Manifesting the Power of God

When Peter stood up in the temple and confronted the Judeans, he had just that morning received the gift of holy spirit and energised its power by speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is spiritual power and we can manifest it at anytime. That's why it is a more sure word of prophecy than hearing a one off audible voice of God from a cloud. Amazingly, it is only one of nine manifestations of the gift of holy spirit at our disposal. They are listed in Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 12:7-10
But the manifestation of the Spirit [pneuma - spirit] is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith [pistis - believing] by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

According to 1 Corinthians 12, speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the gift of holy spirit. First of all, what is a manifestation? What does the word manifestation mean? Let's take a look at it. The word manifest can be used as an adjective, a verb, or a noun. As an adjective, it means readily perceived by the eye or by the understanding, it means that something is evident, obvious, apparent and plain to see or understand. As a verb, it means to make evident, obvious, apparent and plain to see or understand. As a verb, it also means to prove, to put beyond question or doubt. As a noun, it is used of a ship's cargo manifest, which is the inventory of the cargo the ship carries in its holds, a document detailing the cargo inside a ship.

Speaking in tongues is a manifestation of holy spirit. By definition then, speaking in tongues is the evidence that makes holy spirit obvious, apparent and plain to see or understand, it puts the existence of holy spirit beyond question or doubt, it is the document that details the holy spirit we have within. Now let's look at this section of scripture in more detail.

1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit [pneuma - spirit] is given to every man to profit withal.

The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man, to every born again believer. That is what it says and that is what it means. Does this verse say that the manifestation of the spirit is only given to some people? No, it does not. The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal. Every person who has the gift of holy spirit can manifest it and profit from it. Is a manifestation a gift? Let's read the verse again.

1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit [pneuma - spirit] is given to every man to profit withal.

It doesn't say gift, it says manifestation. A manifestation is not a gift, any more than an apple is a monkey. A gift is a gift and a manifestation is a manifestation. They are different words with different meanings and cannot be used synonymously. The manifestation of speaking in tongues is not a gift, it is a manifestation.

This seems elementary, yet most christians have the idea that speaking in tongues is a gift. Where do they get that nonsense from? They must get it from those horseshit churches they go to that God doesn't attend. The word gift is mentioned in verse 1, but it is in italics, which tells us that it was added by the translators.

1 Corinthians 12:1
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Verse 1 sets the context for the coming verses and we must delete the word gifts, for God did not put that word in his bible, man did. The King James translators left the word gifts in italics so we would know this. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to leave the word gifts in the text here and teach that manifestations of holy spirit are gifts. The Greek word for spiritual is pneumatikos, which could be translated as spiritual matters, things of the spirit, or simply spirituality. The context is spiritual matters.

1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit [pneuma] is given to every man to profit withal.

The manifestation of holy spirit is not a gift. You cannot insert the word gift into the text here, and I really don't care if you have a problem with that. I'm teaching you the truth, and if you read these manifestations as gifts, you are not rightly dividing God's word, you are wrong. Yes, the word gifts is used in verse 4, but there have been subject changes since then, and here we're talking about the manifestation of the spirit, not gifts of the spirit. The context is spiritual matters, of which gifts and manifestations are a part. Gifts are spiritual matters and manifestations are spiritual matters.

Well, what gifts did God give us? If you don't know, don't guess. You do not have the right to make up your own ideas on what God's gifts are. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private [idios - one's own] interpretation. If you want to know what gifts God gave, they are listed in his word. Here's one.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved [sozō - made whole] through faith [believing]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eternal life, the Christ in us, the holy spirit we received at the time of the new birth is a gift. How do we know? The bible tells us. There is no guesswork in this. There is no private interpretation in this. The bible interprets itself. Are there any other gifts?

Ephesians 4:8,11
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

These are the five special gift ministries God gave - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - and their purpose is listed in the next verse.

Ephesians 4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

From God's word we know that holy spirit is a gift, and that God also gave five gift ministries. Are there any other specific gifts mentioned? Yes, actually the word gifts is used of one of the manifestations of holy spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:9
To another faith [believing] by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

In this case, the word gifts is not in italics. God did have the word gifts placed here when he had Paul write this. However, this is not saying that the manifestation of healing is a gift, it is saying that when someone is healed by the manifestation of holy spirit, the healing is a gift to the person receiving the healing.

Are there any other places gifts is used? What about this one in the next chapter?

1 Corinthians 13:2a
And though I have the gift of prophecy,

Is the manifestation of prophecy a gift? No, it isn't, it is a manifestation of the gift of holy spirit. The word gift is in italics, so we know it was added by the translators. Delete it for it is wrong, it should not be there.

1 Corinthians 13:2a
And though I have the gift of prophecy,

And just in case anyone thinks it is okay to add words to the bible to promote their particular brand of religious garbage, get your head around these two scriptures:

Revelation 22:18,19
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Back to Corinthians, where we have established that we are talking about the manifestation of the gift of holy spirit. God gave us holy spirit as a gift, and with that spirit comes the ability to manifest it. See the distinction here? This isn't difficult to understand. If someone gives me a camera, or a computer, or a pen as a gift, I can then use that gift for what it was intended. The use of the gift itself is not a gift, it is simply using the gift you were given.

Moving on. Most read verse 7 and then interpret what follows in verses 8-10 as to one person is given the gift of word of wisdom, to another person is given the gift of word of knowledge, to another person is given the gift of speaking tongues, and so on.

1 Corinthians 12:7,8
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

First of all, these manifestations are not gifts. Further, verse 7 tells us that the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man, not individual men, so verses 8-10 cannot possibly contradict that. Verse 7 also tells us that the manifestation is given to every man to profit withal. Now let's tie this all together.

The word one in verse 8 is a pronoun, which relates itself back to its closest associated noun. For example, here are two short sentences:

John had a ball. He kicked the ball into the goal.

In the second sentence, the pronoun he refers back to John, not the ball. The ball obviously didn't kick itself into the goal, did it? He is a pronoun and we track the context back until we find which noun it is associated with, in this case, John. Now consider these two sentences:

John had a ball. John kicked it into the goal.

In this case, the pronoun it refers back to the ball, which John kicked into the goal. It is fundamentally important to track the pronouns in God's word. So which noun do the pronouns one and another relate back to in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10?

1 Corinthians 12:8
For to one [to one what?] is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another [to another what?] the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To find out, we simply check the context. Is it the noun man in verse 7?

1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Verse 7 is talking about the manifestation of the spirit being given to every man for profit. The point here isn't men, but the profit of the manifestation of the spirit to men. The word profit is a noun! It is this noun the pronoun one in verse 8 relates back to. Verses 8 to 10 are a parenthesis emphasising that each manifestation of the gift of holy spirit has a distinct and separate profit. Let's read verses 7 through 10 with this understanding.

1 Corinthians 12:7-10
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one [profit] is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another [profit] the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another [profit] faith by the same Spirit; to another [profit] the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another [profit] the working of miracles; to another [profit] prophecy; to another [profit] discerning of spirits; to another [profit] divers kinds of tongues; to another [profit] the interpretation of tongues:

This all fits perfectly and precisely. The word teaches that the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man for profit. Each manifestation has a different and distinct profit. Anyone who has the gift of holy spirit can learn to manifest it for spiritual and physical profit.

1 Corinthians 12:11
But all these worketh [energeō - energises] that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally [idios - his own] as he [the man] will.

The word severally here is a forgery, a deliberate tampering with God's word. It is translated from the Greek word idios, which is used 112 times in the new testament. It is translated his own or one's own 76 times, private or privately 9 times, a few other ways, and severally just once. Here are two scriptures where idios has been properly translated.

Acts 2:6
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own [idios] language.

Acts 2:8
And how hear we every man in our own [idios] tongue, wherein we were born?

The meaning of the Greek word idios isn't open to debate. It means one's own. To translate it as severally is a criminal forgery to attempt to substantiate erroneous religious horseshit.

The manifestation of the spirit - which consists of nine different energisings or operations all with their own distinct profit - is given to every man. It is up to us to believe to manifest them. We have to will, to determine, to believe to speak in tongues, interpret tongues, and prophesy, receive word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits, and bring into manifestation believing (the manifestation of believing is different from regular believing), miracles, and healing. It isn't up to God whether or not we manifest the gift of holy spirit, it is up to us.

Oh, the world is full of people manifesting devilish spiritual abilities. People get possessed and predict the future, move things without touching them, spontaneously combust, make things disappear and reappear, walk on burning coals in their bare feet, kiss poisonous snakes, and turn sunny days into stormy weather. Magic is for the lazy and gullible. Any idiot can open their minds to devil spirit possession through drugs, witchcraft, or religious instruction. We don't open our minds to possession and allow a devil spirit in so it can operate its power through us. We are not channels or mediums for God, and the gift of holy spirit does not possess us. It is something we control at all times. We have to believe to operate the power we have been given, it does not control us. Now would be a good time to watch my video How to Speak in Tongues and start manifesting the power of God.

 

God gave us the gift of holy spirit and he gave us his word to teach us about it. Now it is up to us to believe and manifest it. God isn't going to make anyone manifest anything. It is as we will. When we believe to operate the gift of holy spirit then God energises within us and his power is manifested. This is true spiritual power.

Chapter 40 - Filled to Overflowing