Cessationism vs Continuationism

Next part of our doctrinal statement we're going to be looking at is titled the ministry and spiritual gifts from the

Morse corner Church statement of faith says we believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all his gifts and that the gifts of evangelists pastors and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the

Saints today and That speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles

Gradually ceased as the New Testament scriptures were completed and their authority became

Established so that's that's part one and there's a part two. We'll look at in just a moment

But let's turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 So the the teaching that's being proposed here is known as cessation ism

If something has ceased that means it's stopped, right? And we're not saying all the spiritual gifts have stopped

But the miraculous gifts performed by men by prophets and apostles. We believe that those things have ceased hence the word cessation ism

They served a function and they were instrumental in the early church in the writing of Holy Scripture But now that the canon of Scripture has been completed and that we have as Jude said the faith once for all

Delivered to the Saints. There is no longer the need for the sign gifts, there's no longer the need for apostles and New Testament prophets they laid the foundation which you do at the beginning of the the building project

We're 20 stories high 2 ,000 years later. You don't go and continually relay the foundation

Ephesians 2 20. Okay. Yes Marcus All right good

I like questions well Don't you feel it true that where it says if there be this gift

They will cease and the cessation of the miracle or sign gifts You know, we believe that they have ceased but don't you believe that it also means that eventually all the spiritual gifts will cease, you know at the

Rapture, well, there won't be a need for them in in glory. There won't be a need Yeah, right

Sure, and we're gonna address these things So now I say that and I understand

I think most of us understand that our Pentecostal friends would disagree with this They believe that there are apostles today our charismatic friends believe that there are new prophecies

Being given I heard a pastor on the radio on the way over a man that I greatly respect and love

But he said that every word God gives me God He said God speaks to me and gives me a prophetic word for the church and he said nine times out of ten

They come to pass. I'm thinking well if God spoke it and it didn't come to pass and what about that 10 % but That's the difference between Us and them we believe that these prophecies have ceased they believe that they are ongoing and they say

Pentecostals and charismatics will claim that miracles are happening in their churches, but if you examine their claims

First of all, there is no agreement on who these so -called apostles are Second the prophecies either don't come to pass or they're so vague

You don't really know what what they mean and then number three the miracles they present are nothing like the miracles of Scripture which were

Undeniable so that even Jesus's miracles his enemies couldn't deny that he was doing them the miracles

They talk about or you know, I have my back hurt and now it feels better. Praise the Lord. Well Okay, that's great.

But there's no way you know that that's different from what you see in the Bible Okay, one quick example because we're making a truth claim here and and I can prove this

I have video to back it up if anyone wants to come and we can look at this later One of the most well -known

Pentecostals or one of the most well -known men in the Pentecostal charismatic movement Kenneth Copeland he said back in spring of 2020 he said that he was standing in the office of the

Prophet of God and He said he declared an end to kovat 19

March 2020 Okay, did that prophecy? Standing in the office of profit.

Did that prophecy come to pass? He said it is through or it is over Well, no, it didn't come to pass that makes him a verifiable

False prophet you can watch that video for yourself Execute judgment on you

Satan you destroyer you killer you get out you Break your power you get off this nation.

I demand judgment on you I demand I demand

I demand a Vaccination to come immediately. Yes Are you done?

Are you done gone? You come down From your place of authority destroyer you come down and you crawl on your

Belly like God commanded you when he put his foot on your head in the

Garden of Eden You will destroy through kovat 19 no more no more no more

It no more is Finished Another man

Benny Hinn Once claimed that Jesus was going to start appearing in their meetings

Hinn also claimed and continues to claim that he has an anointing from God So Jesus is going to start showing up in our church services, and I have the anointing of God upon me

Jesus warned of such men in Matthew chapter 24 when he said if anyone says to you look

Here is the Christ he's showing up in Benny Hinn crusades What did Jesus say if anyone says look there is the

Christ do not believe it? for false Christ What does the word

Christ mean? Anointed one right must have been Messiah means anointed one for false anointed ones in False prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect see

I have told you beforehand So by claiming to be an anointed one. He is claiming to be a

Christ he is a false Christ he is an anti Christ.

He is not the Antichrist, but he is an Antichrist these men are ministers of Satan and yet They have deceived

Millions and and I say that not as a Opportunity to you know jab at someone else.

I say this because I have a genuine concern for these people's souls You know decent people that we know and care about are just totally

Can be totally deceived by these individuals, and it's so obvious it is so obvious And the

Lord says if it were possible they would deceive even the very elect You know add two and two

Marcus Yeah, so we do believe the

Holy Spirit is active in the world today We do believe God can and does still heal and do mighty works

He can do it and does do it if he's going to do it It's going to be through answered prayer not at the hands of some modern -day

Apostle I always say if somebody claims to be a prophet or an Apostle run for your life and while you're running do what?

Yeah, hold on to your wallet. That's really what they want But here's the thing we do don't say well pastor grant doesn't believe in these

Apostles I Believe the church has Apostles their names are Peter James John Paul.

I believe in Apostles All right, you're in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 the first statement that we are going to look at is this

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all his gifts 1st Corinthians 12 starting in verse 4

There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit There are differences of ministries, but the same

Lord there are Diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all but the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit and another the word of knowledge through the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another gifts of healing by the same spirit to another the working of miracles to another

Prophecy to another discerning of spirits to another different kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues

But one in the same spirit works all these things Distributing here's the thing to pay attention to distributing to each one individually as He wills right so the

Lord through his spirit He gives the gifts as he sees fit It doesn't matter how much a person wants to have the spiritual gift of healing or Somebody really wishes they have the gift of tongues or somebody really wishes.

They have the gift of administration That is not the issue the spirit himself gives the gifts as he wills

So if someone can want to be an apostle all they want that's not the way it worked In the pages of the

New Testament could somebody apply to be an apostle No, Jesus had to choose them, right?

2nd Corinthians 12 12 truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you in all perseverance in signs and wonders and in mighty deeds

So you knew they were apostles because well Paul on one occasion raised the dead

Peter Remember his shadow fell on a man and he was healed

So these are the true Apostles now the last apostle

John he died when? You don't know for certain the exact year, but it was about when?

90 95 AD something something like that So at the death of the

Apostle John the final Apostle By then the gifts the sign miraculous gifts had

Ceased I don't want to say the office of Apostle became vacant as if it could be filled at any time it but it was fulfilled their roles were

Fulfilled just as Moses was the lawgiver There's not going to be another

Moses, right? There's only one Moses. There's only one group of Apostles So now that the

New Testament Church had been has been established There's no longer no longer a need any questions or comments on that Marcus Okay that the church is built on the cornerstone

Christ being the cornerstone and then the Foundation are the apostles and then we are living stones being placed on this

Okay, Ephesians 2 20 is the first one Ephesians 2 20 is the first thing you mentioned and then first Peter 2

I think is the second right? Okay and first Peter 2 All right, let's turn to 1st

Corinthians 13 I Can make this argument? That the gifts have ceased.

I think it's evident that they have And let me just say this I'm willing to accept the possibility that I'm wrong in some ways

I would actually like to be wrong. I would love the idea that there's somebody you could go to that could

Heal somebody of their I have a few ailments. I'm getting older. I'd love to be able to go and get that healed

So I'm actually open -minded about this But you know, I don't see it happening

But is there a text of Scripture that says That the gifts have ceased

I contend that there is I'm not Gonna say that this is dogmatic proof 100 %

But this is what I believe 1st Corinthians 13 8 through 10 Paul says love never fails

But whether there are prophecies They will fail whether there are tongues

They will cease remember the word cessationism Tongues will cease whether there is knowledge.

It will vanish away. There's the gift of knowledge For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

So these things will Pass away. They will cease the question is when?

Verse 10 but when that which is perfect has come Then that which is in part will be done away.

So the question is has this already happened in the first century or Is this something we're waiting for and the miraculous gifts will continue until then the

Pentecostals charismatic say that the perfect is what What did they say?

What? Right when Jesus returns

That's the perfect or Jesus is the perfect when he comes then the gifts will cease

Okay Well where he came the first time they're saying when he came when he comes the second time they will cease

It's interesting if you research this you'll see that the Pentecostal care and again, there's some good people.

We know I Want to be on record. I'm not saying that all

Pentecostals and charismatics are Unsaved I'm not saying some of them are but there's

Baptists who are unsaved. There's there's all sorts of people So I'm not making a blanket statement against them.

So you heard me say that okay? but if you research it the Pentecostal charismatic movement did not begin until the 20th century and the early

Pentecostals claimed that the gifts Had been restored

Because they claimed that Christ was about to come in this his return was near So at first they claimed that the gifts had ceased for 1 ,800 years and now they were restored well

It was over a hundred years ago. Jesus still hasn't come back now There's been some revisionist history and now they call it continuationism.

They say no it never ceased They've they've all always been going on the whole time. That's not what they were saying at first They've had to change that because it's it's obvious Christ did not come any time around 1901 or 19 1905 so they say that yes, the gifts will cease but it's when

Jesus returns at the second coming I Believe the perfect is the completion of the

New Testament revelation What does the word perfect mean

Complete What's the New Testament revelation was? Completed and again, we have the faith once for all delivered to the

Saints and the New Testament canon was Completed at the end of the first century

The gifts have ceased and if you actually read it through the New Testament books

In chronological order of when they were written That's exactly what you see the gifts start to Peter out

So that at the end of the Apostle Paul's ministry in 2nd Timothy He left trophimus in Miletus sick.