Serving a Supernatural God

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord". 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 (NIV)
 
One thing I think we tend to forget as Christians is that we serve a supernatural God, who has gifted each one of us to serve Him and the church. 

These gifts include such things as exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching (Romans 12), administration, apostleship, discernment, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, miracles, tongues, tongues interpretation, wisdom (1 Corinthians 12), evangelism, pastor (Ephesians 4), and others such as celibacy, voluntary poverty, etc. 

You'll notice that many of these gifts (leadership, administration, helps, etc.) are what the majority of us would consider ordinary gifts and abilities. Some of the other gifts (healing, prophecy, knowledge, discernment, tongues, etc.) are within the supernatural realm. I know that different denominations within the church body teach different things when it comes to the spiritual gifts. I fall under the category of those who believe that God doesn't change and still uses the same gifts to equip and edify the church today that He used from the beginning.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." Malachi 3:6 (NIV)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows". James 1:17 (NIV)

God equips us to serve Him in a variety of ways and some of these do include prophecy, healing, discernment, the other supernatural gifts.  The problem is that many of the abilities used within the occult realm (mediumship, necromancy, divination, psychic abilities) are very similar to the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and this can cause some confusion as to what is of God and what is not.

How do you tell the difference?

The primary guide when it comes to operating in any spiritual gift (or when observing it in others) is whether "the fruit" lines up with the Bible. Scripture must ALWAYS be our guide when it comes to any spiritual gift within the church and certainly in how we live within our culture. If something we read, hear, see, or experience is opposite to what we know about God as revealed in the Bible then we should discard it. If the focus is on worshiping anyone or anything other than God (as understood through the Trinity ~ Father, Son, Holy Spirit), draws people from the redemptive work of Jesus death and resurrection, puts the emphasis on the "divine within", then we can know it is not of God.

Living life as a Christian is not a "Sunday only" proposition but a daily walk throughout our life. We do not need to fear things which are supernatural (such as experienced through the occult) but we do need to be wise and ask God for discernment in what we experience, read, see, or hear. It's so important that we know what the Bible says so that we can be fully equipped to do use the discernment God gives us. Yet we should be willing to trust our Lord when He desires to work through us to bless His people through any of the spiritual (including the supernatural) gifts.

Christians can indeed experience visions, receive and share words of encouragement, prophecy (which is NOT future telling but confirmation of God's revealed will or purpose through scripture), experience tongues, healing, and words of knowledge to be shared within the church body. These are meant to glorify God and build up the faith of the saints, drawing people to Him. The important thing is that everything must line up with what God's revealed to us through His inspired written word.

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