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A Gift for Favor

The gift [is] a favorable stone in [the] eyes of its owners, unto all which it turns it causes to be prudent.  Proverbs 17:8

So-had (שֹׁחַד) is a gift that is given for the purpose of bringing favor. Although not specifically a bribe, it can be used to gain favor in an illicit way and is prohibited under the Mosaic law for being used in this manner (Deuteronomy 16:19); however, when used correctly the result will be a favorable attitude towards the one giving the gift. It is the one who walks righteously and speaks with equity while shutting up bribery that will see God (Isaiah 33:15), where a wicked man accepts a gift to pervert the way of justice (Proverbs 17:23).

We see this type of favorable gift being given in negotiations (1 Kings 15:19), which is not meant as a bribe, but to bring favor. When used this way, it will cause the one receiving it to be wise in handling practical matters while exercising good judgment related to the circumstances bringing about the gift.

The negative side of giving is seen with one who uses money to gain favor. Such as with Ananias and Saphira giving a gift to the Apostles (Acts 4:37), Simon trying to bribe the Apostles into giving him the ability to give the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:18-20), and Felix seeking a bribe from Paul to release him (Acts 24:26). However, when used properly this type of gift will result in a favorable attitude from the one receiving it. In business, when a shop is willing to offer free service, such as fixing a flat tire, the one receiving this generosity is far more likely to […]

A Gift for Favor2023-12-14T12:26:53-08:00

Knowing the Desirous will of God – Using Your Spiritual Gift

We are not to be ignorant of Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1). Each person who is placed into the body of the Christ is given a Spiritual gift that is to be used to edify the body (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:22-23). There are two specific areas in Scripture that state this is a single gift, along with basically the entire twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians discussing the members of the body who are not the same as other members. In 1 Corinthians 12:11 Scripture states that the Spirit distributes to each an individual gift according to His determination.

But the One and same Spirit works all these things dividing each one individually just as He determines, 1 Corinthians 12:11

The Apostle Peter also discusses this gift, stating we each receive one and are to distribute it for the edification of the Church as stewards.

Each one just as he receives a gift unto himself also while serving as a proper steward the manifold grace of God, 1 Peter 4:10

The Holy Spirit is the One Who chooses which gift we receive, and God the father is the One who set each member within the body according to His desirous will.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But now the God set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desirously willed.

After the completion of the Scriptures, we are informed that the revelatory and confirmation gifts cease to be active, and now the focus is on the gifts that edify the Church.

Love never falls, but whether prophecies, they will be rendered ineffective, whether tongues, they will cause themselves to cease, whether knowledge, it will be rendered ineffective. For out from a part we experientially know and out from a part […]

Knowing the Desirous will of God – Using Your Spiritual Gift2023-11-25T07:55:10-08:00

One Incredible Expression of God’s Love: The Greatest Gift of All

In the Gospel of Luke the author looks back on events with the purpose of setting things in order. You see, something quite miraculous had happened; something that was not expected, and in the end changed the world.  Luke begins his record by stating that he has undertaken the task of setting things in order for all that had been accomplished so that the most excellent Theophilus1 would have a full understanding of the events that surrounded Jesus’ life. Unlike other historical records, Luke’s was different because he was writing about a wonderful work that God had done; a work that would forever change the relationship of men to God and would bring about the downfall of our enemy, Satan; a work that was wholly unexpected from man’s point of view, for Luke’s history tells of something that no man could have ever thought possible. God came to be in the flesh.

So stunning was this new event, that not even the spirit beings could understand it. …which none of the princes of this age knew. For if, assuming it is true, they knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory2. How could the God who created the universe be in the form of a man who is created a little lower than the angels? You had made Him for a short time a little lower than the angels, You have crowned Him with a proper opinion and honor…  3 This was nothing they had seen before, even though many of times the spirit beings had been with the Son of God when He manifested Himself to men as the Messenger of […]

One Incredible Expression of God’s Love: The Greatest Gift of All2023-11-23T12:51:14-08:00

Spiritual Gifts within the Body of The Christ

When a person becomes part of the body of The Christ, they receive a gift from the Holy Spirit. This is a gift that is intended for the common good of the Church, 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Moreover, each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit towards the common good”. Not only are we placed into the body of The Christ, we are also given the means to be able to function as the part of the body that the Holy Spirit determines is the best place for us.

Saints should not be ignorant concerning Spiritual things. There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different services, but the same Lord. For it is God who works all things in all. We each receive only one gift in our life time, as we can only ever serve as the part of the body in which we are placed. The Holy Spirit determines what gift we receive, 1 Corinthians 12:11.

Among the gifts there are gifts of the same kind, and gifts of a different kind. The word of wisdom and knowledge are gifts of the same kind. These gifts were given so that in the beginning of the Church it had the necessary knowledge to obey God and the wisdom to correctly use that knowledge. These gifts were necessary at that time because the churches did not yet have the full revelation of Scripture to guide them as we have today. Of course, since God has provided us with the full revelation, the Church no longer has need for these gifts. In James 1:5 God states to all Christians that if we ask for wisdom, He will give it to us without reproach. He also […]

Spiritual Gifts within the Body of The Christ2023-12-14T12:32:36-08:00
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