Truth 04 · Session 4 of 4 · About 2 min
Power in the house
The Spirit's power, the gifts, and praying for the sick
The Spirit's gifts are given for the common good. Ask, and expect Him to answer.
Read these first
Acts 1:8 · NRSVue
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
I Corinthians 12:7-11 · NRSVue
7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
James 5:14-15 · NRSVue
14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
A few words on what they mean
Not a quiet house
The household of God is not a quiet house. The last thing Jesus said before He went up was: "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses." The same Spirit that raised you from the dead in chapter one was given so that you could tell people, and so that God could confirm what you tell them.
Everyone gets something
Paul says that in the family everyone gets something. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good": wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, powerful deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, interpretation. Given "just as the Spirit chooses", not as we choose, and given to build up the body, not to make anyone important. Some people will tell you that all this stopped with the apostles. The Bible does not say that anywhere. Paul says the gifts are given "to each", not to a first generation. Peter said the promise of the Spirit was "for you, for your children, and for all who are far away" (Acts 2:39). "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Mark's gospel ends with signs that "will accompany those who believe" (Mark 16:17), and Acts shows them doing exactly that.
What you will see on a Sunday
So do not be alarmed by what you see in a service. Someone may speak in tongues out loud, and someone will interpret. Someone may bring a word that encourages, or corrects, or comforts. Paul gives the rules for it in 1 Corinthians 14: tongues in the meeting need an interpreter, prophecy is to be weighed, and "all things should be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). It is not chaos, and it is not theatre. It is the family's Father speaking in the family's house.
Praying for the sick
So your church prays for the sick and expects things to happen. James tells you what to do when you are ill: "call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up." Notice where James puts it: in the church, with the elders. This is family business.
Not a formula
None of this is a formula. God is not a vending machine and people sometimes stay sick. But He has told you to ask, and told you He hears. So ask, in the name of Jesus, and expect Him to answer.
Reflection
Who will you pray for this week, by name, for healing or a real need? Write the name here and come back to it.
Verse to memorise
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8 · NRSVue
Say it until you can say it without looking.