Tidbits of Truth - 2

[Gary Cendroski]

Hey all you wonderful people. It's 7/17/08.Did you know that speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, the working of miracles and gifts of healings are never referred to in the Bible as the manifestations of the spirit? I Corinthians 12 refers to this collection as "the manifestation [singular] of the spirit."Nobody walks with "all nine all the time," but we shouldn't think of this power assortment as being comprised of particular gifts given to individual believers either, to the extent that some miss out on some and others are favored with many!Using the plural "manifestations," in addition to being unbiblical, tends to support the idea that these are many things dished out to some believers, rather than the truth that they are ONE thing distributed to ALL believers.The word in the Greek text for "manifestation" means a shining forth. The shining forth of the spirit is given to every believer.The nine aspects of the manifestation of the spirit are listed in I Corinthians 12 not haphazardly, but in the several categories according to how they profit. "For to one [profit] is given..." etc. Check out the usage of the Greek words allos "another" and heteros "another" in that section in this light and see if you don't see what I saw!The three categories of profit primarily are to yourself, to others, and to God.This truth becomes very enlightening as to the nature of these aspects of "the shining." For instance, discerning of spirits, (not discerning of demons), is primarily intended for the profit ultimately of others, not so I can be inordinately absorbed with noticing evil spirits and identifying them for my own personal satisfaction that I am so spiritually sharp! I John 4:1 tells us to "...not believe every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God." You use spiritual discernment to do that. Discerning of spirits, therefore, has something to do with ending up believing or not believing something (being influenced or not). John was talking about the same thing as Paul. When you become "excersized to discern both good and evil" and are made aware of a spiritual deception of the Devil, you become a watchman responsible to warn others of the ploy that could be potentially harmful to them and you. So, the end result is a blessing to others. Now this discerning may involve becoming aware of the presence of a demon, or it may not. Either way, the deception originated with the Devil, may have come through demons, may end up being transmitted by people, and is disguised so you and others swallow (believe) it. The Devil wants your mind. The mind is what believes things. He's not interested only in sending demons around like kids showing up on your doorstep on Halloween to give you a transient fright. There's always more to it. The "more to it" behind the scenes is what discerning of spirits is all about. Therefore, the discerning is not an end in itself, but if you know that the Bible says it's primarily to profit others, there is with the discerning the sounding of the alarm also. Paul Revere didn't see the two lamps shining in the Old North Church and then go home and go to bed, so satisfied with himself that he got the message. He got on his horse, and the rest is history.Incidentally, the manifestation of the spirit is referred to in Scripture as in the category of "gifts" (I Corinthians 12:31), not particularly as gifts to individuals, but as a part of a larger grouping of gifts to the Body of Christ. So I would suggest you don't go around telling people that these nine are not "gifts" if you want to be taken seriously as someone who knows the Bible. What, did you pay for this ability or earn it?!I have only partially developed one aspect of the manifestation in light of what I Corinthians 12 is telling us, and I haven't gone into research format to expound the particulars, but this is supposed to be a "tidbit of truth."

[Susan Pavlica Joyce]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for writing back. Good research my friend. I've had a chance to go back over that section and look at it with "spiritual" eyes. My SITing is now so rich because I think that this is blessing the Father so much.

Best,
Sue

[Susan Pavlica Joyce]

Hi Gary,

This is good stuff. Have you ever though about publishing a pamphlet or small book on the subject. We have a guy in our home fellowship who just sent his book to a publisher entitled, The Infiltration of Error in the Church. However, he did not hit on this subject.

I did not know that manifestation meant "the shining." What you write make good Biblical sense.

Best,
Susan Pavlica Joyce