Evidence of our Faith

After recently becoming aware of the Strange Fire controversy, which involves the cessationists and continuationists, I have been driven anew to the Word of God.  Mainly, I wanted to see if I could find some kind of persuasive evidence of the view that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased during the Apostolic age (cessationist views).  When I listened to the transcript of the Strange Fire conference again, John MacArthur tried to explain who the Holy Spirit is, how He functions, and so on.  Both times I have heard him, it didn't make sense to me, perhaps because I don’t remember him expounding on relevant Scripture to back up his points.  And when I began to read his book, I found even less clarity.  All the book seemed to try to accomplish was to capture the fringes of the Charismatic Movement by taking a quote or a story here and there, and then proceed to cast the entire Charismatic/Pentecostal movement into a negative light.  I also questioned his sources, and have since discovered that some of them cannot be trusted as presenting the entire truth of a person or a ministry, but are simply headlining one or two things those in question may have said, and then both the author and his sources sensationalized it.  I found this very disturbing and depressing (definitely unprofitable to me spiritually), and so I have been immersing myself in the Word of God, so that I may be built up spiritually, and discover anew the many truths about the Holy Spirit. 

Many of these truths are not new to me, but, from re-visiting certain and many passages of Scriptures, they have been strengthened.  In fact, I believe the Lord has given me deeper and fuller revelation of His Word than I had before.  So in this blog, I'd like to share some of the passages that clearly show that tangible evidence will follow our works of faith, some of the very same works of faith that have been amply evident in the charismatic and Pentecostal movements.  However, as I have said before, I am not writing in order to choose a side or a denomination.  No earthly denomination has exclusivity on the gifts or the works of the Holy Spirit; rather, Scripture clearly indicates that His works and His gifts are available to ALL BELIEVERS.

The first passage I’d like to highlight is the great commission that Jesus gave every believer:

 Mar 16:15    And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.Mar 16:16    He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.Mar 16:17    And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;Mar 16:18    They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.Mar 16:19    So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.Mar 16:20    And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Please take note of verse 17 -- these signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE. He is not talking strictly to the disciples here.  This is universal to ALL BELIEVERS.  Notice also in verse 20 that it says that the Lord worked with them, and confirming the word with signs following.  Isn't that interesting that He didn't just give them a Bible, and say "go to it."  He worked with them and confirmed His own Word with signs.  Take note that Jesus had already ascended to heaven at this time.  So we can safely say, that when we go in the "power" of the Holy Spirit, and we witness in the "power" of the Holy Spirit, that the work will be of Him and not of us, especially when we see signs that have followed our ministry. 

Note:  I have another blog which will discuss the "power of God.”

Recently, I had been praying for a couple of physical issues I have been overly concerned about (but, nothing serious).  The Lord spoke to me about not praying just when I am afraid, but to pray the "prayer of faith."  We have to release the faith that He gives us in order to see miracles.  Without a release of faith, we prohibit the work of God to answer our prayers.  Immediately, the following verse came to mind:

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Why aren't people healed today?  I believe for a few reasons.  One reason is that they are not praying the prayer of faith.  Instead, like me, perhaps they are alarmed at their health or someone else's, and they are praying out of worry and fear, rather than by faith.  Faith is putting confidence in the Lord and His ability and willingness to heal, just as we would initially put our confidence in Him when we are first saved.  These (faith prayers) are the prayers that heal the sick, not some watered down version of it.  I can tell you point blank, that I had a dear uncle, Uncle Albert (who has since passed away), who demonstrated how to pray the prayer of faith.  I can't honestly think of one time he prayed where that prayer didn't materialize into healing.  I have physical proof of a couple of his prayers of faith for my healing.  One of them can be verified in my medical records.  I am forever thankful for the testimony of his life, and I've never met a more humble man who loved God and others with everything he had.  He was a walking and talking man of faith, and he was often heard quoting Scriptures from morning until night, magnifying the Lord in an attitude of praise and worship.  Is it any wonder the Lord heard and answered his prayers?

 As I learned it first-hand from my Uncle Albert, we must realize that the evidence of our faith cannot occur outside of our close and personal relationship to Jesus Christ.  Let's look at the following Scriptures.

 The Word is "living and active":

 Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick [living], and powerful [active], and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

 Note: my brackets indicate the words used in other translations, living and active.

 Jesus and His written Word are one and the same. You cannot have one without the other.  You cannot just read the Bible without the divine revelation of Jesus to make it come alive for you.  You have to be engaged with and have a relationship with the Holy Spirit in order for any of it to come alive for you.  Also, His Word will always confirm who He says He is.

 Joh 1:1    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 Joh 1:14    And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 1Pe 1:23    Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 Rev 19:13    And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

 Recently, I was reading the following Scriptures and I noticed how John introduces his first book (I John).  John writes all that the Father has shown them, and he uses four of the five senses (seeing, hearing, touching, speaking):

 1Jn 1:1    That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;1Jn 1:2    (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)1Jn 1:3    That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.1Jn 1:4    And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

 Notice in verse 2 - the life was manifested, and he saw it and bore witness.  I found this very interesting, since people think of faith as being blind, or something intagible.  But we are only blind to the things of God if we are walking in darkness.  John also talks about this darkness in verse 5 and 6 of the same chapter.  So faith is not something that is blind.  It makes perfect sense it is only blind to us if we are stumbling around in the darkness.  Look at the following verse:

 Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There is that word evidence again. 

This does not mean we tell God what to do.  It does not mean asserting our willful desire in a prideful way, but it must always be with the faith He gives us and assures us of, and done in a humble and gracious attitude.

 The following Scripture talks about obeying God's command to love Him and love others as ourselves.  Perhaps it is one of the most practical and striking admonishments in the Bible that talks about our own efforts to believe, outside of what the Word teaches.  We turn again to I John:

 1Jn 3:18    My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.1Jn 3:19    And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.1Jn 3:20    For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.1Jn 3:21    Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.1Jn 3:22    And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Look at verse 18 and 19.   We have to do much more than just pay lip service when it comes to loving God and others.  We must act it out and do so according to the truth of God's Word.  If we do our acts by the truth of God's Word and by the faith that HE gives us (see Hebrews 12:2), we are given assurance.  It is in this assurance that HE gives us that we make our petitions, and we can be confident that He hears and will answer us.  This is how I saw my Uncle Albert receive so many direct answers to prayer.  My family and many of my relatives will have similar testimonies to mine – when Uncle Albert prayed, you knew you were going to get an answer! 

 We need to make EVERY EFFORT to live by and act on the faith that we have been given by Jesus (the author and finisher of our faith – see Heb. 12:2).  If we struggle to believe, and we fail to experience the peace of God in our lives, regardless of our circumstances, then we'd better get into prayer and the Word.  And if we are not seeing the results of our faith, then we must ask God why.  Perhaps there is sin in our lives that is causing us to walk around in darkness, and that sin may be the very thing that is the opposite of faith, and that is UNBELIEF.  Unbelief is the result of sin in our lives, and a hardening of our hearts. This is VERY SERIOUS because to God it is an evil thing:

 Heb 3:12    Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.Heb 3:13    But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

 So we see how the evidence of our faith produces tangible results.  Based on Scripture, we should be seeing many miracles in our lives and those around us, and as a result of a close relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.  If we are in a dry and barren desert, and our hearts are filled with discouragement and unbelief, then we better spend more time on our knees and searching the Word, and less time wondering why our prayers aren't being answered. 

May God richly bless you today as you seek His face, spend time in His Word, draw close to Him, and then grow leaps and bounds in your faith, with incredible and tangible results to follow.