You and I have been discussing the gifts of the
Spirit. And again today, we're going to have
a little heart -to -heart talk regarding the
gifts of the Holy Spirit. And remember, when
we speak of the gifts of the Spirit, we're not
speaking about people who are naturally talented.
We're speaking of the supernatural. Endowment.
Oh, I know. We recognize that there are men who
are naturally gifted. There are men and women
who are naturally talented, who by birth have
higher intelligence, who have greater abilities,
which put them head and shoulders above other
people. Remember. As we discuss the gifts of
the Spirit, we are not talking about natural
talent. Please understand that as we continue
this discussion regarding the gifts of the Spirit.
Men and women are born with talents. Talents
are God -given. And the Bible speaks about talents.
To one is given five talents. To one is given
ten talents. Another one talent. But talents
and gifts are not the same. When we speak of
the gifts of the Spirit, we are not speaking
about the talent with which certain individuals
have been endowed. by natural birth. We are speaking
of a supernatural endowment. And gifts have been
given by the Holy Spirit to men and women who
have had no talent whatsoever. Another thing
I want you to see. There are two extremes which
we face today as we come to the subject of spiritual
gifts. On the one hand, we are faced with abuse.
Most of us could cite examples of fanaticism
which have arisen around this doctrine. You've
seen it. You know it as well as I do. But on
the other hand, because the doctrine has suffered
from abuse, it has been neglected. It has been
shunned. And the average child of God does not...
know the teaching of the Word of God in the matter
of spiritual gifts. It is one of the most neglected
teachings that I know anything about. To be perfectly
frank, I have never heard a minister bring a
series of messages on the gifts of the Spirit.
That... That has spied me completely. And there
are very few who even attempt to preach on the
gifts of the Spirit. I have never read anything.
In fact, very little has been written regarding
the gifts of the Spirit. The Bible teaches it.
Believe me, beloved, the Holy Spirit gives gifts
supernatural gifts and these gifts were in evidence
they were active in the early church the gifts
of the spirit are in operation now the gifts
of the spirit will con continue to be in operation,
the Holy Spirit will continue to give gifts as
long as he is still in the world. These gifts
are only temporary because one of these days
the Holy Spirit is going to leave. He's going
back again to the Father. When we have the great
catching up, the rapture of the church, he leaves.
The church will go with him. And at that time,
these gifts will cease. They are only temporary.
But they did not cease with the early church.
There are those who would like for us to believe
that the gifts of the Spirit ceased with the
early church. They did not. They are in operation.
They will continue to be in operation as long
as the church exists. And the church will exist
until the great catching up, the rapture. Therefore,
I continue with truth, for I have the word of
God to substantiate what I am saying. The gifts...
are in operation now, the things that I'm talking
about. We have every right to expect them, to
see them in operation in the church today. I
think some of us had better start possessing
our possessions. These things are for us. I'm
going to go a step further. I believe that you
and I have a right to covet these gifts. The
Word of God says so. Covet earnestly the best
gifts. He tells us to covet them. And he went
so far as to say, don't just covet the lesser
gifts. And in all giving, some gifts, Some gifts
are better than others. Some gifts are more desirable
than others. And he admonishes us to covet earnestly,
not just covet, but covet earnestly. And when
the Bible says earnestly, it means desperately
with every atom of your being. emphasis on earnestly,
covet with all of your heart the best gifts.
Oh, beloved, I am convinced that if you are a
healthy Christian, I mean a healthy Christian.
And there is spiritual growth. And you are living
a daily victorious Christian life. There will
be a desire in your heart for more the things
of the Spirit. Don't feel there's something wrong
with you. Spiritually. that you're losing out,
that there's something wrong someplace. When
you find that there is a deep, sincere desire
for more of God, a desire for more of the knowledge
of the Word, that's the best sign that I know
anything about, that you are a help. the question
that the spiritual life there is healthy. Blessed
is he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness.
Be alarmed. Be greatly disturbed. If ever you
get to the place where you no longer hunger for
more of the things of the Spirit, when you no
longer desire a deeper experience, When you get
to a place where you're completely satisfied,
blessed, the word says, blessed is he who hungers
and thirsts after righteousness, for he shall
be filled. And Frank, to tell you, I never walk
away from a miracle service. after having seen
the glorious manifestation of God's power. But
what I feel an intense hunger, a greater hunger
for greater things than I have yet seen, because
I know that somehow, someplace, I have limited
him. And there are resources in Christ Jesus
that I have not yet tapped. The greatest saint
that ever lived never received all that God had
for that individual. I believe that. Therefore,
don't be afraid of the things of the Spirit.
I beg of you. Begin to covet and covet earnestly
all that the Holy Spirit has for you. One other
thing before we continue with our little heart
-to -heart talk regarding the kids of the Spirit.
Anything that the Holy Spirit does always edifies
Jesus and not some individual. Never forget.
If you are a little cautious, if you are a little
loath to accept some things, one of the greatest
criterions that I know anything about is just
this. The Holy Spirit will always glorify, will
always edify, will always promote... Jesus. Through
the entire Bible, evidently at that great conference
table, when the three had that wonderful conference,
the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and when
Jesus offered himself through the Spirit to God
the Father to come and take upon himself flesh,
the form of man. The Holy Spirit said, all right.
I will be there to take over the work of glorifying
you in the earth and in the hearts of men and
women. The greatest promoter that has ever lived.
The greatest promoter. in the world is the holy
spirit and he promotes just one person jesus
christ the very son of the living god if you
never hear the rest of this heart to heart talk
if you never hear another message that i give
remember this so long as you shall live When
it is the Holy Spirit, he will always edify,
he will always glorify Jesus, not some personality.
He will never glorify a personality. He will
never edify a personality. We see these many
women. who try to leave some monument unto themselves
after they have gone. We see men and women in
religious work who do everything in the world
to glorify themselves and their own names. I
get so sick when I see in headlines the world's
best, the world's greatest, Beloved, that isn't
the Holy Spirit. Know that. The Holy Spirit doesn't
glorify or edify an individual. Never. It's Jesus.
It's Jesus. It's Jesus. Jesus himself said, and
I, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto
me. Always, it's Jesus. Paul understood, Paul
knew. That mighty spiritual giant, oh, watch
it. Read the writings of Paul. Look very deeply
into that glorious spiritual growth of Paul.
One of the most profound things he ever said.
When he saw himself, in spite of his great spiritual
experiences, in spite of his mountaintop experiences,
and his glorious knowledge of the things of God,
and believe me, God had given to Paul spiritual
knowledge that he could not reveal even unto
you and unto me. Never lived the man to whom
was given greater spiritual revelation than to
Paul, and yet, in spite of it all, he said, I
am the least. I am the... of sinners. I am nothing.
I am nobody. Paul never tried to build an empire
unto himself. Paul never tried to build up an
institution unto himself. Paul never tried to
form an organization unto himself. Paul never
promoted himself. He never thought of himself
in the language of the world's greatest. Holy
Spirit, through that yielded vessel, lifted up
the Christ, lifted up Jesus. And as Jesus was
lifted up, lives were transformed by the power
of God. There's your secret, beloved. Men and
women are missing the entire point today. I never
met you. I never knew. I could not tell you the
name of the man who wrote a song years and years
ago. Perhaps he has already gone home to glory.
But one thing I know, that man was filled with
the spirit. The melody of the song is not. a
masterpiece. But the words are. He knew what
I am trying to say to you this hour. The first
verse went like this. Some of self and some of
thee. And then, as he grew spiritually, As he
came closer to the person of Jesus, so close
he could look fully into his wonderful face,
he wrote less of self and more of thee. Then
came the day. Oh, what a garbage. His precious
children could get to the place where they had
that experience. And it's so lacking. It's so
lacking in the world. It's so lacking in the
ministry. It's so lacking in the pulpit. It's
so lacking in the pew. It's so lacking in our
church. It is so lacking in the world at this
hour. this glorious experience when he came so
close that he surrendered everything and became
nothing, absolutely nothing. And he saw the same
thing that Paul saw. He'd gotten to the place
in Christ Jesus of full surrender where he could
look up and say, none of self. I am death. But
all of thee, when you get to that place, the
Holy Spirit will use your vessel. He'll use your
body. And he'll lift up Jesus through that vessel
of clay. Jesus is the answer to the world's ills
this hour.