Luke 9:46-62

Butler's Comments

SECTION 6

Taming Temperaments (Luke 9:46-62)

46 And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, 48and said to them, Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me; for he who is least among you all is the one who is great.

49 John answered, Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us. 50But Jesus said to him, Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you.

51 When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; 53but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them? 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56And they went on to another village.

57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. 59To another he said, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. 60But he said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61Another said, I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home. 62Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:46-48 Ambition: Jesus knew the Twelve had been having an argument (Gr. dialogismos, dialogue) as to which of them was the greatest. The transfiguration, the miracles, the warning about His impending confrontation with the political authorities and the explanation to Peter about His paying the Temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27) out of expediency only, convinced the Twelve that His kingdom was imminent. Since they still conceived of His kingdom as an earthly organization their first reaction was to begin jockeying for position. The temperament for ambition is, of course, a part of the nature created in man by his Maker. Otherwise, man would have no drive to subdue the world. and have dominion over it (Genesis 1:28). But, that temperament for ambition must be held in check under the revealed will of its Creator. When human ambition is not under the direction of its Creator's will, it perverts, exploits and destroys. Thinking about the coming kingdom of God, the disciples were allowing visions of human grandeur to dance in their heads. They were all envisioning themselves in positions of power and human influence and already counting the personal accolades and wealth that would come their way. The disciples persisted in their efforts to gain favored positions until near the very end of Jesus-' earthly life (Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45; Luke 22:24-26). Apparently the materialistic concept of the new messianic kingdom was deeply ingrained in the Jewish mentality.

Jesus wanted-' to make a vivid illustration of the true standard of greatness in God's kingdom, so He called a child to His side. He said, Whoever receives this child. receives me. The Greek word dechomai means a warm, hospitable, embracing reception. The disciples thought in terms of ruling great masses of people. Jesus spoke of serving children. One's political ambitions cannot be advanced by ministering to children. Hobbs puts it this way, Working with little children is a totally unselfish task. For it involves not what you can get from them, but what you can give to them.. It requires more grace and skill to guide a little child than to serve as chairman of the Board.. or, we might add, even as the ruler of a nation. The significance of all this is that Jesus seems to be saying that men may test their own spirituality and fitness for citizenship in His kingdom by their relation to children. The spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) that will serve a child is the spirit that will not cause anyone to stumble. To receive a child in Jesus-' name is, in essence, to become like a child (cf. Matthew 18:1-22; Mark 9:33-50). Children are not concerned with human power and grandeur. Children know they are weak and gladly look to others for help and sustenance. Children are submissive and malleable. There are no false facades or veneers with them, they have to learn hypocrisy from adults. Most of all, children know how to love and be loved. They love to please others with actions of friendliness and loyalty. This is true greatness from God's perspective. Most of the world would not see greatness in those terms. But Jesus said, ... he who is least among you all is the one who is great. or, ... whoever would be great among you must be your servant. (Matthew 20:26-27; Matthew 23:11; Luke 22:26; Jh. Luke 13:16; Luke 15:20).

Luke 9:49-50 Arbitrariness: Suffering embarrassment from this gentle but mistakable rebuke for their selfish ambition, the apostles became silent. Suddenly John remembered something he thought might please Jesus and put them back in His good graces. The apostles had observed a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus and they told him to stop because he was not one of the Twelve. Apparently, Jesus gave power to do miracles to other than the Twelve. Just three months after this He sends seventy disciples out two by two (Luke 10:1 ff.) to evangelize and do miracles. In the first place, it was blatant presumption on their part to forbid someone working miracles in the name of Jesus. Jesus had never given them the authority for such action. In the second place, it betrays an attitude of loveless, hypocritical sectarianism to assume that no one can do anything in Jesus-' name unless he is one of the Twelve. This attitude, unchanged, would have forbidden John the Baptist, or Paul, or Silas, or Timothy from doing anything in the name of Jesus.

To do something in the name of Jesus is to acquiesce to Jesus-' authority and word, to do it according to His purpose or revealed will, and to acclaim His glory. When this is done it is not only approved but welcomed by Jesus, no matter who does it or in what cultural setting. Jesus told them they were wrong. Jesus must tame this temper of arbitrariness in those He will send into all the world to preach His gospel. They must surrender to the truth that whoever does the Lord's will is to be received and not hindered from continuing to do His will even though they may not be with us socially, ethnically, culturally and methodologically. No greater cultural and methodological difference ever faced the followers of Christ than that of the first century Jewish-Gentile confrontation. That these apostles needed preparation for that confrontation is evident from Peter's later problems documented in Acts 10:1-48; Acts 11:1-30 and Galatians 1:1-24; Galatians 2:1-21. He who works in the name of Jesus cannot be an enemy of the Lord, and he who is truly great in the kingdom will recognize that and live by it.

Luke 9:51-56 Anger: Luke indicates that Jesus knew His major work in Galilee had come to an end. Jesus will return temporarily to the borders of Galilee for a brief ministry, but now the days are drawing near for Him to be received up (crucified and raised from the dead). He sets his face to go to Jerusalem. It is the time of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), one of the three major feasts of the Jews. For many months He has avoided Judea, the center of opposition to His messianic claims. The time has now arrived for Him to throw out the clear, unequivocal, absolute claim to Messiahship. There would be no better place or time than Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles. Apparently Jesus was giving so much intense concentration to His goal in Jerusalem it registered on His face and the Samaritans of the village where He wished to find lodging were offended by it. The Samaritans seemed to be hospitable to Jews traveling through their land from Judea to Galilee (cf. John 4:1-54), but they were offended when Jews seemed to be traveling through their land simply as a short-cut from Galilee to Jerusalem to observe Jewish holy days! John 7:2-9 notes that Jesus-' unbelieving half-brothers had sarcastically suggested He should go with them to the feast and make a public play for support for His messiahship, if He was really what He claimed. Jesus refused, but went later as non-publicly as He could. The usual, public route to the Jewish feasts from Galilee to Jerusalem was down the eastern side of the Jordan river basin, crossing the Jordan at Jericho and up the Jericho road to Jerusalem. Jesus went, instead, on a more direct route, through Samaria. The hostility of Samaritans toward Jews and vice versa was centuries old, dating back to the days of Nehemiah or earlier. So any Jew, evidently hurrying through their land to a Jewish feast, was persona non grata.

The Feast of Sukkoth (Tabernacles) takes place about mid-October, five days after Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). According to Jewish law and tradition all male Jews were to go to Jerusalem to observe this feast. The people were to dwell in temporary (lean-to) dwelling places made of olive, pine, myrtle or palm branches (no cloth). They must take their meals in these booths and sleep in them. The lean-to must have one open side, not be more than 20 cubits high (30 ft.) and be open to the stars at night. Every morning the high priest, followed by a procession of the multitudes of worshipers, went to fetch water in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam. Then they returned, singing the great Hallel, to pour the water and a wine offering on the altar of burnt offering in the Temple court. More offerings and sacrifices were offered during this feast than any other except Passover. In addition to all the sacrifices the Jews made on their own behalf, seventy bulls were sacrificed for the seventy nations of the world, in token of the messianic ingathering of the nations at which time the Jews anticipated (traditionally) they would rule the world. As a matter of fact, Sukkoth probably was intended by God to symbolize the messianic ingathering of the nationsinto the spiritual kingdom (the church). Jesus indicates this in John 10:16. Every evening extraordinary festivities took place at the Court of Women in the Temple. The four great lampstands were lighted; Levite musicians with lutes and cymbals stood on the fifteen steps that led to the Court of Men of Israel. At the sound of the shophar (ram's horn) a torch dance was begun and people sang and danced for hours. This is the most festive of all the celebrations of the Jewish year. It is the one at which the messianic fever would rise to its highest pitch. It is understandable why Samaritans would be offended at Jews using their country as a short-cut to attend such a festive gathering in Jerusalem.

The people of the village where Jesus wanted to stay overnight refused to accommodate Him. When James and John (Sons of Thunder) saw this, they were filled with anger and were ready to retaliate with fire from heaven to consume this village. They asked the Lord if that was what He wanted too. Jesus-' reply was a rebuke! A few ancient Greek texts of Luke's gospel (not the earliest texts), add, ... and he said, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of man came not to destroy man's lives but to save them. Whatever Jesus might have said, He displayed the spirit He wished to cultivate in the apostles, for He went on to another village in hopes of finding lodging. Jesus wants all His disciples to control their temperament to anger. There are times when controlled anger is needful (cf. Exodus 32:19; Numbers 16:15; 1 Samuel 11:6; 1 Samuel 20:34; Nehemiah 5:6; Psalms 97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Amos 5:15; Mark 3:1-5; Hebrews 1:9; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 4:26; Revelation 2:6). But the Lord has specifically prohibited the Christian from personal retaliation or vengeance against his enemies (cf. Romans 12:14-21; Matthew 5:38-42, etc.). That does not prohibit the Christian from calling upon properly constituted civil authority for protection and judgment against the lawless and wicked. However, the individual Christian or citizen is not to take the law into his own hands to act as judge, jury and enforcer. Our anger must be controlled within the revealed will of God.

Luke 9:57-62 Audacity and Affrontery: These verses are parallel to Matthew's account (Matthew 8:18-22). Either Matthew or Luke (or perhaps both) recorded these conversations out of chronological order. Matthew 8:18-22 is considered by most harmonists as chronologically following Matthew 13:53. Matthew probably inserted the incident where he did (Luke 8:18-22) to provide a cumulative documentation of Jesus-' teachings on discipleship. Luke may have inserted it where he did (Luke 9:57-62) because it fits into the teachings of Jesus on taming temperaments. If these discussions of Jesus with impulsive and irreverent volunteers should be placed immediately after the sermon in parables (Matthew 13:53), then Luke should have chronologically placed them right after the same sermon (Luke 8:18). Whatever the case, they are authentic words of Jesus and demand serious study and application to His divine revelation about true discipleship.

The first would-be disciple came to Jesus and said, I will follow you wherever you go. He was audacious, rash, hasty, over-confident and ignorant of the personal cost involved in discipleship to Jesus. Jesus never smooth-talked people into discipleship. He always insisted that those who wished to follow His way should count the cost (see Luke 14:25-35). Jesus never pressured, psyched, or politicked anyone into following Him. He preached the truth with compassion and persuasive logic, but He never manipulated people with emotionalism. The other two men answered His call to discipleship with excuses they deemed of higher priority than immediate and total commitment to Him. What they wished to do first seems innocent enough (go to a father's funeral, and say farewell to family). Seeing to the burial of dead bodies is of second priority, at least, to the saving of souls. There are always plenty of people who show no interest in following Jesuslet them take care of secondary issues. Nothing and no one is to come before obedience to clear, implicit commands from the word of Christ. Clinging to human ties or earthly associations or looking back and longing for them until they become more important than immediate obedience to Jesus makes a man unfit for discipleship. Those who wish citizenship in the kingdom of God must count the cost of discipleship and learn to live with the fact of Jesus-' Lordship (cf. Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46). They must surrender allthoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), bodies, families, possessionsto His command. Impulsive discipleship based on emotionalism is uncontrolled audacity. Putting anything or anyone on a higher priority than immediate obedience to Jesus is irreverence. Jesus will have none of it! Why? Because divided loyalty saves no man's soul. Salvation is afforded only to those who trust completely in Christ.

God made man with these temperaments. They serve useful purposes (see our notes on Luke 4:1-13). But Jesus knows these temperaments must be under the control of the will of God or the devil will deceitfully seduce man into perverting them to his own self-destruction. Jesus knows that if these temperaments are tamed to conform to the will of God they will produce the image of God in manthey will produce perfected man. Jesus demonstrated Perfected Man controlling these temperaments within the will of God all through His life.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

Is the evangelistic tour of the Twelve apostles to be emulated by Christians today? In what way?

2.

What effect did the kingdom fever have on the politicians of Jesus-' day? Does real Christianity still antagonize human rulers? Why? Can there ever be unity of Christianity and State?

3.

Why did Jesus have compassion on the multitudes? Should we have compassion on the worldly-minded today?

4.

Why did Jesus feed the five thousand?

5.

Why did Jesus want to know what the Twelve thought about Him?

6.

Just how much did Peter believe about Jesus when he made the good confession?

7.

What did Peter refuse to confess about Jesus? Do men still refuse?

8.

How does man really find himselffind real identity?

9.

What does the transfiguration of Jesus mean in your relationship to Him?

10.

Do you believe it is possible to tame your temperament as Jesus indicated about ambition, anger, audacity and affrontery? How?

GIFTS, MIRACLES

(Hebrews 2:3-4)

By Paul T. ButlerOBC Convention, Feb. 1977
Introduction

I.

DEFINITION OF MIRACLE

A.

An event occurring in the natural world, observed by the senses, produced by divine power, without any adequate human or natural cause, the purpose of which is to reveal the will of God and do good to man. (McCartney, in Twelve Great Questions About Christ)

1.

Hume once argued: there is more evidence for regularity in nature than for irregularity; therefore, regularity and not irregularity must be the truth of the matter.

2.

Certainly there is more evidence for the regular occurrence of nature than for any supernatural occurrence. If there weren-'t we could not talk of miracles.

3.

The argument of miracle rests on the regularity of nature generally.

4.

Only if all the historical evidence available to man could show there is no being outside nature who can in any way alter it can there be an argument against the possibility of miracles. This evidence does not doindeed cannot do!

B.

In our text four different words are used:

1.

semeiois = signs

2.

terasin = wonders

3.

dunamesin = powerful deeds

4.

merismois = distributions (of the Holy Spirit)

5.

Milligan (Hebrews) says these words classify miracles as:

a.

to their design (signs)

b.

to their nature (wonders)

c.

to their origin (supernatural power)

d.

to their Christian aspect (distributions of the Holy Spirit)

II.

THE FACT OF MIRACLES RESTS ON THE HISTORICITY OF OUR NEW TESTAMENT TEXT

A.

Were these writers eyewitnesses?

B.

Are they credible

C.

Are the documents authentic?

D.

This is another subjectbut it is the fundamental subject.

I.

PURPOSE OF MIRACLES

A.

As our text points out, the primary purpose of miracles was to bear witness that the message from Jesus and that Jesus Himself was from God. John 10:25; John 10:37-38; John 14:10-11; Matthew 9:1-8

The miracles do not prove Jesus to be the Son of Godmany men worked miraclesbut they prove Him to be a truthful messenger, and this truthful messenger says that He is God. Christ may have wrought miracles and not have been God; but He could not have wrought miracles and said that He was God without being God.

B.

To demonstrate the mercifulness of God in the case of individual men. Miracles illustrate and explain the teaching of Jesus on the love and mercy of God.

C.

To demonstrate God's wrath upon sin and rebellious sinners Matthew 21:18-19 (cursed fig tree), Acts 13:11 (blinding of Elymas) Acts 5:5-10 (Ananias and Sapphira). Bible miracles taught not only God's love and goodness but also His power and authority, and sometimes His righteous and fearful judgments.

D.

Miracles of the Bible demonstrate clearly that miracles were never intended to be universal:

1.

In extent: for they were always limited to few and special cases. Never have they been used to relieve suffering or prolong life here for all of God's people universally.

a.

Some received no miraculous deliverance here (Hebrews 11:35-40)

b.

John the Immerser, greatest born of women, worked no miracles, nor was he delivered miraculously (Matthew 11:7-11; John 10:41).

c.

Jesus could have healed all or raised all from dead but He didn-'t.

d.

Paul healed many, but did not heal Trophimus and Timothy (Il Tim. Luke 4:20; 1 Timothy 5:23).

2.

In result: All who were delivered from sickness had at other times to suffer again and die. All who were raised from the dead had to die again. Peter was delivered twice, but not a third time (God was no less compassionate and Peter no less believing).

II.

PASSING OF MIRACLES (AS SUCH)

A.

It would take some convincing to persuade me that God does not work providentially in history today. I believe He answers when we pray (sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes without acting at all).

1.

I teach Life of Christ, Old Testament Prophets and Revelation. You cannot study and teach those books and believe them for 20 years without believing God is active in the affairs of men and nations.

2.

I do not deny that God could reinstitute an age of miracles such as we read in the Old Testament and New Testament if it suited His purpose.

3.

It is just that I believe He will not because He has no further need of such miracles and signs. Here is why I believe that:

B.

When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:10.

1.

The reason for the election of the Jews in Christ (Ephesians 1:1-23) was for a plan in the fulness of time, to unite all things in him.. (not for heaven, but for earth). Thus the plan was to unite both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, man and woman, into one body, the church. This is why the spiritual miraculous gifts were given in Ephesians 4:11 f., for this ministry of unifying. These miraculous gifts were to last until the teleios man was formed (Ephesians 4:13).

2.

The identical context, outline, illustrations, and terminology in 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 lead us to conclude that such is also the meaning of teleios there. to perfect both Jew and Gentile in the one body.

3.

It is unquestionably apparent that the problem in both Ephesians and Corinthians was the immaturity and schismatic tendencies of the early church. In light of the frequent association of love with perfection (maturity)and in light of the fact that the entire epistle of I Cor. deals with the grand theme of divine love in the context of the childish immaturity of so many Christians at Corinth, it seems best to define the perfect in terms of the ultimate goal, aim, and end which Paul seeks to accomplish in bringing God's people to the fulness of spiritual growth and maturity in Christ.

4.

Paul's description of the carnal immaturity of Christians at Corinth serves to underscore his emphasis on the ultimate goal which he sets for them in chapter 13. Chapter 13 must be read in the context of the whole book and may not be interpreted apart from his charge in Luke 14:1Make love your aim, and in Luke 14:20 Do not be children in your thinking; in malice be babes, but in thinking be perfect.

5.

When the perfect comes, says Paul, the tongues, etc. would cease. These miraculous gifts were not proofs of spiritual maturity. Paul does not say that these will cease when Jesus comes again, nor when the Corinthians get to heaven. Rather, that in time, during their life on earth, the miraculous demonstrations will cease.

6.

I do not think perfect means just the completed canon of New Testament books; it also has to do with a perfected church.

a.

The canon's formation was by uninspired men (so far as we know). I believe every book in the New Testament is inspired and apostolic. But what if another scroll of antiquity is found with the same credentials as the books we now have? We would not have a perfectcomplete New Testament!

b.

The perfect law of liberty was already at work when James wrote of it in James 1:25. This perfect law was in action before the completion of our 27 books of the New Testament were formed in a New Testament. One could look into this law then and be blessed in obedience to it. It was the perfect law of freedom because it accomplished what the incomplete Law of Moses could not do. It is significant in this context that James also speaks of the children of God as being perfect and complete in the church (James 1:4-5).

C.

The end for which miracles were wrought, to attest to the veracity of Christ and His claims, to bring the church to maturity, and to bring about faith through which we may partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4)this is the ultimate goal of God's work with US. MIRACLES CAN NEVER BE AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR THIS INDWELLING (1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Peter 1:3-11; 1 John 1:5-8; 1 John 3:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:31 to 1 Corinthians 14:1; 2 Corinthians 3:18). (See A Study of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Christians, by Seth Wilson, mimeo, OBC bookstore.)

1.

Miracles are signs or works of the Holy Spirit, not the Holy Spirit Himself. They are the effects of which He is the cause. Miracles have been found where the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit did not occur. (Matthew 10:1-42; Luke 10:1-42, apostles and 70 disciples worked miracles months before Jesus said the Holy Spirit had not come yet, John 7:38). King Saul on his way to murder God's anointed was made to prophesy by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 19:18-24). Balaam's ass (Numbers 22:25-30). Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48).

2.

It is evident that some men whom Christ called workers of iniquity claimed to have worked many miracles in His name. If they speak that boldly to His face, at judgment, does it not appear that they will be sincerely convinced that they have actually wrought such mighty works by His power here?

3.

It does not appear that miraculous demonstrations are necessary effects whenever or wherever the Holy Spirit dwells in men. 1 Corinthians 12:3 the man who honestly says Jesus is Lord manifests he has the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:29-30 shows that not all in the New Testament church had the gifts of miraculous works.

4.

The word of God has the power to regenerate and to sanctify through faith which allows the Spirit of God to dwell in us Ephesians 3:16-19; 1 Timothy 1:5; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Peter 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:18.

5.

Miraculous deeds did not guarantee a spiritual church, The Corinthian church came behind in no gift and was enriched in all utterance and in all knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:5-7); yet that church was notorious for errors in doctrine and evils in practice.

6.

Are such wonders and signs always caused exclusively by the Holy Spirit? May some of the experience and utterances be caused by the workings of the subconscious mind, by something like hypnotic influences? (See The Psychology of Speaking in Tongues, by John P. Kildahl, Harper & Row.)

Scriptures warn of the possibility (at least in the first century) of lying wonders (Matthew 24:24; Matthew 7:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 John 4:1-6; Revelation 13:14; Revelation 16:14; Revelation 19:20). Even the Old Testament warned against false prophets with signs (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:22; Isaiah 8:20).

7.

Isolated wonders do not necessarily prove a divine revelation from God. Bible miracles were part of a coherent combination of many miracles and messages to which they were significantly related. The extent and quality of Bible miracles and revelations is different from the many alleged miracles and prophecies of today or any century since apostles. Philip's miracles and those of Simon Magus were different. Even Pharaoh could see (or should have) the difference between Moses-' miracles and those of his magicians. (Galatians 1:6-9) Even a gospel by angels, if different than Paul's would be condemned.

8.

1 John 4:6 says it is not the Holy Spirit if men show they do not hear (heed and keep) the word of the apostles.

James 3:13-18 shows that the Spirit of God does not cause men to be jealous and factiousdivisive.

WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY DENOMINATIONAL FACTIONS, ALLEGING TO HAVE THESE MIRACULOUS SIGNS AND WONDERS, YET STRIVING TO MAINTAIN THEIR DENOMINATIONAL DIFFERENCES EVEN IN THE FACE OF PLAIN SCRIPTURAL TEACHINGS?! What are we to conclude about their claims?

III.

FUNCTIONAL GIFTS (Romans 12:1-13)

A.

I believe all men and women have gifts from their Creator.

1.

All may not have the same gifts or latent potentialities.

2.

Some may have many more potentialities than others.

3.

BUT THEY ARE ALL NEEDED AS FUNCTIONS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. This is the important point: No gifts, capacities, talents, abilities (all given by the grace of God) are more important FUNCTIONALLY, than others.

4.

The whole context here indicates Paul is talking not about miraculous gifts given by God for the same purposes as those of 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40; but of functional gifts, one of which at least every member of the body has (... I bid every one among you..).

B.

I like the way Carl Ketcherside explains it in Mission Messenger, Vol. 36, No. 10, Oct. 1974, Functioning Gifts.

1.

Any gift freely bestowed by God is a gift of the Spirit, regardless of how it is communicated to the recipient. That is why I object to designating any period of time a charismatic age. There is no such thing as a charismatic age, for the simple reason that there is no non-charismatic age. There has never been a time when the will of God was not enhanced and promoted by gifts of grace. A gift is not charismatic because of its nature, method of reception, or effect, but because of its origin. It is charismatic because it is a gift of charis, grace.

2.

The man who has the enviable gift of understanding and relieving the needy is charismatic as surely as one who has the gift of prophecy. The one who can give cheerfully and freely as his contribution to the work of the saints is charismatic. In view of this, I am not turned on by such expressions as The Spirit is working again in our time. The Spirit has never ceased working.

3.

The gifts of God are varied. Paul wrote to a congregation which came behind in no gift and told them that the ability to restrain sexual passion, making marriage unnecessary was a charisma of God. But he also implied that the gift of sexual need which could be gratified in marriage was a charisma. I would that everybody lived as I do; but each of us has his own special gift from Godone in one direction and one in another (1 Corinthians 7:7). It is quite evident that Paul's gift was in a different direction than that of the majority.

C.

Ephesians 4:7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

1.

Do not the parables teach that men are given (how else, but by the grace of God) talents and pounds according to different measures, and each one is expected to use (none are nonfunctional) and be rewarded according, not to what he does not have, but according to how he uses what he does have?

2.

Now if we will follow the leading of the Spirit in His revealed will and make sure instead of worrying about having the Spirit that the Spirit has all of us, we will use our praxin (function, or action) charismata (gifts) for the benefit of the one body. Actually, if we simply let ourselves be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-2) we will use our gifts of grace for the upbuilding of the body in love.

Even unconverted men and women have charismatic gifts! functional giftswhatever they have in potentialities they have by the grace of God but they are not allowing the Spirit to use them for the upbuilding of Christ's body.

D.

Does all this mean that the special supernatural gifts should also be continued by the Holy Spirit in the church today? No.

1.

They were for special needs. The functional gifts will always be needed.

2.

I do not need to see a miracle performed by anyone else, nor have one performed upon me, to produce faith in the revealed Word of God.

3.

The original envoys of Jesus who gave the message were thoroughly accredited and their message was confirmed by miracles, wonders and signs. There is no sense in having miracles to confirm miracles, and once truth is confirmed it never needs to be confirmed again.

4.

The spectacular, supernatural, signs and wonders were to cease (there is no doubt about that), but the functional gifts through which every member of the body may love man and God will abide!

5.

AFTER ALL, THE GRACE OF GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US GIFTS FOR FUNCTIONING IN THE CHURCH AND WE USE THEM ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF OUR FAITH.

The miraculous, supernatural gifts could be given and made to function regardless of the measure of the faith of the person.

CONCLUSION

Accepting the possibility of miracles is a matter of morality. C.S. Lewis wrote, ... the question whether miracles occur can never be answered simply by experience. Every event which might claim to be a miracle is, in the last resort something presented to our senses, something seen, heard, touched,. etc. and our senses are not infallible. If anything extraordinary seems to have happened, we can always say that we have been the victims of an illusion. If we hold a philosophy that excludes the supernatural, this is what we shall always say.
What we learn from experience depends on our philosophy of epistemology (theory of how one learns) and that ultimately rests on our moral honesty. Many people think one can decide whether a miracle occurred in the past by examining the evidence according to the ordinary rules of historical inquiry. But the ordinary rules cannot be worked until we have decided whether miracles are possible, and if so, how probable they are. So, we are back to whether we are being honest or not.

Man's ability to think and reason gives evidence that something beyond nature exists. The Naturalist cannot deny the thinking-reasoning process without thinking and reasoning! It is obvious that the thinking process is not just a natural event composed of cells, electric impulses, etc. Therefore, something other than nature exists.
Morality is another undeniable evidence of the possibility of that which is beyond nature. Even the great determinist Karl Marx held there was good behavior and bad behavior and subjected what he determined to be bad behavior to withering moral scorn. He could justify this only with the presupposition that there is a moral responsibilitysomething beyond natural reflex.
Why does liberal theology exclude miracles? Because it excludes the living God of Christianity and believes instead in a kind of God who obviously would not do miracles, or indeed anything else outside of nature.
Men are reluctant to face up to the fact of a living God. They much prefer an abstract Idea to a Person. An idea does nothing, demands nothing. It is there for a person to change, manipulate or obliterate as the whim calls for. But a living, supernatural, all-sovereign Person is something else! It is shocking to discover there is a Person, a feeling, thinking, moral Person who is Creator and Sustainer of life, alive and active in our everyday affairs. It is even more alarming to think this Person has the right to demand mental and moral control of our lives. C.S. Lewis puts it thus: You have had a shock like that before, in connection with smaller matterswhen the fishing line pulls at your hand, when something breathes beside you in the darkness. So here; the shock comes at the precise moment when the thrill of life is communicated to us along the clue we have been following. It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. -Look out,-' we cry, -it's alive!-'

An impersonal Godwell and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own headsbetter still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tapbest of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband, that is quite another matter.
There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at cops and robbers hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (called, man's search for God) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? Supposing He has worked miracles over and above and outside the natural order of things? We never meant it to come to than!Worse still, supposing He has found us?