“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another, the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT
These next sets of gifts are so powerful they change lives. These gifts impact, change and transforms lives. Unfortunately, as a result, some people seek those with these gifts and make them their demi-gods. These gifts can lead to pride. It can be counterfeited. Some people would do anything to get it.
An example was the girl with the spirit of divination; “and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.” Acts 16:12, 16-19 NKJV
And also, Simon the Sorcerer; “But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practised sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.”Acts 8:9-11 NKJV
The gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 enable saints to demonstrate the reality of being Ambassadors sent by and representing Yeshua, Jesus to those who encounter them whether in day to day life or in ministry. In a clear sense, a manifestation of the enabling spiritual gifts and indeed all spiritual gifts confirm the principle of Acts 1:8 which is to make the saint a clear witness for Yeshua, Jesus.
The following explanation is extracted from the Global School of Ministry Course 113 Spiritual Gifts:
WISDOM: This is the supernatural utterance of the mind of Elohim concerning the direction to go on a matter through the saint who has been so gifted. Holy Spirit uses the saint He chooses to reveal what is to happen or provide clear solutions to protracted problems. It is a gift of insight into the mind of Elohim who alone is the wellspring of wisdom. Word of wisdom can come forth within the context of a church service, in a business meeting, in government and everyday life, including the home, at school or indeed everywhere. This implies the gift is not the property of the saint.
WORD OF KNOWLEDGE: this is the revelation of present realities that are hidden from natural minds. The mind of man is limited in understanding and often clouded from various degrees of reality. Holy Spirit however chooses some saints, of His own volition, as channels for revealing what is hidden. If a brother or sister seeks counsel from a Pastor concerning a complicated matter but receives a simple word that cuts through the mass to reveal the way forward which resonates in the heart and causes joy to break forth, a word of wisdom has been experienced. If in a business or government meeting there is a complex problem and everyone is at a loss of what is the best way forward or when best to initiate a project and a saint comes forth with a clear and precise solution either orally or in writing without any burning of midnight candles or tossing about with many ideas, the word of wisdom has been manifested
FAITH: The gift of faith is the supernatural ability to know what Elohim can do, what He will do and to stand and declare the same with all confidence. This gift is sorely needed in demonstrating the reality of the Kingdom in all spheres of endeavour. Elijah exhibited the dual gifts of the word of wisdom and faith when he declared with certainty to the woman of Zarephath that Elohim will supply all her needs in 1 Kings 17: 8 – 16. The gift of Faith is beyond the normal grace of faith every saint is called to have in Elohim.
HEALINGS: Yeshua, Jesus and the early disciples demonstrated the use of this gift mix at various times in ministry. There were some people He healed from a distance such as the servant of the Centurion. There are those He healed by merely touching them such as the lepers who were cleansed. Others received healing by touching and drawing the virtue in Him to touch and take away their infirmities such as the woman with the issue of blood. In yet another instance, Yeshua, Jesus used His spittle and soil as points of contact. This gift is are the prompting of the Holy Spirit not that of the believer’s will or mindset
WORKING OF MIRACLES: It is the supernatural ability to be used by Holy Spirit to cause the supernatural to manifest in the natural. Miracles can occur in various forms and ways. In the case of Joshua, the gift caused a major shift in weather conditions when the Sun and Moon stood still while he completed the divine assignment. In the case of Yeshua, Jesus, Elisha and Paul, the dead were raised. Extraordinary promotions and financial breakthroughs also qualify as miracles. Miracles are also manifested in gifts of healing and can encompass every area of life.
PROPHECY: A prophecy takes place whenever Elohim communicates to His people through a chosen vessel. According to 1 Corinthians 14:3, the purpose of Prophecy is to Edify, Exhort and Encourage the saints. This gift is manifested so that the saints will have the peace and comfort which Yeshua promised them even in the face of adverse conditions created by the world and its human governments or systems.
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS: This is the supernatural ability to rightly identify the nature, source and capacity of the spirits at work in the life of people. It is also the ability to discern the motive behind what someone is saying, even if the words appear nice and sound right. Paul the Apostle demonstrated this gift to great effect at Ephesus when he identified the spirit of divination at work in the life of the young slave girl who correctly called him and his team as servants of Elohim. Her description of Paul and his companions was true. However, Paul rightly discerned the demon which possessed and used her vessel to speak. Acts 16:16-18(KJV)This gift will help local congregations to identify infiltrators who, like the Gibeonites in the days of Joshua, will sneak into the fold having all outward forms of conformity but with clear agendas to destroy fellowship for selfish purposes.
TONGUES: This gift should be properly called communicating messages with Elohim in other tongues that are not known by the vessel through whom utterance is made. It is different from the general sign of the infilling in the Holy Spirit which is accompanied by utterance in other tongues as in Acts 2: 1- 6. Here in 1 Corinthians 12:10, speaks of the ability to receive and communicate to saints in any setting, a message from the Lord but in an ‘unknown’ tongue. Not every saint is blessed with this gift as 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 shows. Those who try to pretend that they have it are guilty of lying and passing off under false pretence!
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: This is the supernatural ability to interpret messages that are conveyed through the gift of tongues. This is not the same as the translation of languages which is an academic/intellectual activity. Those who translate are skilled to interpret words for accurate meaning. The gift of interpreting tongues simply conveys in understandable language with clarity, the message uttered in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14: 6-13 reveal that Elohim does not want His people to be in the dark concerning what He says to them.
These gifts were manifested in the early Church. Apostle Paul: wisdom, faith, word of knowledge (the books he wrote) miracles, tongues, healings, visions, discerning of spirits. Apostle Peter demonstrated wisdom, faith, word of knowledge (Ananias and sapphire), miracles, healings, visions, discerning of spirits. Other examples are not written down explicitly but you can discern from the stories e.g. Phillip, the evangelist, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed, and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8:4-8 NKJV
To be continued.
Did you recognise any of these gifts in you? Your gift has been given to you by grace. You are to use them. If not, start praying today for the revelation of the Holy Spirit. However, you must have a relationship with Yeshua Christ Jesus first,
This is simple to do:
Acknowledge: you have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Repent: of your sins and be determined to turn away from them.
Confess: and declare Jesus as the Son of God, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Accept him as your Lord and Saviour.
Declare openly your faith and become a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away.
Follow Jesus in all areas of your life.
And start that wonderful journey with Him immediately. I encourage you to search for a bible teaching fellowship near you to support your spiritual growth.
PrayerfortheWeek
Almighty Father, thank you for the gift of my life. May we stir up our spiritual gifts and use them for the glory of Yeshua Christ Jesus. Amen
If you accept Jesus or turn back to him, please get in touch. I am so excited! You give me hope and joy and are my proud reward and crown when I stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns. Yes, you are our pride and joy (1Thessalonians 2:19-20 NLT).
Inbox me, email me, just get in touch. I want to join you in prayers every day
My email is info@adeolaakintoye.com
I pray that this inspires you to reflect on your relationship with Elohim and be determined to be more and do more for Him each day.
#AdeolaAkintoye©
#ajourneytospiritualmaturity2021
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