Word & Spirit

It means that we affirm Scripture as authoritative, final, and fully sufficient for faith and practice, while also embracing the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, including the continuation and exercise of all spiritual gifts in the life of the church. 

We hold the conviction that God speaks and acts today in ways consistent with the New Testament pattern — preaching the Word faithfully and expecting the Spirit to build up the body through gifts like prophecy, healing, wisdom, discernment, tongues, and more, yet always under the authority of Scripture.

We believe the Scriptures are fully trustworthy as our final and sufficient authority for all of life and they contain all the words of God that we need in order to completely trust and obey God. In fact, it’s this very commitment that leads us to passionately affirm the continuation of all spiritual gifts—the very Word of God teaches this truth. Even further, it explicitly commands us to earnestly desire “prophecy” (1 Cor 14:1) and “the higher gifts” (1 Cor 12:31). We believe that all spiritual gifts must be exercised subject to the instruction of Scripture and always tested, weighed, and aligned with the Bible. 

We believe the Bible teaches that all spiritual gifts are operative and available today as the Holy Spirit wills to give them. Nowhere does the Bible explicitly teach that any of the spiritual gifts have ceased to be operative for today. Nowhere does the Bible teach that certain gifts were exclusive to the apostles or went away once they died. Nowhere does the Bible tell us that once the Bible is completed, spiritual gifts will no longer be needed. 

However, the Bible does give us an indication of when these gifts will cease. In at least three places the Bible gives us a timestamp for when gifts will cease: 

When Jesus Christ is fully revealed, when the church attains complete unity, and when Jesus brings about our condition of perfection in the new heaven and new earth, then there will be no need for these spiritual gifts. Until then, the Bible teaches us that these gifts will build up and edify the church.

No doubt there are numerous purposes for spiritual gifts. But what is explicitly repeated to us in the Bible is that the primary task of all spiritual gifts is to build up and strengthen the body of Christ so that the church grows in faith, maturity, and love. (1 Cor 12:7-10; 14:5; 14:12; Eph 4:11-13). Spiritual gifts are referred to as "manifestations of the Spirit" (1 Cor 12:7), meaning that part of the purpose of these gifts is to experience the very presence of God within the church. In fact, Paul lists prophecy as a gift that leads even non-Christians to conclude this very fact! Spiritual gifts are supernatural power for life and ministry.

All Christians can hear God’s voice for themselves. This is part of being a follower of Jesus (John 10:27). Prophecy is hearing God’s voice on behalf of others and sharing it. In other words, it is speaking forth in human words something that the Holy Spirit has sovereignly and spontaneously revealed. The Bible says that this is normative within the New Testament church, a sign of the new covenant age brought about by Jesus (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17). And yet there are some Christians who are especially gifted with prophecy. 

God’s voice can come to a Christian in many different ways: dreams, visions, visual pictures in one’s mind, verses, impressions, words of knowledge, etc. The Scriptures are clear that all prophetic words must be weighed and tested according the Bible. God’s written revelation always trumps prophetic revelation because we know that God will never contradict His written Word. Prophecy has a unique way of upbuilding the body—nothing else is quite like it (1 Cor 14:24-25). Paul even wanted every Christian to have this gift!

Words of knowledge and words of wisdom are related but distinct manifestations (1 Cor 12:8). They often accompany prophetic ministry as God gives specific revelations of information that were not ascertained by natural means or God gives specific wisdom needed for a given situation.

The gift of tongues is a Holy Spirit empowered ability to pray/praise God in a language unlearned by the speaker. The Bible says that one who speaks in a “tongue” is speaking to God (1 Cor 14:2). It is profitable for building oneself up (1 Cor 14:4), and when paired with the gift of interpretation, it can be edifying to the whole church (1 Cor 14:5). Because this gift empowers a Christian to speak meaningful words that are only understood by God, the gift of interpretation is also needed in order to understand what is being said. The Bible is clear that not all have this gift (1 Cor 12:30) and yet the Apostle Paul desired that every Christian have this gift (1 Cor 14:5).

As with every spiritual gift, tongues should always be exercised decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14 is particularly instructive for this.

Gifts of healings are Spirit-empowered expressions through which God brings physical, emotional, or psychological healing according to His will and compassion (1 Cor 12:9). Healing is not a mechanical result of faith or technique, but a gracious work of God that points to Christ’s kingdom breaking into the present age. 

There is no place for the presumptuous approach to healing that is found in certain movements. God does not owe us healing and we do not earn healing from God. Every moment of healing is a gracious gift from God. The primary reason that God heals people is because of His compassion and mercy (Matt. 14:13-14; 20:34; Mk. 1:41-42; Lk. 7:11-17), a disposition that nothing in Scripture indicates has changed.  

We pray expectantly because Scripture invites us to, while also recognizing that not everyone is healed in this age, and that suffering does not indicate spiritual failure. Healing ministry is therefore never coercive or triumphalistic; it is an expression of God’s mercy, grounded in the gospel, and always submitted to God’s wisdom and timing.

Deliverance is the exercising of Jesus Christ’s authority to drive out demonic spirits from wherever they appear. By definition, there is no drama or theatre or excessive animation required. Very simply, it is the act of commanding demons to leave on the grounds of Christ’s authority. Christians are uniquely equipped for this ministry only by virtue of their standing with Christ through faith. 

When someone needs deliverance, it means that they need freedom from an afflicting demonic spirit. Therefore, deliverance is the casting away of an evil spirit, resulting in a greater measure of freedom for someone who has been afflicted. Deliverance is aptly named, for it results in liberty, wholeness, and joy.

Spiritual gifts are to be practiced within the life of the local church, in both corporate gatherings and personal ministry, always in a manner that builds up the body of Christ and under the oversight of qualified leaders. 

Our church exercises these gifts weekly in our home groups (Missional Communities) and in our Sunday morning gatherings. We also emphasize the importance of these gifts in everyday life, but especially as a witness to non-Christians. 

The Bible tells us that Jesus lived, died, resurrected, and ascended in part to bless us with these spiritual gifts (Eph 4:8). If Jesus believed them to be important enough for the church, so should we. God believes that these gifts are a necessary part of the plan to build up the church. Simply put, we need these gifts. Even further, we are commanded by the Scriptures to earnestly desire them. 

These gifts bring the power of God and presence of God into our midst. What a gift! Moreover, embracing the convergence of Word and Spirit avoids the extremes that either quench the Spirit or undermine Scripture, fostering a balanced, biblical faith that both honors God’s revelation and anticipates His active presence among His people.