KEY SCRIPTURE: Pro 13:12 KJV Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Please read Genesis 29,37, 40
Our key scripture states clearly that a deferred hope or an unfulfilled expectation can make the heart sick. A sick heart is a disappointed person. The Lord calls it a broken heart( Luke 4:18,19). Disappointed from our perspective abounds so much, although in the mind of God, it is not a disappointment. As children of God, we must not allow human failures to break our hearts because they will surely come. The bible is filled with countless cases of failed expectations, but most of them turned the supposed evil treatment into positive responses that became a blessing to themselves and many others.
The first to consider is Jacob, the secondborn of Isaac and Rebecca. He went to stay with Laban, his uncle. He fell in love with Laban’s pretty daughter Rachel, but was promised by Laban to work seven years, after which he could marry her. After these seven years of diligent service, which looked like seven days, Laban deceived him and gave him Leah, explaining that the younger does not marry before the senior. Jacob could have felt disappointed and brokenhearted. He could have put up a fight with Laban. He could also have refused to marry Leah and might have left as a worried, defeated and dejected man, yet according to the scriptures 29:28 KJV” And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.” He went through the ordeal, yet he had what he wanted, his wife, Rachel. Dear brother, life may not give you what you want, but life can not deny you what you patiently strive for. Great achievers became who they are because they overcame great hurdles or trials in life.
The second person who turned his disappointment into victory was Joseph, the first son of Rebeccah. He went to seek the welfare of his own brothers, yet they violently took him, stripped him of his coat, threw him into a pit and later sold him as a slave to some Ishmaelites. Dear brothers, what is more disheartening than this? He was sent to Egypt, sold as a slave to Portipher and finally, Portipher’s wife made sensual advances which he refused. This woman concocted a lie against him, and so he was thrown in the prison dungeon. In the prison, he interpreted a dream to a man who was to be reinstated as the King’s cupbearer. He requested this young man to speak to the king about him, yet he forgot and never made mention until the king had a dream which no one could truly interpret. All these events were a series of disappointments, yet God’s hand was guiding all that was happening. Romans 8:28. Joseph did not allow himself to be discouraged but looked at the bigger picture, God’s hand working with all that was happening. From the prison, he became the second in command of the whole of Egypt, which was the greatest nation in the world then. What would have happened if he had chosen to be sick or broken in his heart? REFUSE to be discouraged and keep fighting for your dreams, for God honours all those who trust and stick to His path of faith, hope, and love
THOUGHT: DISCOURAGEMENT OR NOT TO BE DISCOURAGED IS A CHOICE AND NOT BY CHANCE.
FURTHER STUDIES
Rom 8:28 KJV “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
1Sa 30:6 KJV “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”
Tag Archives: holy-spirit
NEVER MAKE CONCLUSIONS FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT
KEY SCRIPTURE Acts 21:4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
In chapter 21 Apostle Paul followed up on his mission to go to Jerusalem. When they arrived in Tyre, some disciples came to him and spoke by the Spirit, saying that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Paul had had a similar warning in some of the cities he visited.
Paul proceeded with his agenda to travel to Jerusalem. Why didn’t he heed this warning, although the bible said they spoke by the power of the Spirit? (The bible only reported what the disciples said was the instruction of the Spirit) His decision to go raised a lot of questions to answer. Did Paul know that the Spirit was asking him not to go? I can’t answer certainly, yet in all the studies we’ve done on the life of Paul, we see that he did not count his life dear unto himself. Apostle Paul was a man of the Spirit and would not just disobey the voice or instruction of the Spirit. The following verse lays every question and doubt to rest. Acts 23:11 “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome”. In Acts 23:11, the Lord Jesus himself stood beside Paul and told him that he must get to Rome and preach the gospel over there too.
The issue at stake is why these disciples in Tyre say the Holy Spirit was asking Paul not to go to Jerusalem and subsequently to Rome? Many times, we may receive a clear word from the Spirit about a situation, yet we must ask the Holy Spirit for His next instruction, about what must be done. This, I believe was the error of these disciples from Tyre. They truly received the revelation that, at Jerusalem, Paul would be bound and given to the Gentiles. I believe they did not receive any further word that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Such instruction purported to be from the Spirit would have been a contradiction, to the instruction Jesus gave. Please note that every revelation of Jesus is in fact the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Himself stood beside Paul and told him that he would have to be in Rome to testify over there too, How could the Holy Spirit turn around to tell these disciples that he should not go to Jerusalem which would lead him to Rome ultimately?
Everyone one of us children of God must be very diligent to wait for full and clear instructions from the Holy Spirit before going about to say it, or we may be acting on what we might not have been instructed to say. NEVER MAKE CONCLUSIONS FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT.
PRAYER
I pray in the name of JESUS that I may be extra sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice, that my way shall always be clear to bring glory and honour unto the Lord.
FURTHER STUDIES
John 16:13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Romans 8:9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of Him
THE FAST GOD ACCEPTS
KEY SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”
In the past few days, we have been looking at encountering the power of God to project God’s work. We saw that fasting and prayer can usher one into the great power of God.
The book of Isaiah chapter 58 (please read all the chapters) was solely devoted to the teaching of fasting having an acceptable fast. In that book, the prophet wrote in verse 3 the following “Wherefore have we fasted say they, and thou seest not?” Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge? Behold in the day of your fast ye find pleasure and exact all your labours”. This was the complaint of God about the wrong ways they fasted
A close study of Isaiah 58 teaches that true fasting does not only involve forsaking your food and doing every other thing as you please. In that chapter, the Holy Spirit said, “People fast, yet they keep the strive and division that exist between them and their neighbours.” It is a big irony to see a husband and wife at longer heads, yet they are all fasting. Some fast yet would not show any kindness to neighbours who are in need. Isaiah 58:4 reads “Behold ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high”.
Fasting is not complete without a kind consideration of the second party. It must be done on God’s terms. Our key scripture shows us that our fast should not only be focused on ourselves but also consider the consideration of those who are in bondage. As we pray for our needs, we must consider those who are in various needs to pray and intercede for them also. True fasting is not a selfish venture. It always seeks the good and deliverance of others. When fasting is done this way, the Lord says in Isaiah 58:10 “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday”.
Do good to others during the period of your fast. Do it in kind or through prayer.
PRAYER
Father, thank you for the revelation of your word. Help all Christians who fast to do it on your terms, not on our terms. This I pray in Jesus’ name.
FURTHER STUDIES.
Isaiah 58:7 “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”
Isaiah 58:8 ” Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rear reward
MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE GIFT OF THE EVANGELIST
KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,pastors and teachers;”
The next ministerial gift or office to consider is the EVANGELIST. Every Christian is called to be an evangelist. We are all commissioned by the Lord to go to all the world and make. Disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19&20)
Even though we are all to do the work of an evangelist, God, through His special grace, appoints certain individuals, either male or female, to be evangelists.
The evangelist is a proclaimer of the gospel. This is the main reason for his or her calling. His message is about the love and forgiveness of God and calls on men to accept His salvation. Some evangelists are revivalists for the body of Christ, although their prime calling is to call men to salvation.
An evangelist is a gift from God. No one goes to a bible school to become an evangelist, yet through one’s dedication to God in prayer and holiness, the Holy Spirit may appoint an individual to become an evangelist. It is by divine appointment for God that normally confirms this calling with certain unique gifts of the Holy Ghost. The power gifts, which comprise a gift of faith, the gift of working miracles and the gifts of healing are the gifts of the Spirit that are seen in the ministry of an evangelist. Other gifts like the word of knowledge and the gift of discerning spirits can also manifest in an evangelist. Please note; that the Holy Spirit may choose to manifest these gifts yet one’s dedication to God in prayer, fasting and holiness is very paramount in allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest these gifts. Miracles signs and wonders have a special role in publicizing the gospel. Evangelist T L Osborn could not convince the Indians to accept the gospel when he went there as a missionary because there were no miraculous signs to prove the authenticity of his message. He later encountered the resurrected Lord Jesus, through fasting and prayer, and the miracles started. Multitudes now started going to his meetings.
The Lord may call you into the office of an evangelist, yet it would be up to you to wait on the Lord in prayer and fasting to activate the power in you. .
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may you stir up the hearts of your children to arise in the power of the Spirit with signs and wonders following as they share the message about the Love of God.
FURTHER STUDIES
2 Timothy 4:5 “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry”.
.Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.
MINISTERIAL GIFTS: GIFT OF THE PROPHET
KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
We continue with our study on the ministerial gifts. Please understand that the Bible said “and he gave some apostles, some prophets …..” The scripture teaches that the Holy Ghost gave gifts to certain men and women that made them function in certain unique offices, as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Although these people received supernatural gifts to function in these offices, they became gifts unto the body of Christ.
These ministerial gifts are stewards of the mysteries of the gospel 1 Corinthians 4:1” Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God”. As a steward of the mysteries of God, he or she is to serve the rest of the body of Christ with the gift given to him or her. (1st Corinthians.4:1)
The next ministerial gift to look at is the prophet. The prophet is second in rank to the apostle. This office is not entered into by an election or one’s decision to become. It is the sole prerogative of the Holy Spirit to appoint someone to this office. Every prophet must function in all the revelational gifts, which include, word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discernment of spirit. Some of the prophets may have all the power gifts. No prophet operates in all the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Any man who operates in all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit ceases to be a prophet but an apostle.
The prophet in the Old Testament is called a seer (1st Samuel 9:9). The prophet can know into the past as well as see what is yet to happen in the future.
Many people are fascinated by the ministry of the prophet. They want to know what the future holds. They therefore put a lot of pressure on these prophets to give them messages concerning the future. A person with such an attitude becomes dependent on the prophet. If there are any selfish tendencies in the prophet, he would easily manipulate you to be taking money unduly from you. Everyone ought to learn to live by the word of God.
The prophetic office is such an important office if he or she functions well. He or she is a great blessing to the body of Christ and even the nation as a whole. Whenever the church or nation is getting out of touch with God, it is the prophet who normally tells the mind of God to the people.
A prophet should be very bold since some of the messages about certain individuals are very difficult to talk about. They must also be very prayerful to be very sensitive to the voice of the Spirit. A prophet must not allow the love of money to influence him. He should be careful about extorting money from his audience. May the Lord help every true prophet of God.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I pray for all true prophets of God to be faithful to their calling and resist various temptations that come their way.
FURTHER STUDIES
1 Kings 22:26-27 “And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with the bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace”.
1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS AND PROPHETS
KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 11:13 ” For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”
As much as we learn and talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we ought to be aware of the devil counterfeiting these gifts.
Our key scripture tells us clearly that false apostles and deceitful workers are transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. These false apostles abound in our times. In deed, there are many genuine prophets in our times, yet there are quite a lot who are messengers of the devil.
The gift of the word of wisdom, which is to know what would happen in the future, is one of the gifts that these false prophets may counterfeit. The Bible tells us to test every spirit; 1st John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone into the world”. I believe the scripture is very emphatic about this. Try every spirit. How do we try them?
- Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart with the still small voice or let the peace of God check the things you are hearing and seeing. (Colossians 3:15)
- You shall also know them by their fruits: Matthew 7:20: Check out for these signs: Do they exalt themselves? Are their moral lives anything to be inspired by? How do they speak about their fellow ministers?
- If his or her prophecy does not come to pass, he is not speaking by the Spirit of God. There are some who would rightly call out people’s names and give a word of knowledge about them, yet the predictions they make about the future do not come to pass.
- Any prophet or man of God who makes merchandise of the gospel by charging certain amounts before praying for the needy is very questionable. 1 Corinthians 9:18, what is my reward then? “Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel”.
- Any prophet or man of God who tells you to buy certain objects to be used to pray or perform certain oblations (offerings) is questionable
- Any man of God who teaches unscriptural doctrines is a false teacher or prophet. One clearly exposes his falsehood if he teaches that Cain killed his brother Abel because of a woman. Another example of such false teaching is those who teach that, the Lord Jesus went to India to learn mystism. These teachings are from wrong sources and are false.
Please note that the Lord Jesus offered His blood to make an eternal redemption for us and no more offerings for our sins. (Hebrews 9:12). May we be careful lest we are deceived by the cunning deceptions of the devil and his agents.
PRAYER
O heavenly Father, open our eyes of understanding so we would know the tricks and schemes of the devil and his agents.
FURTHER STUDIES.
2 Corinthians 11:15. “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
Matthew 7:20. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
REVELATIONAL GIFTS: WORD OF WISDOM
KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:8 ” For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit”;
We now look at the revelational gifts. These include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and the discernment of spirits.
We would look into the details of the gift of the word of wisdom. The word of wisdom is when the Holy Spirit gives someone a message about the future concerning a brother or the church and the corresponding actions to be taken. It is a revelation of God’s wisdom concerning the fellow, the congregation, or even the nation … This gift tells forth what is yet to happen. Most prophets operate mostly in all the gifts of revelation.
The gift of the word of wisdom is not just a wise saying. There is a difference between the gift of wisdom and the gift of the word of wisdom A man like King Solomon had the gift of wisdom and so he was a very wise man. The word of wisdom is knowledge gained into a little of God’s wisdom concerning a future event. We saw this being demonstrated in almost all the prophets. An example is in 2nd Kings 7:1, the prophet Elisha prophesied.”Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord, thus saith the Lord; tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria”. The message given by the prophet happened just as he predicted.
In the New Testament, there were several prophets. One such prophet was Agabus. Acts 11:28 “And there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world; which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar”. The apostles also operated in this gift.
As the scripture taught in 1st Corinthians 12, the gift of the word of wisdom also manifests among the members of the congregations of God. The Holy Spirit does these things to the profit or to benefit all members of the church.
This gift gives the children of God an opportunity to know what is in the future and to act rightly to please God and to save themselves from the traps of the devil. It is a strong weapon to frustrate the activities of the devil. Some brethren start calling themselves prophets the moment this gift begins to manifest through them. Some begin to feel so proud that they leave their respective places of worship to start a new church. This is very wrong. This gift was given to the church, but you were the candidate the Holy Spirit chose to manifest through for the rest. Do not leave your congregation, stay, and let God’s purpose for the church be realised. Let heads of churches also allow such brethren to use the gift to bless the church. May there be order in God’s house
PRAYER
Lord, make the church understand the dealings of the Spirit in these matters and help us all to relate to one another in its use rightly.
FURTHER STUDIES.
Acts 21:10-11 ” And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he came unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles”.
2 Timothy 3:1. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come”.
THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14:3 ” But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort”.
Prophecy is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit that He inspires one to give a message to other believers to edify, exhort, and comfort them.
Prophecy in this sense is different from foretelling or to predict. It does not come in an unknown language. It is always in the dialect of the audience or congregation.
The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 14:4 that “He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself but he that prophecies edifies the church”. Speaking in tongues would only build the individual up, but the one who gives a message in prophecy edifies the church. This means he builds the church up.
From our key scripture, prophecies come with the following purposes.
- To edify the church.
- To exhort the church
- To comfort or strengthen the church.
Any inspired word that does not play any of the above-stated purposes may be another gift or may not be a word from the Lord. Prophecies come to strengthen the church. Prophecies that cast fear on the congregation may not be inspired by the Spirit of God. Some people have used prophecies wrongly. Prophecies could, therefore, be abused. 1st Corinthians 14:29 says” Let the prophets speak two or three and let the others judge”. There is the need to consider prophecies when they are given, so you can judge, whether it meets the scriptural standard.
In certain meetings, two people may be prophesying at the same time. This should not be so. One of them must keep quiet. The spirit of the Lord is not a spirit of confusion. 1st Corinthians 14:32
A note of caution: Do not call yourself a prophet because the Holy Spirit inspires you to prophesy. A prophet is an office that God appoints for ministry and comes along with several gifts of the Holy Spirit. (We would look at the ministry of the prophet when we come to consider ministerial offices)1 Thessalonians 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
PRAYER
Father, I pray for the stirring of the power of the spirit amid your children to allow the gift of prophecy to function and function properly in Jesus’ name.
FURTHER STUDIES.
1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints”.
1 Corinthians 14:5. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interprets, that the church may receive edifying”
CATEGORIES OF THE GIFTS: GIFT OF UTTERANCE
KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:4″ Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
In our previous study, we said the Bible reveals to us nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. These nine gifts could be further divided into three groups. They are:
- Gifts of utterance
- Gifts of Revelation
- Power Gifts.
We would first consider the Gifts of utterance. This group of gifts has to do with saying or giving a message to others. They include diverse kinds of tongues, interpretations of tongues and prophecy. We would consider the gift of Divers kinds of tongues. This kind of gift is very different from what we find the Bible speaking about in 1st Corinthians 14:2, 14. 1st Corinthians 14:14 reads “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful”.This is a special prayer language that the Holy Spirit imparts to any Christian who desires to have to enhance his spiritual life. It is not meant to be used to give a message to others. It is used in praying to God.
In 1st Corinthians 14:27, 28 the Bible said the following “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself and to God”. The gift of a divers kind of tongue is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit meant to give a message to the whole church in tongues so that he or she who gave the message or another person interpret it. We see in the scripture above, that is 1st Corinthians 14:27, 28, the apostle says in the church there should be about two messages for the church given in tongues or at most it must be three. If there is no one to interpret then that person must stop giving his message to the church in tongues.
The gift of Divers kinds of tongues needs someone to interpret it. It is always a message meant for the whole church. It is not a prayer unto God or speaking unto God. It is a sign to all unbelievers who join the brethren (1st Cor. 14:22)
Such messages must be interpreted. There should be someone with the gift of interpretation of tongues to interpret it into the common and known dialect of the congregation. On this note, I wish to add that the gift of interpretation of tongues goes alongside the Divers kinds of tongues.
The gift of interpretation of tongues is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit that enables one to interpret a message given in tongues for the congregation of believers.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father I pray that the Holy Spirit will stir in the hearts of all believers to desire earnestly for these gifts of the spirit.
FURTHER STUDIES.
1 Corinthians 14:21″ In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord”.
1 Corinthians 14:27-28” If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God”.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:1″ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant”.
Spiritual gifts as the Holy Spirit led apostle Paul to write about in our key scripture, is one of the topics that have been very silent in other parts of the Bible although we see its manifestation throughout the Bible.
Our topic for discussion spans through 1st Corinthians 12:1-11. Verses 4 to 6 reveal the working of the Trinity or Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, Playing various roles in the functioning, administration and operation of the gifts. In verse 4 the Holy Spirit reveals the diversity of the gifts that is the different divisions of the Spirit. Our Lord Jesus sees to the different administration of the gifts. The administration is that different people having the same gift may administer it differently. The Father reveals the diversities of operations. Here the Father sees to the divers operations of the gifts.
These gifts are very important to the church of God. When the supernatural gifts are in operation, the church’s evangelistic work is greatly enhanced. “Every Christian must earnestly desire for the gifts”. 1st Corinthians 14:1″Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophecy”.
Please note this: these spiritual gifts are different from talents (a talent is a natural ability given to an individual by God. A talent could be operated at will. There are countless talents. Examples are singing, playing football, barbering etc. Spiritual gifts are divine abilities that are solely manifested by the Holy Spirit through a child of God The person can’t operate it at will) 1st Corinthians 12:7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal “.Note that they are the manifestations of the Spirit. The supernatural gifts are never from one’s ability, it is purely the Holy Spirit who manifests them at His will. There are nine spiritual or supernatural gifts in all. They are as follows:
- Word of wisdom (verse 8)
- Word of knowledge (verse 8)
- Discernment of spirits (verse 10)
- Divers kinds of tongues (verse 10)
- Interpretation of tongues (Verse 10)
- Gifts of prophecy (Verse 10)
- Gift of faith (Verse 9)
- Gifts of healing (Verse 9)
- Gift of working of miracle (Verse 9)
These gifts can be divided further into 3 groups.
- Revelational gifts: these include, words of wisdom, words of knowledge and discernment of spirits.
- Gifts of utterance: These include, divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues and gift of prophecy.
- Power gifts: these include, the gift of faith, gifts of healing and gift of the working of miracles.
In our subsequent studies, we would look at each gift, what it is and how it functions.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for these supernatural gifts given to the Church of God. I pray that these gifts would be manifested in all congregations, to reveal your glory and power.
FURTHER STUDIES.
1 Corinthians 12: 6. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all”.
1 Corinthians 12:8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit
SAMUEL SOMUAH ASANTE 