Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04051 Few topics in contemporary Christianity generate more heat and less light than healing. On one side, dramatic claims fill conference stages and television screens; on the other, sceptical evangelicals dismiss the whole category as a relic of the apostolic age. Scripture, characteristically, is more measured than either extreme, and what it actually says…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04052 The gift of miracles occupies a specific place in Paul’s description of the Spirit’s distributions, yet it tends to be either exaggerated into something sensational or quietly passed over in churches that are uncomfortable with the supernatural. Neither response does justice to what the New Testament actually says. Understanding this gift requires looking…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04054 The phrase “word of knowledge” appears once in Paul’s list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and has generated considerable debate ever since, not least because charismatic ministry has attached a very specific meaning to it that may or may not reflect what Paul had in mind. Understanding this gift means returning to…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04053 In a world where spiritual counterfeits are not merely possible but repeatedly warned against in the New Testament, the gift of discernment of spirits is not a luxury. It is one of the Spirit’s provisions for protecting the church from deception. Understanding what this gift actually involves, and how it differs from ordinary…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04055 Wisdom is one of Scripture’s great themes, running from the Proverbs through to Paul’s letters, and it is no surprise that the Spirit distributes a gift identified with it. But the “word of wisdom” Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12:8 is something more specific than wisdom in the general biblical sense, and distinguishing…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04057 The resurrection of the dead is at the heart of Christian hope, and it is easy to speak of it in terms of God’s power without attending to the specific way the New Testament describes how that power operates. When Scripture speaks about resurrection, the Holy Spirit is presented not merely as a…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04056 Few questions in contemporary church life generate more confusion and, in some quarters, more dangerous claims than this one. The rise of the New Apostolic Reformation, with its assertion that God is restoring apostles and prophets to the church with governing authority and fresh revelation, has made this question urgent. But the answer…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04058 When Christians think about the future, attention tends to focus on the events of the end times: the rapture, the tribulation, the return of Christ, the millennial kingdom. Less commonly asked is what the Holy Spirit will be doing through all of this. Yet Scripture has more to say on the subject than…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04028 Evangelism is frequently presented as a matter of technique: the right approach, the right words, the right moment. But the New Testament consistently locates the power behind effective gospel witness not in human skill but in the Holy Spirit. Understanding the Spirit’s role in evangelism changes both the way we engage in it…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04029 Worship is one of the most debated practices in the contemporary church, with strong feelings on all sides about style, content, and what makes worship authentic. But the New Testament’s definition of true worship is not primarily about music or liturgy. It is about the Spirit. Understanding the Spirit’s role in worship reshapes…