“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost” Heb 2:4
“But He giveth more grace, Wherefore He saith, ‘God resiteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
James 4:6
There are few in today’s world who understand the actualized potential of Spirit. Fundamentalist and Conservative branches of Christianity hold that the signs, wonders, and miracles of apostolic times have altogether ceased, that the gifts of the Spirit were valid for but a short season in the early church in order to bear witness to the Lordship of Christ (Heb 2:4). Charismatic and some Pentecostal denominations, on the other hand, believe that if you do not manifest signs and wonders of the Spirit, such as the gift of tongues, then you are not saved. So who is right? Let us explore this question together.
In the days of the early church, God worked on the principle of bearing visible and conspicuous witness that something incredible had occurred (Heb 2:4)—the resurrection and ascension of Christ. There were no Bibles back then. The message had to travel via word of mouth from one believer to another. The common spiritual phenomena of tongues, healings, and miracles in the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:28, 29) enabled the Christian faith to spread like wildfire, a pandemic contagion that enveloped the Roman Empire. Slowly, these spiritual gifts faded (1 Cor. 13:8), but not before the establishment of churches and the writing of the New Testament Epistles.
Nowadays, conversion is typically not associated with the same supernatural fireworks. It is simply by grace through faith that the Kingdom is born within the heart. The orthodox sects have gone too far in saying that God is no longer in the business of miracles. But Charismatics are equally errant in believing that the Holy Spirit is some sort of dog-and-pony show; that much noise and exaggerated emotions are evidence of a spiritual experience.
The Truth is that God now works from a different principle. Rather than bearing visible and conspicuous witness to the collective body (Heb 2:4), God works through individual believers, invisible heroes with an enlarged capacity for grace: “But he giveth more grace… unto the humble” (James 4:6).
You do not have to speak in tongues or perform miracles to be saved. In fact, most tongue babbling and so-called tent revival healings are a farce. I say “most” because I cannot relegate the sovereignty of God. But I can state that, nowadays, God works His Power (dunamas) through invisible heroes.
Speaking in toungues is a deeply personal experience between you and the Lord. It is no longer meant for spectacle. It is not a scheduled event for the eyes of men. If the true spirit of wisdom, knowledge, or any of the other gifts have touched you (1 Cor. 12:8-11), then you probably feel out of place in both the church and the world. But God has not left you marooned on an island. He calls you to be an invisible hero, reporting directly to the Master. He expects you to submit yourself as a humble vessel through which His Spirit works.
An invisible hero gives his or her alms in secret. An invisible hero influences events from behind the scenes. An invisible hero understands that the Power of God’s Spirit cannot be harnessed, commanded, or turned on and off at will. An invisible hero waits for the Spirit to move, for the waters to pour forth. The family, friends, and professional affiliations of the invisible hero are blessed simply by peripheral association: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee,” was the promise to Abraham; how much more shall the invisible hero receive in Christ!
The humility of the invisible hero is what enables super-grace capacity: “But he giveth more grace… unto the humble.” (James 4:2). But humility does not mean that you have to be timid. Contrary to popular opinion, the mark of humility is in being able to receive instruction and correction. The proud exalts himself but the humble is exalted by God. Humility enables one to develop virtue and character, resulting in the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” (Gal. 5:22, 23).
Humility simply means “teachability,” and the Holy Spirit is our private tutor. A humble man or woman receives conviction from the Holy Spirit, resulting in behavior modification and the continued growth of that new spiritual identity born in the heart, that “new man” of Eph 4:24.
So ask yourself, are you an invisible hero? Has the Lord enlarged your capacity for grace? Because if you are, then you know that above all else, Love is the highest calling, greater than any spiritual gift or supernatural phenomena (1 Cor. 13:1-4). The Greek word for this type of Love is “agape,” rendered “charity” in 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 (KJV). This is the same Love (agape) that describes God sacrificing His only son (John 3:16). We could better render it “cherish” rather than “charity.” It is a Love of self-sacrificial giving.
Invisible heroes sacrifice themselves, submitting their body and blood to the service of the Lord and the betterment of humanity. They are in effect mini-messiahs, anointed by the Holy Spirit:
“I have said, ‘ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High”
(Psalms 82:6; John 10:34, 35).
Invisible heroes have divine compassion on others—they don’t just Love, they cherish.
Larry Word
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