Lesson
9
The
Gifts of the Spirit
I. The Gifts of
the Spirit
The outpouring of
God's Spirit molded together a spiritual body (group of believers) scripturally
defined as the "church," (Ephesians 1:22-23). Supernatural manifestations
of the Spirit occurred, commonly referred to as the "gifts of the
Spirit." By "supernatural," it is meant that which cannot be
explained or understood by human reasoning and is not
restricted to "natural laws." No one should ever limit the power of
God to work only through those things that the natural man understands, for He
hath declared: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah
55:8-9). The Apostle Paul, before teaching the Corinthians about the use of
spiritual gifts, reminded them in I Corinthians 2:11 that: "The things
(ways and thoughts) of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." This is
not to say that man cannot learn the things of God, but rather that they are
not perceived by worldly wisdom. Human reasoning is unable to digest spiritual
truth.
A. The Gifts Are to
Profit the Church
The spiritual gifts
are given by God to His church to profit the church and its members. "But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (I
Corinthians 12:7). There are those today who contend that the gifts are no
longer property of the church to be experienced. But there appears nothing in
the Scriptures nor in the course of history to show when any of the gifts were
withdrawn. The body of man has many members (hands, fingers, eyes, ears, etc.)
So also is the body of Christ. There are many members of one body and all are
important. Some may be more evident than others, but all are needed.
1. The Difference
Between the Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
The gifts of the
Spirit are not to be confused with the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the
Spirit is spiritual grace in the character of the believer. All aspects of the
fruit are to be possessed by every believer for use all the time. On the other
hand, the gifts of the Spirit are divine enablements used in directing and
blessing the church.
2. Great Care in
Their Operation
There must be great
care taken in the operation of the spiritual gifts. The Corinthian church had
'gone to seed" on some of the more "spectacular" gifts. Paul was
writing the Corinthians to give them instructions on the regulations of the spiritual
gifts in the church. (See I Corinthians 14.)
B. The Nine Gifts
of the Spirit
"Now concerning
spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (I Corinthians
12:1). The gifts are placed in
three distinct categories as follows:
1. The Gifts that
Give Power to "Know" Supernaturally
a. Word
of Wisdom
Natural wisdom
according to the dictionary is the ability to apply possessed knowledge and
experience. The "Word of Wisdom" and the "Word of
Knowledge" are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit and exist on a
plane infinitely above their natural and human counterparts. The "Word of
Wisdom" has no more relationship to natural wisdom than the "Word of
Knowledge" has to natural knowledge. The "Word of Wisdom" is
supernatural and is not associated with the wisdom of this world. There could
be times that the answer we need will not come by man's wisdom, but we will need a specific
"Word of Wisdom" given by the Spirit a particular time for a
particular situation.
It is the gift of the
"Word of Wisdom," and implies a spoken utterance through a direct
operation of the Holy Spirit at a given moment, rather than an abiding deposit
of supernatural wisdom. The normal life of the church provides a constant need
for wise leadership. Problems will occur, and delicate situations arise among
the most spiritual believers.
EXAMPLES:
- The way the apostles dealt with the problem of the
daily ministration to widows in Acts 6:1-7.
- Jesus dealing with the question of the baptism of
John (Matthew 21:23-27).
- The question about paying tribute to Caesar (Matthew
22:15-22).
The "Word of
Wisdom" is therefore the supernatural revelation, by the Spirit, of Divine
purpose: the supernatural declaration of the mind and will of God, the
supernatural unfolding of His plans and purposes concerning things, places
people, individuals, communities and even nations.
b. Word
of Knowledge
Every Christian must
endeavor to grow in "grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord." II
Peter 3:18 The Bible does not state "gift of knowledge," but rather
it states "Word of Knowledge." All knowledge is ultimately with the
Lord," in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"
(Colossians 2:3). It is therefore a reasonable thing to believe that the Holy
Spirit can impart a manifestation of any part of the divine
"all-knowledge" at any time, as He wilL An unction of the Spirit can
impart to someone the "Word of Knowledge" which would be facts from
God about people, places, things and even events which a person could not
possibly know unless God revealed them to him.
EXAMPLE:
Peter and Ananias and
Sapphira. (Acts 5:1-10)
c.
Discerning of Spirits
The Bible does not
state that there is a "gift of discernment," but rather it states
"discerning of Spirits." I John 4:1 admonishes us to ". . . believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God...." This
gift is placed in the church so that there will be means to detect what is true
and what is false. The gift of "discerning of spirits" is not only
defensive; it can also be offensive in the sense that once an evil spirit is
detected as operating through some human channel, that channel can then be
delivered through the power of the name of Jesus Christ.
EXAMPLES:
- Peters denunciation
of Simon the sorcerer was based upon discernment of the spirit of his heart
(Acts 8:23)
- Paul rebuked a
spirit posssessing a girl at Philippi (Acts 16:16-18).
2. The Gifts That
Give Power to "Act" Supernaturally
a. Faith
The spiritual gift of
Faith is to be distinguished from that ordinary faith without which it is
impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6). Saving faith is a gift of God
(Ephesians 2:8) but this is not the spiritual gift of Faith referred to in I
Corinthians 12:9. There is a faith that comes by the hearing of the Word of God
(Romans 10:17) but the gift of Faith comes by the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7,9,
11). The gift of "Faith" is a measure of faith above that faith which
all of us have as children of God. It is a special Faith quickened to us by the
Spirit, as are the other Gifts of the Spirit. The Gift of Faith surpasses all
reason, looks impossibilities in the face and turns them into miracles. Acts
3:4, 16. There could be a time in life that one could believe God for just
about anything. Act upon that faith and rejoice in what God does through that
faith.
b.
Working of Miracles
The New Testament
records that miracles took place such as:
- Dorcas raised to
life. Acts 9:40. B. Eutychus raised to life (Acts 20:10).
- At Ephesus, God
wrought special miracles (Acts 19:11-12).
The working of
miracles is a Gift of the Spirit in which supernatural power is released by God
through a person's life to effect an immediate supernatural healing or
happening.
c.
Gifts of healing
These special
"gifts of healing" though given only to certain individuals, do not
preclude all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ from laying hands upon the sick
for their recovering (Mark 16:18), or all elders in the church from anointing
with oil for healing (James 5:14). Such ministries are not dependent upon possessing
any spiritual gift of healing. When the "Gifts of Healing" are in
operation and hands are laid upon the sick, God can remove the cause of disease
or affliction and healing ensue.
3. The Gifts that
Give Power to "Speak" Supernaturally
a.
Prophecy
Prophecy can be
divided into two parts: Forthtelling and Foretelling. We must remember that
prophecy will always be in harmony with God's Word. Prophecy will never replace
the Bible or diminish its worth. The prophecy must always agree with the Bible.
A prophet can prophecy but because a person uses the gift of prophecy does not
make that person a prophet (Ephesians 4:11-13). The Gift of Prophecy is to
bring edification, exhortation and comfort to the church (I Corinthians 14:3,
5) "Prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which
believe" (I Corinthians 14:22).
b.
Tongues
There are different
ways in which speaking with tongues is used in the Scripture.
- Initial evidence when receiving the baptism of the
Holy Ghost. Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:6.
- Speaking to God in prayer. I Corinthians 14:2, 14,
15; I Corinthians 14:4 "he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth
himself." The believer can speak in tongues in private devotion and there
is no need for an interpretation.
- Addressing the church, coupled with interpretation I
Corinthians 14:13-27.
- Interpretation of tongues—Notice that the Bible
says "interpretation" and not translation of tongues.
When a
person is used in bringing a message to the church through the "gift of
tongues" there should be the gift of the "Interpretation of
tongues" present in order to edify. I Corinthians 14:13 "Wherefore
let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret." A
person must seek to excel to the edifying of the church. I Corinthians 14:12.
If there is no interpreter present, the one speaking in the unknown tongue
should keep silence in the church. I Corinthians 14:28. All the gifts of the
Spirit should be under the control of the pastor. What a blessing the gifts, under
proper direction, can be in the local church. The pastor should always have the
oversight in the final judging of the operation of the gifts. (See I
Corinthians 14:29, 33.) It is important (Verse 29) that there be some present
who are capable of judging the operation of the Spirit.