We recently completed our series through the book of Ecclesiastes on Sunday mornings at church. Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon at the end of his life as a means of reflection and repentance. Here we have a man whom God had blessed with immense wisdom, and yet he spent much of his life squandering that wisdom by pursuing the things the world had to offer; political power, architectural accomplishments, immense wealth, and worldly knowledge. At the end of it all, Solomon looked back and proclaimed "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity" - Ecclesiastes 1:2 (ESV). Solomon came to the sober realization that a person could achieve everything in this life and still have absolutely nothing if they don't know God.

Solomon pursued what the Apostle Paul would later call the wisdom of this age (1 Corinthians 2:6). This wisdom is a carnal wisdom. It is a wisdom that boasts in the flesh. The wisdom of this age revels in intellect, innovation, and influence. The wisdom of this age admires human brilliance far more than it does divine revelation. Many pursue this wisdom, but this wisdom does not fulfill nor does it reveal truth. Ultimately, this wisdom comes up short and leaves people wanting. This wisdom, with its philosophies, systems, and political powers, will eventually fade away. There is no lasting satisfaction to be had in the wisdom of this age.

In contrast to the wisdom this age is the wisdom of God. This is where true wisdom comes from. It is an eternal wisdom; a wisdom that does not come by human reasoning and understanding. Paul refers to this wisdom as a "secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" - 1 Corinthians 2:7 (ESV). This wisdom is not learned through textbooks, classrooms, or seminars, nor is is this wisdom learned by seeking out sages, pundits, or scholars. This wisdom is not learned - it is revealed, and it can only be revealed by the Spirit of God. Paul affirms this when he writes that the "natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (2:14).

The good news is that the wisdom of God is available to all who would ask for it. James tells us that we can ask God for His wisdom and He will give it "generously to all without reproach" (James 1:5). The only reason people do not have this wisdom is because they do not ask for it. If they would, God would give it to them.

True wisdom is found through divine revelation. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal God's mind, and only through Him can we live by divine wisdom.

We at Azle First Assembly (AFA) believe that the Gifts of the Spirit listed in Scripture (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12) are still in operation today. We reject the notion that these gifts were only for the first century church, and that they ceased with the closing of the canon of Scripture or with the death of the Apostles. Nowhere in Scripture is it even implied that these gifts would not continue throughout the church age. There are many reasons why we at AFA believe that all of the Gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today, and we will discuss a few of those reasons in this post.

1. Scripture Encourages Us to Pursue Spiritual Gifts
Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives - especially the ability to prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1, NLT). Some believe that even desiring to operate in spiritual gifts is wrong. They may even claim to believe that the gifts are for today, but we are not to desire them. Often times they will quote Matthew 16:4 in defense of their beliefs. In context that verse is not about spiritual gifts, but about people demanding signs from Christ to prove His Deity. Obviously, you can desire to operate in spiritual gifts out of impure motives, but if you desire to operate in spiritual gifts for the equipping of the Church, your heart is in the right place. Not only is it okay to desire spiritual gifts, we are commanded by Scripture to desire them!

2. Spiritual Gifts Build up the Church
Paul lays out the purpose for spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:7, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other" (NLT). Spiritual gifts are not given to us so we can appear more spiritual than others; they're not given so we can build a large platform for ourselves; and they're not given so we can be recognized for our giftedness. Simply put, spiritual gifts are given to us for others. The gifts that Holy Spirit gives to us is for the building up of the church. We are to employ our gift for the benefit of the church, not ourselves. When everyone operates in the gifts for the benefit of everyone else, the church is built up and equipped. When a church rejects the gifts, or people are operating in the gifts for the purpose of benefitting themselves, it produces an ill-equipped and poorly built church.

3. We Need the Gifts Today
Cessationists (those who argue the gifts have ceased) claim that the gifts are no longer needed today because we now have a closed canon of Scripture. While we agree that "all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives" (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT), we also understand that it is not the purpose of Scripture (God's written revelation) to give us the answer for every decision or choice we must make. Sometimes we are faced with circumstances that the Bible seems to be silent about, and what we need is a word of wisdom, or a word of knowledge to guide us on the path Holy Spirit desires for us to take. Spiritual gifts do not add to, or take away from, Scripture, but they do compliment Scripture in a way that may bring clearer meaning to what is written. If those who walked with Jesus, witnessed his death, burial, and resurrection, and experienced the inaugural outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost needed the Gifts of the Spirit, how much more do we need them today, 2000 years removed from those events?

The Continuationist Position is the Biblical Position
Many cessationists argue that continuationists (those who believe that spiritual gifts continued beyond the first century church) do not have a high regard for Scripture. Actually, I would argue it is because of our high regard for Scripture that we believe and operate in the Gifts of the Spirit. Often times, when debating with a cessationist, you will see that Scripture ultimately isn't the reason for their position, but experience (or lack thereof). The cessationist position is based on anecdote, not Scripture, therefore their position is not a reliable or biblically valid position. The Scriptures are clear that Holy Spirit desires for us to operate in the gifts He has given to the church, and it takes a lot of hermenuetical (biblical interpretation) gymnastics to arrive at a position of cessationism. 

Fear is something we all deal with. Fear of losing our livelihoods. Fear of something terrible happening to a loved one. Fear of what we can't control. Fear of the unknown. At times, fear grips our heart and it has this way of suffocating us. Fear convinces us that the worst is upon us and we are powerless to resist it. However, things are often not as bad as we fear them to be.

Fear is a powerful weapon wielded by the enemy to keep us from walking in God's perfect will for our lives. This is why the Bible tells us repeatedly to not fear. God knows how fear can hinder our walk with Him, and He wants nothing to prevent us from growing in relationship with Him. When we submit to fear, we come into alignment with Satan's plans. We come into agreement with what Satan proclaims. Yet, Jesus states in John 8:44 that when Satan speaks, he speaks only lies, and in fact, Satan is the father of lies. So, the reality is, when we surrender to fear, we are surrendering to the lies of the devil.

So, how do we combat fear? What weapons are at our disposal to overcome the lies of the enemy? Fortunately for us, God has not left us empty handed in our spiritual warfare. First and foremost, we have the truth of God's Word, and we are commanded to put our faith in God and in what He has revealed to us. Faith is a powerful weapon to combat fear. Faith is the antidote to fear. When news reached Jairus in Mark 5 that his daughter had died, I am certain fear rose up in Jairus's heart. Jairus's daughter had been sick and what Jairus feared most had become reality. However, Jesus offered Jairus words of reassurance; "Do not fear, only believe" (Mark 5:36, ESV). When it seemed that the worst had befallen Jairus, Jesus encouraged Jairus to have faith in Him. Jairus's faith in Jesus saw his daughter raised to life again. Jesus has the power over life and death. Faith in Him can overcome even the worst of our fears.

Jesus's words to Jairus are a challenge to us. We are to not fear. We are to have faith in Christ. We can either come into alignment with Satan's proclamations, or we can come into alignment with what has been revealed to us by God. The choice is ours.

We have a lot to be thankful for. I think most people would readily admit that. However, if we are honest, sometimes expressing thankfulness feels like a chore. The hardships of life have this way of drawing our focus away from our blessings. We know we have a lot of be thankful for, but life is hard. The list of problems we face are endless, and as we overcome one problem it's as if another problem is waiting for us. I titled this blog post Cultivating Thankfulness because the word cultivate implies work, effort, and intentionality. One definition for the word cultivate is "to devote time and thought to."

Yes, being thankful requires intentionality and devotion of time and thought. We have to be purposeful in our thankfulness. This is what God wants from us as believers, to work on being a people of thankfulness. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica that they should, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV). It is God's will for believers to give thanks in all circumstances; not only in the good, but in the bad as well. Give thanks when things are going your way, and give thanks when they are not. This is counter to human-nature, but this is why thankfulness requires effort!

In this season of Thanksgiving, let us be intentional about becoming a people of thankfulness. As the old song says, "when upon life's billows your are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done." It may do us some good to take a pen and a piece of paper and write out all of our many blessings. Let us do the work of cultivating thankfulness and fulfill the will of God in Christ Jesus for our lives.