Spiritual Gifts | Identity


His Gifts for You are For His Purpose

 Discovering the gift of forgiveness leads us to serve others with His gifts

Here's another area to expand on your examination of the gifts check out this great lesson outline below adapted from Dr. George O. Wood's Article, listen to the sermon here: Gifts of the Spirit.

Examining the Word of God eventually lead's all believers into discovering Spiritual Gifts.  May you be blessed by His grace and become confident in service for the Kingdom's purpose!

Where the head (Jesus) goes the body follows.

Purpose of the Gifts:  Glorification of God, reaching the lost, discipling the found & serving of human need.

Recommend you download and read Gifts of the Spirit. Dr. George O. Wood's full article.  Below I share a simple outline to share personal feedback, basic statements of observation & notes.

Article Outline:

The gifts of the Spirit with which the church functions are really the gifts of Jesus to his body.  And God gives good gifts:


The Catalogue of gifts:


In my opinion these 2 are perquisite conditional gifts from God driving the rest catalogued below. 

    1. Eternal life  Romans 6:3

    2. The Holy Spirit  Acts 2:38

 

Three types below:  Motivation, Spiritualties & Ministry.


  • Motivation gifts (7).  Romans 12:6-8.  Fellowship & Compassion.
        • Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Leadership, Leadership, Mercy.

  • Spirituals (9+2).  1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (often called charismatic). Paul Preaching correctional Spirit over the flesh (spiritualties). Grace like gifts not to suggest the others lack grace.
        • Wisdom, Faith, Healings, Miracles, Discernment of Spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of    Tongues, Celibacy, Voluntary poverty, Hospitality
  • Ministry gifts(7+).  1 Corinthians 12:27-31 coupled with Ephesians 4:11-13.  Offices of leadership:
        • Apostle, Helps, Teacher, Evangelist, Pastor.  Administrators & Leaders (Guidance).


    3. Prophecy

            1 Samuel 9:9 In the former day's known as Seer. Forth telling. Foretelling.  [Foresight]. Predicting the future.  [Clairvoyance.]  Inspired prophetic utterance 1 Corinthians 14:3 the building up of the believer; encouragement.   1 Corinthians 14:24-25 conviction to the unbeliever that leads to conversion; deliberate decision.  Both Paul & Moses indicate within scriptures that this gift ought to be highly desired  Numbers 11:26-30. 

    4. Service

            Compassion ministry.  Washing of feet.  Compelled by sincere love.  Jesus something like that of "he who desires to lead must become a servant to all." See Mark 9:35 (& other linguistic cross references).  In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul helps us understand priorities in all these gifts.  That is each of them throughout the catalogue.

    5. Teaching  

 Teachers are systematic & strive for accuracy.  Luke 1:3 Luke, a masterful teacher.  Apollos Acts 18:24.  Careful to avoid teaching error & misleading heresies.  

    6. Exhortation  

            Speaking gift.  In the Greek literally "one that comes alongside".  The gift of prophecy, the gift of teaching and the gift of exhortation all interrelate.  Barnabas' story founding of the church in Antioch within Acts 11 helps us highlight distinction to help us discern between the 3 gifting's' and the strength of those within a person.

    7. Giving  

Romans 12 highlights it as a distinction in the motivation type of gifting.  Empowered by the Spirit that grants unique refinement in the ability to recognize needs and acting on filling these needs.  Giver's need resources to give-whether it's time or finances or skills.  They give with radical generosity.

    8. Leadership  

            Romans 12, [(1 Corinthians 12:27-31 coupled with Ephesians 4:11-13 for Guidance in my opinion)]

    9. Mercy  

  Romans 12.  

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transform by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good pleasing and perfect will...Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written:  "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 1-2,19-21 NIV  Apostle Paul

    10. Wisdom

Utterance word of wisdom.  Exhibited by Jesus in John 8:7.  Also seen operating in the church in Acts 15:13-21.

    11. Knowledge

Like that of Nathan who knows that David had an affair with Bathsheba that no one knows about (2 Samuel 12).  Jesus has this gift speaking with Nathanael in John 1:48.  Peter with Ananias & Sapphira in (Acts 5:1-11).  The Apostle Peter's validated words that prove out to be true for ALL to witness.   Supernatural nature perhaps, but not learned, inspired utterance of knowledge.  Peter was led by the Spirit into this knowledge for the church.

    12. Faith 

Hebrews 11:39  In my opinion, the distinction here appears to be an extra serving of help from the Spirit.  Perhaps to the faithless this appears like heaps of mustered seed's in the hands of a believer.  Faith that moves mountain ranges if you will.  To an onlooker these folks just keep on ticking when no one else normally would.  I like to cross-reference this with Proverbs 13:20   & 1 Corinthians 15:33.  Not to suggest someone with this gift is incorruptible, but look at Job's poetic story, we witness his reward in the end.  For some as Hebrews 11:39 indicates the reward won't be here on earth.  Let me suggest that one characteristic that may be observable in someone with this gift may appear like that of tenacious zeal and trust in the Lord.  

Inaugural American President George Washington is well known for this remark from his 110 Rules of Civility Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation authored in his early teens.  Influenced by French Maxims reportedly circulating in the late 16th century.  

Better to stand alone then to be in bad company. 

 ~George Washington

    13. Healing

1 Corinthians 12:27-31   Testimony in this gift are endless. John 21:25  It seems to become misunderstood in it's exercise when the giver & receiver lose sight of where the gift comes from.  Jehovah Rophe'   Exodus 15:26

    14. Miracles

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

    15. Discerning of Spirits

            Acts 20:26-31  Paul's warning to Pastors in Ephesus about wolves in sheep's clothing. Acts 8:9-25 Simon outward appearance vs. actual inward appearance in the practice of sorcery and a desire to have the powers he observed in the disciples for his own personal advancement.  Discernment of tongues & Interpretation of tongues. 

    16. Apostle

1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-13

    17. Helps 

[(Guidance & Leadership)].

1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-13

    18. Administration 

[(Guidance & Leadership)].

1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-13

    19. Evangelist

1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-13

    20. Pastor

1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-13

 

Perhaps a few others within our reality validated with scripture:  

 

    21. Celibacy

  1 Corinthians 7:7 called a charisma gift.

    22. Voluntary Poverty

            1 Corinthians 13:3

    23. Martyrdom

  1 Corinthians 13:3

    24. Hospitality

            1 Peter 4:9-10

 

Twenty-four gifts observed within this article cataloged by Dr. George O. Wood in his Sermon.  He did mention in the article that they are duplicated within scripture.  For the sake of time coverage, he doesn't return to each duplicated item.  I attempt to spell it out a little bit more with this outline above.

Digressional warning.  Hold on to your seat!  In my opinion the gifts are supernatural, but in someway they build from a base of some natural inclinations; some trained & some not.  Let me add the 25th gift that I see.  It seems to be mixed in with the gifts of Wisdom & Prophet in an utterance sense but more clearly defined I submit Linguist. Perhaps this should include subcatagorical blending of Exhortation, Knowledge & Discernment of tongues, interpretation of tongues & Spirit too.  

I postulate that this learned skill in and of itself is in some cases a gifting of supernatural blessing.  In the supernatural sense we recognize that some people may be overcome by the Spirit and utter something in a language foreign to them and in turn if we’re fortunate enough to have the discipline we may gain an interpretation from someone.  This type of situation is of the kind that we see clearly as a move of the Spirit.  What I aim to reason with you is that some have a special niche for the learning of many languages, and I don’t see this form of learning to be any less or necessarily more phenomenally miraculous than the unwitting utterance.  To have the gift of learning various languages is an additional gift that I believe God certainly bestows upon some members of the body of Christ for His good & perfect pleasure.  

Imagine yourself after years of study and endurance to gain poly-linguistic skill only to be told that it's only carnal.  Perhaps someone with this skill can testify about their skill that it is Spiritless, but in my opinion,  Linguist is a 25th gift of the Spirit.  I’m not even Bi-lingual but I’m certain that with the help of the Holy Spirit I’m much more capable of learning to speak Spanish.  Yet, in this sense I may gain the skill only have the ability to prophecy and lead the body after gaining of this gift.  Then discover that I’m useless on the street to give directions to the convenient store in Spanish.  I could end up learning that I can only speak the Gospel in Spanish, but not basic day to day discussions.  I think this because foreign language has never been a gifting I’m inclined to gain.  Therefore, it seems miraculous to me that someone gain such a skill.  And now I wonder if it’s a gift at all.  Yet I am convinced that Linguist is a 25th gift.  Can I get an amen?

The supernatural and the natural are very paradoxical when observed together and the Creator never intended for us to experience death therefore the idea that something is only carnal or natural distracts me from the accurate image of God.  Although I am in the flesh the process of sanctification stimulates a spiritual life that promotes divinity in my environment, of which I am forever grateful.

If you haven't accepted, opened and exercised the gift of forgiveness yet then you're missing out on the most important gift of ALL gifts, the Giver himself.  May you discover and accept Jesus Christ now!

May the God I know saturate us all with His Spirit and His perfect and pleasing will.  Let's expand our use of the gifts from above for the glory and honor of His Majestic Kingdom Come!


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