Now, don't make the mistake of sitting there and listening to my two examples just then and go, okay, well, I need to do that. No. No, you don't.
That's part of the problem. We look at somebody else's experience and go, well, I want that experience. No, no, no, no. God's got something special just for you. It's very unique. And then you'll have your own God story of how He visited you with faith. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina as the body of Christ. It's good to know that God works in each of us in a different way. Learn how we can use those different ways for Him today as Pastor David continues in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. But before we join Pastor David, do you ever feel like God is cutting away parts of you like a gardener pruning a tree?
Well, I hope you said yes to this question because it means God is shaping you so that you can bear even more fruit in your life. We want to help you embrace God's pruning in your life by sending you Pastor David McGee's three-part audio series, Abiding in Christ, Keys to a Fruitful Life. It's our way of saying thank you for your gift to help share the truth of scripture with more people around the world through Cross the Bridge. So get your copy of Abiding in Christ when you give today at crossthebridge.com and discover how you can bear more fruit for God's kingdom.
Now here's David McGee with his teaching, Thank God for Gifts. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. What was happening in the Corinthian church is they had become aware of the spiritual gifts, but they were misusing the spiritual gifts. And when we talk about the spiritual gifts, we need to understand, let's talk about what they are and also 1 Corinthians 14, the whole chapter basically is about how they are to be used and how they're not to be used.
Now, apparently in the church at Corinth, they were not using them in a good way. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9, let's just back up to verse 8, kind of pivot verse. 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. So verse 8, word of wisdom, word of knowledge.
And let's understand that Jesus walked in many of these gifts, demonstrated what they are to us. One example of the word of knowledge of course is, and word of wisdom is the woman at the well in John chapter 4. Jesus is speaking to this woman, John chapter 4 verse 13, Jesus answered and said to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said to him, sir, give me this water that I may not thirst nor come here to draw. And Jesus said to her, go call your husband and come here.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you have well said I have no husband for you have had five husbands and the one whom you now have is not your husband and that you spoke truly. So Jesus knew something that he naturally couldn't or wouldn't have known. And so that is a display again of the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge. Let's understand as we look at these gifts, if anybody ever acts in these gifts, but they do or say something that contradicts the word of God, then we dismiss it entirely. So one of the things we do is we look at the word of God. Somebody says this, we go, okay, what does the Bible say about that? What does the Bible say about this?
And we can use and trust God's word and we can trust God's spirit. There's the story of the fellow who came to older pastor and he said, pastor, they were praying for me. And this one man said I was supposed to go to Africa to be a missionary. What should I do? Older gentleman said, well, have you ever thought you were supposed to go to Africa before? He said, no.
Should I go? And he goes, well, older fellow said, well, if you go, be sure you take him with you. And he goes, why is that? He said, well, you didn't know when it was time to go.
You're not going to know when it's time to come home. Be careful with this because, you know, I've had people say things to me, speak things to me that they couldn't have known that were in this supernatural area. And yet you always want to look for confirmation. Usually God has kind of nudged you about an issue and somebody else comes up and says something very similar and then you're like, okay. Now in this verse, we get into the gifts of healing and the gift of faith. And God, according to this chapter, wants to give each and every one of us gifts. And we shouldn't be afraid of these gifts or go, oh, what's going to happen? No, you can trust God. As a matter of fact, 1 Corinthians 12 31 says, so you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. So each of us should desire these gifts and God, as He wills, distributes these gifts. Now, one of the things that causes a problem in this area is we look how somebody else experiences the Holy Spirit or these gifts. And we say, well, that's not the way God dealt with me.
Therefore, I dismiss this person's experience. Be careful of that, gang. So many people have gotten saved in this fellowship in this church. Some of you listening now. And I think if we gathered all those people together and asked them what happened and how it happened and how it came to be, that each and every one had a different experience. Well, does that mean salvation is not valid? Does that mean if you had an emotional salvation that the person that didn't have an emotional salvation that you can dismiss that person?
No, we're all different. God deals with each person differently. So we're talking about another faith, the gift of faith. Let's understand that these are gifts that either you can walk in all the time and some people do, or these are gifts maybe that God gives you for a certain moment in time or a certain conversation. Believing that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead takes faith. It takes faith and belief in the supernatural because people don't usually die and get up three days later. So we extend faith in that.
That's a gift. To believe that our sins are forgiven takes faith. If you've asked God to forgive you of your sins, you've had shortly probably right after you did it, the enemy came to you and said, that was nothing. You're not forgiven.
You're still walking around in your sins. But by faith, you said, no. The word of God says in Romans 10, nine and 10, that if we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth, Jesus was raised from the dead, then we will be saved. In Romans 10, 13 says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I did that, now I'm forgiven. That's a statement of faith. I understand faith sometimes is the opposite of your feelings.
I don't feel safe. Well, there's going to be times when you don't feel saved, but by faith you say, you know what? I am saved. To believe that God will provide for us in times when we can't see it, that takes faith. Ephesians chapter two verse eight reminds us of this faith. It says, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
This is important. In other words, God gifted you with faith to believe in him, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So we have this gift of faith. I've walked in this gift of faith.
I'm not sure I walk in it all the time, but I certainly have had moments. Years ago I was on the staff at a church and God spoke to me about traveling around more and I literally stepped away from a salary position to begin traveling around the nation teaching, doing music. When I did that, we had one scheduled booking. So it was faith. I praise God that the Lord also saw fit to give my wife some of that faith so that what in World War III as I described what we were about to do. Another example is when we were looking at this facility and this property and I walked through it and I was like, this is it, no doubt about it. And this is the time, the time's now, we're supposed to do it.
I knew it was the Lord. So we made the offer in faith. I sat down with the board and they said, look, you just offered 2.6 million, praise God. I mean, but we got 20,000 in the bank. Is there a plan here? I don't have one yet.
I'm sure there is. He just hadn't told me. But within 30 days, we had a signed contract. God gave me the faith to step out. And God will give you the faith to step out. And it's a gift of faith.
Perhaps you're sitting there today and you watch the children's ministry. Oh, I want to do that, but I'm not sure I can. Walk in the gift of faith. Take that step. Begin serving the Lord and watch what happens.
So there's that supernatural gift of faith. Now, don't make the mistake of sitting there and listen to my two examples just then and go, okay, well, I need to do that. No, no, you don't. That's part of the problem. We looked at, we look at somebody else's experience and go, well, I want that experience.
No, no, no, no. God's got something special just for you. It's very unique. And then you'll have your own God story of how he visited you with faith. Let's understand that as we walk through these gifts, and this is the life lesson. God works in each of us in different ways. God works in each of us in different ways. You're listening to Pastor David McGee on Cross the Bridge. He'll be back with more powerful insight from God's word in just a moment. But first, what does it mean when God prunes away at parts of your life? Is he angry at you? Have you done something wrong?
Far from it. Jesus teaches in John 15 that God lovingly removes things from your life so that you can grow into the person he created you to be and bear more fruit for Christ. We want to help you do that by sending you Abiding in Christ, Keys to a Fruitful Life, a three-part audio series from Pastor David McGee on what it means to be pruned by God and how you can embrace the process. This encouraging resource is our way of thanking you for your gift to help reach more people with the powerful truth of the gospel through Cross the Bridge.
So, go to crossthebridge.com today and request your copy of this series. Now, back to today's message. All of us have different experiences with God. Is that because God is ever-changing and different?
No. We're different. We dress different. We look different. We do different things. So, all of our experiences are going to be somewhat unique. It lists the gift of faith and then it says gift of healings. And these things are tied together.
Why? Well, because sometimes the gift of faith can lead to the gift of healings or lead to the gift of miracles, if you will. I remember years ago, Ashley, my daughter, three kids, Ashley and Johnny and Benjamin, and she was sick and had a high fever. And I went in there and I prayed for her that God would make her well, take the fever from her. And I knew God could, but I walked back in there about 10 or 15 minutes later, touched her, and she had had a fever of like 102, 103, and she was cool to the touch.
I think I was probably more surprised than anybody else in that room, but I knew God could heal her. Now, when we talk about the gift of faith, go, wow, yeah, I'd like the gift of faith so I could do this and do that. But let's understand, faith can create miracles, but faith also creates martyrs. Fox's Book of Martyrs, great book, one of the Christian classics. If you're building a small library, that should be in the first 20 books you get.
And if you ever think you're having a bad day, pick that book up and read a little bit of it. Because in there is people who were beheaded, people who were beaten, whipped. They had one little thing they did where they would take a burlap bag filled with hungry rats and tie it around somebody's neck for being a Christian. And those men and women in those places walked in such faith. William Tyndale, who really translated a lot of the Bible that ended up to be in the King James version of the Bible, incredible man. And as he was dying, he prayed, Lord, open the King of England's eyes.
And interestingly enough, within years, the King of England was now wanting to get the Bible to everybody in that country. But what a statement of faith. Now if you sit there, you go, well, I'm not sure I have that kind of faith.
Well, you're not being martyred. A lot of times God gives us something for that situation. John 14, 12 says, most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. And look at this, and greater works than these he will do because I go to my father and whatever you ask in my name that I will do. But the father may be glorified in the son.
If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. That's a faith building verse. We understand that faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God.
What you're doing right now, being here, listening to the live stream or television or radio, that helps to build your faith. And Jesus here says, you know what? Those people who follow me will do greater things than I do.
Now we're tempted to go, well, wait a minute. Jesus raised from the dead and lame people walked and blind people were given sight. I've never done anything like that. And yet the greater work is what? Seeing one person coming to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ. Do you realize that as Jesus, his earthly ministry, that he was never able to see somebody be born again.
Why? He hadn't died for the sins of the world yet. Yet you and I walk around and we can share our faith and see somebody come into the kingdom.
That right there friend is a greater work. After Jesus died and was ascended, Peter led thousands of people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's not something Jesus did while he was among us. We talk about healing.
Now this is another, again, very controversial subject. The bridge, this fellowship, we're in the middle. There's people that say, well, no, God doesn't heal anymore ever. And then there's people who it seems like their whole ministries are all about healing. We don't want to be at either extreme, but we do want to recognize that God is able to heal people.
And he does that. I mean, if you're sitting here today, go, I don't think God heals anymore. Well, wait a minute. We're told in the Bible in the book of James that when somebody is sick, that the elders are supposed to anoint them with oil and pray for them. So if God no longer heals, what do they pray? Well, Lord, this person is sick and well, we know you don't heal anymore.
So just take them on home. Let them go ahead and die now. God, thank you, Jesus. I don't want anybody praying that for me. No, we pray because God's sometimes still heals. Now that doesn't mean that we base the whole ministry on healing, you know, and began the David McGee international incorporated healing ministries.
I, I, I'm like you, I get a little concerned when a ministry focuses completely on that one gift. And yet I know, you know, I was born a deaf mute, literally 95% death. I was born two months premature, seven months old. My tongue was attached.
I weighed about five pounds. My tongue was attached in front of my teeth. Couldn't speak. Now in my case, what happened at a year and a half, they clipped my tongue at two and a half. They discovered I was deaf at five years old.
I couldn't speak. They thought maybe I was mentally retarded and I went through four years of speech therapy, went through nine different surgeries. God healed me. I had some person after I shared that one time said, well now did God heal you or did you have surgery?
Yes. See, God heals people sometimes just through time. God heals people through doctors.
God heals people through medication and God, yes, sometimes heals people instantly and supernaturally. It may surprise you to know that we've had healings in this place. Now maybe you sit there and go, I've never seen anything.
I've never seen anything up front. People fall over, people do anything like that. Now we've had, we've had people sit in here during the teaching and be healed of stuff.
I mean like back problems, illnesses, stuff they've had for years. Why didn't you focus on that? Because we don't focus on that.
We focus on Jesus. See, because when you begin to focus on the signs and wonders, you can be led astray friend. As a matter of fact, this Bible seems to indicate that in the end days, one of the ploys of the enemy is going to have lying signs and wonders. And if you're seeking after signs and wonders, there's going to come somebody called the antichrist that's going to provide those signs and wonders and people are going to follow him.
Why? Because he's doing signs and wonders. James chapter five says, it tells us, is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let him pray over them, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up.
And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So you need to understand, if you struggle with this whole thing of healing, I understand that. There's parts of the Bible that just make us a little uncomfortable. Some of the supernatural stuff in the Bible makes us uncomfortable and it's meant to make us uncomfortable.
It stretches us. Let's understand, the life lesson here is God still heals. He heals us spiritually, physically and emotionally. God still heals. He heals us spiritually, physically and emotionally.
It talks about the gifts of healing. Let's understand, I do believe and the Bible clearly teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today. I was raised in a church that did not teach that. Later on in life, I said, okay, well that's your theology. Show me the scriptures.
Well then it got interesting because you may have heard a lot of people say that, but let me say this very clearly. There is no scriptural proof text to say that God no longer heals or no longer gifts people with these gifts. I will share the sole scripture that uses the proof text. First Corinthians 13 verse 8 says, love never fails, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail. Whether there are tongues, they will cease.
Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will be done away. Some of you are probably sitting there going, you read the wrong verse. No, seriously, that is the verse. This is the entire scriptural proof text that the case that the gifts aren't for today rests on.
It's flimsy at best. Now I could go into a lot of Greek stuff on why there's big problems in these verses, but what they're saying is that when, well, it depends on who you talk to. Some people say, well, when the apostles passed away, that's when the gift stopped being in operation. There's absolutely no verse, but then people say, well, what this verse is saying, friend, when somebody has to explain what a verse means to show the hitting meeting to you, be careful. If you can't get it by reading it, be careful. What they say is that what this means is that when the Bible was finally completed, that the gifts were no longer in existence.
Boy, now we, you know, let's just run with that for a second. Okay, so was it when they finished writing the last word that was going to be contained in the scripture or was it actually when they collected them or was it the counseling ICM 3 27 when they actually recognized all of it was, or was it earlier than that when, um, they, and like 1 25 when they recognized what the 27 Bible books with new Testament were big problem with that. Not to mention that this verse just, it doesn't say that. Now I've met with people who love God and some of them are great expositors, really know the word and, and then they get to this verse and they just like, and it breaks my heart because you know, it's like you can always, the saying is you can always torture the data until it confesses. This is obviously talking about when that which is perfect has come. That's not the Bible. That's Jesus. And when Jesus comes, we will have a need for any spiritual supernatural gifts. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?
You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name.
Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations friend.
You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can call us toll free at 877-458-5508 to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Do you feel like you're bearing fruit for Christ, yet God keeps pruning away at your life and you're not sure why? If so, we'd love to send you Pastor David McGee's series Abiding in Christ, Keys to a Fruitful Life.
This encouraging resource shares from Jesus' own words as found in John 15 where he teaches that God's pruning is a sign that he is pleased with you and wants to prepare you to bear even more fruit for his kingdom. This series is our way of thanking you for your gift today to help share the gospel with thousands around the world who need to hear God's word in clear, straightforward language. So visit CrossTheBridge.com today to request your copy of Abiding in Christ when you give.
You know each day comes with its share of stresses. So what better way to wake up than with an encouraging word from the Lord? Visit CrossTheBridge.com and sign up now for David McGee's email devotionals. Each devotion includes scripture and a message from the heart of David McGee. It's easy and it's free. Sign up today at CrossTheBridge.com. And be sure to join us next time on Cross the Bridge with David McGee to hear more from the book of 1 Corinthians. We'll see you then.
