A Word of Knowledge about a Word of Knowledge

Years ago I was sitting near the back row, during the Sunday morning service of our church in Ipswich, Queensland.

Rev. Stuart Gramenz had been invited to teach on "How to Move in the Gifts of the Spirit".

While he was talking about the gift of the 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, unexpectedly I began to 'see' the number "3".

Remember how at the end of Sesame Street on TV it would say, "This program was brought to you by the letter 'L' and by the number '3' " or whatever? That's how it looked: the number '3' seemed to be appearing in front of me. And the words, "back pain" also came to me.

I silently said to myself, "I think I've got a word of knowledge".

Then right at that very moment, while Stuart was preaching, he said, "Someone here's got a word of knowledge—who's that person?".

I just about jumped up out of my seat, "I think it's me! I'm getting the number '3' and 'back pain' ".

"I noticed you put your hand on your lower back," the preacher said. I was hardly conscious I'd done so.

Then he said to the congregation, "Anyone with lower back pain..."

And three people put their hands up.

Stuart had been teaching also that all believers can do the works that Jesus did, not only ministers. So he told the three of them to come straight to where I was at the back, and said I would pray for them—in front of hundreds of people.

Before I laid hands on the third person, he mentioned to me that he was born with an unformed disc in his spine.

"Which disc was it?" I asked.

"Number 3, from the bottom," he answered.

Then Stuart carried on preaching.

It had all been the perfect, unplanned illustration of exactly what he was teaching about: how to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit; the gift of the word of knowledge, and healing; and that all believers, not only ministers, can do the works that Jesus did.

Actually he got a word of knowledge that someone had a word of knowledge! right while he was teaching about words of knowledge. The Holy Spirit was working with him, confirming his word with signs following.

I was still in my early 20s then. Some years afterwards, I was visiting the country town of Kalbar, Qld, and one of the three men recognised me, and reminded me of the incident. He told me he'd had that back pain for years, and that it had been real good ever since.

Then he asked me whether I remembered the gentleman who'd had the unformed disc in his spine. He was a friend of his, he told me, and that occasion had been his first time ever in his life to go to a church. It left a real impression on him, he said.

That's how JESUS likes to welcome a newcomer to church, and to show him His love.

And as Stuart taught—the only qualification required to do the works of Jesus is that one is a believer on Jesus. That's you, and me—we're believers on Jesus! You can do the works that Jesus did.

𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝟏𝟒:𝟏𝟐

𝟏𝟐 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨; 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨; 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐠𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝟏𝟔:𝟏𝟕,𝟐𝟎

𝟏𝟕 ...𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞...

𝟐𝟎 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧.

𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝟏𝟐:𝟕,𝟖

𝟕 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥.

𝟖 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦; 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭;