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The following excerpt is taken from Taking Action by Reinhard Bonnke:
Golden Rules of the Gifts
My purpose in writing this book is not a wish to intrigue readers but to emphasize that the gifts have a vital part to play in world evangelism. They are weapons of war, not toys to be played with. Mark 16 firmly anchors miracles to the Great Commission.
From the outset the church looked doomed, stillborn. To bring His message to the nations, Jesus had only a few ordinary men from Galilee. None of them showed any brilliance or personal qualities that would make for success, and they displayed a generous share of human failings. They were as unqualified as world conquerors as men ever could be. The Jewish leaders wrote them off as ignorant and unlearned. Their message should have appealed to nobody. It had no element of intellectual wisdom, political promise, or immediate social benefit. Its worst disqualification for popular acceptance was that it was centered on a leader from a seedy Galilean backwater who had been executed as a common criminal.
Mission impossible? Against all expectations it became “mission accomplished.” How? These nobodies advanced with a new secret. God personally worked with them with signs and wonders. More than that, He barbed their simple words with conviction and guided them to the hearts of hearers an unerringly and powerfully as David’s stone to the head of Goliath. Without personal charisma, the charisma of the Spirit of God endued them. Their “secret”? The Holy Spirit.
Let us take it from there. If Christianity is to progress, this is the divine way. Christ knew that the world would expand. There are now sixty times more people alive than when He was here. He expected that all the world would hear His quiet words spoken so long ago in an obscure Roman province – not by normal propaganda methods but by His power.
Because the world hovers between spiritual life and death, the utmost consideration must be given to whatever can secure the destinies of precious people. What follows are principles of real importance. They may even be stressed by repeated mention throughout following chapters.
Just as in the wilderness Jesus was tempted to misuse diving powers when He had been filled with the Holy Spirit, so are others likely to be.
The core of the test is our pride, which corrupts our sincere motives for the power gifts and produces flamboyant behavior and egotistic display. Jesus was tempted by the devil to throw Himself off the temple pinnacle. One thing to be taken to heart is that the supernatural is not always sensational. We can attract personal admiration by our gifts, but our job is to set people’s eyes on Jesus. When Paul and Barnabas were offering worship at Lystra, they were horrified, running among the people to assert they were not divinities (Acts 14:8-18).
“This generation seeks a sign,” said Jesus (Luke 11:29). Sensation always has a market. We can exploit that situation and turn the gifts of God to self-advantage. Simon Magus wanted the Holy Spirit, but only to bolster his prestige (Acts 8:9). Uzza died for his presumption in putting his hand upon the ark of testimony (1 Chron. 13:10). If anyone says, “I would like the gift of healing,” or any gift, the proper reply is, “Why?” Motive is vital.
THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT DO NOT CONFIRM ANYBODY’S METHODS OR THEOLOGY
The gifts operate by faith in God, not faith in a specific theory. They are not channeled through any doctrine except that of redemption. The Holy Spirit only glorifies the crucified Christ. Testimonies that this or that formula has brought success are always to be found, but they do not prove what they are supposed to prove. God’s mercies are “broader than the measures of our mind.” There is only one secret –faith. “This is the victory…our faith” (1 John 5:4). New techniques and highly publicized methods may seem to bring results, but they do not. God separates the techniques from the faith and responds only to faith.
In the New Testament, whenever healings and miracles are attributed to anything at all, it is invariably to faith. Otherwise it is the sovereign action of God. “They faith hath made thee whole; go in peace,” Jesus said to the woman with a hemorrhage (Luke 8:48, NKJ). Her “method” could not have been more simple and childlike. Those seeking healing can be helped by teaching, but the essential miracle ingredient is still simple, trusting faith in Jesus. That is all God bothers about, no matter what notions or innovations occupy our sometimes muddled brains.
Prayed…
We are so hungry for Your presence, Father
Yes, we need a greater outpouring of Your precious Holy Spirit
Thank You, Father, thank You, Lord
We do wait on You, and we do serve You
You are working in and through us and we thank You for it!
Fall fresh on us today!
We thirst for more of You; Holy Spirit, You are welcome in this place
Father, we keep moving more and more into Your presence
You have provided us with everything we need to fulfill Your purpose and call
We pray for more of Your presence to be upon and saturate us!
Yes, we are believing for more of the supernatural
Thank You for the change that is taking place today, Lord
We lift up pastors, and we cover them with the precious blood of Jesus
Give them a greater revelation of Your plan, Father
In Your presence, changes are taking place
We yield to Your Holy Spirit today, Lord
Thank You for the utterance of Your Spirit
You are speaking to each and every one of us, and we trust in You
We lift up those that are hurting and we pray for You to surround them
Praying for victory and restoration today!
Yes, there is healing in that precious name of Jesus
Limitations, be removed and restoration take place today
Wholeness come forth in the name of Jesus
Thank You for restoration in every area, Lord
You are so good, we magnify and glorify You, Father
Worthy is the lamb!
Holy and worthy are You, Lord
