By Sidharth Mohandas
Introduction
Paul said in his epistle that he didn�t want Christians to be ignorant concerning the spiritual gifts. He says, �I would not have you ignorant�(1 Corinthians 12:1). If you are in this category of ignorance, you�re reading the right article. I am dealing with this topic in three headings that will cover the following topics: The Giver of the Gifts, the Gifts available to Christians and how Christians can receive these Gifts.
The Giver
Before Paul introduces us to the gifts, he introduces us to the Giver of the gifts. He says, �There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences in administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God Who worketh all in all �(1 Corinthians 12:4-6). The Holy Spirit is the Person Who makes these supernatural gifts available to us. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples that He would send the Father�s Gift, the promise of the Holy Spirit, to them. We also understand that as Jesus ascended to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father, He received this Gift and poured this Gift upon the waiting disciples. This Gift that Jesus sent is a Person, the Holy Spirit Himself. But Jesus sent some �gifts� along with this Person, and it is these gifts that we are talking about. Remember, through the Gift of the Holy Spirit, comes the gifts of the Spirit.
We come to the realization that the gifts have their origin from the three Personalities of the Godhead: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, �He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine and show it unto you. All things the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you� (John 16: 14-15)
The gifts belong to the Father, and all that the Father hath belongs to Jesus. What does the Holy Spirit do? He receives them and shows it unto us, and thus glorifies Jesus. The Holy Spirit divides or distributes these gifts in the Church as He wills.
Notice Paul says, there are differences in administrations, but the same Lord. The Greek word used here for �administrations� is �diakoniai�, which has its root in the Greek word �diakonia� which means �service� or �minister�. Therefore, we can say that Jesus ministers to us through the gifts that are distributed by His Spirit. In other words, Jesus continues to minister with these supernatural gifts to humanity through His Spirit on earth, even after He has ascended to heaven.
Paul now goes onto say, �and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who worketh all in all�. The passage shows the shift of glory from the Spirit to the Father. The Spirit has come to glorify Jesus. Jesus came to glorify the Father, and He did. But the amazing fact is Jesus still glorifies the Father through our lives. When we glorify Jesus in our lives, we are in turn causing Jesus to glorify the Father. In the end the glory is directed to God the Father, who worketh all in all.
�The Gift Has More Gifts Within: Open It Up!�
The focus of our study is the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. I emphasize this because there are other gifts, which I will call the �ministry gifts�, mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:7-8. I don�t underestimate these gifts in anyway, but in this study I choose to concentrate on the nine fold gifts mentioned in the beginning of 1 Corinthians 12. These supernatural gifts are mentioned below:
(1) Word of wisdom
(2) Word of knowledge
(3) Gift of faith
(4) Gifts of healing
(5) Working of miracles
(6) Gift of prophecy
(7) Gift of Discerning of spirits
(8) Gift of diverse tongues
(9) Gift of interpretation of tongues
(1) Now the first gift mentioned in the list is the �Word of wisdom�. This wisdom is something special given to a person for a specific situation. A person well known to have had this gift was Solomon. People would go to him to make wise decisions in the situation they were in, and through the �Word of wisdom� he would give them instructions. In the New Testament a person known to have this remarkable gift was Stephen.
�And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke�(Act 6:10).
(2) The second gift mentioned is the �Word of knowledge�. This gift reveals knowledge about people. For example, in the New Testament Peter comes across Ananias and Sapphira and through this gift he is given knowledge of the deceit in their hearts. I have witnessed this gift in operation in couple of meetings. In one of them one of my unbeliever friend had come to the meeting and he was a chain smoker, but the Lord through a man of God gave a �Word of knowledge�. The man of God was a total stranger to all of us, but he said: "There are people in here who have smoking problems. If you want to be delivered, you must be willing to give it up�
In healing crusades, I have witnessed this gift in operation through men of God, where through the word of knowledge the evangelist uncovers the disease that is afflicting a certain person, or he points to a person in the crowd and tells the person he has been healed of a certain disease.
(3) The third gift mentioned is the �Gift of faith�. This is special faith given for a particular moment, for a particular task. This is the mountain-moving faith Jesus and Paul speak about. It is through this Gift of faith that Abraham offered his son Isaac. Gift of faith often backs up the �Gifts of healings� and �Working of miracles�. No wonder Paul mentioned the �Gift of faith� before �Gifts of healings� and �Working of miracles�.
(4) The fourth gift is the Gifts of healings. This is different from the healing that can be received through the prayer of faith. Jesus said believers would lay hands on the sick and they would recover, however all do not have the Gifts of healing. This gift has to do with restoring some ones health through supernatural means.
(5) The fifth gift is the Working of miracles. Every believer must expect miracles, and feed on miracles. Reverend Ernest Angley, an evangelist from Akron, Ohio, often says, �I not only believe in miracles, I depend on them!�. We depend on a miracle-working God and it�s rightful we expect miracles in our daily living. Whenever God interrupts the laws of nature to bring about His will and purpose, it is a miracle. But the �Working of miracles� is something special again. Not all are given this gift. The Red Sea was parted through this gift. People with deformed bodies can be made whole through this gift. People who have had one leg shorter than the other have received an elongation through this gift. Miracles of creation and re-creation occur through this gift. People without certain organs can have them re-created through this gift.
(6) The sixth gift is the Gift of prophecy. This gift is different from the ministry of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is a temporary ability to bring the word of exhortation, comfort and warning to believers. Prophecies given through this gift must not be despised or disregarded, but must be tested with the Word of God. If it stands the judgment of the Word, then we can accept the prophecy, or else it�s as good as garbage.
While, a person who has the prophetic ministry is part of the five-fold ministers consisting of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Thus, the prophetic ministry is one ordained by God, to prepare God�s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11-12). Here I would like to mention that in the Early Church, all believers were considered as ministers. Paul and Peter make this clear in their epistles. The function of the five-fold minister�s is to equip the believers to minister. As the result of this equipment, believers are able to minister not only to each other but also to those in the five-fold ministry. We find this is true in Romans 1:11-12, where Paul says, �I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others faith�. Notice Paul says, �that you and I may be mutually encouraged�. The bible teaches the impartation of spiritual gifts through laying on of hands. Paul here was saying that as he imparted those gifts to them through laying on of hands, they in turn could minister to him and others using those spiritual gifts.
(7) The seventh gift is the Gift of Discerning of spirits. This gift is given to the Body of Christ to discern what kind of spirit is behind any sort of manifestation. A person who has this gift can discern whether a message given in prophecy is by the Spirit of God or not, he can discern whether the speaking in tongues is the done by the human spirit, evil spirit or God�s Spirit.
(8) The eight gift is the Gift of diverse tongues. This gift has been misunderstood greatly and has been abused greatly by people. For this reason, I will be writing in detail in the Faith Article, �Speaking In Tongues�. However, I will give you the purpose of this gift. The person speaking in other tongues does not know what he is speaking. This gift has many different purposes. Firstly, it serves as an evidence for the baptism in the Spirit. Secondly, it is used in prayer. Thirdly, it�s used in praise and worship. Fourthly, it is used to give a message to the congregation when clubbed with the ninth gift, the Gift of interpretation of tongues. I will deal with this gift in detail in the above-mentioned Faith Article, as there is much confusion about this gift in the body of Christ: some misusing the gift, and some speaking ill of the genuine gift of tongues.
(9) The ninth gift is the Gift of interpretation of tongues. This gift is always clubbed along with the Gift of diverse tongues. When the Gift of tongues is accompanied by the Gift of interpretation, the Gift has the same function as the Gift of prophecy. Paul instructs those who have the Gift of tongues to pray that they receive the Gift of interpretation of tongues. Usually in an assembly, one person speaks in an unknown tongue and another person with the Gift of interpretation interprets the message that is given in the unknown tongue. Otherwise, if the person who speaks in an unknown tongue has the Gift of interpretation also, he can give out the interpretation.
�Give me Thy gifts, Oh Lord!�
Paul calls nine gifts that I have mentioned above as the manifestations of the Spirit. He exhorts us to desire, to covet earnestly, and to be zealous for these gifts or manifestations in our personal lives. He also exhorts us to ask God for it. But before you ask the Lord for any or all of the nine gifts, it�s important to examine our hearts to see why we are asking the Lord for the particular gift or gifts.
Notice, the ultimate goal is to glorify God the Father, not to glorify us. These gifts are to meet needs of the people in this world in miraculous ways. Ask for the gifts only if you have a desire to touch the world with His touch, and be unseen in the eyes of the world. If you want power with God, be ready to have a low profile in the eyes of the world.
With one question I will uncover the attitude you must have before seeking His gifts: �Where are your eyes?" Paul shows us the attitude we must have while we do the works of the Lord in Philippians 2. He says, �Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not everyman on his own things, but everyman also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.�(Philippians 2:3-8)
The verse 7 says, He made Himself of no reputation. He didn�t come seeking glory, but He came to give the glory to the Father. Jesus� eyes were not on Himself, but on His Father. Even when so many people accused Him, and spoke ill of Him, it didn�t move Him. Why? Because His eyes were not on Himself; His eyes were on His Father. Here�s something more interesting, Paul instructs us to �Look� into the things of others. I believe when your eyes are constantly on the Father, all you see will be His compassion, His love and His ministry, and your desires become His. You will see others the way He sees them. How important to fix our eyes on Jesus! How important to see the needs of the people in this world with His eyes.
If you want to receive any of the gifts that you have a great desire for, and if you know you have the right motive for it, ask God for that gift now:
�Lord, thank You for making these gifts available to Your Body by Your Spirit. I desire earnestly for <name of the gift/gifts you desire>. You know the motives of my heart, You see the great need that the world is confronted with. You know, there are things that cannot be done without Your precious gifts. I need to give the world the reality of You that comes through Your gifts. I ask this for Your glory, in the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus. Amen�