Gifts Without Fruit
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey · 2 min read
Professor Gary Maxey believes in the gifts of the Spirit. He says so plainly. He holds they are of great importance for the survival of the church, and he credits the rise of Pentecostalism with teaching the whole church their value.
Then he names a danger. In his book on why revival tarries, he describes a shift over the last generation from the ethical or moral fulness of the Holy Spirit to the charismatic fulness of the Spirit.
Two ways to measure a Spirit-filled life
The first measure is the visible display of Christlikeness, especially in the face of difficulty and provocation. The second measure is whether a person displays gifts such as prophecy, miracles, healing and tongues in an acceptable way.
Professor Maxey says that when the outward gift replaces the transparent life of love and Christlike character as the measure of godliness, the church is in trouble.
Seymour's warning
He turns to William Seymour, the leader of the Azusa Street revival, which began in 1906 and went on uninterrupted for three years. After long months of watching it firsthand, Seymour wrote that a life must be measured with the fruit of the Spirit. If you get angry, speak evil or backbite, he said, it does not matter how many tongues you have. You do not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
A leader of the revival said this about his own movement.
What happened in Nigeria
Professor Maxey says the early Civil War Revival was driven by the wish to be like Jesus. People widely understood that carnal anger, petty jealousy, lust, materialism and pride were not marks of Spirit-filled people. When the focus moved to external signs and wonders, the earlier spirit and its focus on holiness as Christlikeness faded and then died. He writes that a primary focus on the gifts is always a revival killer.
He also raises a pointed concern about pastors who mesmerize congregations with words of prophecy while their private lives, on closer look, include lustful relationships.
A balance
Professor Maxey does not ask for fewer gifts. He asks for fruit first. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and self-control grow in a hidden place and take time.
A check you can run
Think of the person you consider most Spirit-filled. Is it the person with the loudest gift or the person who is the same in the kitchen as in the pulpit? Ask the Lord to make you like the second.
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey.
