| The gift of healing included everything that would | | | | known about this particular gift. Calvin suggested that |
| contribute toward increased human health and | | | | it may have to do with some church function or |
| well-being as a result of the preaching and teaching | | | | office that has been lost in antiquity. Most other |
| of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the application of | | | | commentators suggest that it indicates a generic kind |
| the Trinitarian perspective that produced modern | | | | of helping one another. And, of course, helping one |
| science and technology. Indeed, increased health and | | | | another is good, and particularly helping through |
| healing of people under the influence of Christianity | | | | prayer. We may be content with such a definition |
| have resulted from faith in Jesus Christ. Modern | | | | because of the value of prayer in the lives of |
| medicine and the health industry must be included in | | | | believers. In addition, it may be that prayer itself |
| the fruits of this gift. | | | | serves to keep the demons at bay. If so, this is a |
| The gift of helping or helps (antilepsis) is a very | | | | wonderful gift that we cannot afford to lose. |
| interesting word. It means aid or help and is correctly | | | | Everyone needs the gift of prayer and the help that |
| translated. And yet, to translate it as "helping" doesn't | | | | prayer affords. |
| really say very much. What does helping mean? | | | | The next gift on Paul's list is administrations, which |
| Helping what? Helping how? The Greek Lexicon | | | | again is not a very helpful translation. The KJV |
| provides this definition: a laying hold of, apprehension, | | | | translates it as "governments." Calvin understood this |
| perception, objection of a disputant. It sounds like | | | | gift to mean the presbyterial functions of the church |
| the gift of helping is a perspective. Does this help? | | | | -- oversight of the church by the elders. And that is a |
| Not much. What perspective? | | | | sufficient understanding, as long as we don't limit it to |
| The word is composed of two parts: anti and lepsis. | | | | the modern or contemporary understanding of |
| Anti means opposed, and lepsis is a medical term that | | | | church government. Paul had more in mind than a kind |
| means seizure. Together they literally mean opposed | | | | of board of directors who would meet monthly to |
| to seizure. We can see how the word suggests a | | | | discuss church administration. |
| kind of helping. And it could be taken in one of two | | | | I suspect that Paul had in mind a system of church |
| senses. It could suggest a kind of medical helping that | | | | courts that would be much like the Old Testament |
| would serve to prevent or treat seizures. Here it | | | | elder system that had been developed by Moses on |
| would be a kind of helping to oppose or overcome or | | | | the model given to him by his father-in-law Jethro |
| treat seizures in the medical sense. | | | | (Exodus 18:13-24). |
| Or it could suggest that it was opposed to the | | | | Moses set up a system of courts that served to |
| medical (or medicinal) treatment of seizures, where | | | | adjudicate conflict among God's people. At the time |
| seizures may be associated with demon possession. | | | | of Jesus' ministry the Pharisees and Sadducees were |
| Demon possession was common in Christ's time, and | | | | teaching wrong doctrine, substituting the teaching of |
| the Lord treated several cases of it that were | | | | men for the teaching of God (Matthew 15:9). And if |
| related to seizures. The word "seizure" can also mean | | | | that was true, then it could be surmised that the |
| to take possession of something. In this sense | | | | Temple courts were also corrupt. Paul would have |
| demon possession was a kind of seizure of the | | | | been acutely aware of such corruption because of |
| person who was being possessed. | | | | his experience as a Pharisee. In addition, because Paul |
| Consider Mark 9:16-29. Take a moment, find a Bible | | | | was dealing with the grand design of Christ's church, |
| and read it. | | | | he probably had such courts in mind when he put |
| This may have been the context for Paul's inclusion | | | | governments on his list of gifts. I suspect that this is |
| of helps on his list of gifts. The father of the boy | | | | the case. Consequently, Paul's gift of governments |
| wanted help, but the disciples could not give the help | | | | must include the whole of the biblical teaching |
| that was needed. With the dispensation of the Holy | | | | regarding government, which includes |
| Spirit upon the whole Christian church in Acts 2, this | | | | self-government, family government, civil government |
| kind of help may have been provided more widely. | | | | and church government, and their various jurisdictions |
| Here the sense might be that the treatment of | | | | and courts. |
| demon possession would be more spiritual than | | | | And indeed, we know that the Early Church set up a |
| medical. The opposition (anti) would be directed more | | | | system of church courts to adjudicate disputes. |
| against the purely medical or physical aspects of | | | | Roman courts had become corrupt and inadequate. |
| seizures and focused more on demon possession. | | | | They could not deal with the flood of local conflicts |
| This perspective would then point to Christ's | | | | that came with the expansion of the Roman Empire. |
| preferred treatment of demon possession, which | | | | And as a result of this backlog and failure of the |
| was to cast them out. With the coming of the Holy | | | | Roman court system, people turned to church |
| Spirit upon the church, this gift -- which would have | | | | courts, and even brought civil matters to the church |
| been a gift of prayer according to the context | | | | courts. Paul no doubt saw the beginnings of this as |
| above -- may have been given to Christians as part | | | | he journeyed up the Roman government appeal |
| of the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. And perhaps | | | | system to Rome in his quest to take the gospel to |
| we don't know much about it because it was so | | | | Caesar, and anticipated this need by putting |
| successful in its elimination of demon possession as | | | | governments on his list of gifts. He was able to |
| the Holy Spirit was poured out on Christ's church in | | | | anticipate it because of his knowledge that the |
| Acts 2. Demon possession appears to be rare today, | | | | Mosiac court system had grown corrupt in his own |
| but it was not rare then. | | | | time. |
| I'm out on a limb here, but there isn't much that is | | | | |