“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.” Luke 21:12–13.
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well-known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Philippians 1:12–14.
When the Scriptures speak about persecution, they indicate that it will come for the furtherance of the Gospel. Persecution simply scatters the believers; it is like somebody trying to stamp out an oil fire. The important thing that seems to happen is that the Word of God spreads.
The sixth chapter of Acts tells about the seven wonderful ministries being chosen, including Stephen and Philip. After the apostles laid hands on them and imparted to them, it wasn’t long before the persecutions came. Stephen was stoned to death as a martyr (Acts 7:58), and Philip went down to Samaria (Acts 8:5). Everybody scattered. Some went even as far as Antioch, where another church was started; and Barnabas went there to minister (Acts 11:19–22). Amazing things happened. It was the beginning of the worldwide ministry.
Before His ascension, Jesus told the apostles, “You will preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). When He said that, each one of them probably thought, “Oh, not me. I’m going to stay right here in Jerusalem where the blessing has come. Another Pentecost might come here; who knows? I’m going to stay where the great signs and wonders are happening.” Most of the apostles remained close to Jerusalem for many years—the book of Acts tells us about this—but that did not prevent the persecutions from scattering the people. They went with a pure Word; and before long the very purpose of the persecution had actually been reversed. Instead of putting out the fires, it spread them.
I would like to think that this is what God is doing now. Many people are taking an interest in the Living Word, and few pay much attention to the persecution. There are many hungry people out there who are already sick of believing what they are told to believe. They are tired of being stuffed with sawdust. They want something alive. One tape of the Living Word falling into the hands of someone who is hungry for God has often been the means of his becoming totally addicted to it.
Throughout the years, many faithful hearts have been reaching into the Lord. Have you thought in your own mind, “There must be something more that I can do to see a fulfillment of the will of God over my life. I know that God has fulfilled wonderful things, but I think the blessing could be greater.”
This is the promise in John 7:37–38. At the Feast of Tabernacles … Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”
No one can drink a river, but you can give forth a river. This means that somewhere in the fulfillment of God’s blessings within you, the anointing will result in a very large flow.
How is that going to happen? Whatever your spiritual level may be, something more can be imparted to you. If you seem to have very little, God can give you more. Even if you seem to have everything, there is always something more that God can give you. The wonderful thing about impartation is this: God always starts right where you are, and He can give you as much as your faith will handle, as much as you will believe Him to receive (Matthew 9:29).
Several years ago, the Lord revealed that the day was upon us in which wisdom would no longer be the basis by which we move on with the Lord; rather, it would be faith. It will take faith rather than wisdom. There will not be enough wisdom for you to understand your life, because God certainly is not going to tell you all that He is doing. He doesn’t want to spoil what He is working in your life. If He is working something in you which requires that you walk by faith, He will not give you a map and say, “I’ll show you step by step what I’m going to do.” If He did that, you would not receive the testing that you need, and your roots would not be driven into God as they should be. Instead, He says, “Your faith is going to be tried as gold is tried in the fire.” Then you will find the glory and the wonder of it coming forth because God is doing this thing in your life.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. I Peter 1:6–8.
That is why it has been necessary for me to be more or less remote from you. How else would you have reached the point where you would accept the ministry of the other brothers? Even if I was present in every service, some would not have received what they needed, because their focus still would have been wrong. You have to accept all of the ministries that God is bringing forth. You have to face the fact that one is receiving and imparting to another, who in turn imparts to another.
It took a lot of faith on my part to watch God test your faith. I held back and watched it happen. In the midst of that, of necessity there was a tremendous anointing to lay hands on people and impart to them to impart to others. That was the way it began.
Now as we watch with faith the way things are coming to pass in the lives of many people, we come again to one basic and very simple conclusion: Wherever you are spiritually, whatever level you have attained, something more can be added to you now.
We could compare it to a birthday gift that you receive. There is an appropriate gift for each birthday, whether you are young or old. God sees it that way concerning your spiritual age too. Whatever spiritual level you are on, whatever your age spiritually, there is something special that He wants to give you, to impart to you.
What is a gift? How much does a gift cost? What do you have to do to receive a gift? Just reach out and take it. There are gifts for every occasion—varieties of gifts. This is true also of spiritual gifts.
Paul wrote of this in I Corinthians 12:4–11: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects (“energizings” is the literal translation), but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing (or discerning) of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
It is very evident that none of these gifts is of human origin at the beginning. Each one may come through a human channel, but it is not from a human source. The gift of wisdom is not human wisdom. God doesn’t look to find someone who is intelligent and then bless him, saying, “I’m going to bless this intelligence of yours, and then it will be a wonderful word of wisdom and a word of knowledge.” Nor does He find someone who is mystical and say, “Good, I’m going to give him this ability to distinguish or discern spirits.” A spiritual gift is not some human tendency or perception that is anointed. We have to get this truth about divine endowments in our mind, just as the first apostolic ministries did.
We find the book of Romans opening with this same thought about a gift being imparted (Romans 1:11). Even though it comes through a human channel, yet it is divinely originated. It is a gift. It is not earned, and it is not necessarily deserved. Although there must be some preparation in your heart to receive it with faith, yet worthiness is never the basis by which a gift is given.
In Romans 1:8–13 Paul wrote: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. And I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented thus far) in order that I might obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Paul saw that for the church at Rome, the time of the fruitfulness had come. The fruit that he wanted was for the reality to come forth. He wanted God to bring to pass the grace for which they had survived in God all of that time.
A tree is a wonderful blessing. In Bible times trees were considered the gift of God. In times of war people could be killed, houses and cities could be burned and destroyed, but no one was allowed to destroy the fruit trees because they were God’s gift (Deuteronomy 20:19). Neither could someone say, “This is my tree,” and build a fence around it. That tree was for everybody. A stranger coming by was welcome to partake of the fruit. That is why Jesus had no question about cursing the fig tree. He demanded figs of it because it was to be God’s gift for those who were hungry and in need. And because there was no fruit on it, He cursed the tree and it withered overnight (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:12–14, 20–21).
It is a real blessing to watch fruit trees grow and bear fruit. That was the picture Paul had in mind when he said, “I long to see you. You are the Lord’s vineyard, and I want to see how you are growing. One man planted, another man watered, and God gave the increase (I Corinthians 3:6–9). I want to see how much fruit you are going to bear.” Paul wanted to see their fruitfulness and maturity come forth. Therefore he said, “I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you” (Romans 1:11). What spiritual gift did he want to impart? He said “some spiritual gift”—whatever they needed. It might be a word of wisdom, or faith, or some other spiritual gift, but it would be a gift from God. That is also what God wants to do for us now.
There are several passages in I and II Timothy where Paul recounts how he had laid hands on Timothy and imparted gifts to him (II Timothy 1:6), how the elders had prophesied over Timothy, bestowing on him a spiritual gift by the laying on of hands (I Timothy 4:14). These are foundational Scriptures we have heard many times, but what did Paul really mean? Paul and the elders had laid hands on him and imparted a gift. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Stir up the gift that is in you. That gift is important. God did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a disciplined mind. Do not be intimidated. Hang in there, son. Be a partaker of the sufferings of Christ with me. Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 1:6–8; 2:3). Timothy had a choice: he could either be very human, or he could appropriate a very wonderful impartation of God’s attributes and abilities and walk in them.
God has faith. He is bringing forth His sons, but there are times when everyone seems to waver a little. By appropriating the attributes of God we can get rid of the wavering and be one hundred percent for the Lord.
God delights in giving of Himself. He has an excellent quality: Though He fills the heaven of heavens (I Kings 8:27), He is never diminished, no matter how much He imparts to another. If I had a hundred dollars in my pocket and I gave you that hundred dollars, you would have a hundred dollars and I wouldn’t have any money. This means that what I have and give on a human plane is transferred from myself to you, and that is the end of it, unless you decide to give it to somebody else; then you will not have it anymore either. God is rich in all faith and wisdom and knowledge. Of our Lord Jesus Christ the Word says, “In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:3, 9). What a beautiful thing to see—the riches and the fullness of Christ. Paul said, “You be filled with the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Be filled with the Spirit. Let Christ fill your heart; let Him dwell in your heart by faith (Ephesians 3:17). How tremendous that we can receive a gift!
God wants to give you faith. He is more anxious about that than you are. Are you one who says, “I don’t have much faith.” That is a good place to start. A real problem exists with people who say, “Oh, I’ve got all kinds of faith.”
“Well, what are you doing?”
“Not much, but I’ve got all kinds of faith.”
I don’t know what they mean by that, because there is only one kind that works. And that is the faith God has brought forth in your life. Anything else that you pump up or you generate is not going to work. Hear this! Are you coming to the conclusion: “Yes, that is what I want. I want the gift of faith.” God said that this was what would make the difference—to have a gift of faith and to believe. Have you tried to believe before, and then various things happened that put a damper on your faith? There has to be that time of breakthrough in which people begin to walk in the fullness of the Word.
When you listen to the Word, aren’t you aware that it is always richer and deeper? Doesn’t it hit harder? Doesn’t it jar you? Isn’t it less of preaching and more of an impartation to your heart? That is what God wants. Listen to it! He wants to meet your heart.
God wants to meet your heart in a special way. What is the best way for Him to do it? Not when you come before the Lord and say, “Lord, You tell me what You want, and then give me six months and I’ll work it out and produce it.” You could try real hard and finally produce a synthetic thing that looked almost real.
That is what religion does. Religion invariably reverts to efforts of the flesh. That is what happened to the Galatian churches, and therefore Paul wrote to them, “Having begun in the Spirit, do you think now that you will be made perfect in the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain?” (Galatians 3:3–4.) Have you gone through all of this time thinking, “Thank You, God; You started this work in my life and I’m going to finish it. I’m going to complete it now.” You can’t do that. He is the author and the finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the One who starts the thing and He is going to complete it. If you can say in your heart, “God has made a good beginning in my heart,” then do not be discouraged that you didn’t go any further, but also do not go on a holy crusade trying to perfect yourself.
The best way to be changed is like the Scriptures say: “We are changed from glory to glory, even as by the Lord, the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18). He is the One who changes you.
If you want to change, you have to be exposed to Him. The input has to come from God. Somebody has to lay hands on you, or you must have a real meeting with God—a meeting with God that is more than an experience; it becomes an impartation to you, and something is left in you. To whatever extent He is revealed to you, whatever part of Him is revealed to you or imparted to you, is what you will walk in from that time on. It will be a gift that God gives you.
Human, personal worthiness is not the issue, because no matter how much we try, we will never be worthy of the great gifts of God, will we? We cannot deserve them or earn them.
Then what is the best thing to do? Put your head under the hands of someone who is anointed of God to impart to you. If you see a gift working in a certain brother, then ask him, “Here, lay hands on me. Impart to me.”
We have been laying hands on a few and saying to them, “You are the ones who have been shepherding the flock and looking after the flock. You reach to the other shepherds, to the other brothers and sisters. Lay hands on them and impart to them.” Is it working? It has been working. There has been impartation.
What if someone has come so far in his walk with God and he cannot go any farther? Impart to him again, because whatever level he is on, he can always receive something more from God at that level. He may not receive everything, but he will receive something.
People always anticipate things, and it is good to look ahead and prepare for it. However, if you had a little baby who was not even walking yet, you would not buy him a pair of skis or a motorcycle, would you? They might be obsolete by the time he grew up, because the world is changing, and people might be doing other things. If you saw a beautiful little girl, you would not go out and buy a wedding dress for her. You would give her a chance to grow up and see what size she will be and which style will be right for her. God has an amazing way of meeting your present need, the need to go forward, to minister, the need you have of imparting to somebody else.
It grieves me when I hear someone say, “I’ve gone as far as I can go. I just don’t have the dedication to go on. I’m discouraged with myself.” That person has not been listening to what God has been saying. You are never allowed to get discouraged just because you have reached a dead end in yourself. That is the time you should reach up to the Lord. God will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able to bear, but with the temptation He will make a way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13). In other words, He will provide an escape hatch when you get in a corner. Never reach down; always up. Always reach up into God for more.
You say, “But I’ve sinned against the Lord.”
Don’t tell me about it.
“Don’t you want to hear the confession of my sins?”
No, just cast them on the Lord (I Peter 5:7). Be thorough in your repenting. Go to the Lord and say, “I’m sorry I’ve been so critical. I’m sorry I’ve been so full of fear. I’m sorry I have been intimidated, and I’m really sorry that I have intimidated others.” If you truly mean it, the Lord will forgive you.
Are you one who has been rebellious? Psalm 68:18 is a prophecy about Christ ascending on high and giving gifts to men; even gifts for the rebellious. Paul quoted this prophecy in Ephesians 4 where he wrote that Christ ascended on high and He gave gifts to men: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (verses 8 and 11). Ephesians does not include the phrase “for the rebellious,” but it is found in the original prophecy. Have you noticed that many times God did good things for you when you knew you didn’t deserve anything because there was a little rebellion in your heart? You probably took the blessing, hoping that God would not look any closer at that rebellion. Is there rebellion in you? Remember-God sends gifts to men, even gifts “for the rebellious.”
Open your heart and say, “I need a gift. I need faith.” At the beginning of this walk, I had an experience where I realized that I didn’t have enough faith. We were working at Grace Chapel, building a nursery. We had no money at the time, and the situation was depressing. One day I was putting up some buttonboard and I hit the wrong nail—the one on my thumb. I had reached a place of desperation. An empty spot in my heart had been uncovered. I sat down and cried. I was looking through the greatest lens that God ever made-tears. But doesn’t that make everything blurred? No, you can see a long way if you have the right lens, and you can see God especially well through tears. I said, “Father, I just ran out of faith. I don’t have any faith.” And the Lord spoke to me so clearly, “Use My faith.” And I said, “All right, I’ll take it.”
From that time on, whenever I would get in a corner and everything looked hopeless, or when I was believing for a man, having faith for him, I could keep hanging on and believing. Sometimes people say, “I’ve never seen anything like the way you love people and have faith for them.” It is a gift. No human being could have done what I did. I doubt if anyone would go through what I went through. God gave a gift. And after a while we say, with Paul, “What do we have that we have not received?” (I Corinthians 4:7.) We don’t have anything that God did not give us. It was all a gift. But don’t boast as though it was already yours, as though you had not received it. Just glorify God that He gave the gift.
Can you say, “This begins to make sense to me. I’ve heard about God’s gifts. All right, if they’re really gifts, I need to receive them.” Be in a receiving mood. During periods of intercession it would be good to also minister impartation. While somebody is voicing a prayer, the ministries could say, “Let’s help him with that. Let’s lay hands on him, and impart more faith from God.” This would result in our becoming a mouthpiece for God, where we speak God’s Word, we think God’s thoughts, we move in God’s wisdom, we discern spirits with the understanding that God has. We believe and have His faith. We work miracles, but it is all God; all the credit goes to Him. We know where it all came from; it came from God. We know that God did a very definite thing. He gave us something. He imparted something to us. Just keep feeding one another, loving one another, giving to each other. Be God’s sheep. Let God keep giving to you. When the battle is great, be ready for the Lord to give you the victory.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57.
Why do we feel that we have to fight again our spiritual battles? Didn’t Christ win them all? Isn’t there a way that we can appropriate His victory? Can’t we give each other victory? Can’t we bless one another? Do you wish it were that simple? It is. Take one step of faith and declare, “I believe it is that simple. It is a gift. And I’m in line for lots of good gifts God has waiting for me.”
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no Variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5.
God’s Word is always speaking about what He wants to give you. And it doesn’t make any difference how little you start with. It’s what your faith receives that is important.
During the late Twenties and early Thirties, a magazine called Physical Culture carried advertisements for a bodybuilding course by Charles Atlas. My father sent for the course, and we worked at it for a while. It contained a variety of good exercises, including a little jujitsu. After completing this marvelous Charles Atlas course, I wanted to write in and say, “All right, I’ve done all that you told me to do. Now please send me my muscles.” In the same way, you may feel, “I’ve listened to the Word. I’ve been exercised in the things of God. I’ve learned the principles God wanted me to learn. Now I am ready for my spiritual muscles. I am ready for God to give me the gift of faith. I am ready to break through.” If we will keep it that simple, we will have breakthrough after breakthrough.
I know that I impart. God has ministered through my hands so many times. When I lay hands on someone, I know that he will receive something. When I do give, it seems as if God gives me even more than I have given. It really is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). There is a blessing that comes in being a channel of God through whom He gives.
Are you one who is not walking close to God anymore? Have you been following afar off like Peter, and doing the wrong thing? (Matthew 26:58.) You can have just so much of that before it is time to say, “I don’t want any more of this. This isn’t what I am going to live for.” Being bitter is a dead-end street. Billy Brae, a coal miner in Wales, had a unique way of talking. He said, “I’ve learned to take my vinegar with a teaspoon and my honey with a ladle.” He refused to listen to those who were bitter and critical. He wanted only the sweet, pure expressions.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:8–9.
This is the same simple teaching that I have given for forty years. But I can’t give you anything better. From the very beginning, it was the teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and our receiving them. Ask God to give you the faith you need, to give you the gift of faith. Believe God for that faith. Determine to walk in it. You must have a dedication that starts with this determination.
We all seem to have a tendency to worry over certain categories of problems. Every mother thinks that God wants everyone else to trust Him for everything, but a mother is supposed to worry and be fearful. She thinks that a mother is the only one privileged not to believe God for something; it is her privilege in God to not believe God for her children. If you worry about a certain problem, find somebody to help you with that, and then you help someone else with whatever problem area he is worrying about. Let’s fill in these blank spaces for one another and believe God. Let’s all get that gift of faith so that we can help one another.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We are not overlords over you. I haven’t tried to run your lives. But we are helpers of your faith for your joy” (II Corinthians 1:24). That is what I am too-a helper of your faith. I want you to believe God. Believe God! You can’t back off just because you see a few giants or because the way becomes a little difficult. Let your walk with God be a miracle trip right down to the end. We will see God do marvelous things for us.
Whatever you need from God He has provided as a Gift of
His Grace.
God has many wonderful gifts for you to receive by faith; and He will give you the faith to take the gifts.
Whatever you need, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you that it is freely given to you by God.
Always define your real need to be for faith to believe God.
In every battle you face, ask God for faith to see the victory He has already provided for you in it.
Great wisdom is behind Ecclesiastes, but great faith is behind Romans.
We cannot fulfill the Word engraved upon stones; but by faith we can be the Word that is written on our hearts.