v
Prophecy
v
Service
(Helps)
v
Teaching 7 gifts
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Exhortation
v
Giving
v
Leadership
(Administrations)
v
Mercy
I Corinthians 12 gives us:
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Word
of wisdom
v
Word
of knowledge
v
Faith
v
Healing
v
Effecting
of miracles 11 gifts
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Prophecy
v
Discerning
of spirits
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Speaking
in tongues
v
Interpretation
of tongues
v
Helps
(Service)
v
Administrations
(Leadership)
Ephesians 4 gives us:
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Apostles
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Prophets
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Evangelists 5 gifts
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Pastors
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Teachers
1 Peter 4 gives us:
v Hospitality 1 gift
Prophecy appears to be the supernatural ability to speak as
the mouthpiece of God. Prophets of old
could be recognized by the familiar refrain: “Thus says the Lord.”
Likewise, a modern prophet is one who communicates the mind of God on a
particular issue. Specifically,
prophecy appears to be the supernatural ability to apply Scripture (the Word of
God) to real issues in the here and now.
Prediction may or may not be involved.
The prophet’s calling is simply to shed the light of Scripture on
real-world issues and cause us to see things from a heavenly perspective. Agabus was a prophet (Acts
Service (Helps) is the supernatural ability to regard others
as more important than oneself. We are
all called to have this mindset, but one with the gift of service is given
special grace by the Spirit to see opportunities to meet the general needs of
the body and does so with enthusiasm.
The office of a deacon makes use of this gift, for deacons are called to
serve (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
Teaching appears to be the supernatural ability to explain
the Word of God in such a way that the hearer understands and is motivated to
action. The main goal of the teacher is
to get the point across. Teaching
differs from prophecy in that teaching explains the Word in terms of
generalities, while prophecy applies the Word to specific issues at hand. Paul was a teacher (I Timothy 2:7).
Exhortation appears to be the supernatural ability to
encourage and motivate other believers to remain faithful in their walk with
God. Exhortation involves both words
and actions that stimulate the good and weed out the bad in other members of
the body. Barnabas had the gift of
exhortation (Acts
Giving appears to be the supernatural ability to give
generously to meet the financial and material needs of the saints. Giving, like service, should be something we
all do. However, one with the gift of
giving is granted special grace by the Spirit to see the needs around him and
reaches into his pocket with enthusiasm to meet those needs. The gift of giving was prominent in the
church at
Leadership (Administrations) appears to be the
supernatural ability to get people to rally around a common vision. A leader may also be a pastor, but not
necessarily. Leadership involves moving
people in the direction of a specific God-given vision. A leader’s vision may be to increase numbers
in attendance, to reach out to the community, or to develop an untapped
resource within the body. Whatever the
vision, the leader is supernaturally endowed to get people organized and
following him in the direction of the vision.
Turn to Acts 11:1-18. Peter had a vision of reaching out to the
Gentiles, and he rallied others around him to organize an effective
outreach.
Mercy is the supernatural ability to reach out to those
in distress. Mercy involves a certain
element of empathy, being able to put yourself in the other person’s
shoes. Because you “feel their pain”
you pray for them and reach out to help and encourage them cheerfully, without
thinking of yourself. The gift of
showing mercy is closely tied to the idea of engaging in good works. Tabitha evidently had this gift, empathizing
with widows in particular (Acts
Word of wisdom appears to be the supernatural ability to
speak with divine insight and understanding.
Such divine insight into the situation at hand gives one the ability to
speak with authority. Because it is
accompanied by divine understanding, the word of wisdom is particularly useful
when giving practical advice, resolving conflicts, defending the faith, and in
similar situations. The Lord gives the
word of wisdom so that the body will not have to fumble it’s way through
difficult situations. Turn to Matthew 22:15-22 . The Lord demonstrates how the word of wisdom
leaves the hearers marveling at the insight behind His response. Stephen had the word of wisdom (Acts 6:9,10).
Word of knowledge appears to be the
supernatural ability to speak with certainty about information that is humanly
impossible to know. This gift is
particularly useful when someone is lying or holding information back, or when
there is some unforeseen danger to the body.
The Lord gives the word of knowledge so that the body will have all the
information it needs to make prudent and practical decisions. Turn to Acts
5:1-11. Peter received a word of
knowledge that Ananias and Sapphira were lying about the price of their land
and was able to cut out the cancer of their sin before it spread to the rest of
the body.
Faith appears to be the supernatural ability to take God at His Word. Every believer must have faith, but one with
the gift of faith is given special grace by the Spirit so that there is not a
doubt in their mind that God will be true to His Word. Such faith makes it possible to remove
mountains of difficulty in pursuing the will of God and to act without
hesitation on God’s leading. Stephen
had the gift of faith (Acts 6:5).
Healing appears to be the supernatural ability to heal
diseases without any natural assistance.
The gift of healing is not intended for the purpose of sensationalism or
crass commercialism, but rather is a means by which God draws attention to
Himself and demonstrates His power over the human body. Turn to Acts
3:1-10. This demonstration of the
gift of healing gave Peter a platform from which to preach the Gospel and point
those who witnessed the healing to the Great Physician.
Effecting of miracles appears to be the
supernatural ability to intervene and change the normal course of nature. Just as with healing, this gift is not
intended to draw attention to us, but rather to draw attention to God’s power
over nature. Stephen had the gift of
effecting of miracles (Acts 6:8).
Discerning of spirits appears to be the
supernatural ability to distinguish whether the Spirit of Christ or the spirit
of antichrist is operating in a given situation or person. One who has this gift is able to sense what
is motivating a person to act in a certain way, and what is driving a situation
in a certain direction, whether good or evil.
Turn to Acts 8:9-24. Peter discerned that Simon was motivated by
bitterness and envy, and corrected him in no uncertain terms.
Speaking in tongues appears to be the
supernatural ability to speak in a foreign human language without ever having
learned it, or in the language of angels (I Corinthians 13:1). Speaking in a foreign human tongue without
ever having learned it is given as a sign to those who hear that God is the one
behind the message. Speaking in the
tongues of angels is a communication between you and God, a type of prayer that
edifies your spirit because of the intimacy of communion with the Father. In either case, one with this gift must not
speak publicly in the Church unless there is someone present to interpret for
him. Paul spoke in tongues (I Corinthians
Interpretation of tongues appears to be the
supernatural ability to understand and interpret what has been spoken by one
with the gift of speaking in tongues.
The primary purpose of this gift is to avoid the confusion that would
result if people went around speaking in tongues with no one to interpret. The church at
Apostles are those who have been given the supernatural
ability to proclaim the Word of Christ and to plant churches. Apostle literally means “sent one.” The original apostles were directly
commissioned by the Lord Jesus Himself to go into all the world and proclaim
His Word and plant new churches. Modern
apostles, called missionaries to avoid confusing them with the original twelve,
carry out that commission today on every continent, proclaiming His Word and
planting new churches among every nation and tribe and tongue and people. Andronicus and Junias were
missionary/apostles (Romans 16:7).
Evangelists are those who have been given the
supernatural ability to preach the good news of salvation to the lost. Each one of us is called to do the work of
an evangelist. However, one with the
gift of evangelism is given special grace by the Spirit to see and assess the spiritual
state of the lost, and to proclaim to them the gospel of salvation in Christ
Jesus. Philip was an evangelist (Acts 21:8).
Pastors are those who have been given the supernatural
ability to shepherd the flock of Christ.
They guide and feed the flock, watching for enemies, defending from
attack, caring for the wounded, and searching for those who have strayed. They differ from leaders in that they are
primarily concerned with the sheep themselves, not a vision of greener
pastures. There is no gift of eldership, but the office of an elder
makes use of both the gift of leadership and the gift of
shepherding in combination with any other gifts the elder may have. John was an elder (II John 1:1; III John 1).
Hospitality appears to be the supernatural ability to
open your heart and your home to those in need, especially when they are
strangers. Hospitality comes from the
Latin word hospes, meaning guests.
It involves caring for the physical as well as emotional needs of those
receiving hospitality, satisfying both physical hunger and the emotional hunger
for fellowship. Gaius appears to have
had the gift of hospitality (Romans
One way of organizing the different gifts so that we can remember them is to separate them into three categories as follows:
The
Speaking Gifts
Apostles
Prophecy
Evangelists
Pastors
Teachers
Exhortation
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
The Serving Gifts
Helps
Hospitality
Giving
Mercy
Faith
Leadership
Discernment
The Signifying Gifts
Miracles
Healing
Speaking in tongues
Interpretation of tongues