Spiritual Gifts: The Church Under Siege

By Charles Elias Mahlangu

In Spiritual gifts: Church Under Siege, (This book is part of a 3-book series) Charles laments over how ministry gifts which were intended to prepare saints have been woefully neglected. He argues that believers are granted abilities and leaders are needed who are willing to invest in them. He moans that those with ministry gifts of the Lord Jesus Christ have behaved as if they are not committed to training individual believers. The Black pulpit has ignored the pews in the department of gift identification and developing. He pleads with the leaders as ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfil the number one functional dynamic in this life.

In Your Gift from God the Holy Spirit Matters, (Book 1) Charles takes the reader on a hunt to explore how the individual believer is granted a supernatural gift. He persuades and convinces the believer to discover his individual strategic gifting. He defines and illustrates the gifts and tackles the controversial. Charles says Ministry gifts were given to prepare the saints for the work of service and not to do the work of the ministry. He shows how Pentecostal Evangelicals, Charismatic Evangelicals and Traditional Evangelicals have been uniquely gifted and what must be discovered at the individual level according to the divine strategy of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

In Spiritual Gifts: Welcome to the Church, (Book 2) Charles defines and describes each gift. He persuades the believer to connect with individual gifting, according to the will of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He urges that every believer is entrusted with a gift that can be known and used to benefit many.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Oct 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482861099

Charles Elias Mahlangu

The author holds a PhD from Talbot School of Theology in the USA. Charles was ordained by The Evangelical Church of Southern Africa and pastored Manzini Evangelical Church / Manzini Fellowship Church in Swaziland from 1980 till 2003. He trains men and woman in biblical counselling. He and Delores, his wife of 40 years, have been building marriages and counselling engaged and married couples since 1980.

Book preview

Spiritual Gifts

The Church Under Siege

Charles Elias Mahlangu

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Copyright © 2016 by Charles Elias Mahlangu.

Cover art by Ryan Scott Davidson.

ISBN:      Softcover        978-1-4828-6108-2

                eBook            978-1-4828-6109-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All scripture references are from various Bible translations and taken from the software: PC Study Bible. Copyright 1988 - 2007, Bible Soft, Inc. All rights reserved.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa

Contents

Chapter 1 Spiritual Gifts and the Filling of God the Holy Spirit

Chapter 2 Subsequence and Cessationist

Chapter 3 No, You Are Not Normal!

Chapter 4 Challenge of Spiritual Gifts and the Authority of the Believer

Chapter 5 Challenge of Spiritual Gifts and Signs in Mark 16:14–20

Chapter 6 Challenge of Spiritual Gifts, Positive Confession and Faith Promises

Chapter 7 Sophisticated Window Dressing

Chapter 8 Church Under Siege

Chapter 9 Gift-Ignorance: Potential Sin of Omission

Chapter 10 Being Right Is Not Enough

Chapter 11 What If I Have Neglected?

Chapter 12 It Matters: Where has God Assigned You to Serve?

Chapter 13 Who Do You Say That I Am? The Search Begins

Chapter 14 Vicious Cycle: When Ministers Abscond

Chapter 15 Leadership Dysfunction in the Black Church

Chapter 16 Alas, in the Black Church

Chapter 17 Ministers, Pastors, and Leaders Keeping All the Gifts to Themselves

Chapter 18 Fear and Trembling

Chapter 19 Believers Themselves as Laity: Accountable

Chapter 20 Pure Religion: Take Care of Orphans and Widows

Chapter 21 Take a Theological Educational Program with an Evangelical Seminary

Chapter 22 Gift Accountability

Chapter 23 Don’t You Dare!

Chapter 24 The Unsung Heroes of the Cross

Chapter 25 Conclusion

Chapter 26 Prayer of Repentance

Appendix 1

Way of Salvation

Spiritual Gifts

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Dedication

To the wife of my youth. Thank you for companionship of a generation. Thank you for giving your life to serving me. Thank you for faithfulness of forty years to me. Thank you for not looking back through thick and thin of circumstances. Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you in my life to the glory of God. Thank you for critical contribution of your gifts to this marriage and to the body of Jesus Christ.

You never resisted my spiritual leadership. You never doubted my leadership in your life. Thank you for qualifying me as Elder who must lead his own family well. Thank you for modelling biblical womanhood to other women as married, as unmarried, and as mothers.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for patience with me even when this was difficult. You believe in my calling. You are convinced that my gifts should be exhausted to serve the people of God. You have been my strongest supporter in this life.

Thank you for your love for the body of Jesus Christ. Your devotion to the church is great to witness. I glorify the Lord of the Harvest on account of your significant impact upon my life.

Book Review by Dr Shimmy Kotu

The modern-day Evangelical-Charismatic-Pentecostal stable has at most produced excellent orators, magnificent motivators, and very enthusiastic authors of (biblically-speaking) shallow, non-substantive, and insignificant concepts, beliefs, and doctrines; but very few scholars, deliberate (apologetics) advocates, and meticulous Bible ‘expositors’; an office, ‘shoes’, and ‘cap’ Charles Mahlangu seems to effortlessly fill, occupy, and wear.

You are holding in your hands a theological and scholarly masterpiece by Dr Charles Mahlangu; a book I know shall reside more in the higher walls and halls of learning than it ever will in ordinary suburban coffee tables and bookshelves. This is, without any exaggeration, biblical ‘educate the educator’ manual whose content the regular Christian laity should feel particularly privileged to be privy to as it is actually meant for their mentors, teachers, and leaders.

In this book, Charles breaks away from the age-old conventional evangelical approach of dealing separately with Ephesians 4 ‘Gifts of Christ’, Romans 12 ‘Administrative Gifts’, and 1 Corinthians 12 ‘Gifts of the Spirit’; a long-overdue, extremely expedient, and highly fruitful approach indeed which will ultimately break the PSYCHO-PHILOSOPHICAL-CUM-THEOLOGICAL walls to the approach of God’s gifting to his church which most scholars deem more competitive than complementary—as if Father God, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit are each battling for the attention, occupation, and use of the believer.

The book kicks off with a short discourse on what I would title the ‘Evangelical creed’, which details what Evangelicals are immovably united on regarding their fundamental beliefs yet dichotomous over on the matter of Spiritual Gifts.

The swifter you read through the book, the quicker you shall reach the honest, sincere, and sobering realization of the reality of what Charles calls the ‘Monster—the One-Man Minister, Solo Shepherd with no biblically qualified elders as Shepherds according to the New Testament’. Out of this phenomenon has evolved the church model I could only refer to as the ‘Grace-era Ogre’, which came about as a result of the church ignoring the Apostle’s warning from Romans 12:3: ‘For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.’

This argument, Charles puts forth thus—

‘All Black Evangelicals face the monster: one man minister, solo Shepherd with no biblically qualified elders as Shepherds according to the New Testament. No comprehensive doctrine of priesthood of all believers. No comprehensive teaching on gifts of all believers.

‘Apart from ordained ministers of the gospel in the Pentecostal Evangelical tradition, what other spiritual gifts from scriptures are seen to be promoted in the whole church? Like Traditional Evangelicals, Pentecostal Evangelicals observe no gift of administration (kuberneseis), according to 1 Corinthians 12:28ff, for pew or pulpit. It is assumed that those appointed to lead as deacons and elders are administrators and some have no trace and proven gift of administration. There is no observable operation of gift of leading, leadership (prohistemenos), according to Romans 12:6–8. The Pentecostal Evangelical pulpit and pew observe that ordained Shepherds are administrators and leaders, when the New Testament gives a comprehensive list on gifts of leadership and administration as distinct from Shepherds, Evangelists, Prophets, and Teachers.’

Charles’s argument on the matter is biblically sound—the church as one body is not just an eye, neither is it just the pastor. Biblical Apostles as models of godly leadership allowed themselves to be managed. Peter would say from Acts 6:3–4, ‘Choose among yourselves men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, men who are respected and we shall turn this responsibility over to them while we shall dedicate ourselves to the ministry of the Word and prayer.’ Peter said this after serving with the Greatest Leader who ever walked this earth, Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth; who let Judas administer the finances, who let Peter and others use their gifts of administration in organizing venues, borrowing donkeys, and preparing (transport) ships for his missionary journeys. Today, we have ordained ministers serving tables and leaving prayer to the laity, in complete ignorance, rebellion, or resistance to the biblical model, Apostolic instruction, and Holy Spirit’s leading. It is very ironic to realize that Peter the Apostle would (in direct contrast and contradiction to modern-day one-man-led churches) entrust the choosing of deacons to the church!

Charles correctly answers the question, ‘Can one believer have more than one gift?’ thus—

‘It is possible that the believer granted the assignment of equipping minister of Ephesians 4, to have in addition a manifestation gift of God the Holy Spirit from 1 Corinthians 12. It is possible for the believer who does not have the equipping ministering gift of Ephesians 4, to have gifts from both categories of manifestations of God the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12), and grace gifts of Romans 12. There is no pattern at to the number of gifts each believer receives. There is no person with absolute grasp on the nature of gifts, ministries, and manifestations. There is no individual who has been given supernatural expertise regarding the supernatural spiritual gifts: God alone is sovereign. If it is conceivable for the believer who already has the manifestation of God the Holy Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 12, to be gifted in this category exclusively, then it behoves this gifted believer to excel in this gift. This believer is going to be judged according to his faithfulness to fulfil the duties of his ministry.’

Charles also tackles with great wisdom, biblical soundness, and discernment the often misunderstood, hated, despised, and misinterpreted gift of a Prophet thus—

‘Prophets will operate effectively when they hate sin and even the garment spotted with evil: God has never been known in the scriptures to walk with mortals who walk in darkness. Prophets are at their best when they are intimate with the Lord: the God of the Bible indicates that God has never confided intimately with mortals who are friendly to evil. As channels who speak the mind of God, prophets are at their best when they hate this world, this flesh and the king of this world. The Prophet by definition of his calling is one who spends time with God. This is one who lives in the moment by moment sphere of the control by the fullness of God the Holy Spirit. For one who is perceived as having heard from God what must be passed on by private consultation, or public proclamation to a group, must necessarily be one whose life is lost and spent with a deep sense of the presence of God.

‘Prophets brood. Prophets grieve. Prophets wail on behalf of others. Prophets are melancholic of God. Prophets hear the thundering drumbeat of God. Prophets will hear from God from the written passages of scriptures where others cannot necessarily hear the tone that has not been developed. When proclaiming the word of God, Prophets will convey the prophetic element that shouts loud and clear about what the Lord is saying to his people right now, right here, in a compelling way. Prophets will reveal the tone of God the Holy Spirit in ways that the gift of teaching, or exhortation, or evangelism will not have divine capacity to convey from the same text. Prophets will mobilize saints to see the way forward in compelling ways since this is the inherent manifestation of God the Holy Spirit. Prophets will hear God from the text in an extra-ordinary sense of volitional persuasiveness. Prophets will remove scales from the eyes, and wax from the ears so that God is heard clearly from the text.’

The book challenges us to overcome the exaltation of others’ gifts at the expense of humbly and generously allowing Holy Spirit to minister to the church through the gift he gave us. This, Charles aptly puts thus—

‘Ignorance of one’s gift causes one to look at what the Lord has called others to do, to the extent of neglecting personal stewardship of one’s gift. Paul warned Timothy, Do not neglect your gift … keep on stirring up your gift by keeping it constantly sharpened through particular engagements. Avoid the trap: if you admire what the neighbour has been called to do and then neglect your own identified calling, you are bringing deformities to the body of Jesus Christ. You are neglecting to carry out what only you have been assigned by the Lord Jesus Christ to accomplish Avoid the Wow, look at that one!" syndrome. God alone determines who to place where and how they are going to serve His greater purpose to glorify God through their grace gifts. Avoid the trap of praising the gifts and ministries of others in an unhealthy manner that trivializes the grace of God in your life: you have been extraordinarily blessed with grace measures of gifts for the supreme benefit of the body of Jesus Christ. Avoid the trap of glorifying other gifts, ministries, and manifestations to the sinful neglect of fulfilling your ministry with 100% sense of profound gratitude that God in his mercy saw it good for you to be granted privilege to be in the divine strategy of body life of each member serving others to the fulfilment of the blueprint of maturation of the whole body. Maturation of the whole body comes to fulfilment as each part of the body is playing its part, according to Ephesians 4:7–16.’

Imagine how different the church would be presently if these warnings were heeded to.

The book would be incomplete if Charles did not define, explain, and give examples of how each gift functions, works or manifests; and this he does meticulously in volume 1, chapter 7. He then transitions to issuing yet another valuable warning against attributing the manifestation of gifts to human effort, discipline, and works instead of recognizing them as an extension, benefit, and evidence of the grace of God. He also warns against the rampant modern-day ‘hyper spirituality’ many mistaken for spiritual mindedness and the ‘unnatural’ tendencies some confuse with being ‘supernatural’. He argues this point thus—

‘A very Common Entrapment in the Church: Those saints God has called to perform mighty deeds by the power of God have often exposed themselves to this tendency: when they attribute the manifestations to positive confession, they open the door widely to people to work by faith to get the same mighty manifestations promised and sometimes guaranteed by authentic servant of the Lord. Do what I did, then the Lord will do for you what he has done through my anointed ministry. Many believers seeking very much to live in the realm of signs, wonders, and miraculous powers, strive to follow after the mighty messenger of God. They operate all biblical promises from Jesus Christ, from the Gospel: by faith nothing is impossible! Verily, have faith, if you have faith small as mustard seed you will move mountains. If you have faith nothing is impossible with God. Believe in your heart that God is able to perform the phenomenal, and if you do not doubt, it will happen with you! Many saints have sat at the feet of giants who genuinely were called by God to fulfil specific ministries: applying the principles of positive confession has called on the Lord to give them phenomenal breakthrough in signs, wonders, and miraculous powers.

‘Many have read chilling accounts by saints who live routinely in the realm of phenomenal signs, wonders, and miraculous powers. Many have sobbed through nights of agonizing intercession repeating the faith formula they were told to repeat over and over. Many have listened to Christian Television and radio accounts of supernatural encounters happening regularly to certain saints: they seek their own final breakthrough to also be able to perform the same miracles they were guaranteed by authentically called servants of the Lord.’

Innumerable survivors and victims of the ‘Word-Faith’ Movement would have appreciated to have heard this warning thirty to forty years ago: ‘Sincere biblical mistakes are made when those called with particular gifts take it upon themselves to make faith provisional for any gift, or ministry, or manifestations sought: You too can do what I do. You too can perform the miracles I do. You too can have the measure of grace God gave me, if you have faith.’ If only millions of adherents to this movement had laid hands on Charles’s book, so much heartaches, spiritual disillusionment, and shipwrecks would have been avoided.

Much as the entire book is a must-read, I personally found ‘Spiritual Gift versus Spiritual Condition’ (volume 1, chapter 13) extremely sobering as he correctly draws our attention to Paul, the Apostle’s statement to the gift-endowed yet character-less Corinthian church. This, Charles puts thus, ‘It is puzzling that Paul said to the Corinthians: while individually all of you have received manifestations of the gift of God the Holy Spirit, yet I could not call you spiritual: you are sinning towards each other; you are full of sinful conflicts. You are carnal (fleshly), rather that spiritual. You are sinfully divisive (1 Corinthians 3).’ This point is pertinent indeed as it helps solve the mystery and intrigue of the ‘sinful-yet-gifted’ minister which is presently so widespread much to the confusion, dismay, and disconcertion of millions of believers in Christ.

This is what Charles says about the Gift and condition of the gifted—

‘The power of God to manifest himself is hampered by the spiritual condition of the wilfully sinning Prophet. Even where the believer is not aware of his sin, he has an outstanding sin remaining until he deals with this sin scripturally: confess it appropriately. This believer is not Spirit-filled, or filled with God the Holy Spirit to be controlled by the overflowing outpouring of God the Holy Spirit in every fibre of being. As long as sin is not dealt with he is vulnerable and weakened in his spiritual life. It is our visceral conviction that the sinning believer is hampering the gift from manifesting itself. By not dealing with sinful behaviour, the believer is neutralizing the potential of the gift from becoming ministries that God can manifest himself through.

‘There are believers with this ministering gift as Prophet who will fail triumphantly to display the true nature of the supernatural endowment through sins that are allowed to haemorrhage and drain spiritual vitality. Sin always affects spirituality of the believer. Sin will always block the extent of the impact of the power of God to manifest himself through the believer. Sin blocks God from demonstrating him in splendour. Sin hinders the spiritual passion of the believer so that whatever gift is given cannot be seen through withheld power by God who manifests himself through the believer. Sin hinders the gifted believer from serving to his potential. Sin deceives the believer. Sin blinds the believer. Sin inhibits the believer. Sin limits the believer. Sin neutralizes the believer. Sin strips the believer of his might. Sin strips the believer of the power of God in his life. Sometimes the viciousness of sin is its effectiveness to deceive the wilfully sinning gifted Prophet: this is no big deal at all! I can justify my sin and proceed to serve in my gift. God must not mind at all since I can still use my voice to carry out my services.’

The statement by Charles that ‘floored’ me the most on this point in discussion is, ‘Denominations, congregations, assemblies, and ministries share one thing: once upon a time the gifted Evangelist was passionate about the God he now takes for granted. On account of being inhospitable to sinful behaviour, God removes his powerful manifestations. The un-confessed sin renders the Evangelist no longer filled, Spirit-filled, or controlled by God the Holy Spirit. Churches, Para church organizations all ask: what happened to this believer who used to be powerfully used by God magnificently? Noise remains. He is followed by the reputation of the stench of his depravity: once upon a time this man was a humble servant of the Master. How the mighty have fallen! God is not here. This believer will continue to deteriorate internally and externally. Without helpers in sight to rush to help the invincible leader, he is doomed to suffer for a long time. God will not be mocked.’

Chapter 14 (volume 1) gives context to the understanding, beliefs, and practices of Pentecostal Evangelists, Charismatic Evangelists, the third and fourth Charismatics throughout the last two centuries and helps the reader to fully conceptualize modern day influences that have led to the church’s acceptance, rejection, and even passivity or nonchalance to the gifts of the Spirit.

Anyone who ever doubted Charles’s scholarly aptitude would be completely left humbled after reading through his detailed account of these movements reminiscent of Dr Luke’s meticulous work on the biblical books of Luke and Acts. His discourse on the ‘Black Charismatic Movement’ is priceless; completely invaluable, one which can restore overnight the sanity, dignity, and soundness necessary to take the remaining church to the rapture. Reading through it, I prayed that if only this portion of the book could be made available in every seminary, every university theology faculty, every church orientation programme, every preacher’s manual, every pulpit and pew, especially in the USA, Africa, and Western Europe. This is partly what Charles said on the matter—

‘The African version in South Africa would be characterized as a movement of the powerful display of God through the speakers and leaders. The Black Charismatic would be an extravaganza of praise and worship through musical instruments like never before. The Black Charismatics in South Africa would display never had been seen and heard authority of the believer to speak to demons to bind them and to speak to Satan and bind him. The Black Charismatic would be noted for persistence on wealth and prosperity as promised through leaders and speakers. The Black Charismatic movement would be noted for powerful prayers like never before: territorial warfare. There would be powerful prayer movements like never before heard of. The nomenclature of prayer would breakthrough for economic suffering for vocational needs and material gain. A lot of intercession contained the element of perpetually binding the devil and demons as a way of life.

‘The African version of Charismatic movement would for over a generation model the philosophy of teaching that has frowned upon textual or exposition of scriptures. By design or intent Black Charismatic teaching of the word of God would gravitate to superficial treatment of theme rather than thorough presentation of the biblical text. The character of freedom from God the Holy Spirit would be seen in preaching styles that freed the speaker, Evangelist or Shepherd from explaining the biblical text to build up saints to maturity and growth. What was now considered Charismatic style of preaching or teaching the word was freedom from God the Holy Spirit to allow the leader to announce common themes of the movement. What was now considered Charismatic style of presenting sermons was freedom from God the Holy Spirit to give authority to the speaker to stand and deliver anything in the name of God the Holy Spirit. What was now considered Charismatic style of feeding the sheep with exhortative teaching was reduced to sloppy handling of scriptures: in the name of freedom from God the Holy Spirit to allow the speaker Evangelist Shepherd to be freed from the task of building the flocks of God with the scriptures.

‘Where the rest of the Charismatic Evangelical movement in the west and the world stood fast to primacy of biblical teaching the African version of Black Charismatics in South Africa gradually ushered style of presenting the scriptures that was sloppy by preparation and anaemic by delivery: the saints do not develop mature grow up spiritually. Where the rest of the Charismatic Evangelical movement in the west and other parts of the globe hold fast to primacy of biblical teaching the African version of Black Charismatics in South Africa gradually refined the style of presenting the word of God that was superficial. Where the rest of the Charismatic Evangelical movement in the west and other parts of the world stood fast to primacy of biblical teaching the African version of Black Charismatics in South Africa gradually refined the preaching style that was geared to emotions.’

I was completely knocked out by what I would label ‘Charles’s next-door-church description’ statement that almost every American, African, and especially Black South African preacher and congregant can identify with—

‘In the Black Evangelical movement in South Africa, it would be the faith movement of the Charismatic that came with a bang. The Black church would not have the elements of western Charismatic Evangelicals. The Black church would not be a centre stage for debating the all the gifts of the charismata. The Black Charismatic Evangelicals would be a faith movement elevating status, office, position and power of leaders. The Black Charismatic Evangelicals would not entertain the debates of second and third waves: (Charismatic Evangelical movement and Charismatic Movement of God the Holy Spirit); the faith movement would solidify the calling of one gift and grant it previously unseen authority. The African version in South Africa was the antithesis of western origin of debating the priesthood of all saints: the Black Charismatic movement was the elevation of the Shepherd Evangelist Prophet Teacher. The African version in South Africa was the antithesis of western origin defining the centrality of the charismata for each believer. The African version in South Africa was the antithesis of western origin exulting of each plain ordinary believer connecting with their own spiritual gift.’

The rest of the book is a journey of thorough elucidation on the definitions, workings, and manifestations of these gifts, backed by thorough biblical references and examples.

I do not hesitate to recommend this book to any ministry, regardless of its tradition, origins, theology, and orientation. I also recommend this book to seminaries, institutions of learning, and individuals who yearn for a balanced biblical and non-sectoral approach, understanding and knowledge of Spiritual Gifts.

I salute Charles over this invaluable, priceless, well-researched, and scholarly masterpiece.

PEACE.

Shimmy C. Kotu

Author

Foreword

Being a third-generation preacher, to me serving God came more as a burden than a gift. I knew long before I could even be born again that I was going to be serving God and this has made me to be oblivious to whether I should possess any spiritual gifts or not. I only realized the real need for spiritual gifts in 1998 when I was confronted with a demonized young man during one church service. He stood there in full view of the congregation, rolled back his eyes, stuck his tongue out, swayed from side to side like a snake, and screamed at the top of his voice. For a moment I really got stuck and had no idea whatsoever what to do next.

The atmosphere in church changed from serene to eerie just like that and I was suddenly gripped by a very tangible feeling of fear and I felt as if I was tied from head to toe in an ice-cold towel. Everybody was looking at me instead of him as if they were saying ‘Stop shaking and do something instead’. I got my composure back, cleared my throat, and said, ‘In Jesus’s name, come out of this young man you evil spirit.’ The whole deliverance session lasted about four hours and he was free. That night when I got home, I began to seek the face of God around the subject of spiritual gifts, and for the next two years, I found myself conducting deliverance services and workshops around the country.

Dr Charles Mahlangu’s book is an invaluable investment to every man and woman who is called to any kind of ministry. Not only does Dr Mahlangu speak of those ‘obvious’ gifts, which we wrongfully exalt above all the others, the gifts of the five-fold ministry. He also puts emphasis on what the church considers to be lessor gifts like the gifts of serving the others as mentioned in Romans 12.

Realizing and embracing your calling by itself is not enough without realizing and embracing your gift. Trying to operate in your calling without the gifts of the Holy Spirit is like swimming in the middle of the sea without the means to float. You will make it for a while, but sooner or later you will begin to sink. In this book Dr Charles Mahlangu exposes every aspect of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this book not only does he emphasize the importance of possessing the gift, but he also warns about how easy it is for one who is called, anointed, and gifted to become ineffective.

This book is a must-have, and not only a must-have, but it is also a must-read. It is literally packed with answers to every question you will ever have about spiritual gifts, ministering through these gifts and recognizing the same gifts in others. Considering the times of ignorance with regards to spiritual gifts which the present church lives in, I recommend this book to every Christian, both those who are serving the others through spiritual gifts and those who are recipients of the same ministry. I congratulate Dr Charles Mahlangu for yet another masterpiece. Keep on becoming the voice crying in the wilderness, Charlie.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Montoedi Kotu

Senior Pastor, The Freeway Tabernacle, Soweto

Chapter 1

Spiritual Gifts and the Filling of God the Holy Spirit

I t is God the Holy Spirit who convicts the unbeliever of his need for Jesus Christ as Saviour before conversion. It is God the Holy Spirit who convicts the unbeliever of his sin. It is God the Holy Spirit who causes the unbeliever to become willing to be the follower of Jesus Christ for life. It is God the Holy Spirit who illuminates the mind as the scriptures explain the gospel as the sinner decides to believe the gospel leading to salvation. It is the power of God the Holy Spirit for the believer to use the scriptures to explain salvation to the unbeliever who becomes a Christian. It is God the Holy Spirit who authored the scriptures that explain the gospel leading to eternal life as the person embraces Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is God the Holy Spirit who regenerates the believer at salvation. It is God the Holy Spirit who is used by God the Son to seal the believer with God the Holy Spirit when the believer becomes a Christian. It is God the Holy Spirit who ensures the believer is sealed for the day of redemption at salva tion.

It is God the Holy Spirit makes residence in the believer as God the Holy Spirit indwells the believer at salvation. It is God the Holy Spirit who anoints the believer at salvation. It is God the Holy Spirit who changes the believer from old to new creature. It is God the Holy Spirit who baptizes the believer into the body of Jesus Christ thereby make him the living part of the body by also making the believer drink God the Holy Spirit. It is Jesus Christ who by God the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer with God the Holy Spirit.

It is God the Holy Spirit who gives power to the believer to live according to the requirements of the scriptures. It is God the Holy Spirit who makes it possible for the believer to live according to the fullness of God the Holy Spirit. It is God the Holy Spirit who fills the believer with God the Holy Spirit to live according to the demands of God. It is God the Holy Spirit who provides the renewing of the mind of the believer. It is God the Holy Spirit who gives power to the believer to walk by God the Holy Spirit. It is God the Holy Spirit who gives power to the believer to keep in step with God the Holy Spirit. It is God the Holy Spirit who enables the believer to live by God the Holy Spirit.

It is God the Holy Spirit who manifests the fruit of God the Holy Spirit in the believer, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

It is the filling of God the Holy Spirit in the believer that enables the believer to overcome the temptation to sin against God the Holy Spirit by grieving God the Holy Spirit. It is the filling of God the Holy Spirit in the believer that enables the believer to overcome the temptation to sin against God the Holy Spirit by quenching God the Holy Spirit. It is God the Holy Spirit who transforms the character of the believer to become Christ-like. It is God the Holy Spirit who plays the role in purifying the believer as well. It is God the Holy Spirit who helps the believer become strong in the Lord in the power of the might of God. It is God the Holy Spirit who enables the believer to understand scriptures in a repertoire of ways. It is God the Holy Spirit who enables the believer to grasp the will of God for the believer. It is God the Holy Spirit who gives the gift to the believer for the benefit of others.

It is the believer’s moment by moment step by step relationship with God the Holy Spirit that ultimately determines how the gift will be used according to the strategic design of Godhead. The personal walk of the believer with God the Holy Spirit will determine how the gift is used according to the power of God the Holy Spirit. The personal