Everett

December 27, 2019

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

I Corinthians 12:4-11 NKJV

It was nearly 40 years ago when I was first introduced to Pentecostal/Charismatic theology of the Holy Spirit. It may be hard to believe, but growing up as an independent Baptist in the ‘60s, I had never learned of the Azusa Street revival, of Aimee Temple McPherson, Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman or any of the other  Pentecostal preachers from the early 20th century. When I was assigned to a church that had nearly split in two by a pastor who had experienced a “second blessing,” I had to learn quickly. I devoured everything I could get my hands on that dealt with such matters, and it turned out, there was quite a bit of available material. 

As with any theological inquiry, it was not a straightforward path. Even amongst the Charismatics and Pentecostals, there was quite a bit of diversity regarding the necessity of speaking in tongues as evidence of being “baptized in the Spirit.” Some encouraged me to simply empty my mind and let the syllables flow, while others told me I needed to practice repeating gibberish, and still others asserted that I didn’t need to do it at all. It was, to put it mildly, a bit confusing. I finally dug more deeply into the Scriptures, and amazingly, the whole matter cleared up. 

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church was written to correct some false teaching and bad practices that had crept into the congregation. By the time he gets to the twelfth chapter, he had dealt with factions, sexual immorality, and desecration of the Lord’s Table, or Eucharist. Now he turns to spiritual gifts, and states quite explicitly that we all have different gifts, and by implication, insisting that a particular one is necessary for everyone is simply false teaching. Did you catch his repetition of “to another?” This was quite a relief to me, as was when the leader of the charismatic element in the church said to me one night, “Jim, you don’t have to speak in tongues. Your gift is preaching. Go with it.” That confirmation from a dyed-in-the-wool charismatic of what I read in Scripture set my mind at ease.

Recently, I was asked to teach on the gift of prophecy to a group of Pentecostal pastors. How weird is that? I responded by telling the one who invited me that I would be happy to do so, but my teaching might not be quite what he would be expecting. But I plan to do it. If my spiritual gift is as those I trust have confirmed, it should be a profitable time, even if it doesn’t meet their expectations, or perhaps especially if it doesn’t. Either way, I am thankful tonight for Everett Scofield and his wise words to me nearly a lifetime ago, and that I don’t have to fit into anyone’s mold for authentic Christian living except that of Christ himself.