Help me out: Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word(s) of Christ. (Rom 10:17)

Hearing what Jesus says is essential for (saving, healing) faith.

Did Jesus say everything He intended for us to hear while He was on earth and then leave us?  Some say yes, some say no – which is it?

Did He give us His one commandment and then turn us out into the world so that we could walk in obedience to that one LAW?  Did He merely replace the old LAW with the new LAW?

When I was growing up, the church I went to was very strong in Bible study (praise God), but very weak concerning the active expectation of Jesus’ leading day by day.

But through the scriptures, through the words of Jesus Himself we find these facts:

☺      "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” - John 10:27

 

☺       "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” - John 14:15

How can we keep His commands if we do not know what they are?  We cannot.

That is why hearing His voice is not from some distant past through an ancient book, but day by day, moment by moment.  Listen to Jesus’ words in the same context:

16  "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. 18  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19  "After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also. 20  "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21  "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." - John 14:16-21

This is not optional.  All who follow Him must hear His voice – so that they’ll know which direction to go.

From this passage we can see that there is a mystical union between the believer and Jesus and His Father through a revelation of the Holy Spirit.

What is revelation?  For our purpose revelation is the manifestation of propositional Truth by God Himself understood and received by faith from the Holy Spirit, not through the five senses, but through the human spirit.

Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Paul writes:

"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."

- 1 Corinthians 2:9

Listen to his words – He speaks of experiences that are beyond the senses.

Paul continues to say, quoting from this passage in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13:

10  For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, 13  which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

 Under the old covenant God’s LAW was written on clay tablets, but in the new covenant, God reveals his commands to us through the Holy Spirit.

 Walking in the power of the Spirit then becomes our daily activity and is key to our success as Christians and enables an effective ministry in our community.  Jesus tells us that without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5)

 

14  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17  For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.

 –  1 Corinthians 2:14-17

 

Note Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 demonstrate the confidence and power with which he ministered.  This same confidence and power is ours.  How can we have it?

To the Ephesians Paul writes a prayer and asks:

 

17  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.  – Ephesians 1:17-19

There are three parts to this prayer:

1.        That you be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

☺           Wisdom enables understanding and proper response through discerning the priority and order of things.

☺           Revelation in the knowledge of Him is a personal encounter with a resultant new understanding of the character of God.

2.        Paul desires that the eyes of your heart be enlightened so that you can know what is the hope of His calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

☺          The future holds a treasure for each one of us who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  The truth can only be understood and appreciated through illumination.

☺         Your value to God is that you make his character known by being holy.  This gives him glory!

3.        Further to understanding just how big His power is; that we have access to all of the power of God.

These things are accomplished through the gifts of the Spirit.  Each one of us have been given a gift by the Holy Spirit.  1 Corinthians 12

1  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2  You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. 3  Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 4  Now there are varieties of gifts (motivations), but the same Spirit. 5  And there are varieties of ministries (offices), and the same Lord. 6  And there are varieties of effects (manifestations), but the same God who works all things in all persons.

 – 1 Corinthians 12:1-6

 Here we see three categories of Giftings

1.        Gifts or Graces (v. 4) - Motivations (Romans 12:3-8)  List of seven motivations.

2.        Ministries - Offices (v/ 5) (Ephesians 4:11-13)  List of five offices.

3.        Effects - Manifestations (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11)  List of nine manifestations.

7  But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8  For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9  to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,10  and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

– 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

 All of these gifts have things in common:

 1.        They are enabled by the Holy Spirit…it is a supernatural ability.

 2.        The “intellect” is bypassed.

 3.        The gift does not happen automatically or outside the will of the individual; but is activated through yielding the body to God as a vessel.

 4.        The gift is practiced by faith.

 5.        When these gifts are in operation properly, revelation is occurring: the eyes of your heart are opened and you gain a new understanding of who you are in God - both the individual who is witnessing the event and the one involved are growing in the knowledge of the character of God.

WORD OF WISDOM

The ability to provide guidance to someone in a situation where a decision must be made; but the speaker does not know all the circumstances.

WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

The ability to give information about matters unknown to the speaker.

 FAITH

 The ability to believe for something where normal “faith” seems inadequate.

 GIFTS OF HEALING

 The ability to bring about restoration of the body or mind usually through some physical symbol.

 MIRACLES

 The ability to bring about something naturally impossible.

 PROPHECY

 The ability to encourage people usually through some special insight into the future plans of God.

 DISTINGUISHING SPIRITS

 The ability to discern good spirits from bad ones.

 TONGUES

 The ability to speak in languages unlearned naturally as a conduit for God.  This may sound similar, but is different from the prayer language, which is spoken to God (1 Corinthians 14:2) and is used to edify the individual.

 INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES

 The ability to interpret, not necessarily understand, spiritual languages and render a prophetic utterance that represents the meaning of a message delivered through the gift of tongues.