THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
(Dock Caton (07/01/1975)
Introduction
When a person is born into the world by natural and physical birth, he immediately begins a growth process. Soon, he realizes that he possesses some natural talent or ability. For example, the artist can easily see a picture in his mind and put it in the form of a beautiful picture on canvas. Some people can sit down at a piano, and music flows easily and beautifully, with very little effort. The same could be said for the guitarist or violinist. Some are inclined mechanically or scientifically and can create majestic works with their minds or hands. Everyone possesses a natural talent or ability.
Likewise, an individual possesses a spiritual ability or talent at the new birth, or second birth. There are various scriptures in the Bible dedicated to the gifts of the spirit. The three major passages would be I Corinthians 12, Romans 12:1-8 and Ephesians 4:1-16. These scriptures form the basis of this particular study. It would be very useful to read these portions very carefully.
The larger part of the Epistles makes no reference to the gifts. Basically these deal with sound doctrine and Holy living. But, when they do touch on the gifts, they teach one how to regulate, to prove, to recognize, and execute the gift.
The gifts were given to the Church, the body of Christ; Christ being the head and the Christians are the individual members of the body.
And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything. Col. 1:18
The church is a living organism, not only an organization. It is a supernatural body, and had a miraculous birth. It is universal in scope, and has a wide variety of members, which are united by the Holy Spirit. It has many manifestations. It cannot die, because Christ as the head lives forever.
I am the Living One. I was dead. But look! I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Hell. Revelation 1:18
It's members by faith, also will live forever.
And those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:26
Therefore we know the church cannot die. Since it is a body, it is made up of many parts or members. Each member is placed in the body supernaturally. That is to say, that each member receives new birth or is born a second time.
3 Jesus replied, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can see God's kingdom without being born again." 4 "How can I be born when I am old?" Nicodemus asked. "I can't go back inside my mother! I can't be born a second time!" 5 Jesus answered, "What I'm about to tell you is true. No one can enter God's kingdom without being born through water and the Holy Spirit. 6 People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised when I say, 'You must all be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born through the Spirit."
John 3:3-8
Each individual member in the body has his own particular function.
4 Each of us has one body with many parts. And the parts do not all have the same purpose. Romans 12:4
We must recognize ourselves as a member of a physical body such as the eye, the nose, the mouth, hand, leg, foot etc. and that just as each of these parts of the body have their particular function, so does the church, the body of Christ will have members with a particular function. It is also important to realize that it takes all of the parts of the body to function properly.
Therefore all the members in the body of Christ must work together as a unit to maintain the proper function of the Church.
12 There is one body. But it has many parts. Even though it has many parts, they make up one body. It is the same with Christ. 13. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit into one body. It didn't matter whether we were Jews or Greeks, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. 14 The body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. 15 Suppose the foot says, "I am not a hand. So I don't belong to the body." It is still part of the body. 16 And suppose the ear says, "I am not an eye. So I don't belong to the body." It is still part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18 God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19 If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 20 As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. 21 The eye can't say to the hand, "I don't need you!" The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can't do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren't shown. But they are treated with special care. 24 The parts that can be shown don't need special care. 25 In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy. 27 You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. I cor.12:12-27
Our eyes may do a great job of spotting a beautiful red apple, but what would happen if the eyes were alone? There would be no hand to grasp it, no nose to smell it, nor mouth to encase it, nor teeth to bite it, nor tongue to move it properly in the mouth, nor throat to swallow it, nor stomach to digest it etc. If I cut off my hand and place it in a chair, it still would be my hand but it would not be worth very much, because it would not be united to the bone and cartilage, and even more important it would not be connected to the life flowing substance, the blood. The eye cannot say to the body, I have no need of you, and neither can a person within the body of Christ say this, because no person possesses all the gifts.
EXERCISING THE BODY
For a body to grow properly, it must be fed properly and get plenty of exercise. The Feeding comes from reading the Word, and exercising comes by putting our gifts into action. If your body becomes soft and out of shape, it does no good to ask someone to exercise for you. For the physical body to grow properly, it must get exercise, and the same goes for the spiritual body. It must be exercised, by using the gifts that God has given to each member.
For this reason, when someone asks you to do a task that requires your specific spiritual gift, you have no excuse, because the Lord tells us He will supply the grace sufficient to fulfill the task that he has called us to do. And we can be sure the Lord will give us no gift, nor any task, above the measure of the grace to complete that task.
But each one of us has received a gift of grace, just as Christ wanted us to have it. Eph.4:7
For those who may claim they possess no spiritual gift, they should take a closer look at I Peter 4:10.
God's gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. I Peter 4:10
Therefore there is no excuse. We all receive a gift at new birth, and this gift is always for the common good of the collective body.
He is the One who gave some the gift to be apostles. He gave some the gift to be prophets. He gave some the gift of preaching the good news. And he gave some the gift to be pastors and teachers. 12 He did it so that they might prepare God's people to serve. If they do, the body of Christ will be built up. 13 That will continue until we all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son. Then we will be grown up in the faith. We will receive everything that Christ has for us. 14 We will no longer be babies in the faith. We won't be like ships tossed around by the waves. We won't be blown here and there by every new teaching. We won't be blown around by the cleverness and tricks of people who try to hide their evil plans. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love. We will grow up into Christ in every way. He is the Head. 16 He makes the whole body grow and build itself up in love. Under the control of Christ, each part of the body does its work. It supports the other parts. In that way, the body is joined and held together. Eph. 4:11-16
DANGERS
The Holy Spirit gives the gifts, and they are necessary for completing the Work in the local church. Therefore if one member is not active with his gift the whole body will suffer or at least be weakened. Every member must realize that his particular gift will be different from everyone else's, and he must have the liberty to use his gift as God directs. Even though some may have the same gift in the body there may be many ways in which it can be manifested. For example, three people in the body may possess a gift of teaching. But keeping in mind the measure of faith and the grace of Christ, one may possess the gift of teaching on a one-on-one basis while another may feel more comfortable with 30 or 40,while yet another may be able to teach effectively with masses of people in the thousands. Because of each individual’s personality make-up, the measure of grace given by God each will be responsible to God only for that which God has given. Perhaps this could be compared to the talents that the Lord gave to the servants. To one, five were given to another three, and another one. Each was responsible for what they had been given. If this could be properly understood, perhaps we would not have such problems with the gifts of the Spirit. This is one of the danger areas of the gifts, although dangers will be discussed at greater depths later, as the individual gifts are unfolded. But suffice it to say here, one man who has great success in what he may be doing, will be tempted to tell everyone else the job has to be done the way he does it. Each will be responsible for what God gives him to do; and each should always give God the complete glory for all that is accomplished through his gift.
God wants us to understand our gift. If we concentrate on our gift following the instructions in Romans 12, we will understand what our gift is. We must also understand the importance of our gift.
What would we think of a son whose father had given a gift, but that son never took the time to sit down and open it. Since the gifts are given for the good of the church, omitting the discovery, or not using them will weaken or do harm to the body; not only to the whole body, but also to individuals within the body. The gifts are a part of the plan of God, and to refuse to use your gift is to refuse the authority and wisdom of God. It is an assault against God and it is to put us in His place.
Controversies
A study of the spiritual gifts can be very controversial. Two extremes must b
e eliminated. One, is, ignoring the subject because there are so many differences. And the other is putting an over emphasis on the gifts as a cure for every infirmity of the church. This writer has to admit he has £ailed in this study at one point one, because he takes the 5th amendment on sign gifts. Some groups in particular put an over emphasis on sign gifts as a work of the Holy Spirit, to the point it has caused pride, and in too many cases caused dissensions. Anything that causes dissensions in the body cannot be of Christ.
IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES
There are some important principles that should be put forth in such a study as this, and the present writer takes not credit for the list that follows. The context has been taken from several writers, but is revised for consistency in the structure of this writing.
1.Be tolerant. Disagreements that come up in many cases only indicate a lack of spiritual maturity and misunderstanding of the scriptures. Remember, proper uses of the gifts will manifest the fruit of the spirit. Avoid a spirit of dogmatism, and do not be too proud to admit there are some areas we do not and cannot understand.
2.Although the writer strongly believes in a difference in natural abilities and gifts of the spirit, do not worry too much about it, especially if you are only beginning in this type of study. Just make sure you use what you have in the right attitude and give God the glory.
3.Watch to keep proper balance of the gifts. Do not be afraid to search out the possibility of mixed gifts, but never put an overemphasis on certain gifts to the exclusion of others.
4.Learn to distinguish between exercises of the gifts in opposition to the use of the gift as a signal of the Holy Spirit as a miraculous sign of salvation as do some Christians.
DIFFERENCE IN FRUIT AND GIFTS
The fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit are not the same. Although this point may be over worked as it creeps out in nearly every book on the gifts of the spirit, it does not take away From its validity. Gifts refer to ministry while fruits relate to the character. No Christian possesses all of the gifts, but some Christians may demonstrate all of the fruit of the spirit at least some of the time. No particular gifts can be expected of all believers, but the fruit of the spirit is expected of all believers. Ideally, one should exercise his gift at the same time fruit is being produced. Maturity in the believer is indicated the more one becomes like Christ, which is seen in the fruit of the spirit rather than the gifts.
NEEDS OF THE BODY
The physical body has three very important necessities. These are food, rest, and exercise. The same can be said of the born-again believer. Many people go to church and obtain a healthy meal from the preaching of the Word of God. This of course is equivalent to the food.
It probably can also be said that the average Christian gets plenty of fellowship within the church. This may be compared to the rest. But the greatest problem most individuals have today is getting plenty of exercise physically and spiritually. Spiritually that of course would be the believer discovering and putting into practice his particular gift. Many churches are made up of only one gift. The pastor serves as preacher, bookkeeper, treasurer, janitor, teacher, counselor, gardener, visitor (at home and hospitals), etc. etc. This list could go on forever. As a result, several other tasks are required, such as warming milk bottles, and feeding immature church members. Who then is to blame? Probably both are at fault, but the pastor should be teaching his flock the gifts of the spirit so that all members of the body will be nourished and develop properly. Perhaps the pastor may be too proud to admit that he is not capable of doing everything. Often one will hear a local preacher say, if I expect to get anything done, I'II have to do it myself. Not only is he illustrating a weakness at this point, but he is also cheating his flock rather than feeding. A side effect to this problem is an early advance to the grave. This is why it is so important that individuals understand their gifts.
In the average church, the body waits on and expects the pastor to exercise for them. This makes as much sense as calling in a professional athlete to do your daily physical exercise. But as it goes, if the pastor does not do enough exercising for us, we fire him and call in another exerciser (pastor). This usually happens every 2 or 3 years, or less in many churches.
How can we expect our churches to grow and be healthy? It is high time we reevaluate the importance of the gifts of the spirit. The united body should not be meeting as a place of evangelism. The body, the church in reality should be meeting to feed the saints for their further perfection. The gifts are to serve the body of Christ.
He did it so that they might prepare God's people to serve. If they do, the body of Christ will be built up.
Eph.4:12
Today, however; we have made the church to become the evangelistic center. This can and should be done on a daily basis by every member of the body through the week, at school, on the job, home visitation etc. and leave the Sunday services for the pastor to feed the flock. As the saints grow, they begin to go out and bring others in. This is what produces Church growth.
WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT?
Before we speak of the gifts and what they are, let us first see what they are not. First of all, they are not natural talents. Secondly, the gift is not a place of service such as leader of a group of young people, or Bible study leader etc.. Thirdly, it is not a method to complete such works as mentioned in number two above.
The spiritual gift is a capacity for development within the body of Christ. A good working definition would be: A spiritual gift is a unique capacity given by the Holy spirit to each believer, for service, in connection with the church, in order that the Church may progress quantitatively, qualitatively, and organically."
All of this is to say that the proper use of the gifts will edify the body of Christ, and assist in the process of perfecting the saints as seen in Eph. 4:12 above.
CONFUSION OF NATURAL TALENTS AND GIFTS
The natural talents come by virtue of being made in the image of God, and this is a feature that gives every human being a unique personality. The gifts of the spirit come only after regeneration or new birth.
Having a natural talent has nothing to do with being a Christian. It is not necessary to be a Christian in order to be able to develop a natural gift, but it is vital to be a Christian to develop a spiritual gift. Many people who have great talents are not even Christians. The natural talent is a natural capacity that can be developed, and the spiritual gift is a spiritual capacity that should be developed within the body of Christ.
No unbeliever possesses a spiritual gift, but every true believer possesses one. It should also be pointed out that spiritual gifts are not dedicated natural talents. There may be relationships between the two, because God may in some cases takes a natural ability in an unbeliever, and transforms it into a spiritual gift when he is converted. But this certainly does not have to be the case and probably in most cases will not be.
All CHRISTIANS POSSESS A GIFT
The gift comes only from the giver, Jesus Christ, and this is important to remember, because many think they do not have a spiritual gift. They try to rationalize by saying they have no natural gift, therefore they have no spiritual gift. They of course are wrong on both counts. Natural talents or capacities exist in every individual, unless physically handicapped, likewise every person at new birth receives a spiritual gift. The problem is that often the gift is never discovered, and therefore never exercised.
For those who think they have no natural talent, it is much more difficult for them to understand their spiritual gift. This may sometimes be only an excuse to avoid a task. However, it may often be true that people attempt jobs, or are called to do certain tasks for which they possess no gift. A good example of this may be soul winning. Often, it is expected that every member must be an active door-to-door soul winner. This will be discussed later in the individual gifts.
WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND HOW MANY ARE THERE?
According to the present writer, the list is not complete, although he has no Biblical data to prove his view. Perhaps many more could be added for today’s generation, because of our life styles, our systems of communications, and church patterns.
Some say there are 12, 14 or 19 because the scripture states this as such, depending on which version you are using. We believe they are numerous, and change along with life styles, customs and cultural aspects as needed for good communication in our Church and society of all ages.
We make an attempt at categorizing the gifts under three headings, and focusing in on a few of them, with no thought in mind as to how many there may be.
There may be many gifts, categorized under these three particular Biblical lists from the three major portions of scripture.
ROMANS 12 I CORINTHIANS EPHESIANS 4:11
prophecy v.6 wisdom v.8 apostles v.11
serving v.7 knowledge v.8 prophets v.11
teaching v.7 faith v.9 evangelismv.11
exhortation v.8 healing v.9 pastors v.11
giving v.8 miracles v.10 teachers v.11
leadership v.8 prophecy v.10
mercy v.8 discerning of
Spirits v.10
Interpretation of
tongues v.10
languages v.10
translations v.10
apostles v.28
prophets v.28
teachers v.28
miracles v.28
healing v.28
helps v.28
directors
(leadership)v.28
It is this writer’s opinion that this list was not meant to be complete, but rather the Holy writers were attempting to show diversities of the gifts, and the possibility for the born again believer to find his position within the body of Christ. The number of gifts listed is not a matter of importance, but rather it is hoped that one will continue to seek out what part he is to play within the body of Christ.
CATEGORIZING THE GIFTS
For simplicity we would like to place the gifts in three separate categories, which are: (a) sign gifts, (b) speaking gifts. (c) serving gifts.
Peter gives a complete synopsis of the gifts. Here again we see that every born again believer possesses a gift. Peter says:
God's gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully If you speak as you should do it like one speaking God's very words. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Give him the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. First Peter 4:10,11
This teaches us we should minister to others as good administrators (stewards) of the manifold grace of God. That is to say that the exercise of the gift is not for your benefit, but for the benefit of others in the body. In the following verse, it says if one speaks (speaking gifts indicated) let him speak as the oracles of God. That is, God will be speaking to man through the gifts of men. If one ministers, (serving gifts indicated) let him do it with the ability (or gifts) which God gives, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
Above we have seen the speaking and serving gifts, but Paul also dealt with sign gifts, because this was one of the problems in the Corinthian Church. There are four sign gifts mentioned which are tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles and healing. Some Christians today believe these gifts were only signals for the Jews and do not exist today. Some say that tongues refers only to languages, while others practice the use of tongues as ecstatic utterances and as a signal of the existence of the Holy Spirit in them, and evidence or proof of their salvation.
This writer cannot accept this third possibility, as he can find no scripture to support any such idea. But because it is so complicated, and because of such wide and varied opinions we chose not to not to deal with what is referred to as the sign gifts in this study. The writer feels that even if he is mistaken in his personal views on these four gifts, that their are plenty of gifts that are not being used, that should be exercised without arguing over the sign gifts. He further believes that much fruit is falling to the ground and going to waste because of too much time being spent in arguments over points that perhaps we will never understand and maybe were not meant to understand. Of the rest, which were mentioned, there are five speaking gifts, and five serving gifts. The remaining part of this work will be mainly dedicated to observing only a few gifts in these two areas.
METHODS OF OTHER WRITERS
Before getting into the study of individual gifts perhaps something should be said about the different systems used today for discovering and understanding ones gift. Up until about ten years ago, one could not find any material on the gifts of the spirit. Today however, books are rolling off the presses in great quantities. Some are worthwhile, and others only add confusion. It seems various writers have their own particular system of how to discover your gift. Perhaps there is too much simplicity brought forth in some books while others make it too complicated to actually understand what God expects of them.
Different personalities may find it comfortable to follow, the procedures of one writer while another person may feel at ease with another system. In the end the most important thing is that we find exactly what God would have us to do. If one can feel at ease using his gift, he will create a better relationship with those in his local body, and will not covet, or be prejudiced of his neighbor’s gift. Therefore, whatever writer he may follow, or whatever system he may use is all right, as long as he is prayerfully and humbly seeking the complete will of God for his life. Some writers today are classifying the gifts into three groups called motivational gifts, ministry gifts, and manifestation gifts. Bill Gothard was apparently the originator of this idea, and he has produced some good writings on the gifts of the Spirit. This system may be a bit complicated for the average Church member, especially if he has not had the opportunity to sit under Mr. Gothard’s teachings.
Dr. Earl Radmacher has a particular system, which he teaches that is an excellent synopsis of the gifts. Many other writers could be mentioned, for example, Peter Wagner, Ray Stedman, Bobby Clinton, Kenneth Gangel and others. The present writer has put together what he considers to be the best of all of these, along with some of his own ideas, trusting the Holy spirit will use it to help some who are searching for a deeper understanding of the gifts. A few paragraphs are dedicated to the task of helping one to find his gift, at the end of this study.
INDIVIDUAL GIFTS
In this particular study, the first category mentioned will be the speaking gifts. In this group, the first gift is prophecy, found in Romans 12 verse 6. We could explain this as the desire to reveal false motives and perverse actions through a sound presentation of the Gospel. It is the proclaiming of the wisdom of God, or the special ability that God gives to certain members of His body to receive and communicate an immediate message of God to His people through divinely anointed utterance. In the Old Testament, the word prophecy derived from the Hebrew word, (naba), which meant to prophesy, to speak or sing by inspiration. In the Greek, it is (profatas) which means an inspired speaker by the Holy Spirit. God still wants to communicate to man today.
Possibly for today we could say that the prophet is the one that proclaims the Word of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He that possesses this gift will be persuasive in his speaking. He will bring light that causes unbelievers to fall at the feet of Jesus, and will give a word that will encourage the saved to continue in the right direction.
But suppose unbelievers or visitors come in while everyone is prophesying. They will be convinced by all that they are sinners and will be judged by all. The secrets of their hearts will be brought out into the open. They will fall down and worship God. They will exclaim, "God is really here among you!" I Corinthians 14;24,5
He who has the gift of prophecy must have love without hypocrisy. There are dangers that anyone possessing this gift must be alerted to. The prophet must be careful of pride in his ability of persuading people. He also must watch as to keep his ability to speak in tune with the Holy Spirit, because after all it is the Holy Spirit, which persuades, and not the individual. Often the man with this gift tends to see people as groups, instead of individuals with personal needs. Therefore he must be aware of meeting the everyday practical needs of the people as well as facing his regular church group.
It also must be kept in mind, that those with this gift receive personal inspiration as to God's purpose in concrete situations. But it must also be remembered that man can err. Therefore he must be open to correction from the rest of the body, if the body is to function properly. The person who truly possesses this gift is willing to receive this kind of discipline. They should desire their words to be tested, and will admit when they are wrong or have erred. This is not a popular idea of the pastorate today, as many tend to feel they have the final word in everything. But the Word of God, first of all, should confirm what they say then by the body as a whole. The rest of the body who benefits from this gift can expect comfort, guidance, warning, encouragement, admonition, judgment and edification.
Once the body confirms the gift, the person with the gift will have won the respect of his followers, and his words will be received with confidence. This does not mean however, that his gift is of any more importance than anyone else's in the body.
THE GIFT OF TEACHING
Though not in the order of the list given in Romans 12, another speaking gift is that of teaching. As prophecy is mentioned in all three of the previous lists given, likewise is teaching. It is mentioned in Romans 12:7; 1st Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11.
Teaching is a correlative gift of prophecy. The word for teacher as used in I Corinthians 12:28 comes from the Greek word (didaskalous), meaning teacher or (didasko), teach. Perhaps this particular gift includes more methodology and is not only limited to men ordained of God. This is about the only real difference that the writer can conclude as teaching being different from prophecy. This gift is the special ability that God gives to certain members to communicate relevant information from His Word for the health of the body in such a way that they are able to learn the eternal truths of the Gospel. The teacher truly gifted by God will be a person hungry for the Word of God. He will study constantly, feasting from it's riches, adoring it's beauties and awed by it's perfection. He will realize the necessity for others to learn the word, and will have a burning zeal to share it's treasure with others.
The gift of teaching comes in many varieties. Some have the gift of communicating with or teaching children. Some are gifted to teach on a one-to-one basis, as Paul to Timothy, or Aquila and Priscilla with Apollos, according to Acts.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Priscilla and Aquila heard him. So they invited him to their home. There they gave him a better understanding of the way of God. Acts 18:26
Some may be comfortable in teaching 30 or 40 while others can teach in large multitudes or seminars where there may be thousands. Some are capable of teaching only lay people while others are at ease with professional people. There are those who can teach with what they write. Some teach through the use of the pulpit, and even today some methods of teaching are through music, drama and media.
Generally speaking, the gift of teaching is a gift that requires much time. It is different in this respect of some of the other gifts. Usually one has to spend much time in study and preparation, and search desperately for illustrations to make the material more interesting.
Teachers may spend many hours in preparing visual, audio projections etc., to put more emphasis in key ideas. But hours of work will not matter to them, they enjoy it. Anyway, we need to learn to give a tenth of our time, whatever our gift may be just as we give one tenth of our money.
True teachers are patient with their students or audience. They will create an atmosphere in the classroom in which the students feel comfortable in asking questions without feeling ridiculous in front of everyone else. True teachers will not feel threatened or defensive in the face of criticism to their theory or idea.
An idea that is not discussed too much today is the possibility of combination gifts. For example, we find in Ephesians 4:11 the combination of pastor-teacher. Of course this may be up for discussion, depending on the true translation. Some would say this speaks of two distinct gifts, while others say it is a mixture. This writer believes there may be a wide variety or mixtures and combinations of gifts.
It might be said that you could mix the gift of knowledge (or word of knowledge) with the gift of teaching and come up with a special gift of writing, or those who research the Hebrew and the Greek for the preparation of their classes. Teachers of Bible school, institutes and seminaries may fit in this category.
What ever may be said of the gift of teaching, in the presence of the true teacher, students will learn.
A side advantage, but of very much importance is when one truly understands and exercises his gifts, it will make for more harmony within the body, and the possibilities become much less of one being envious of his neighbors gift.
THE GIFT OF EXHORTATION
The third speaking gift mentioned in Romans chapter 12 verse 8 is that of exhortation. W.E. Vine states that the Word for exhortation (paraklasei) is the word most closely translated as comforter, one who comes along beside of. Today the English word “paraclete” is used for this meaning.
A comforter is not one who pounces upon you but rather one who is by your side to give help or comfort in a real time of need.
This gift is possessed by the believer who knows how to say the right thing at just the right time. He may be a good counselor. Paul might not have been a very good counselor, or at least he didn't prove to be in his decision made of the use of John Mark. At this point Barnabas used the gift of wise counseling and exhortation and picked up John Mark after Paul dropped him. Paul pushed forward and perhaps used the gift of evangelism as he continued on his journey. Later Paul agreed that John Mark was profitable for God's service, but it was only because someone was willing to use the gift that God had given in exhorting John Mark. The overall body was blessed by the use or exercising of both gifts. It will continue to be so when God's servants today recognize what God would have them to do.
Exhortation is a special ability that is given to certain members of the body in a way that they feel they have been helped. It meets the need of a particular person at a particular time, as was the above-mentioned case of John Mark.
Another example of Barnabas seeming gift of exhortation was displayed when he took Paul under his wing when everyone else was skeptical of his conversion. Barnabas was known as the son of consolation. (Acts 4:36)
Had it not been for this particular gift of Barnabas, we might not have half of the New Testament. Barnabas never wrote a scripture, but the two people whom he helped did. Paul wrote thirteen Epistles and Mark wrote the Gospel bearing his name.
One problem area that the person with the gift of exhortation must watch is that of spending too much time with those who want only temporary relief. He may also be discouraged at times with seemingly very little progress. As is true of all the gifts, he must be careful of pride, or boasting of personal results. Pride tends to be the biggest problem area of all the gifts.
THE GIFT OF WISDOM
Continuing with the speaking gifts we next look at the gift of wisdom mentioned in I Corinthians 12:8. For the person possessing this particular gift, he is able to take the different materials that others have put together or mined from the Word of God and has tremendous insight into application of the life in which we live. They may have very little real ability in the study of the Bible, but once somebody has put the pieces all together for them, they have exceptional insights and ability to give it to people in a way that it makes practical sense. It may be that the difference in this gift, and the gift of knowledge is that the person with knowledge researches and writes the material, while the one with wisdom puts the material to practical use.
The person with the gift of wisdom knows how to get to the heart of a problem quickly. He or she has a practical mind and is a problem solver. They will probably have little difficulty in making decisions because they can predict with a high degree of accuracy what the outcome of the decision will be. When a person with the gift of wisdom speaks, other members of the body recognize that truth has been spoken and the right course of action recommended. He may be compared to the medical researcher who gets new insights into physiology, genetics, or vaccines. The person with wisdom is like the physician who has the ability to diagnose the patients problem and apply the resources of medical science to that particular case.
Therefore a definition for the gift of wisdom may be: A person who can know the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit, in such a way as to receive insight into how given knowledge may be best applied to specific needs which arise in the body. It is taken from the Greek word (sophos), which means divine enlightenment or prudence.
THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
The last speaking gift is found in I Corinthians 12:8. It is the gift of knowledge. Knowledge is solid, factual information. It is light and truth revealed in an orderly fashion. One who possesses this gift may be able to collect information while as has been previously stated; someone else may come along with the gift of wisdom and put that information into practical everyday use.
Knowledge may be likened to a good set of tools. The better the tools one has, the more prepared he is to work. Wisdom might be compared to the skill necessary to use those tools. Here again, we can see a possibility of mixed gifts. A teacher may have the gift of knowledge, which helps him in preparing his materials to be taught. He will be extra blessed if he also possesses the gift of wisdom to teach his message in a practical way. Lack of the gift of knowledge, or the Word of Knowledge is what leaves so many Christians open to Satan's attacks and deceptions. One may be easily deceived by false teachings so prevalent on every hand.
We must remember that natural ability to obtain knowledge can exist but without the God imparted ability to share knowledge the informed man is a sealed well, a tree which cannot yield fruit. It takes more than just presenting facts before eyes and ears of prospective hearers to get across truths to them. Before one can assimilate knowledge from God, a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit must take place. This of course is the difference in the natural and the spiritual gift.
Sometimes a person with just a few words, a question, or perhaps an illustration may present an overwhelming truth, which cannot be accounted for in the realm of the natural. Perhaps you may have run into someone who could make a short statement, ask a question, or give an illustration, and such light would suddenly fill your soul so that you would have material to study and think on for months. This might be an illustration of how the person with the gift of Knowledge operates, or the degree of grace, which God has given him. Another with the same gift, but with a different degree may be able to gather facts and put down information in the form of a book. While yet another with the gift of knowledge and wisdom mixed, may be able to put the information to practical use.
Several authors of contemporary books undoubtedly possess this gift. Men such as A.W. Tozer, Watchman Nee, John White, and many others possess this gift. They seem to have the ability to write or speak in such a way that has an astounding effect upon thousands of Christians.
Pure scholars, those with the gift of knowledge, but who lack the gift of wisdom, have vast amounts of knowledge. They have ability to figure out intricate relationships between ideas. They can easily solve intellectual problems, but may have little feeling for the needs of people. Scholar-teachers or those with a gift of knowledge and teaching know how to use body language, how to vary the voice, how to make and use visuals etc.. They know how to stimulate and guide discussions. They know when to cut off at the right moment.
Since knowledge has to do with discovery of truth, often the person with the gift of knowledge may need much time to himself to think, and to develop his ideas. He may have very little heart for being around people. He is a lead learner, and is expected to discover truths first and originate new ideas. He is eager to learn and has a long attention span. Perhaps Bible translators have this degree of grace to carry out their work, because they don't seem to need individuals around them.
In conclusion, because the text says a Word of knowledge, the Greek usage for this gift is two words. (logos gnoseos) and is sometimes translated Word of Knowledge, or it may be translated the ability to communicate with knowledge. A final definition then is: an ability that God gives to some members of the body to discover, accumulate, analyze, and classify information and ideas pertaining to the growth and well being of the body of Christ.
THE SERVING GIFTS
After having looked in depth at the speaking gifts a lesser amount of time will be given to the serving gifts, which include giving, ruling, governing or leadership, mercy faith and helps. A close look will be taken at one of the serving gifts, which carries a very unique place within the body, though it is of no more significance than any of the others. That is the gift of giving. A larger emphasis is placed on this gift, because it should be understood that every believer has the responsibility to give to the body of Christ, even though he may not possess the gift of giving.
Giving is the first of the serving gifts to be mentioned. In the eyes of the writer, no Christian is making any contribution to the body, until he is giving a minimum of one tenth of his income to that particular body in which he is a member. Giving less is to engage in spiritual cheating. There are some faithful believers who have a very special ability to give far and above a tenth of their income. It seems that everything they touch turns to gold. They know how to invest wisely, they know the money market, and the Lord blesses them in a special way as they give more than their share. Some have been noted to live off of their 10% and give 90% to the Church. This seems to be a very special type of gift. These people do not ask how much money do I give to God, but rather how much of God's money do I keep?
A good definition of giving is the desire and ability to use temporal possessions for the highest good of man and the greater glory of God. It is that special endowment granted to some members of the body of Christ to contribute their material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality and cheerfulness over and above that which is required.
But when we speak of giving, not only do we speak of material blessings but rather one also must consider his time. Just as God requires one tenth of our money, He also requires an equal amount of our time. This time may be given to the body in manifestation of prayer, Church visitation, physical labors, assisting leaders of the body, or any other number of ways one may be of service to his local body. Just as some give over and above of their money, some may give more than there share of time. This too, could be included in the gift of giving. These believers always find joy in what they give.
The Greek word, (metadidomi) used here means to give, to share or to impart. The basic root is preceded by the preposition (meta), which means sharing with.
In reference to giving our time, one often hears the statement; I just don't have enough time. What they are really saying is what I am doing is more important than giving my time for a worthy cause. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. And Colossians 4:5 tells us that we are to redeem the time. God gives each of us a 24-hour day. If we dedicate that time to His care, we will find there is always plenty of time for the completion of our necessary work, and still give a great share to Him.
A lesser amount of time will be dedicated to the other serving gifts, because it is believed by the writer that just the name of the gifts themselves will give insights to their meaning. For example ruling, governing or leadership may be understood as those who are in charge of administration of the Church. They might also be known as deacons or elders, which brings up a whole new area of study for another time.
Leaders in the Church might also administrate gifts of mercy and faith. For example, one with the gift of mercy may be found ministering long hours in hospitals or with those in great need, walking beside them to bring them comfort in times of specific needs. One with the gift of faith may be able to spend much time in prayer and meditation for the flock and for special needs. And of course, the gift of helps, could be seen in almost any need of the body. One with this gift may be used in any ministry, just coming along beside another, helping him in numerous ways for the betterment of the flock and for God's Glory.
This study is not meant to give theological views in depth, but is designed so the average laymen can capture good insights into the gifts, and hopefully be able to assist one as he or she seeks out God's will in the use and discovery of his gifts.
A gifts inventory will be offered at request, and / or one may go on line to seek out a guide to help in this discovery.
So for lack of time and space, we will not go into detail with the serving gifts. It should be repeated however, and clearly understood that none of the gifts carry more importance than the other. All have equal importance and meaning in Gods eyes. A few have been pointed out here for study purposes. It is our desire that God will use this little study in helping you advance His kingdom as you discover and use your spiritual gift.
Dock Caton
This post on the gifts of the spirit is a study which was written in 1975, in Spain. The quality of print is inferior, in places, because it was written originally written by typewriters then scanned and and copied and placed through several different kinds of software over the years. Not all of it could not be transferred into microsoft word. It is quite readable, and several have requested that it be place on the blog. So here it is with hope that God will use it to bless someone along the path to Christian growth.
ReplyDeleteDock Caton 08/10/11