Have The Gifts Ceased?

Have the Gifts of the Spirit, as listed in 1st Corinthians 12:8-10, ceased to operate in the Church? Are we still seeing and experiencing these powerful sign gifts in action?

As a former Charismatic Word of Faith preacher, I taught on these gifts for many years. Most of my doctrine I learned from Kenneth Hagin, and his definitions of these gifts. In class, and on CD, I have heard him tell innumerable testimonies of miracles, healings and other manifestations of these gifts. But I never saw any of them. All of his stories were from decades ago.

Let's just look at these gifts and see if we can understand what they mean, and then ask ourselves if we have seen these manifestations.

1) The Word of Knowledge. In Haginology, this means the ability to know something past or present about an individual or situation. Every single time that I have been around someone that flowed in this gift, they always knew something ahead of time, or it was possible to have dug up some information.

In other translations, this is simply the ability to understand Scripture. Which is it? I think it was the ability to understand the counsel of God prior to having New Testament Scripture.

2) Word of Wisdom. In Haginolgy, this meant to know something future. In other translations, it means to be able to give Godly advice.

3) Faith. Is this the faith to move mountains, or the faith that comes from God to receive Jesus? I'm sure faith exist today. In Haginology it meant to be able to stop the sun or something beyond ordinary faith.

4} Gifts of Healings. Well this one is definitely gone. I have never seen anyone in my life and ministry that could genuinely heal someone like Jesus and the Apostles did. They could heal anything. Let me know if you ever see an amputee get his limbs back, or a severely retarded child made normal.

5) Miracles. Another one that is definitely out with the Apostles. This gift would be like turning water into wine, raising the dead, parting the Red Sea, etc. I have heard that these things happen on the mission field everyday but I do not believe it. I have been to the remote places of the Earth, and never saw any of this.

6} Prophesy. Does this mean to predict the future, or to preach? In Haginolgy it meant to tell the future. This one is definitely out. I have heard hundreds of false ones, many from Kenneth Hagin. I was there the night he said he would live to be 135 years old.

7) Discerning of Spirits. In Haginology this means that you can see demons or angels. I don't know about this one. I have heard many testimonies along these lines, mostly from people on medications or having come from a drug past. But I have heard a tiny few that I believe.

8 & 9) Speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. I believe this one has passed on also, although it might could happen. The word for tongues means a KNOWN language unknown to the speaker. For instance, if I started witnessing in French (which I do not speak) and someone could interpret it in Japanese to a guy in Tokyo. I suppose this could happen.

It appears to me through proper Bible interpretation, that most of these gifts are no longer functioning in the Church today.

Something I learned as a Law Enforcement Officer and a Pastor for twenty years, is that people will lie and exaggerate about spiritual experiences. I also know that church people will believe just about any tall tale or testimony that they see or hear on television or in church. I am proof. I fell for Kenneth Hagin's visions.

Having done a thorough and investigation into many of the teachings and experiences of the gifts of the Spirit, I would conclude that most of what is seen today is a total fraud, or in the least, the power of suggestion. I simply do not believe 99% of what I hear.

A Lesson Learned

I read and taught the Bible wrong for a long time. I was one of those preachers that took Scriptures out of context to fit my doctrines. For instance, to teach tongues or healing or faith, I would start with the first verse in the Bible and connect all the references in a string.

True Bible interpretation takes each Scripture in the context of the passage, book, author and Testament.

For example, tithing. Tithing was only for Israel and had nothing to do with money. But the Church across the board has taxed the Flock for centuries by taking Scripture out of context. The tithe was never commanded to the Church.

Another important fact to remember is historical context. Many Scriptures take on a different meaning altogether when read in historical or cultural context.

When I was a preacher, I only read or preached what I had highlighted in my Bible. About two years ago I began to mostly listen to the Bible on CD. It really grabbed my attention to hear some of my favorite Scriptures sound completely different when heard out loud in context.

One of the ones that really took on a different meaning was Romans 10:17 "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing gy the Word of God". I had been taught that the way to get faith was to hear more Word. That is incorrect. The context of that Scripture is to do with how to get saved.

Once I began to properly read my Bible in context, almost every Word of Faith and Charismatic doctrine that I had believed and taught crumbled by the way side.

Going Tony Soprano

As a pastor, I held my tongue for ten straight years. Or maybe I was biting it till it was raw and bleeding. I also turned my other cheek so much that I walked around dizzy.

I tried something new this week. Dawg cussing people that deserve it. I cussed out my boss last weekend. It felt good and he deserved it.

I cussed out my neighbor too for sticking his big nose in my business. It felt so good.

You know, I try to be nice and sweet to everyone that I come into contact with, but people have been treating me like crap all of my life, and I am tired of taking it.

Jesus went off on folks that needed it. So did Paul, James and Peter. Not to mention God and all of the Prophets.

I'm not taking crap off of people anymore. I will happily dawg cuss folks. Some people need to be slapped. Others need a good tongue lashing. Some need both.

Those that feel the urge to correct me can bite me. I am no longer a pastor. Thank God!

Oral Roberts Died Today

I do not write this gladly or mockingly. I worked for Oral Roberts for two years. I was one of his bodyguards. I delivered his newspaper every morning. I watched over his family as they slept. I was a huge fan and admirer.

But Oral Roberts died sick today. Just like all of the famous Faith Healers, he has died sick. Kenneth Hagin died of heart disease although he claimed to enjoy Divine Health. He was on heart meds for years.

EW Kenyon, the founder of the Word of Faith Religion and author of the confession brings possesion message, died from a malignant tumor.

The Word of Faith Message is a false one. It does not work, even for the most famous preachers.

Happy Feet!

I am now a businessman! God has blessed me with the opportunity to start a carpet and upholstery cleaning company called Happy Feet.

My family is helping, and we are getting all kinds of neat ideas. We made two trips to Atlanta to pick up all of the equipment. I did our first job last night. And all of the profit went to me and not the boss!

This is the most fired up that I have been since getting forced out of the church. And I really enjoy it more than being a pastor. I can make all the money that I want, and I only have to please one customer at a time.

We have state of the art equipment, uniforms, logos, and a ton of work to do. It's a fun job that allows me to move from job to job and to develope all kinds of new relationships. I am going to donate a certain percentage to missions.

There is nothing better than owning your own business and being your own boss. I am fired up! Can you tell?

Cavern Road

2002 thru 2005 were very successful years for my church. We were named The Edge, and we rented a really nice church on a busy road. The building seated about 300 and there were a few times that we had to drag out extra chairs. We had eight people on payroll including four pastors.

Our youth group was happening. All of the popular kids attended. We did youth retreats, mission trips to England and Africa and had the most talented praise and worship band that I have ever heard. We had also just purchased 18 acres of land adjacent to three schools. We always had all the money we ever needed, it was never an issue.

Late in 2005, our lease was bought out by a Vineyard Church, and I had to scramble to find a place to meet. By accident I noticed an old white wooden church house out in the sticks on Cavern Road. I looked in the windows and it had pews but I had the feeling it wasn't being used. I did some checking and found out that it was vacant. So I tracked down the owner and rented it for $300.

It would only seat about 140 people and had virtually no facilities, but we moved in for 2006 and stayed there until we built our building in 2007.

I hated everything about Cavern Road at the time, I was a spoiled, self-centered egotistical cry baby brat that needed his butt kicked really good.
I was so brainwashed with all the Word of Faith dogmas of success, increase, vision and destiny that I was extremely depressed and embarrassed of the situation that I was in. I was ashamed of the building, and we lost some people. When we were in the big building, we had so many visitors and new people that you really never noticed when people quit coming.

At Cavern Road, we had dinner on the grounds, revivals and lock-ins all the time. The church family was extremely tight and close knit. There was a tremendous amount of love there. But I was ungrateful. My own teaching turned me into a very materialistic individual. All of my Word of Faith preacher friends prophesied over me and our new building all of the time, and none of it came to pass.

I have no desire to be in the ministry. I have no desire to preach or teach whatsoever. I do not think that I could ever do any of that again. I still cannot believe that I was ever a pastor of a church.

But if I ever did preach again, or pastor a church again, I would hope and wish to God that it was a little white church like the one on Cavern Road. I would never, ever leave or want to build a big fancy building. I would be happy and satisfied. I would have dinner on the grounds every Sunday, and grill out every Wednesday, and I would be a Baptist Preacher that was totally happy and content to be in a country church. Sometimes you never know how much something means until you lose it.

Dead Faith Preachers

Long is the list of famous Word of Faith preachers that have died sick. Mostly from cancer and heart disease.

I do not write this mockingly, but rather to alert innocents that the Word of Faith message is a crock.

The message simply does not work for anyone because it is a false one that is nothing more than New Age with a few out of context Scriptures added.

The founder of the Word of Faith movement, EW Kenyon died of a malignant tumor.

Jack Coe, faith healer, died from polio

Daisy Osborne, faith healer, died of cancer

John Osteen, Word of Faith preacher died from organ failure

Kenneth E Hagin, Word of Faith preacher died of a massive heart attack and had suffered from heart disease for years although he claimed to walk in Divine health.

Pastor Billy Joe Daughtery just died from cancer

Faith Healer AA Allan died from liver failure

Many lesser know Word of Faith ministers have died from disease and sickness. Every Word of Faith preacher that I know has been sick with something, they just wont let anyone know about it.

Word of Faith people get sick just the same as us Baptist do.