For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
-Romans 12:3-8
Spiritual Gifts
How does one receive Spiritual gifts?
What are the spiritual gifts?
What is the purpose for spiritual gifts?
What is the protocol for the use of Spiritual Gifts?
How does one receive Spiritual Gifts?
Answer: By the Grace of God.
Every believer has the gift of the Spirit. Everyone who has the gift of the Holy Spirit possesses “gifts” from the Holy Spirit.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
-Romans 12:6a
Spiritual Gift: An unmerited, unearned, intrinsic talent or ability given by God for the purpose of building His church.
It is a gift! Which means:
- You can’t earn it. It is given.
- You can’t force your gift upon someone else.
- You either have it or you don’t.
- You can seek a gift—but God is the giver and has the ultimate say and is a wise investor.
Disagreement sometimes occurs over whether or not:
1. Spiritual gifts come suddenly out of nowhere after conversion.
2. Spiritual gifts lie dormant until that person is awakened to the Holy Spirit at conversion.
Both are true.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’
-Jeremiah 1:4-5
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me… Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb... I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
-Psalm 139:1,4,13-15
The ultimate purpose for these gifts is to love, serve and worship the living God and to expand his Kingdom here on this earth.
Whether you use them for this purpose is up to you.
There are also times when believers are given an immediate gift.
The Apostles were given the gifts of healing and tongues. Peter was given the gift of faith–He moved from denying Jesus to preaching on the steps of the establishment after the Holy Spirit was breathed into him in Acts 1.
Neither possessed these gifts at birth; they were given for a specific purpose in a specific place and time.
All of you have abilities God gave you in your mother’s womb. When you gave your life to Jesus, the Divine Spark set that gift on fire, and you are able to do things you may have been able to do before—but not to the degree and impact you now do them.
What are the Spiritual Gifts?
The Foundational Gifts:
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
-Ephesians 4:11-13
Apostleship:
In the early church, only those who witnessed the risen Christ and who were set apart in Acts 1 were qualified to be Apostles.
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?
-1 Corinthians 9:1
The Apostles had absolute authority in the early church and their ministry and instruction was validated by signs and wonders.
Their ministry served as the foundation of the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
-Ephesians 2:19-20
The foundation has been built and Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. Therefore, there are no Apostles or Prophets today.
You don’t rebuild a foundation unless it is weak and this one is eternal.
No man or woman has absolute authority today.
No preacher is infallible.
The Canon of Scripture is closed; no one is writing the New Bible.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
-Revelation 22:18-19
“messengers” = “apostolos” the non-technical term for all ambassadors of the Gospel; “the ones sent.”
As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.
-2 Corinthians 8:23
God still sends and calls but no one has the authority to build the foundation of the Gospel and the Church.
Prophecy
This gift served a specific time in the establishing of the church.
But it did not begin in the New Testament. Prophesy in the Old Testament was an act of intelligible communication that bore Divine Authority.
The Prophets spoke on behalf of God Himself. Typically their messages included:
- Warning of coming destruction without repentance.
- Promise of blessing if repentance occurred.
- The Coming of God’s Messiah to restore all things.
But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.
-Deuteronomy 18:20
Prophecy in the New Testament is also divinely inspired, infallible and trustworthy.
The Apostle John was a New Testament prophet whose words were directly from God.
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
-Revelation 1:1-3
An overview of Biblical prophecy looks like this:
1. A miraculous act of understood intelligible communication.
2. Rooted in divine revelation
3. Empowered by the Holy Spirit.
4. Must be received by those who hear it as the absolute binding word of God.
The Gift of prophecy was absolutely essential during the foundational stage of the church. It provided necessary instruction until the blueprint of the Word of God was completed.
The gift of prophecy included receiving a message directly from God through special revelation, being guided in declaring it to the people, and having it authenticated in some way by God himself… This too was a gift limited in its need and use, for it was needed during the writing of the New Testament and its usefulness ceased when the books were completed.
-Charles Ryrie, The Holy Spirit, p. 86
Questions for people claiming to be Apostles or possess the gift of Prophecy:
- Do you speak infallibly on behalf of God?
- Are you recording what you prophesy so that others can read it and obey it?
- Were you one of the original twelve Apostles through whom God spoke and upon whose teaching the foundation of the church was established?
If the answer is Yes: I give them a warning.
If the answer is No: I assume they have spiritual gifts but have mis-defined what Prophecy and Apostleship really are.
There can be no doubt that there men and women today who have unique gifts to speak about the future in the sense of:
- what the church should be doing,
- and are able to contextualize the Gospel in such a way as to communicate the things of God into culture.
C.S. Lewis, Fracis Shaeffer, Ellizabeth Elliot, Corrie Ten Boom, Ravi Zacharias, Tim Keller, Billy Graham… and yet not one of them claimed to be a Prophet or an Apostle.
However, there is clearly a New Testament gift called, the "gift of prophesying."
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.
-Romans 12:6
Prophesying: Hebrew (nābā), Greek verb (prophēteuō) simply means “to speak forth, to proclaim.”
In the New Testament church the basic ministry of the gift of prophecy was not to predict the future but to proclaim, expound, and exhort the congregation to follow the teachings of Jesus.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification, exhortation, and consolation.
-1 Corinthians 14:3 (NASB)
The prophet is the person who:
- Has the ability to stand before others
- Will boldly and passionately communicate the truth of God’s word
- Inspires people to live the life Christ calls us to live
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
-Ephesians 4:11-12
Evangelism
Evangelist means “gospelizer”; one who declares Good News.
The Gift of Evangelism is the special ability given by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It refers to one who has the unique ability to share the Gospel of salvation with ease, courage and clarity. Philip is called “the evangelist in Acts 21:8 and it is implied in Acts 18:28 that Apollos was also a gifted evangelist.
People with the Evangelism gift are able to:
- Share the Gospel with ease
- Share the Gospel with clarity and gentleness.
- They are not apprehensive. They relish the opportunity.
Pastor/Teacher
Pastor = Poimen: Shepherd.
This is not a preaching/proclaiming gift. This is a shepherding/teaching gift.
This is the function of Elders within the local church who are at the heart of local ministry.
- He nourishes and protects.
- Like a Shepherd he minsters to, comforts, has compassion for, and protects the sheep.
- He leads them beside quiet waters.
- He watches over them with his rod (direction) and his staff (protection) to keep them from harm.
The Pastor/Teacher is the one who helps people grow in their knowledge of God and spiritual maturity by both instruction and care.
Teacher: Didaskalos:
People with the gift of teaching have the God-given supernatural ability to communicate Bible truths to others.
Unlike the Prophet, the Teacher originates nothing new.
The teacher merely defines, describes and declares existing revelation.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
-Ephesians 4:11-13
There is no doubt that prophesying, evangelism, pastoring and teaching are significant gifts—they are, which is the reason:
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
-1 Timothy 5:17
And yet, those with such gifts should be the most humble people of all. Why?
- They have been given a gift or gifts.
- What an awesome privilege.
- They are not authoritative leaders but servant leaders who have been given authority to oversee the care of God’s people.
Serving Gifts
…if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
-Romans 12:7-8
diakonos (Greek): “to serve or to attend to.”
People with this gift are amazing, but often underappreciated! Whatever needs to be done, they do it. These are people who tire of talking about what needs to be done—they just jump in and do it! They never say “That’s not my job!”
This gift manifests itself in many ways:
- Diakonos: Deacons: Serve communion, offering, prepare it all, count and record it all.
- People who clean up, set up, take down, or simply do whatever it takes to get the job done!
- "Church Rats:" “I just want to serve.”
Everyone is called to serve!
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
-Philippians 2:3-4
Even Jesus did not come to be served but to serve.
A servant’s heart is the tell-tale sign of a true servant.
Gifts are to be expressed in humility, not pride.
The Bible says there are “different measures” of the same gift.
Gifts of service include leadership, encouragement, giving generously, and mercy.
…if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
-Romans 12:7-8
Encouragement
Encouraging: “To Call Alongside” with the intent of helping.
The person with the gift of encouragement has the ability to drive home specific truths of Scripture in such a way as to motivate application and transformation.
Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.
-Proverbs 25:11 (NASB)
This person has the ability to tell you the truth about yourself, yet with a comforting arm around your shoulder.
Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
-Proverbs 27:5-6
Barnabas: Son of Encouragement!
He came to Paul to comfort him when all the other disciples in Jerusalem shunned him.
He also picked up the shattered young man John Mark and glued the pieces back together so that he would be useful for service.
Encouragers are essential to every ministry area. Examples:
- Teachers: You can do it! You are changing lives. Billy Graham might be in your class.
- They make great mentors and disciplers when combined with the gift of teaching.
- Greeters; Parking Lot Team
Giving
Verse 8 continues,
"if it is giving, then give generously;"
Giving is a gift? “You see, I do not have that gift, so, I will leave it up to those who do!” Nice Try!
Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’
-Matthew 22:21b
What belongs to God? Everything.
People with a gift for giving have lives that become an extraordinary cycle! God knows their heart, so He blesses them.
He looks around for people and places to whom He can transfer funds, trusting that they will use it for His purposes.
These people with the gift of giving just keep on giving, so God blesses them more. Then, their giving gets out of control. They give—God gives—they give more!
People say:
“If God would bless me like that, then I would give more.”
No! God says, “If you give me more I will trust you with more.”
God’ response: “You first!”
If God has gifted you with beyond ordinary means, then maybe he is calling you—has gifted you—to do some extraordinary things with it.
If you have the gift of Giving, you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by giving of your material resources, far beyond the tithe, to further the work of God. You are the person who looks for opportunities to expand Christ’s Kingdom.
Leadership
Verse 8 continues,
"...if it is to lead, do it diligently"
Lead (Administrate) Greek: Literally: “To stand before;” “A person who steers the ship.”
This is an individual who does not panic during bad weather but is a calm, clear thinker who has the ability to know what needs to be done and then inspire others to move and act.
People with this gift serve the church in areas of leadership. Examples:
These are people who rise up with Holy Discontents to solve a problem. They organise food drives, clothing drives, and building projects.
They are CEO’s, Managing Directors, presidents of corporations–gifted with the gift of leadership.
The Leadership gift comes in “different measures!”
If you have the gift of Leadership you have the ability to motivate others to work together toward a common vision.
Mercy
Paul concludes these examples in Romans 12, saying,
“If a person’s gift is showing mercy…do it cheerfully.”
Mercy: Greek: Eleos: an outward manifestation of pity.
Encouragement is primarily words.
Mercy is primarily deeds and doers!
There are other gifts mentioned in the Bible:
Faith
The person with the gift of faith has the supernatural ability to trust God in the middle of extremely difficult circumstances.
There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
-Hebrews 11:35b-40
People who work diligently toward something they cannot see, believing that God has called them and He will complete the work He began in them.
- Praying in faith, believing God will move.
- Walking in faith believing God will achieve a victory.
- Living by faith believing God will work everything together for good.
People with the gift of faith often frustrate others because they speak as if things are already done.
Hospitality
(Greek: Philoxenia) Compound Word: Love for strangers.
People with the gift of hospitality seek to love and serve whoever God places in their paths.
Administration: The ability to organize and manage tasks and people effectively.
Discernment: The ability to distinguish between truth and error, good and evil.
Encouragement: The ability to uplift and motivate others.
Evangelism: The ability to share the gospel with others in an effective manner.
Faith: An extraordinary confidence in God’s promises, power, and presence.
Giving: The ability to contribute material resources generously and cheerfully.
Helps: The ability to support and assist others in practical ways.
Hospitality: The ability to create a welcoming environment for others.
Leadership: The ability to inspire and guide individuals or groups.
Mercy: The ability to show compassion and care for those in need.
Prophecy: The ability to proclaim God’s truth boldly.
Shepherding: The ability to nurture and guide believers.
Teaching: The ability to explain God’s word clearly and apply it to life.
The three sign gifts: Tongues, Prophecy, and Knowledge
These gifts were often placed together as Revelatory Gifts.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:8b-13
What we know with certainty:
These gifts operated in the early days of the church as gifts whereby God communicated words, messages, encouragement, understanding, truth to the body of believers.
A person would receive a word of knowledge concerning how to handle a situation in the church—or what was appropriate action to take—or even a truth about Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit that they had not yet discovered.
These were amazingly comforting and encouraging and guiding gifts.
They were also essential gifts because there was no Bible.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
-Ephesians 2:19-20
After the day of Pentecost in Acts 2,
the church began to grow rapidly without the Apostles present at every gathering and without the circulation of Scripture.
Without the gifts of Prophecy, Tongues and Knowledge, from where would the information come?
These were much needed gifts of revelation to the church from God.
The Apostles possessed these gifts but understood that they would need to lay hands on others to transfer these gifts if the church was to gain the knowledge, wisdom and revelation essential to keep the church pure and protected from outside forces.
When the early church gathered, these gifts were in operation. Otherwise, the mystery religions would have penetrated and overwhelmed the early church. Things like Gnosticism would have caused schisms in the body of believers.
This brings us to the challenge in the church today:
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
-1 Corinthians 13:8
The core doctrines of the church have not changed for over 2000 years! But where the gifts of revelation are concerned, there is aggressive disagreement.
There are excellent arguments on both sides from the world’s top Biblical Scholars.
The two issues that continue to cause division in the church are “Tongues” and “Age of the Earth.”
Why? Because it’s so hard to understand!
Moreover: Corinth was a mess!
“Corinthian”: excessively immoral, decadent, or self-indulgent. Corinth was a difficult place to start a church.
Everyone brings their past into their relationship with Jesus which is why solid teaching, training and nourishing are so important.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
-2 Timothy 3:16-17
Where the Corinthian church was concerned, some of the members were mimicking the bizarre practices in which they previously were involved.
- Ecstasy was considered to be the highest religious experience.
- Sensuous, supernatural communion with a deity was the highest value in temple worship.
- These were induced through drugs, frenzied hypnotic chants and ceremonies.
- Congregations would work themselves into a frenzy allowing the demonic to enter and immorality and debauchery to ensue.
Paul is so concerned about this in the immature Church in Corinth that he spends more time here than any other place speaking about Spiritual Gifts.
Why? Two reasons are clear.
One: They were combining them with their past experiences—expecting something from them they were never designed to give.
Two: They misunderstood the purpose of the gifts.
The gifts were not meant to place an individual on a higher spiritual plane than others but to build up the whole body of Christ.
My personal belief is that God continues to give wonderful gifts to His church, through the gift of prophesying through amazing prognosticators.
None of them claimed to have the gift of prophesy.
They encouraged others to test their words over and against the scriptures.
They never said, “The Lord told me to tell you.”
Gift of Knowledge
There are people who seem to be led by the Spirit of God in supernatural ways and have the uncanny ability to communicate truths in ways that impact culture more than others.
It's as if God gives them words of clarity and meaning at the right time and place.
- None of them claimed to have the gift of prophesy.
- They encourage others to test their words over and against the Scriptures.
- They never said, “The Lord told me.”
- They are humble, serving, kind, compassionate people.
There are people who seem to have supernatural wisdom in difficult situations. They seem to walk in the Spirit more than others. God seems to grant them divine insight, understanding and wisdom.
They simply communicate in a humble fashion and are greatly respected and listened to.
They understand that they have been given a gift and they use it to glorify God and build up the body of Christ, not themselves.
Gift of Tongues:
First: Here is why the gift of tongues is so difficult.
The gift of tongues in Acts is very clearly the gift of speaking in a language you did not previously know.
This was an amazing gift in the early church to assist its growth throughout the world at the most opportune time
Understanding the advantage of speaking in a language you had not previously learned in order to share the Gospel makes perfect sense.
Second: However, As I read I Corinthians 14, I can not harmonize Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 as the same gift.
Here is what Paul says.
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.
-1 Corinthians 14:1-2
The gift of languages in the book of Acts spoke to people.
But the purpose of tongues is for people to understand the good news in their own language. “Utters mysteries?”
But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
-1 Corinthians 14:3
The gift of Prophets seem to evolve into the gift of prophecy whereby:
The basic ministry of the gift of prophecy was not to predict the future but to proclaim, expound, and exhort the congregation to follow the teachings of Jesus.
Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy…
-1 Corinthians 14:4-5a
Now, brothers and sisters, 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?
-1 Corinthians 14:6
This is the Apostle Paul who possesses the revelation gifts of tongues, prophecy and knowledge.
He says that if he speaks in tongues it will do them no good.
It may do him personal good but no good to the entire body, which is the purpose for spiritual gifts.
Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe 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 the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 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 understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
-1 Corinthians 14:7-15
Just as the other revelation gifts of
Prophets to prophesy and
Absolute Knowledge to Word of Knowledge,
Tongues have also evolved from Foreign Languages to Revelation Gifts to Prayer Language.
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 and sisters, stop thinking like children.
-1 Corinthians 14:8-20a
Good Order in Worship
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 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 to 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—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
-1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
-1 Corinthians 14:39-40
What ultimate conclusions can I draw with certainty?
- “Tongues” began as languages, evolved to “revelation” and finally to a “language of prayer” where a person speaks to God in a way that is only understood by God.
- The entire context of I Corinthians 13-14 is love and order not tongues and prophecy.
- When one possesses a spiritual arrogance because they possess what they believe to be a greater gift, God is not glorified and the body is not built up.
- Most Christians do not possess this gift.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
-1 Corinthians 12:27-31
We are told to seek the “greater gifts” of which Tongues is not a part.
Conclusion:
One: You have a spiritual gift or gifts that are inextricably tied to the reason you were born and the manner in which God has shaped you together.
Dirt Road Discipleship travels the difficult road until it discovers this gift and employs it for the cause of Christ.
Two: The Gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ, not your own personal gratification or spiritual superiority.
Three: The gifts are to be used in an orderly fashion under the authority of the Church Leadership.
Four: Those with the gift of tongues should thank God and use their gifts to pray for the unity of our church and for those who are far from God to come near.
Five: No one speaks inerrantly and infallibly.
When you use the words, “God told me,” you set yourself up to be an authority over someone you have not been called to be.
Your next move:
1. Discover your spiritual gifts.
2. Use them for the glory of God and the building of His kingdom on this earth.
Take a Spiritual Gifts Test
Make a Decision