Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31
Welcome back to the continuation of the series on the gifts of the spirit. In this edition, I will attempt to explain these gifts and how to identify them in operation. It is possible you are already flowing in this higher dimension of Christian living without knowing it. This teaching is to enable you maximize the fullest benefit of your calling in Christ and take advantage of the ignorance of the devil. Let’s begin this journey by looking at the revelation gifts.
REVELATION GIFTS
WORD OF KNOWLEDGE: The revelation gifts reveal the mind, plans and purposes of God in any given situation. It is an insight into the mind of God by the Spirit of God. The word of knowledge is a word from the Lord about a thing, a situation, an event, etc. Word of knowledge explains the ‘WHAT’ of a matter. It is a word given in revelation of a matter hitherto unknown to the natural mind. This word comes as an auto suggestion, an intuition or a sudden realization which had no prior premeditation or mental preoccupation. This word does not occur to the mind through the natural mental processes; rather it is like a sudden realization or an acquired knowledge without a learning process.
Have you ever had such a sudden awakening or realization which rests a matter which once agitated your mind? Have you ever suddenly found a faint smile on your lips upon a sudden realization of a solution to a debilitating situation? In that case, God through His Spirit has manifested this awesome gift through you without your realization. All you need do right away is to refine it and make it more natural with you. God does not horde these gifts. They are of no use to the inhabitants of heaven. They are given for the profiting of the saints upon the earth. These are part of the tools for our earthly dominion and triumphs over the manipulations from the pit of hell.
WORD OF WISDOM: This is another awesome gift of revelation which explains the ‘HOW’ of a matter. Through this gift, God goes a step beyond the word of knowledge to reveal practical approach to problem solving. This is a process of adding substance to the revealed word.
By this gift, how to deal with any given issue is delivered effortlessly through divine intervention. God is interested in the affairs of man. His involvements with man are to show and enlighten man on how to work the works of God or solve a problem, a riddle, or an enigma. This gift is widely seen in the teaching ministry or counseling departments of churches. Through this gift, men are shown in a thought, words in a situation or words on the pages of relevant or non relevant materials on how to effectively deal with a given issue. This gift is needed desperately in the running of homes, church administrations and organization. Solomon demonstrated this gift when he sat in judgment between two warring parties (See 1st Kings 3:16-27). This gift was also evident in the ministry of Jesus (See John 6:6). It is readily available to anyone who would covet after it.
DISCERNMENT OF SPIRIT: by this gift, you can tell the devil ‘caught ya!’ Ouch!!! Satan hates this gift. The reason is obvious. He loves to operate in stealth. But guess what, you can always discern satanic working, presence or involvement in any given situation by the operation of this gift. Paul discerned a spirit of divination in a lady who gave credence to the gospel he preached (See Acts 16:16-19).
Church leadership and every family head need this gift desperately. This way, leaders are able to discern and disarm satanic opposition and enthrone divine order. Little wonder Jesus referred to Peter as ‘Satan’ when Peter tried to dissuade Him from going to the cross (See Mathew 16:23; Mark 8:33).
Discernment of spirit also discloses the presence and operation of angels. One can tell that God’s angels are all around. Lastly, this gift would often disclose to the beneficiary the thoughts going through another person’s mind when it is necessary. Jesus asked, ‘why do thoughts arise in your hearts…?’ (See Luke 24:38). It is more like reading peoples minds by the Spirit of the Lord. This way, a person is forewarned of impending dangers or plots from opponents or deep seated emotional and spiritual problems in the minds of people around the sphere of their influence.
POWER GIFTS
GIFT OF FAITH: The gift of faith is the operation of faith in the highest dimension. This gift triggers the move of the Spirit for supernatural exploits and creative miracles. This dimension of faith violates all known natural and scientific laws and reasoning at getting things done. It is given to individuals to accelerate their response at receiving from God.
Gospel ministers also are used to demonstrate this gift as a trigger for miracles, Signs and wonders. Perceiving he had faith to be healed, peter said to the lame man, ‘arise, take up your bed and walk’….. (See Acts 14:9-10). The centurion also demonstrated this gift when he asked Jesus to speak the word only and his servant shall be healed (See Matthew 8:8-11). This faith moves mountains and works in consonance with the gifts of miracles and healings. With the power gift, the church can stand as effective witnesses to prove to a dying world that Jesus is Lord. Signs and wonders are cheaply delivered on the pedestal of this gift. It is a must have for gospel witnesses.
GIFT OF MIRACLES: Miracles still happen today. Blind eyes can open, deaf ears unstopped and the lame walk elegantly. Miracles are different from magic in that miracles follow a process and order while magic breaches both. The gifts of miracles demonstrate the power of God in confirmation of the gospel message. Whenever the gospel is preached in truth, God honours his word affirmatively by way of signs and wonders.
This gift was rampant in the ministry of Jesus and the post resurrection ministry of the apostles. It is still available today to demonstrate to the world the Lordship of Jesus.
GIFT OF HEALINGS: The gift of healings is targeted at the curse of infirmity. It is Gods prescription to natural bodily breakdowns and ill-health. Through this gift, the healing of the people from sicknesses and diseases is guaranteed. The process of attaining this laudable feat does not follow any known medical diagnosis or prescription. With this gift in operation, healings just happen.
It is immaterial the causative factors or extent of damage to bodily organs or the nature and circumstances of the disease. What is material is that against all odds, medical science is relegated to the background at the super- imposition of a higher order. This gift is available today.
GIFTS OF UTTERANCE
TONGUES: Speaking in tongues requires the gift of interpretation in order to edify the saints, else the speaker is enjoined to speak to himself and God (See 1st Corinthians 14:28). It involves some form of blabbing which to the natural mind is meaningless.
This blabbing is not learned, but is supernaturally given for the edification of the saint. It’s often a form of message from God in an unintelligible format requiring some decoding. It has been argued by some bible scholars that the gift of tongues is different from the normal speaking in tongues as evidence of baptism with the Holy Spirit. I don’t intend to get into the row but would encourage active participation in the exercise of speaking in tongues (1st Corinthians 14:5a).
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: Tongues require interpretation to confer intelligible meaning to the audience and thus bring edification to the body of Christ. Interpretation of tongues is a gift that delivers the meaning of a message spoken in an unknown tongue. (see 1st Corinthians 14:27-28
It is intended for the edification of the saints until we come to full maturity in Christ.
PROPHECY: The gift of prophecy is given to forth tell and foretell the word of God. This is one of the surest ways God gives direction to His body, the Church. This gift unveils the mind of God in a clear unmistaken manner thereby bringing edification, comfort and exhortation to the church (See 1st Corinthians 14:3). It is different from the administrative gift of prophecy, one of the five-fold ministry gifts to the body of Christ. Through the gift of prophecy, we would know the perfect will of God in all given situation. This gift is desirable and highly recommended for individual growth and corporate edification of the body of Christ (1st Corinthians 14:5).
This is not the exhaustive study of the gifts of the Spirit, but it is intended to guide you in your quest for spiritual relevance and productivity. In our concluding part, we shall examine the various ways of accessing these gifts and the various spiritual preparations to undertake in order to be used of God.
Tips: The links in parenthesis are carefully selected areas of life to assist you with tested and proven information on how to handle different issues of life. Clink on those links for access to a wealth of information. Stay on my blog. Thanks for dropping by. Visit again.
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