Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04106 Philip is one of the more interesting figures in Acts, and his ministry tends to be overshadowed by the drama of the Simon Magus episode and the theological puzzle of the Spirit’s delay. But he deserves attention in his own right. He was not an apostle. He was one of the Seven appointed…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04050 Of all the gifts Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12, the gift of interpretation of tongues is perhaps the one most easily misunderstood, partly because it sounds technical, and partly because it is so closely tied to tongues itself. Yet Paul treats it as a distinct and necessary gift, not an add-on, and…
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 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: 3 minutesQuestion 04020 The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the believer and distributes gifts to the believer, and while both come from the same Spirit, they are doing entirely different things. Conflating them causes no end of confusion in the church, particularly when spiritual gifts are treated as evidence of spiritual maturity, or when character is…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04037 Being ‘slain in the Spirit’ is one of the most recognisable and controversial phenomena in contemporary charismatic Christianity. The scene is familiar: a preacher lays hands on someone, or simply gestures toward them, and the person falls backward, apparently overcome by the Spirit’s power, often caught by designated catchers positioned behind them. This…