person in position of leadership or authority.
It is operative any time we call in the Advocate. It is particularly present in the context of Charismatic prayer communities and/or when one is involved in Spiritual Direction work either as the director or the one receiving direction.
Again, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit but limited by the response of the human. The inspiration is essentially Divine Omniscient Wisdom tempered by our finite response and the limits of the circumstance at hand.
NICOLE'S PRAYER
JESUS,
WHEN I FEEL THE OBSCURITY OF THE STORM,
LET ME SEE YOUR LIGHT OF LOVE.
THE CHARISM OF KNOWLEDGE
The tool of the expression of Knowledge is most often for the other person. Divine Omniscient Knowledge inspires it. It comes usually as a single word or short phrase. The person who receives the word of knowledge seldom understands the significance. The one, for whom the word is intended, usually has an “AHA” moment; a sense of exactly what the words mean to him or her. By introspection and recall one can experience some healing related to the word.
A woman was in conference with her spiritual Director. After a prayer time she asked the director if he had received a word of knowledge for her. The director was taken aback for all he had was a repeated thought of a milk bottle.
The woman proceeded to tell of a situation in her life concerning a broken milk bottle that had seriously impacted her self-esteem and her relationship with others. Prayer for a healing of memories freed this woman and later allowed a healing of relationships to take place.
God wanted to use that incidence to heal the woman. The director could not have scripted the scenario in a lifetime. He had no need to know the meaning of the two words. His was the responsibility to step out in faith and speak them to the woman.
The charism of the Word of Knowledge is frequently the talent present in healing services where the one praying for others to be healed may have a mental image of someone being healed of a specific thing, which had not been voiced as a request.
The most dramatic experience I witnessed occurred at a healing conference. I and two members of our prayer group were invited to act as a prayer team should some of the attendees desire to be prayed with. A man in his mid thirties asked for rejuvenated strength since he had to drive 100 miles to get back home.
As we prayed the thought came to me that we should pray for his eyes. He wore glasses. I always want to pray for people’s eyes since I’m so near sighted but I always wait for them to ask for this healing. As usual I waited but the thought was persistent so I asked if we could pray for his eyes. He said, “Sure,” He took off his glasses and we layed hands on his eyes.
After a few minutes of prayer we said Amen. He put his hand over one eye and said, “That’s amazing. It’s amazing.”
As it turned out he had been totally blinded in one eye in an industrial accident. The prognosis was that no medical science could restore the damage. He had been blind in that eye for 5 years.
We thanked God for the healing and left him. Later as we drove away he was standing on the curbstone of the circular drive in front of the building and a woman, standing on the opposite curbstone, was holding up a cardboard with some writing on it. He was covering one eye and we heard him saying loudly, “I can read that. I can read it.”
This is the power the Holy Spirit invests in us if we will but call him in, use the tools He supplies, and, believe in the promises of Jesus.
THE CHARISM OF FAITH
This leads us to the third charism,/tool, for us, the gift of Faith. This Faith is the realization, the assurance, of what is hoped for and the evidence, the inner conviction, of things not seen. It comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ.
At the heart of faith is the truth that it is always dependent on choice. It is grace from God that we can make the choice to believe or not to believe. Faith is all about choice.
Had I chosen to not believe that God would help me retrieve the dogs from the river,(reference blog TALENTS dated12-16-10), they most likely would have perished.
Faith is the bedrock of all the other charisms. If we don’t believe, then we will continue to doubt and ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings. The power of the Holy Spirit in the church is restricted by our failing to believe the promises of Jesus and ignoring the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I know of a man who turned away from a prompting to pray that his friend be healed of cancer, and the man died a few weeks later. Would the sick friend have been healed? We’ll never know will we?
I know of a man who ignored the thought that he should punch his brother-in-law in the chest as he watched his nephew give his father mouth to mouth CPR to no avail. Would the heart have started to beat again? We’ll never know will we?
I know of a man who refused to give a talk to psychology students about Jesus being the source of Christian maturity. The students’ professor had left the priesthood a few years earlier and was living as a layman. Tragically this ex-priest committed suicide a month later. Could the speaker’s words have helped the professor through his problem? We’ll never know Will we?
The unbeliever can always say they would have died anyway, but these men never gave it a try. No stepping out in faith, no victories.
NICOLE’S PRAYER
JESUS,
WHEN I’M INVADED BY DOUBT AND INCERTITUDE
LET ME FEEL THE FULLNESS OF YOUR LOVE.
THE CHARISM OF HEALING
The charism of healing is the one most desired by persons who have found a way to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The possibility that our prayer may be THE one that was effective and answered by God is very alluring. Most Christians associate this Charism to the scripture passage, “They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.”
However, it’s been my experience that before the Renewal in the Holy Spirit movement came into the church in the sixties and seventies, healings were relegated to pilgrimages to spiritual shrines and to the last rites prayed by ministers, pastors and priests.
There were individuals such as Brother Andre of Montreal, Canada in the thirties and Oral Roberts of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the fifties, who had powerful ministries of healing.
From the sixties until now there has been a resurgence of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the lives of everyday Christians. A large percentage of the population has been exposed to the efficacy of healing prayer.
Jesus clearly stated the mission of praying for healing.
“As you go, make this proclamation; “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ’Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
In faith we must choose to Believe that God answers our prayers. Believe that God will overcome evil and the lame shall walk and the blind see. Believe that God will use us to bless His people.
When you have thoughts that you should pray with the person who is ill, obey the Holy Spirits promptings. DARE to step out in Faith. DARE to lay your hands on your families, or friends, or neighbors and pray for them. Free them from their illnesses of every kind.
God is waiting for us, and so are all the sick around us, to step out in faith and heal in the name of Jesus. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
NICOLE’S PRAYER
JESUS,
WHEN I’M STOPPED, IMMOBILE, MUTE,
LET ME BE FILLED WITH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT
TH
THE CHARISM OF MIRACLES
This tool is very often cited as the result of prayer, however the occurrence of Miracles is rare. My pulling the dogs safely out of the river was not a Miracle, it was God intervening in our lives to, not only give me the strength and fearlessness to walk to the edge of the ice and get the dogs, but to show us that He will always be with us when we need Him.
Often we use the word Miracle for healings that could have come from natural means and/or modern medicines. Incurable diseases, such as AIDS, LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE, ALZHEIMER’S are not healed miraculously but rather by the intervention by God releasing the natural healing properties He created that reside in our bodies.
They are seen as incurable today but in the future, by the grace of God, science will find the root cause and develop a cure for these as we have seen with Polio, and the Plague.
A Miracle is an intervention by God to create what does not exist at the present. The appearance of a hand where there was none; the ability to see, though there are no eyes; the ability to walk without pain, and mechanical or human assistance when parts of the skeletal bones are missing such as with Spinal Bifida these are Miracles.
Are we expected to pray for such marvels and believe that the miracle can occur? I say yes. Why do I dare say yes?
Because Jesus said,
”Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,and will do greater ones than these because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
The result is always in the hands of God but we have a role to play. We are to lay our hands on the person and pray for a miracle under the prompting of the Holy spirit.
SAY TO THE LORD,
“MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS,
MY GOD IN WHOM I TRUST.”
PSALM 91; 2
THE CHARISM OF PROPHECY
The modern day Christian is not conversant with what is the role of the prophet. I dare say that if we ask ten Christians what they think a prophet does, they will say, ”He predicts the future.” In actuality, a true Prophet predicts a specific event less than five percent of his utterances.
The basic call of the Prophet is to speak, what he/she hears from the Holy Spirit. What the Holy Spirit says, is what God wants His people to know. Ordinarily, this should be in an assembly of Christians so that the believers can test the utterance.
Personal direction from a self-professed prophet is very dangerous.Scripture tells us to test all things. We are to keep what is good and discard what is false.
Paul’s instructions regarding prophecy are quite clear,
“Two or three prophets should speak, and the others discern. But if a revelation is given to another person sitting there, the first one should be silent. For you can all prophecy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are under the prophets’ control, since He is not the God of disorder but of peace.” This charism is also active when someone reads from the word of God in the function of lector. I believe that anytime a person speaks to a group or congregation in an authorized role the charism may very well be active.
THE CHARISM OF DISCERNING IN GOOD AND EVIL SPIRITS
This Charism , the grace of Discerning the presence or activity of good or evil spirits, should be in the toolbox of every Christian. For centuries only persons in high authority such as certain Priests or Bishops could be expected to have this tool. With the renewal in the church by the Holy Spirit it has become very fashionable. We hear many lay Christians speak as if they have this gift.
Once again Jesus bestows this Tool on His followers. In His last instructions to the eleven Apostles He said, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In My Name they will drive out demons.”
The gift of Discerning between good and evil spirits is the tool which enables a Christian to know when an evil spirit is at work or if the Holy Spirit is teaching us.
If we discern that the there is an evil force at work we must bind it in the name of Jesus and command it to leave the scene and go to Jesus. It is our responsibility to free those whom Jesus sends to us.
Be very cautious, this is not exorcism where the person is physically possessed by a demon. Rather, these are cases were the person may be oppressed by a force they can’t resist; it may be the person is being driven to obsession by an evil force about something or someone; it may be a deep depression which cannot be accounted for by today’s science.
If you are led to embark on this ministry, be prepared to need more prayer time, more fasting, more reading about the subject. It is a travail, which is available to all Christians, but not all are called to it.
The worst scenario is for someone not imbued with the spirit or of an unstable personality to attempt to use this Charism. Much harm can come to the recipient of false instructions or deliverance prayer when no evil spirit is present.
On the positive side there are many instances when we know that a person is being led in a wrong direction or is in a sinful relationship. In such situations we must wait for the Holy Spirit to verify our discernment and, to show us how we are to proceed in advising the other.
In all cases let LOVE be the reason for acting and the manner in which we act.
FIND YOUR DELIGHT IN THE LORD
WHO WILL GIVE YOU YOUR
HEART’S DESIRE.
PSALM 37; 4
THE CHARISM OF TONGUES
The Charism of tongues is the gift most talked about even though St. Paul calls it the least of all gifts. The majority of people do not believe in it, or don’t want it, or may even be fearful that it is demonic. Many churches discourage it or ban it in their congregations. In many Christian circles it is seen as a dispensational gift no longer needed or useful in our assemblies.
It seems arrogant of we finite humans to accept the gifts of Healing, Prophecy, Miracles and even Discernment of spirits but we are unwilling to humble ourselves to this least of the gifts. Why is this so?
I believe the problem is not arrogance, but one of concern as to what others will think of us. What will my family say if they hear me babbling in gobbly-gook or baby sounds? Is it from God or the devil? My pastor doesn’t have that gift. The excuses are as many as there are persons who do not want to believe that it’s for today and for them.
I base my belief on what Jesus said, “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.” St. Paul devotes chapters 12, 13, and 14 in his first letter to Corinthians explaining the Charism given by the Holy Spirit. He ends the 14th chapter with this instruction,
“So, brothers, strive eagerly to Prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but everything must be done properly and in order.”
This is after having boasted, “I give thanks to God that I speak in tongues more than any of you.” This is in reference to our private prayer time. When we run dry in our words the gift of Prayer Tongues is a blessing and draws us closer to God.
In the assembly of believers St. Paul teaches about Prophetic Tongues, “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be two or three at the most, and each in turn, and one should interpret. But if there is no interpreter, the person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.”
DO NOT BE AFRAID ANY LONGER LITTLE FLOCK,
FOR YOUR FATHER IS PLEASED
TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM.
LUKE 12; 32
:
THE CHARISM OF THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES
In the above quotation,from blog 01-13-11, we see that Prophetic utterances in Tongues, which occur in a worship assembly, must be interpreted. The assembly should cease any activity and wait until an interpretation is given.
Implicit, in this instruction, is the need to be sensitive to what type of service we are attending. It would be out of order to speak a prophecy in the context of Eucharistic services or Mass. St Paul asserts, “Indeed, the spirits of prophets are under the prophet’s control, since He is not the God of disorder but of peace. Very rarely is the interpretation a literal translation by someone who recognizes and knows the language spoken. The Holy Spirit gives the interpreter words, in the vernacular, that convey what the prophetic words mean.
There are many books that cover in detail the Charisms of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues. It is imperative for someone, who believes in the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life, to exert the effort to learn fully about these gifts.
All nine Tools/CHARISMS are available to believers to exercise them as directed by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of others. As we grow in the use of these gifts we will see changes in others but more importantly we will change. We will be, “Transformed by the renewal of our minds, that we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives will manifest this transformation.
THE TRIBUTE / THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit I call Tribute because I see it, as a work in us that has made us more like Jesus was when He was on earth. In his letter to the Galatians Paul lists the many facets that make up the Fruit. It is accepted that Paul did not err, nor is it a typographical error, that the Fruit is singular.
An apple, for instance, has various qualities, red, firm, juicy, tart, round, heavy, a Fruit.
It is interesting that he first lists fifteen works of the flesh or facets of sin, “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outburst of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like.”
James in his letter makes the case that if we break any one of God’s laws we break them all. This clarifies the singularity of sin and of Fruit. Here is what he writes.
“For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular has become guilty in respect to all of it. For He who said, ’You shall not commit adultery,’ also said, ’You shall not kill.‘ Even if you do not commit adultery but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
This makes the perfect case that we are all sinners. In Paul’s list he does not give levels of least sin to worst sin. In his eyes they are all breaking the law. These are very severe words of admonishment.
In the same way Paul lists the different qualities of the Fruit as all equal. “In contrast, the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Against such there is no law.” These are NOT gifts from the Holy Spirit they are virtues we begin to exhibit in our every day life as we progress in obedience to the Spirit’s promptings.
I believe that as we “call in” the Holy Spirit in all our activities and exercise the Charism Tools proffered to us, we are indeed in the process of being transformed by the renewal of our mind. The transformation becomes apparent as these virtues become evident in our behavior, radiating all facets of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
We are becoming Tribute to the work of the Holy Spirit.
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