Gifts of the Holy Spirit

This past Sunday, part of the sermon on the Body of Christ was about using one’s spiritual gifts to build up the Body of Christ.  It was really beyond the scope of that sermon to address the spiritual gifts themselves, but I thought it might be a good idea to at least touch on them in this week’s Pastor’s Blog.

One of the biggest misconceptions about spiritual gifts – at least in my opinion – is that there are only a specific set of gifts given by the Spirit of God.  This comes from a very finite and limited understanding of how God works, and just to be frank about it, that kind of thinking puts God in a man-made box.  If you tried to Google “gifts of the Holy Spirit” you would find articles such as the “Holy Spirit’s Seven Gifts” or “Nine Gifts of the Spirit” or similar such titles.  Ironically, if you were to limit the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the one’s listed in scripture (Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 27-28), there are actually 18 of them.   However, just because there are a limited set of gifts mentioned in the New Testament, that does not mean those are the only gifts of the Spirit.  When you read the various scriptures talking about the gifts of the Spirit, you see that the whole purpose of the gifts is to give us everything we need to function as the Body of Christ.  Certainly it is possible that God could only provide a limited set of gifts, but I tend to take 2 Peter 1:3 to heart when it says that "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."  In my humble opinion, that means whatever it is we need to function as both individual believers and as a church, the Holy Spirit will provide for that need.  That sounds a bit more open-ended to me and gives me great comfort in the knowledge that God will make a way regardless of the need.

Nevertheless, we tend to think of the spiritual gifts in terms of those mentioned in scripture, and I do believe that God gives every believer at least one of these specifically listed gifts.  Therefore, let’s take a moment to discuss all 18 of them.  As a cautionary note, there is a lot of debate among biblical scholars regarding the true definition and use of these gifts.  The discussion I am providing below may not necessarily represent a universal agreement concerning those gifts, but it is how I personally view them.

Wisdom – the ability to make decisions and give counsel regarding the will of God and to apply scripture in everyday situations.  Wisdom is a very practical gift.  A person with the gift of wisdom very often also has either the gift of knowledge or the gift of either teaching or prophecy so that they may be used together.  However, even when they do not, the person with the gift of wisdom can work in tandem with others to help plot a wise course of action for the Body of Christ.   A person with the gift of wisdom is someone you want to have around when you need to answer the question “What should we do about ______?”

Knowledge – the ability to easily know and understand difficult spiritual, biblical, and theological concepts.  Usually, people with this gift are fairly easy to spot.  People with the gift of knowledge just seem to know and understand the Bible better than the rest of us. But it is not just the Bible.  They also have the ability to know and understand deep theological concepts and spiritual situations.  A person with the gift of knowledge is someone you want to have around when you need to answer the question “What does the Bible say about __________?”

Faith – the ability to trust God (and encourage others to trust God) not only in everyday situations, but even in difficult situations.  A person with the gift of faith doesn’t just know and understand that God is Able and God will Provide – they live and breathe it every day.  When others waiver or begin to question God, the person with the gift of faith remains strong.   A person with the gift of faith is someone you need to help encourage the church to make decisions that you know to be God’s will but which otherwise seem difficult – and to help the church stay true to that course of action once it has been decided – even when it seems like that course of action may fail.

Healing – the ability to pray for and receive supernatural healing on behalf of others.  Many believe this gift has ceased.  Many think this gift – along with the gift of miracles - was only used during the early church as a sign of the power of the gospel.  In its place, God has gifted men with the common grace of modern medicine.  I will be an honest Pastor here and tell you I personally struggle.  I don’t have the wisdom to say for certainty that this gift has ceased because I know with absolute certainty that God is still in the business of miraculous healing.  This is especially true in third world countries where modern medicine is not as readily accessible.  However, even in first world countries, we see people every day that are healed in such a way that even the doctors describe it as miraculous.  I personally have had such an experience (a story for another day).  However, what I have not seen in the modern church is someone who can heal at will.  I have seen those who claim to be able to do so, but they all seem to me to be charlatans.   So I remain agnostic about whether the spiritual gift of healing is active today, while I remain absolute in my believe that God supernaturally heals every single day.

Miracles – the ability to perform supernatural signs and wonders.  This one falls in the same category as healing.  The gift itself most certainly existed in the first century as a sign of the power of the gospel, and I am most certain that God is in the miracle business even today.  If you do not believe this, may I suggest to you that you read C.S. Lewis’ book, Miracles.  However, I am uncertain whether this particular spiritual gift is still in existence today.  If you think you have this gift, would you let me know? 

Prophecy – the ability to proclaim the message and the word of God.  There is much debate about what this gift really means.  Some believe it specifically means the ability to divinely foretell future events.  Certainly that was part of the job of the Old (and New) Testament prophets.  If you believe this is what the gift of prophecy means, then you probably also believe this gift has ceased.  Others, however (and I fall in this camp), believe that foretelling the future was only a sidebar to the real purpose of the prophet, which was to proclaim the message of God.  The prophet has the ability understand the message God has for his people at any particular moment and to proclaim that message – usually calling for repentance – in such a way that is clear and unmistakable to the people.

Discernment (of Spirits) – the ability to discern whether a circumstance, a person, or a message are from God.  Scripture calls us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1) to see if they are from God, and the person with discernment is gifted in this regard.  Very often, a person with this gift will be the one who says something like “I can’t explain why, but I just get the impression that _______” (fill in the blank with whatever the circumstance might be). There are many similarities in the use of the gift of discernment and the use of the gift of wisdom.  They both help the church plot a course of action that is in line with God’s will.   However, the person with the gift of discernment can also be useful in helping the body spot false teachers and false prophets.

Tongues – the ability to speak in an unknown tongue.  I could do a whole sermon or blog series just on this topic.  Do they exist or have they ceased?  Are tongues (as some of our close evangelical brothers and sisters believe) a true mark of having received the Holy Spirit?  Honestly, I cannot say that I believe tongues have ceased (yet).  Like prophecies and knowledge, tongues eventually will pass away (see 1 Corinthians 13:8), but that will not happen until our Lord returns.  Rather, I think there may be certain circumstances where such is needed and so the Holy Spirit gifts as appropriate.  However, despite my great love for our Pentecostal brothers and sisters, I cannot read 1 Corinthians 14 and have even a remote acquiescence to the idea that speaking in tongues is a prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit.

Interpretation of Tongues – the ability to interpret someone who has spoken in tongues.  This is a companion gift to the gift of tongues.   Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 14 that any use of the gift of tongues must be accompanied by an interpretation.  He even goes so far as to say in 1 Corinthians 14:28 that if such an interpretation is not available, that the person speaking in tongues should keep quiet.

Service – the ability to see the need for and do whatever it takes to get tasks accomplished.  The Greek word used for “service” is essentially the same word from which we get the word Deacon.  Essentially, it is serving others for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ.  These people are fairly obvious to spot because they are always the ones in the thick of the work whenever things need to get done.

Helps – the ability to see the needs of others and help meet those needs.  There is a great deal of similarity between this gift and the gift of service.  However, the Greek word for “helps” is different than that for service.  Practically, there may be very little difference between them, except that helps tends to be a more personal-oriented in nature whereas service tends to be more task-oriented in nature.  The person with the gift of helps will be the one focusing on meeting the needs of individual whereas the person with the gift of service will be the one focusing on getting work accomplished.

Leadership – the ability to guide the direction of others in the church.  The person with this gift is the one that not only sets the course of action, but inspires others to follow that course of action.  Leadership is very often attributed to the Pastor, but not all Pastors have the gift of leadership.  The person with the gift of leadership is easy to spot, because he/she is the one that everyone is following.   It has been said that the true test of whether someone has the gift of leadership is to see who is following them.  If you think you have the gift of leadership and yet no one is following you, then chances are you really do not have the gift of leadership.

Administration – the ability to guide the work of others in church.  This person with this gift has great organizing skills and can make sure that the work being done stays on course. It is different from the gift of wisdom in that it does not recommend a course of action.  Likewise it is different from the gift of leadership in that it does not inspire and set a course of action to follow.  Rather, it is the gift that is necessary to make sure all the details needed to stay on course are remembered and carried out. 

Teaching – the ability to explain the truths of God in such a way as to make it clear and understandable.  This gift is fairly obvious.  This gift is useful for helping all the believers know and understand the truths of scripture.  However, just because you are a teacher does not mean you have the gift of teaching.   Paul says that all Deacons should be “able to teach” – but not all Deacons have the gift of teaching.  Hopefully, though, all those who do have the gift of teaching have found their way into a classroom.

Exhortation – the ability to encourage others.  We are all commanded to encourage one another, but to some people, this just comes naturally – or rather, supernaturally.  The gift of exhortation (encouragement) has often been attributed to Barnabas and rightly so because his exhortation is what helped get Paul’s ministry going.  These people are just a blessing to be around, because they are always the ones doing the blessing!

Generosity – the ability to provide for the needs of others and the church.  While we are all commanded to give generously, there are those who not only do so with great freedom, but with even greater joy.

Mercy – the ability to empathize with others and so show mercy to them.  This person is often seen as a very emotional person, but that emotion is really a God-given empathy towards the needs and the hurting of others.  It, too, is related to and often confused with the gift of helps, but it is a completely different Greek word and meaning.   Very often, the one with the gift of mercy will continue to help someone when all others have either wearied of help or (for whatever reason) have turned their back on the one in need.

Apostleship – I have saved this one for last because it, too, can be a bit controversial.  Apostle simply means one who is sent.  Scripture does not actually say there is a gift of Apostleship.  Rather, Jesus’ twelve closest disciples were appointed to be Apostles.  Similarly, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:28 that “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of…”  And while prophets, teachers, and miracles are mentioned elsewhere as gifts of the spirit, apostleship is not mentioned anywhere else.  We could easily get into a discussion on whether the “office” of apostle is still valid.  However, I tend to focus more on the definition of the apostle as one who is sent.  In my opinion, the gift of apostleship is essentially the gift of being a missionary.  Some people are just supernaturally gifted with the ability to leave everything and everyone behind and go to the ends of the earth for the sake of the gospel.  This is certainly a gift from God.

As you might imagine, no matter what your gift may be, there are any number of ways in which your gift can be used in the church.  There is no single gift that gets associated with any particular function, although certain gifts are more naturally suited for certain functions.  For example, people with the gifts of mercy and helps are most suited towards benevolence ministry, while men with the gifts of service and helps probably make really good Deacons (not that others do not make good Deacons).   The point is that by finding out what your gifting may be, and then by marrying that with your natural passions and desires, you are most likely to find out your true God-given purpose in life.

Of course, the follow up question has to be “Which gift(s) do I have?”  Well, that could be a whole different blog and this one is already getting long, so I guess we will have to leave that for another day.