Spiritual Gifts
by
Andrew Bale
"To one there is given
through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the
message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another
faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that
one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy,
to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking
in different kinds of tongues, and to another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and
the same Spirit, he gives them to each one as he determines."
(1
Corinthians 12:8-11)
Sometimes we get hung up on
"gifts". People say; I have this gift, he has that gift, she
has another gift. This kind of talk is nonsense. The first
thing to remember about Spiritual gifts is that they are just
that gifts! God loves to give us gifts just as we love to
shower presents on our children. Some of these gifts are
indulgent, they're just for our benefit, Most of them are,
however, practical and they are given to us to make mission
possible.
"Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will
be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which
of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or
if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then,
though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
gifts to those who ask him!"
Matthew 7:7 -11
These gifts are like tools
(or in the case of the indulgent ones like medicine) - we are
given them as and when we need them.
If I want to build a shed
(God forbid that he would ever call me to do that -
undoubtedly it would fall down!) But if I did want to build a
shed I would got to my toolbox (or more than likely borrow
someone else's) and select the tools I needed for the job.
When I'd finished the job I would replace the tools. I
wouldn't carry around with me a hammer, nails, screwdriver,
saw etc. just in case I might be called upon to build a shed!
It's the same with spiritual
gifts. We are given them when we need them. They are not
exclusively ours, they are freely available to all God's
children as when they need them and he decides to give them.
Now before anyone (quite
rightly) shows up the shortcomings of my metaphor let me
qualify it. Tools are inanimate objects, to use them you have
to be skilled. Spiritual gifts on the other hand come with a
mind and purpose of their own. If we yield to God he uses them
through us.
I think that sometimes we
are too quick to parcel out responsibility to certain
individuals. If the disciples met a demon-oppressed man they
didn't go away and come back with a person skilled in
deliverance ministry, they just said (in the name of Jesus) "asta
la vista" baby and carried on with their task of saving the
world.
So when we consider the
following gifts we must remember the following points.
1) God can do whatever he
wants to do in and through us as long as we take him at his
word.
2) Gifts are available to
anyone who asks for them in faith.
3) Gifts are given to us as
when we need them.
4) Gifts are for the
furthering of mission and the improvement of the church.
I have tried to include some
personal examples of these gifts have been used in my own
ministry. I've also included at least one biblical example
from either the Old or New Testament. If you would like to
send me stories that further illustrate the practical nature
and essential qualities of God's gifts then please mail me and
I will include them.
This gift is incredibly
useful and indispensable if we wish to carry out effective
ministry. This gift has nothing to do with human
understanding, logic or academic ability. This gift is about
the Holy Spirit presenting us with solutions in apparently
impossible circumstances.
I can remember being
responsible for a Sunday School a couple of years ago. The
other leaders had decided after much prayer that we needed to
start a new programme for some of the older children. This new
programme was going to address some of the deeper and more
practical aspects of our Christian expression.
We had selected the children
we wanted to attend; we had appointed leaders and secured a
location. It was at this point that we hit a stalemate. In a
church with an already overcrowded schedule when could we fit
this new venture in? Every possible time suggested either
clashed with something else or prohibited attendance by some
of the suggested key players.
The meeting at this stage
became a little heated as some people tried to suggest that we
hijack what they considered to be less relevant programmes
within the church. Cries of "this is important and that isn't"
began to ring around the room.
At this point someone
suggested that we pray and ask God for a word of wisdom. We
did this and within about five minutes a time presented itself
which was acceptable to all. Of course the time had always
been there but in our blindness we couldn't see it. This is a
simple example of how the gift of knowledge works. When we ask
God for this gift and use it in faith it can streamline our
decision-making process significantly and speed up the
advancement of mission.
The best biblical example of
the gift of wisdom that I can think of is the judgement of
Solomon.
1 Kings 3:16-28
"Now two prostitutes came
to the king and stood before him. One of them said, "My lord,
this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while
she was there with me. The third day after my child was born,
this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no-one in
the house but the two of us. "During the night this woman's
son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle
of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant
was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by
my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son - and he
was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning
light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne." The other
woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is
yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is
yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the
king. The king said, "This one says, `My son is alive and your
son is dead,' while that one says, `No! Your son is dead and
mine is alive.' "Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So
they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: "Cut
the living child in two and give half to one and half to the
other." The woman whose son was alive was filled with
compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord,
give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said,
"Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" Then the
king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first
woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother." When all Israel
heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in
awe, because they saw that he had
wisdom from God to administer
justice. "
The gift of knowledge is
another very useful gift. Although God will give this gift
freely to those who ask him we should not ask for this gift
lightly. The use of this gift requires a great deal of faith
on the part of the practitioner! The gift of knowledge
provides us with information about a person or their
circumstances that is unknown to others and secret to them.
This gift can be especially helpful in ministry - but one has
to have an equal measure of bravery and sensitivity to use it!
Let me give you an example.
Sitting in a Salvation
meeting one night a young lady went to the Mercy Seat. As she
went forward, God via the gift of knowledge began to speak to
me. I asked my wife to go and counsel the young lady before
anybody else got the chance. I told her to take her away from
the Mercy Seat and take her somewhere else. I felt concerned
that the issue she was dealing with would not be dealt with at
the mercy seat and would then be lost in the handshakes and
congratulations at the end of the meeting. I felt God saying
that if we could get her into a more private location with
some supporting intercessors then he would deal with the
issues that were burdening her. My wife took her to another
location.
We prayed for the lady, she
confessed her sins. She forgave those who had hurt her and
received ministry. Everything was dealt with apart from one
issue. I addressed this fact and asked her to bring into the
open - she was reluctant. I gave her a piece of paper and a
pen and asked her to write it down on the basis that it was
important that she acknowledged it - she hesitated. I took the
piece of paper and wrote down two words. The first word was a
name the second described the particular trauma that the owner
of the name had subjected her to. She let out a scream, began
to sob and said, "I've never told anyone, I never told
anyone". The team comforted her and I assured her it was not
her fault that God forgave her and was healing her. Within
five minutes she had forgiven that individual and within half
an hour was embracing him in our presence.
Those who fear the gifts of
the spirit will say, but what if you were wrong? What if the
events you imagined had never taken place? The gift of
knowledge is a wonderful thing but has to be administered with
extreme care, sensitivity and caution!
An Old Testament example of
the gift of knowledge;
1 Samuel 10:20 - 24
"When Samuel brought all
the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.
Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan,
and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was
chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
So they enquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here
yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the
baggage." They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among
the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel
said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has
chosen? There is no-one like him among all the people." Then
the people shouted, "Long live the king!" "
A New Testament example of
the gift of knowledge (this example shows that spiritual gifts
though generally bringing blessing also root out hypocrisy and
corruption);
Acts 5:3 - 11
"Then Peter said, "Ananias,
how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have
lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the
money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you
before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at
your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You
have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he
fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what
had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his
body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours
later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter
asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for
the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to
her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?
Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she
fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in
and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside
her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who
heard about these events. "
This is a wonderful gift!
Have you ever been faced with a set of circumstances that you
knew God could deal with - but your confidence was just
sagging beneath the weight of apparent impossibility? In such
circumstances we need to ask for the gift of faith! The gift
of faith is a supernatural charge of divine confidence that in
the words of the hymn writer shouts in the face of
impossibilities - "It shall be done!"
Examples of the gift of
faith being used are everywhere! Elijah's defeat of the
prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Peter's declaration to the
lame man "get up and walk", Moses parting of the Red Sea
Jesus' cursing of the fig tree, Peter's walking on the water
and so one could go on. The gift of faith is a release of
confidence in the promise or instruction of God.
Rather than give an example
of the gift of faith from my own ministry I'd like to dig into
the history of the Salvation Army for one. Herbert Booth (a
phenomenal hymn writer and powerful Christian) needed to
purchase a building for The Salvation Army. This building was
essential to the training of new Officers .The sum of money
involved was huge, Herbert had gone ahead with the purchase
even though he knew he didn't have the capital to complete the
deal. At the eleventh hour following a period of intense
spiritual darkness and warfare the money arrived and the deal
was closed. Herbert wrote the following words in celebration
of the gift of faith;
"O for trust that brings the
triumph, When defeat seems strangely near! O for faith that
changes fighting into victory's ringing cheer; Faith
triumphant, knowing not defeat or fear!"
I believe that one of the
best examples of a group of believers asking for, receiving
and using the gift of faith is found in;
Acts 4:23-31
"On their release, Peter
and John went back to their own people and reported all that
the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard
this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
"Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the
earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the
Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father
David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather
together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles
and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your
holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your
power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now,
Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak
your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal
and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of
your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where
they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. "
Some may argue that the
disciples asked for boldness, but I think in the face of
impossible persecution they asked that God would give them the
power to believe that he would do what he had told them he
would do!
Healing like the gift of
knowledge though undeniably helpful must be used with
sensitivity and care. The death of people like David Watson,
Roy Castle (and my great friend Bill Shiels) together with the
long term illnesses and disabilities of other saints proves
beyond doubt that God does not and will not heal everyone.
There are some within the church (particularly those within
"the word of faith" movement) who believe that if a person is
not healed it is due to a lack of faith and nothing more. This
is nonsense - if this were so then eternity would start now
and not when we die!
Humans are not immune to
illness. Illness like everything else can be used to glorify
God. The testimony of the terminally ill and handicapped has
always been used to win people into the kingdom. I have been
the recipient of healing but know of many people (some who are
close friends) who seem to be stuck with their conditions. The
story of Job makes it clear that there is a lot more to
healing and illness than some are prepared to think.
The mysterious nature of
God's sovereign will should not stop us looking to ask for and
use the gift of healing in our ministry. As long as we are
prepared to conclude all our prayers with the phrase "they
will be done" then we are on safe ground and should exercise
our faith boldly.
Biblical examples are two a
penny, healing was common place in both the Old and New
testaments. If we feel called to minister healing then we
should learn from the examples of others. I would recommend
the following books; "Come Holy Spirit" by David Pytches and
"How to have a healing ministry without making your church
sick!" by Peter Wagner.
This is where in response to
our faith God intervenes and bypasses the laws of nature.
Again examples are too commonplace in the bible to mention.
Miraculous powers are usually accompanied by the gift of
faith. This gift seems to thrive in areas where the church is
persecuted. This gift basically says, "My God is so big, so
strong and so mighty there's nothing that he cannot do". In
many ways this gift embraces all of the others, as spiritual
gifts are by their very nature supernatural!
I cannot think of a specific
incident in my own ministry where I have used this gift. This
says more about the nature of gifts than we might think. As I
said at the beginning these gifts are tools and are given to
us as and when we need them, To date I have not come across a
situation where I needed this gift, to date the others have
always been sufficient!
1 Corinthians 4:20 "For
the
kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. "
Prophecy is not about
predicting the future. Prophecy is the ability to receive a
message from God and relay it to his people quickly,
efficiently and with conviction. Of course this message may
refer to the future but we must not limit the power of this
amazing gift just to the act of foretelling. Occasionally
prophecy will foretell but prophecy always tells forth!
Prophecy is the most useful gift available to believers and we
should seek for it and ask for it constantly;
1 Corinthians 14:1 - 5
"Follow the way of love and eagerly
desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For
anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to
God. Indeed, no-one understands him; he utters mysteries with
his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for
their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks
in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the
church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but
I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater
than one who speaks in tongues."
Prophecy encourages,
prophecy builds up, and prophecy glorifies Christ. Prophecy
corrects, prophecy directs. In terms of examples any time a
Christian uses their mouth in tune with God's will the result
is prophecy. Sometimes certain individuals are set forth as
prophets because of their remarkable gifts of communication.
If we ask in faith we can all be prophets.
The fact that God speaks to
his people in dreams and visions is beyond debate. We're all
familiar with the old adage that a picture can tell a story
better than a multitude of words, as John Bunyan said "the
citadel of man soul is easier stormed through eyegate than
eargate". Sometimes when people are struggling with complex
spiritual issues metaphor and simile are God's best servants.
Biblical examples abound,
Joseph and his brothers, Daniel, the birth of Jesus. When
Peter quotes Joel in Acts he specifically mentions dreams and
visions as accompanying the delivery of the Holy Spirit.
In my own experience dreams
are good motivators because they are intimate. If God can be
bothered to infiltrate my unconscious mind - wow! He really
must want me to do something. Of course not all our dreams
come from God. I always ensure before I retire that I bind up
in the name of Jesus any evil spirits or demons that might be
waiting to influence or interfere with my dreams!
How do we know if a dream is
from God? It will often recur. It will be easily remembered.
It will be lucid and detailed. If we dream such a dream and we
are unsure of its meaning then we should seek out someone with
the gift of interpretation, When we arrive at a meaning for
our dream we should test that interpretation among God's
people. Dreams that seem to have an unhappy ending should not
be seen as concrete predictions; they might just be warnings!
Symbols can have a negative as a well as a positive meaning. A
fire might symbolise Hell! Or it might indicate the descent of
the Holy Spirit! We should interpret dreams cautiously and
apply a great deal of prayer to this activity.
Visions are even more
important than dreams. Visions are often the precursor to the
gift of faith, which in itself is often the precursor to
something miraculous. You may have a vision for your church or
a derelict building in your community. In such cases we should
pray through the vision, test it and when we are certain that
the picture we see is from God we should pursue it with a
passion.
An Old Testament example of
a dream;
Genesis 28:11 - 21 "When
he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because
the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it
under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which
he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching
to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending
on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the
LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I
will give you and your descendants the land on which you are
lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth,
and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the
north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed
through you and your offspring.I am with you and will watch
over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this
land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you." :When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought,
"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is
none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed
under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top
of it. He called that place
Bethel, though the city used
to be called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will
be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking
and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear :so that I
return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my
God"
A New Testament example of a
vision;
Acts 10:9 - 21 "About
noon the
following day as they were on their journey and approaching
the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry
and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being
prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and
something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its
four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals,
as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a
voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not,
Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or
unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call
anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three
times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the
men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and
stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was
known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still
thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon,
three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do
not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." Peter
went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking
for. Why have you come?"
Under this heading we're
going to look at both tongues and the gift of interpretation.
There are two types of tongues. The practical ability to speak
in the language of your listeners (even though you don't speak
that language!). Then the more common gift, which is
communication or praise via a language given by the Holy
Spirit.
The first gift speaks for
itself (pun unintended) and its pragmatic benefits are
obvious. this gift is still given and we should ask for it and
seek it when the right time arrives.
The second has always been
the cause of controversy and division within the church. Paul
lays down strict guidelines for the use of this gift within
public worship;
1 Corinthians 14:1 - 33
"Follow the way of love
and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of
prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to
men but to God. Indeed, no-one understands him; he utters
mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks
to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He
who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies
edifies the church.
I would like every one of
you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.
He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues,
unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified. Now,
brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good
will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or
knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case
of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or
harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless
there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet
does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So
it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your
tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will
just be speaking into the air.
Undoubtedly there are all
sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without
meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is
saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner
to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager to have
spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the
church. For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should
pray that he may interpret what he says. For if I pray in a
tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
So what shall I do? I
will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I
will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who
finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to
your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not
edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of
you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible
words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Brothers, stop thinking
like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your
thinking be adults. In the Law it is written: "Through men of
strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will
speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to
me," says the Lord. Tongues, then, are a sign, not for
believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for
believers, not for unbelievers. So if the whole church comes
together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not
understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that
you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or someone who
does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying,
he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be
judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare.
So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is
really among you!"
What then shall we say,
brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a
word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an
interpretation. All of these must be done for the
strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two
- or at the most three - should speak, one at a time, and
someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the
speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself
and God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others
should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes
to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.
For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be
instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject
to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder
but of peace"
The spirit has on rare
occasions allowed me to use tongues in my private devotions.
In those moments when love and praise or concern and
frustration made it difficult for me to pray, the Holy Spirit
has taken over and I have prayed in the spirit. Early in my
Christian life (under pressure from well meaning friends) I
also used this gift in ministry and in house group worship. My
experience has taught me and the bible would appear to confirm
that this gift is for private use and personal edification. In
itself it is not proof of Holy Spirit baptism and the use of
this gift is not essential to Salvation.
However, we should not
ignore this gift. If we feel that we need it then we should
ask for it in faith. If we have been given it we should use it
within the parameters of scripture. If we do this then God
will surely be glorified!
On occasion tongues may be
used in public worship where one has the gift of
interpretation. I have witnessed this work very well. However,
this can be dangerous and is probably unnecessary. If God has
a message for us then he can deliver it as easy in our mother
tongue as in an ecstatic one. Why go through a tongue and then
through an interpreter to get to a person. Within the context
of scripture this is not the way we se God dealing with his
people.
If you feel that you have
the gift of interpretation then perhaps you should pray that
God would help you to apply that gift to Dreams & Visions.
If anything is
underestimated in terms of power and use within the Church
today its praise! Praise is not only a gift from God but it
embraces all of the others. Praise is the fertile soil in
which ministry grows. Praise is a complete anathema to the
Devil and his evil troops. Praise puts things into
perspective. Praise can win victories where other methods
fail. If you look at its Hebrew roots the word praise means to
"humble oneself" and "to serve".
These two activities,
humility and service are the hallmark of successful Christian
living.
James 4:6-10
"But he gives us more grace. That is why
Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come
near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your
laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves
before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
John 13:35 "By
this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another."
An Old Testament example of
praise being used as a weapon is found in Joshua chapter 6
where the walls of Jericho were breached.
We can all praise God -
Hallelujah!
Discernment enables us to
read people's motives. Discernment allows us to test the
sincerity of a certain action or statement. Discernment can at
times be an unpleasant gift. To sit in a congregation and to
watch someone preach or testify with enthusiasm yet to feel in
your heart the burden of their hypocrisy can be hard to bear.
Like knowledge and healing discernment must be administered
with great sensitivity. It is difficult to describe but
discernment makes people transparent. When you look at them
you see through whatever they're doing or saying into their
hearts. Discernment is akin to spiritual intuition. There are
many examples of discernment within scripture;
Acts 13:9-12
"Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled
with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, "You
are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is
right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will
you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the
hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind,
and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the
sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he
groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When
the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was
amazed at the teaching about the Lord. "
Matthew 16:21-23
"From that time on Jesus began to explain to
his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers
of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be
raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
"Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are
a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of
God, but the things of men."
As with all the gifts
discernment must be used in conjunction with faith and trust.
Discernment can sometimes enable us to see things which are
frightening - in such circumstances we must just stand our
ground in the name of Jesus and gently (towards the person)
deal with what we see.
God looks on the heart and
not on the outside of a man, discernment allows us to the
same.
One of the best gives to
receive one of the best gifts to be called to use and
certainly the best gift to be on the end of in ministry!
Tychicus a fellow worker of
Paul had the gift of encouragement and Paul uses him
repeatedly;
Ephesians 6:21 -22
"Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful
servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you
also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him
to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are,
and that he may encourage you. "
Colossians 4:7
"Tychicus will tell you all the news about me.
He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow-servant
in the Lord.I am sending him to you for the express purpose
that you may know about our circumstances and that he may
encourage your hearts."
Another encourager was
Timothy;
1 Thessalonians 3:2 "We
sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow-worker in
spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage
you in your faith,"
This gift can be used
liberally without fear. We can all be encouragers. There is
nothing mystical or dangerous about encouragement. All it
takes is a word, or card or telephone call.
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