wordofknowledge
In defense of the gift of the word of knowledge and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit
Apologetics are those who defend the Christian faith when it is attacked. Christian faith is pivotal on the gifts of the Holy Spirit through which God performs signs and wonders to confirm the gospel. We need to defend the Christian faith when it is attacked by none other than our own Christian authors.
In February 1987, a dear servant of God in Tamil Nadu, Dr. M.G.E. Pushparaj of a ministry called “Jamakaran” i.e. meaning Watchman published an article in Tamil under the title “Contentious sermon” in which he attacked the ministry of a popular evangelist who was used by God mightily through signs and wonders by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This dear evangelist is no more with us and God took him home in 2008. He was Dr.DGS Dhinakaran of Jesus Calls Ministry. Dr. Pushparaj, according to the measure of his understanding, opined that a particular gift through which this evangelist called the names of some people during his ministry was fake and was from the devil. Dr. Pushparaj questions the operation of this peculiar gift on the basis of his power of reasoning. According to him, when this evangelist was calling out the familiar names of people in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, he could not call out the names of Chinese people during his evangelical crusade in Malaysia.
I had dealt with this doctrine in my letter to Dr. Pushparaj 25 years ago when he challenged the gift of the word of knowledge that operated through the ministry of late Bro.DGS Dhinakaran.
I reproduce a part of my letter to Dr. Pushparaj. This matter is very important as it concerns the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the interpretation of the Word of God.
“You have judged that the ministry of calling out the names of people during prayers is false. In order to prove this, you have quoted a message of Bro.Victor Gnanaraj, Peace Publications, on page 22. How can you judge as deceivers the evangelists of the Lord who have been given this spiritual gift - the word of knowledge (I Cor. 12:8) by which they call out the names of people, reveal their diseases, etc.?
There is a vast difference between the spiritual gifts and the visions. In a vision, the servant of God gets almost a full revelation of some mystery. But by the operation of the spiritual gifts like the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, the gift of prophecy, the servant of God gets a part revelation of some mystery.
The spiritual gifts are imperfect and will be done away with "what that which is perfect is come" (I Cor.13:10)..."We know in part and we prophesy in part (II Cor.13:9). The spiritual gifts like the word of knowledge operate through the faculty of our mind only. When this gift is in operation, the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance (John 14:26) the proper names, etc, out of our knowledge-reservoir. The Holy Spirit is only a Helper and works through the faculty of mind or knowledge. For instance, if we have meditated on the words of Jesus or the Bible, the Holy Spirit would bring to our remembrance what we have meditated earlier.
The Holy Spirit does not act on His own. He wants us to think, speak and act through our own faculties. Otherwise, we will be mere machines or robots to be operated by Him.
The Holy Ghost has been evangelizing the world by the evangelists, in step i.e. town after town, nation after nation, continent after continent. Immediately after the Holy Spirit had been sent to the world. God could have evangelized the whole world at a stretch by His angels. But that was not the plan in the heart of God. God knew which race or which nation or which continent should be evangelized first. Even now also there are many places which are not yet evangelized. Can we find fault with God?
God also knew in what He should evangelize a particular race which has a peculiar culture. God also knew when He should operate the spiritual gifts for bringing the people of a particular race or nation to the Kingdom of Christ. He also knew when he should not operate the spiritual gifts. He also knew which particular spiritual gift He should operate in evangelizing the people of a particular race in view of their peculiar culture/customs, religious faiths, etc.
God also knew which particular race of people He should call by name by the operation of the word of knowledge. He also knew whom He should call by name through His evangelists. Because the Almighty Lord knew a person and his name before he was formed in the belly (Jer.1:5). As such, I can say with certainty that it is not the evangelists who all the people by name by the Lord who knew the people concerned before they were formed.
The Holy Spirit knows when He should operate the spiritual gifts, because He is sovereign over the gifts. SINCE THE EVANGELIST IS STILL IN FLESH AND THE SAID GIFT OPERATES THROUGH HIS IMPERFECT FACULTY OF MIND OR KNOWLEDGE, THE EVANGELIST MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REVEAL THE FULL NAME OF THE PERSON CONCERNED INCLUDING HIS INITIALS, BECAUSE HE KNOWS IN PART AND PROPHECIES IN PART. HERE, WHAT COUNTS MORE IS THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT OF THE PERSON WHOSE NAME WAS CALLED OUT, WHOSE DISEASE WAS REVEALED, ETC.
Let me know explain the operation of this gift through the faculty of our mind by some illustrations.
(1) An ordinary servant of God, who is not a doctor by profession, may not know the proper names of certain diseases in medical terminology. When the word of knowledge operates through his mind as led by the Spirit, he reveals the description of the particular ailment which is afflicting the person concerned. But he does not reveal the proper medical terminology.
(2) Secondly, to quote another instance, an evangelist knows, in general, the seating arrangements of a meeting being held by him. When the word of knowledge operates, he calls out a person from some particular row or place as led by the Spirit. Some persons in the audience may be outside the hall or the compound wall. The evangelist, who is in the know of all the places where people are possibly sitting/standing at the time of prayers, is led by the Spirit to point at a particular place. Let us suppose that the evangelist holds a meeting on beach where there are no seating arrangements. And the evangelist will not point at any particular row, when there are no rows but may reveal the place in some other way as led by the Spirit.
An evangelist as led by the Spirit calls out the proper names of the people concerned, out of his knowledge reservoir. HERE, I DO NOT MEAN TO SAY THAT THE EVANGELIST WHO HAS THIS GIFT MUST FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH THE NATIVE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE CONCERNED BEFORE HE HOLDS THE MEETING. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who enables/helps the evangelist to familiarize with the proper names at the appropriate time, well before the meeting and these names enter the sub-conscious mind the evangelist before the meeting. GOD ORDAINS EVERY OCCASION, EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE BY WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT DEPOSITS THE PROPER NAMES CONCERNED OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE FOREORDAINED OF GOD, IN THE KNOWLEDGE RESERVOIR OF THE EVANGELIST CONCERNED. As written earlier, the Holy Spirit knows whom He should call by name, and when, by the operation of the gift of word of knowledge because God knew a person and his name before he was formed in the belly. Every thing happens according to His foreknowledge and plan. You are now reading my letter written to Dr.Pushparaj about 25 years ago. It is foreordained of God.
On page 19, you have referred to an evangelical crusade held in Malaysia by "an evangelist in Tamil Nadu who began the ministry of calling people by name". You have written that about 9 sisters who had the same identical names and who had been afflicted by the same problem of mental agony, had appeared on the dais, and the evangelist had revealed, "Who is this woman who has been praying with a great burden on her heart. God will remove your burden”. When the volunteers wanted to know the particular sister who was called by the evangelist, all the nine sisters had told the volunteers that all had the mental agony. Let us be glad that on that day, the Comforter comforted 9 sisters. It is a miracle of God. ONE STONE FOR 9 MANGOES! THESE NINE SISTERS HAD THE WITNESS OF SPIRIT IN THEIR HEARTS. THE EVANGELIST COULD NOT REVEAL THEIR SEPARATE AND FULL NAMES WITH INITIALS BECAUSE HE KNEW IN PART AND PROPHESIED IN PART. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WORD OF PROPHECY HAD COME TO THE NINE SISTERS INDIVIDUALLY AND PERSONALLY AND NOT COLLECTIVELY. THAT IS WHY THE EVANGELIST CALLED OUT "Who is that woman"?
I now bring to your notice a clear contradiction in your message which you claim to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit The Lord will not contradict Himself because He is “not the author of confusion” ( I Cor.14:33). You have mentioned, “Possibly, the evangelist could have called out the names of some people and these people could have been healed. But this is not the work of the Holy Spirit but the work of evil spirits as per Rev.16:14.” It is thus seen that you have attributed a gift of the Holy Spirit to the evil spirits. But at some place you have mentioned, “If this is the work of the Holy Spirit, the evangelist concerned should have clearly mentioned all the details. It is neither the work of the evil spirits nor the work of the Holy Spirit but a manifestation of the evangelist in his flesh.” Here, you say through the same mouth that it is not the work of the evil spirits but a figment of imagination of the evangelist out of his human spirit."
Then Dr. Pushparaj also questions the genuineness of this gift by citing an incident in which the evangelist concerned committed a genuine mistake through an error of judgment by praying for a woman who approached him with a bulging belly. He thought she had come to him seeking his prayer for the safe delivery and prophesied that God would bless her with a baby. According to Dr. Pushparaj, the uterus of that woman was removed long ago and the evangelist while praying for her asked her not to be frightened of her pregnancy and told her that God would bless her with a baby. Please note that the gifts of Spirit are not always in operation through any evangelist. The evangelist, on seeing her, had thought that she was pregnant and had come to him for prayers. Why do you magnify a genuine mistake of the evangelist, who is only a man of like passions and not divine, though filled with the Holy Ghost?
- Job Anbalagan