CHAPTER FIVE

The Greater Gifts

WE HAVE now to consider the remaining six "greater gifts" (Gk.) of 1 Cor. 12:31. But before doing so we may repeat that whatever difficulties may arise in the use of the Gifts of the Spirit, the solution is not to be found in jettisoning the gifts but in searching the Scriptures for guidance in the matter. It is folly in throwing away the bath water to lose the baby also! The theme of the addresses of the late John Wallace was that our beloved Assemblies of God are in grave danger of being unable to press through what he called the spiritual "sound barrier", which has hitherto prevented all Revival Movements from being used a second time for Revival.

This is a problem of the first importance, for we shall, of course, find that those Assemblies which have no faith in, nor desire for, prophecy, which we are expressly told to covet, will find it impossible to expect to receive or manifest those greater gifts of the Spirit which we are about to consider. Yet all Pastors should scripturally (1 Cor. 12:31) be encouraging their members earnestly to covet just these greater manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and to be able to rely implicitly upon Our Lord's astonishing words in John 14:12, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than