John focuses his writing on the miracles of Jesus not as events but as a sign of Jesus’ power and authority over nature and life. All of the signs point to the fact that Jesus must be God in the flesh. 

Now we will continue to look at the miracles of Jesus. I discussed the first four miracles in the last post. I will continue with the next three.

Five – John 6 Jesus Walks on the Sea
Jesus showed that He had control over the physical laws of nature by walking on water.

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

Six – John 9 A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
Jesus demonstrated His authority over congenital defects, by healing the man who was blind from birth.

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Seven – John 11 Lazarus Raised from the Dead
The greatest miracle was shown by Jesus’ authority over death itself.

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Conclusion

• Jesus showed that He had control over the physical laws of nature by walking on water.
• Jesus demonstrated His authority over congenital defects, by healing the man who was blind from birth.
• The greatest miracle was shown by Jesus’ authority over death itself.

What is very true of our God is that nothing is impossible with Him and that everything seen, and unseen was created by Him. Link that with the fact that God loves you and you have a God that will move Heaven and earth for you!

John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen”.

The Trinity

I’ve been trying to show that John’s Gospel points to the fact that Jesus is God. In my effort to emphasize Jesus’ deity I may have given the idea that Jesus is God alone. That is not what I am saying. I am a strong Trinitarian, I believe in the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. they are co-equal and One. This is a faith issue.  The human intellect or mind cannot fully comprehend it, but it is essential to coming into a relationship with God. 

Someone sent me a comment that “Jesus is not God; He is the Christ”. That is true the word Christ is not Jesus’ last name; it is His title. Christ is Greek and means Savior in English, and Messiah in Hebrew. However, the evidence is overwhelming that Jesus is God.

The Apostle Paul said that Jesus as God laid His Deity aside to live among us as a human being. Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men”. The Bible says it, that settles it!

God’s Covenant Name – “I AM”

In Exodus 3:13-14 a profound change in the relationship between God and man takes place. Up to this time in history, the Israelites or Hebrews would refer to God as El or Elohim; this was the general name used for God. As God prepares to use a reluctant Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God reveals His personal name, indicating His desire for a covenant relationship with the Hebrew people. “Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14).

“I AM” can be translated as the “ever-existent one” and is God’s personal name. Before this time God describes Himself as Elohim a general name for God, note that Elohim is also a plural name, further evidence that God is Three-In-One. [Gen 1: In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth]. 

God’s Personal Name

The Ten Commandments forbid taking God’s name in vain. The very religious Hebrews were very afraid of misusing God’s name so they would avoid saying the name of God; instead, they would “refer to God as “Ha Shem” which means “The Name” or Adonai which means Lord. The early Hebrew writings had no vowels so when writing God’s name, it was spelled YHWH; this is called the Tetragrammaton. Latin translations of the Hebrew texts used the letters JHVH because they had ho Y in their alphabet. When the Hebrews would read YHWH, out loud, they would substitute the Hebrew word “Adonai” which means Lord, for fear of using God’s name in vain.

Later when the Hebrew language developed vowels, Hebrew scholars called Masoretes substituted the vowels of Adonai (Lord) into YHWH and got YaHWeH or YaHoVaH which later became JeHoVaH (Latinized because Latin had no “y” letter). Modern Christian Bibles use Yahweh, Jehovah or LORD (note the uppercase letters in LORD), to denote the personal name of God. 

Different Bibles use different conventions in the choice of this word. As a side-note the Hebrews do not use any of these conventions; they still refer to God as Ha Shem or Adonai.”

[That was an excerpt from my book called, “Seeing the Forest for the Trees: God’s Promises Revealed.” Which is available at Amazon.com].

Descriptive Names of God

In the Bible God, the Father has many descriptive names, I have included the most familiar ones below. Notice that each name means something about the nature of God.

1. The Great I AM is also called El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) It was used in establishing of the Covenant of Law-  Gen 17:1, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless”.
2. The Great I AM is also called El Elyon (The Most High God) Psalm 73:35, “Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High Godtheir Redeemer”.
3. The Great I AM is also called Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) Jehovah-Nissi Jehovah my banner, was the title given by Moses to the altar which he erected on the hill on the top of which he stood with uplifted hands while Israel prevailed over their enemies the Amalekites (Exodus 17:15).
4. The Great I AM is also called Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals) In the wilderness the people began to complain about the water, and God made the bitter waters sweet. Exodus 15:25-26, “There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
5. The Great I AM is also called Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord My Righteousness) Jeremiah 23:5-6, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”.
6. The Great I AM is also called Jehovah Jira (The Lord Will Provide) Genesis 22 13, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son Issac. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
7. The Great I AM is also called Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace) Judges 6: 22, “Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So, Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. 

The Seven “I Am”s of the New Testament

Just as the Old Testament Covenant uses descriptive names of Yahweh or Jehovah God, the New Testament Covenant uses names to describe Jesus’ identity with Father God.  Jesus uses the phrase “I AM” seven times in the Gospel of John.  Remember the number Seven is the number of completion or perfection in the Bible, and “I AM” is God’s name. These seven “I AM”s represent signs that identify Jesus as God”.

1.  “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51) As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life.
2. “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a light in the darkness.
3. “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9) Jesus protects His followers as shepherds protect their flocks from predators.
4. “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Death is not the final word for those in Christ.
5. “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14) Jesus is committed to caring and watching over those who are His.
6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the source of all truth and knowledge about God.
7. “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5) By attaching ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.

The only names of Jesus’ character that you need to know are that “He is the way-maker, the miracle-worker, the promise-keeper and the light in the darkness”. Let those truths become a reality in your life and you will experience a fresh new overcoming relationship with the Lord your God!

Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and as a Jew, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That Jesus was the fulfillment of time-awaited prophecy. As a result, Matthew uses the expression, “that it might be fulfilled”. He quotes more from the Old Testament than any of the other Gospel writers.

Matthew emphasizes the teaching nature of Jesus and the theme of the “kingdom of` heaven or the kingdom of God” as a means of describing Jesus’ rule on the earth and in the human heart. Matthew left no doubt to the deity of Jesus. The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Lion, which represents Jesus as King!

Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Theologians believe that the Matthew and Luke may have used Mark’s Gospel as a source of information. Mark focuses on Jesus as the suffering servant who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of those He was sent to. 

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels and written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience, probably to those who were Roman citizens.

The message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus was a man of action and His message was urgent and important. Mark demonstrates to the Roman mind, that Jesus was the son of God. He even uses a Roman soldier’s words at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Bull, which represents Jesus as humble, a servant and powerful!

Gospel of Luke

Luke was a Gentile and wrote to a Gentile audience. He starts with Jesus’ birth and because Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, the birth of the Church. In Luke there are many parables that are not recorded in the other Gospels. Jesus is portrayed as the compassionate Savior of the world. It is important to know that the words Savior, Messiah, and Christ have the same meaning but in different languages. Savior is English, Messiah is Hebrew, and Christ is Greek. All of these terms are used to describe the nature of Jesus- to rescue the lost. Which is the nature of God!

The Gospel of Luke is universal in appeal in that he is all-inclusive. The Luke’s Gospel is for all people, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, and noble or outcast!

Luke emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is of course to meant to be an example to us all… the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer! The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is the figure of a man, which represents Jesus’ wisdom and character.

Gospel of John

John’s Gospel is the most theological of the Gospels with its focus on who Jesus is rather than what He did. The purpose for John’s Gospel message is, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you have life in His name” (John 20:31).

John’s Gospel is the divine gospel in that it clearly demonstrates though seven miracles and seven statements that Jesus is God! The symbol for the Gospel of John is the Eagle, which represents Jesus as deity!

The Number Seven

Before we look at the seven miracles found in the Gospel of John lets turn our attention to the number seven.

While the Bible does not explicitly say that the number seven is a holy number, Christiansand Jews consider seven to be a holy number. Genesissays that God completed or perfected creation in six days. Then God rested on the seventh day. The Hebrew word for seventh day is Shabbat or Sabbath. Since God rested on the Sabbath that is God’s day and is known as the seventh day. 

Since man was created on the sixth day, the number six represents man a creation not a creator; less than God! 

As a side note the early Hebrews and Greeks did not have a number system. The Arabic number system we use today was not created until the 6^thor 7^thcentury by the Hindu’s in India.

Because God completed His work and rested on the seventh day, that is the reason for the observance of the Hebrew Sabbathon the last day of the week. For Christians the triple 7 as in 777 represents the threefold perfection of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). 

Most people know that the number 666 represents the number of the “beast” Remember, 6 is less than 7. I heard someone say that the 666 means, “not God, not God, not God”! It makes perfect sense to me.

• Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666”.

The Seven Signs in the Gospel of John

Signs and wonders, or miracles, are indicators or point to something. Just as a street sign points to a direction or name of the street. In the same way God’s miracles point to the divinity of Jesus and the following:

1. That Jesus is God
2. That Jesus is the healer
3. That Jesus is the provider
4. That Jesus has conquered death
5. That we can trust in Jesus

Jesus is God and He is at work… in us!

John 14:12″Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 

Seven Miracles found in the Gospel of John

Miracle One – John 2, Water Turned to Wine.

Jesus demonstrated his power over time by instantly changing water into wine.

1 On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. 

Miracle Two – John 4, A Nobleman’s Son Healed.

Jesus showed his control of space by healing the nobleman’s son from a distance of several miles away.

46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.

54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Miracle Three – John 5, A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda.

The Lord’s authority over infirmity was shown by the cure of the man at the pool of Bethesda.

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (Dependence on man and not God!)

8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

Miracle Four – John 6, Feeding the Five Thousand.

Jesus demonstrated His authority over lack by feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Conclusion

What is very true of our God is that nothing is impossible with Him and that everything seen, and unseen was created by Him. Link that with the fact that God loves you and you have a God that will move Heaven and earth for you!

John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen”.

To be continued in the next episode.

The grace of the Holy Spirit is especially evident in the New Testament as He comes as a gift of Jesus to be our:

1. Helper, to help us in our trouble
2. Comforter, to comfort us in our distress
3. the Spirit of Truth, to lead us out of bondage into freedom. 

The Holy Spirit also comes with power and authority over the devil. 1 John 4:4 says the following, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”. As we surrender our lives to God, we have the Holy Spirit’s power to conquer our selfish will and He helps us live the Christian life as we learn to be led (guided, directed, influenced) by the Spirit, Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”.

As we learn to walk in the Spirit, we will overcome the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16-18). This new life in the Spirit requires a new way of thinking and doing things. The Bible instructs us to “…be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23, 24). This new way of thinking can be summed up in the following expression, “You are not a human being having a spiritual experience in life, you are a spiritual being having a human experience in life! It is so important to see yourself that way.

We also have the following promise: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; “but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, “these are sons of God” (Rom 8:13, 14). 

Putting to death the deeds of the body has to do with putting to death those habits and patterns of thinking that are contrary to God’s righteousness and replacing those habits and patterns of thinking with godly habits and godly thoughts. This is where the Holy Spirit’s help is crucial. The Holy Spirit can reveal the truth, remind us of the Scriptures and speak encouragement to us.  

As if all of that were not enough, the Holy Spirit also made available, to all believers, important spiritual gifts. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul warns us to not be ignorant or unaware of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”. In other words, Paul was saying that these gifts are too important for the church to neglect. 

While I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, I will be touching, ever so briefly on the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. 

These spiritual gifts are available to all born-again believers in Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit lives in you. These are the Holy Spirit’s gifts, not man’s gifts. While all the nine gifts are available to the believer some believers operate more strongly in certain gifts.

The gifts of the Spirit function to encourage, edify and exhort the Christian into a stronger walk of faith. The gifts also provoke those non-believers who are searching for spiritual truth. To show the non-believer that God is real, that God is for today and that they need Him in their lives.

There are nine gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 and they are:

1. Word of Wisdom – A spoken message of wisdom inspired by the Holy Spirit to an individual, dealing with the deep things of God. Usually, a word of wisdom speaks of taking or making decisions now for a future benefit. It has most to do with an individual applying the word of God to their lives.
2. Word of Knowledge –A spoken message referring to understanding things that could not be naturally known. A word of knowledge is never about something you already know about a person or situation. It always has to do with something you could not possibly know about a person. It is not the gift of suspicion or repeating things you have heard from others. 
3. Faith –Extraordinary faith as opposed to “saving” and “normal” Christian faith in the Bible, the faith to move mountains.
   1. Saving faith has to do with the faith to believe that Jesus died for you, that you are forgiven and loved by God and that you are going to heaven. 
   2. The normal Believer’s faith has to do with the faith that has grown as a result of reading and knowing the word of God, the Bible.
   3. The Gift of Faith has to do with a dramatic supernatural event that normally you would not have the faith to believe for. It is a prompting of the Holy Spirit and therefore an assurance that it will come to pass.
4. Gifts of Healings –The supernatural ability to administer healing to others. The plural form of the word healings indicates a variety of illness common to mankind. There are no limits to what the Holy Spirit can do in the area of healing. The individual hears the Holy Spirit say, “I am going to heal that person- go and pray for him or her!
5. The Working of Miracles – Supernatural ability to over-ride or reverse natural laws of nature. Jesus showed us examples of miracles, read the Gospel of John and examine the seven miracles He performed. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 
6. Discerning of Spirits –The supernatural ability to discern the source of a spiritual manifestation. The three sources are the spirit of God, the spirit of Satan and the spirit of man. This is not a discernment with our five physical senses. It is a discernment that the Holy Spirit gives us.  
7. Prophecy –The supernatural ability of speaking what Jesus is saying at the moment to encourage, edify, exhort by revealing what God will do. The prophet does not speak what he thinks, he speaks what the Holy Spirit is saying. Nothing less nothing more. 
8. The Gift of Tongues– The supernatural ability to speaking an unlearned language which glorifies God. When done in public, as in church, it should be followed by the gift of the Interpretation of Tongues. This is not talking about a personal prayer language. That is something else.
9. The Interpretation of Tongues –This gift always follows the public speaking of the gift of tongues so that it would be understood by those in attendance. As a side note the Gift of Tongues and Gift of Interpretation when taken together is prophecy.

These gifts of the Spirit are nested between 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 11

7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all”. The “all” is referring to the Body of Christ or the spiritual Church.

11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills”. The Holy Spirit sovereignly gives His gifts as He pleases.

Allowing God to use us with his gifts requires us to walk by faith. When we hear or sense in the spirit that God wants us to say something, do something or be aware of something we must act. That is how we go from faith to faith and grow as spiritual Christians.

• Romans 4:4 “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt”.
• Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”.
• 2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”.

These and many other scripture verses make the case that the words Grace and Gift are interchangeable. Now how does this apply to the Five-fold ministry? 

Five-Fold Ministry; servants or to be served?

As I mentioned in the last episode the Five-fold ministry gifts describe functions, not titles. The function describes what they do and how they are used to bless the Church. The church, in this case, describes the people of God, not a building, organization or denomination. The overall function of the Five-fold ministry is to create the smooth, effective operation of the Body-of-Christ. That the Body-of-Christ would work in harmony advancing the Kingdom of God. So, the Five-fold ministers are servants to the Body of Christ or the Church, they serve the Church by leading the church body to serve Jesus. That may sound confusing to say that they serve by leading, but that is exactly what a Five-fold minister is, he or she is a servant-leader. The church does not serve the minister it is the other way around. The church or Body of Christ serves Jesus as the minister serves the church.

Since Jesus gave the gifts of the Five-fold here is a question to think about; do we appreciate the gift or the gift giver? Of course, we should appreciate the gift giver more than the gift. The conclusion of all of this is that the Five-fold ministry gifts are given to the Church to serve the Church. If you are called to the Five-fold ministry the burning question you must ask yourself is, “am I here to serve or be served?”. All of us whether clergy or lay-people are here to serve our Lord Jesus. 

The Pattern for Serving

As the Apostle Paul was speaking to the church, he stated the following, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). 

We are “God’s fellow workers” in the ministry. What a glorious thought that is! We are not just working for God but working with Him.  When we use the word ministry we often think of the “five-fold ministry”, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Now, remember what Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed (ordained) you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16). 

What does it mean to bear fruit that remains? To understand this phrase, it means that we must look at this issue from God’s perspective. As ministers, we often think in terms of attendance and finances as a measure of success or producing fruit that remains. While attendance and finances are necessary to successful ministry these things are not at the center of God’s heart. John 3:16 clearly states God’s heart, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. God has made His desire known and that desire is for the redemption, through Jesus Christ, of every person from every tribe and nation on the earth. The ministry is how He will accomplish this great commission through you. 

The Pattern for Ministry

The scriptures in Ephesians 4:11-16. gives us the pattern we need to follow to build the church or ministry. 

1. Verse 11– Jesus gave 5 gifts to the church and they are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher.
   1. Keep in mind that these names describe functions rather than titles. It is common to find people that don’t have the title but are very effective in performing God’s function. The opposite is true also, some have the title but are not performing God’s function.
2. Verse 12– Two important functions that all the five-fold ministry gifts have in common is to “equip the saints to do the work of the ministry and to edify the body of Christ“.
   1. God has not called the Five-fold to do the ministry by themselves. Even Jesus trained 12 disciples, who in turn trained others to reach the entire world. If your vision for ministry is all about you- you have a very small vision.
   2. Ministry is about edifying, encouraging and equipping the believers to do the work of the ministry. Ministry is not about you doing everything. By training others to do what you do, you are in effect multiplying the impact of your ministry and the Kingdom of God.
   3. We make the greatest impact on our community when we train others to do what we do. We should be training and creating opportunities for our members to preach teach, evangelize, intercede, heal the sick, cast our demons, and to continue the reach of the ministry by training them to be trainers of others.
3. Verse 13– The goal of the ministry is threefold: “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”
   1. To work towards producing maturity and agreement of God’s truths (Colossians 2:2-3).
   2. To help others to come to the Knowledge of Jesus.  This means we are helping others to establish a personal relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit (John 17:3).
   3. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. means to be like Jesus in character and integrity, illustrated by the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). As well as authority and power demonstrated by the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11).
4. Verse 14– Describes what to avoid in the ministry. “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”.
   1. Because of evil in the world, we must discern between righteousness and unrighteousness. In Colossians 2:8 the Apostle Paul states, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4, Hebrews 5:12-14).
5. Verse 15-What to seek to establish in the ministry. Love and to become like Christ “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ”.
   1. As God is love (1John 4:8) so should we be, because of Jesus in us. We are to be conformed to be like Jesus, “29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). (Romans 12:9-21, 1Peter 1:22)
6. Verse 16-Why we need one another in the ministry? The body of Christ (the Church) is made up of many parts, dependent upon one another for growth and edification. “From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”. (1Corinthians 12:12-27, Colossians 2:19)

Conclusion

As we co-labor with the Lord and focus on His agenda we will be successful in fulfilling the call of the ministry. As we invest our lives into the people God sends to us, the Lord will do His part and invest in us (Matthew 6:33-34). 

The gifts of grace of God are for His body of believers. As important physical churches and organizations are, they are not what Jesus died for… He died for you and me! The original word for church in the New Testament is the Greek word, Ecclesia, or “called out ones”. Those who have been called out of the World into the Kingdom of God, the Spiritual Church on earth!

Jesus empowered the church with spiritual leaders to lead the way in Ephesians 4:11,

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”, these five gifts are often referred to as the “Five-fold” Ministry gifts. 

These five-fold gifts are functions, not titles.

Remember God calls the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, then it takes people to recognize and ordain the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. Ordination is simply man’s way of recognizing the call on someone’s life.

There are many who have the title but do not function in the way God intended them to function. They are more interested in the title than doing what the title suggests.

On the other hand, many don’t have the title but function as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. They work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God. They may not be recognized by other leaders, but they are recognized by God. 

Let’s briefly look at each one of these gifts to the Church.

1. Apostles– are ambassadors of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers: a messenger, one that is sent. Apostles go to new places to establish the body of Christ, and to ensure that churches are operating under correct doctrines or teachings. Missionaries are examples of those who are sent to establish works in foreign lands.
2. Prophets– are forth-teller not fortune-tellers; they are inspired speaker of and for God. A Prophet speaks forth what Christ is saying to the church for today. A New Testament prophet encourages, edifies and exhorts the Body of Christ.
3. Evangelists – are preachers of the gospel. The gift of the Evangelist is to produce new converts with the simple Gospel of Jesus; the message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
4. Pastors – are shepherds or those who are responsible for the spiritual care and health of the Body of Christ. 
5. Teachers – are instructors who teach the truths of Jesus Christ from the Bible. They take the deep things of God and make them easy to understand.

All of these people are called by God to equip or prepare the saints (you and I) for the work of ministry or serving. All of this is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-16.

Let me take a moment to talk about a sensitive issue regarding leaders in the church. 

It is easy to put leaders “on a pedestal” and then to be so disappointed when they don’t live up to your expectations. Always keep in mind that ministers are human just like every other believer. They are still working through their own weaknesses and shortcomings as all believers do, even though they may be “anointed or gifted” by God. 

“God does not call those who are equipped to do ministry but equips those whom He calls”. This means that God is working, through the Holy Spirit. in bringing to maturity every leader too. 

Think of the greatest of the Apostles, Peter, and see the failures and disappointments that he experienced before becoming the leader that God ordained him to be. 

Now the unbeliever looks at these lapses in Christian leadership and cries out “you see they are all hypocrites!” However, those who are mature Christians understand that all of us including Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are works in progress! While it is true that the “fivefold ministry” leaders are held to a higher standard by God (James 3:1) it is important, as believers, not to judge too quickly.  

Having said that, we should obviously avoid those who preach false doctrines or practice immorality, because there are those who are, as the bible describes them, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). 

Our natural inability to live without sin

The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly point to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it teaches that it is impossible to live without sin. 

The Two results of sin

First it results in “eternal death” or Hell, second it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. When I say that sin separates from God, I do not mean that God leaves us. God has promised that He Will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God cannot break His promises. When we sin, we are the ones who move away from God and try to hide from Him. Remember Adam and Eve after they sinned and recognized their sin, they tried to hide from God the Father.

This brings up the question, “what is sin”? Is it lying, stealing, coveting or murdering or is it something else? The breaking of the 10 Commandments is a symptom of not believing in God! When we talk of sin, we tend to focus on the symptoms instead of the cause. The cause is that we don’t believe what God has said or in the one whom God sent to redeem us, Jesus. Not believing or trusting in Jesus is the only reason one is condemned to Hell.

The Solution

The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” or going to Hell issue, once and for all, by dying on the Cross. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection was the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. The sin that condemned us was the sin of unbelief in Jesus; that Jesus was God and is God in the flesh. That He was the evidence of God’s love for us. The most well-known scripture in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. 

As I said there is only one sin that condemns a person to Hell, and that is the sin of not believing in the one whom the Father sent. Look at the verse that follows John 3:16- John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. A person who does not believe in Jesus is condemned already.

The evidence that we have truly been saved is that we begin to reject and repent of those habits and ways of thinking that do not glorify God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. These symptoms of our old-self are referred to, in the Bible, as the deeds of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 describes the deeds of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. 

These deeds of the flesh are all part of our sin-nature, which through Jesus Christ has been broken. As a result of what Jesus did, we are now part of the glorious church of the Redeemed.

We need help

Since the deeds of the flesh have been such a part of our lives, we need help to recognize what is good in God’s eyes and the power to overcome the habits of a lifetime. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings. The Fruit of the Spirit shows us what the nature of the Holy Spirit is and how we should function in our new relationship with God! Galatians 5:22-23 says, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God.The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. 

1. He “illuminates” the Word of God, 
2. He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and 
3. “convicts” us when we go astray. 

The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him. 

Transformation

When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but are minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformedby the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong. We need to change, but that change must come from the inside out. That is what transformation is, it is the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out. 

Conformingmeans that we learn how to walk, talk and look like a Christian, but have not been changed on the inside. 

The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “they did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today? 

There are many who call themselves Christian and look like Christians in public but have a dark side in private. That means that they have not been transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit on the inside. We should never judge someone else’s salvation because all Christians are what I call, “works in progress”! Salvation is instantaneous but developing God’s character takes a life time and we will not be complete or perfected until we see Jesus face to face in that Day.

1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ”.

Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work; transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, as you know that isn’t necessarily true! 

Surrender to the Work of the Holy Spirit

A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrenderedthemselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian. In a true sense we are taking off the old ways and putting on the new. 

• Ephesians 4:20 “But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.
• Colossians 3:8 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all”.

All of this means that becoming who Christ wants us to be is a process. We are all “works in progress”. First, as the Holy Spirit reveals to you and you begin to recognize what does not line up with what God says and then repenting or turning away from the old ways and putting on the new ways of thinking, living and behaving. We start out as diamonds in the rough, and then through the polishing of the Holy Spirit of God we are transformed into precious gems reflecting the glory of God.

I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put in to your spirit from the Bible the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day. 

You may be a work in progress, but the finished work is assured that is why Paul the Apostle could say in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Who is the He in this verse? It is the Holy Spirit! Surrender to the Holy Spirit of God and let Him do the work only He can do in your life.