The extravagance of God is expressed by his giving gifts to people. He gave the gift of his Son to the world, and he gives his Spirit to those who receive him. He continues to give gifts extravagantly. These gifts touch the hearts and lives of multitudes of people, drawing them ever closer to God. God wants his people to understand spiritual gifts and how to operate them. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware” (1 Corinthians 12:1). In this study, you will learn about the various gifts and how they operate.
Kingdom leaders demonstrate spiritual gifts and encourage God’s people to receive and activate these gifts, whether it’s prophecy, healing, teaching, leading, or giving. They provide an environment for the manifestation of spiritual gifts, and they teach and nurture believers to operate in the gifts whenever and wherever the gifts are needed.
Introducing Spiritual Gifts
Believers are given various spiritual gifts to benefit the body of Christ as a whole, as well as its individual members. The spiritual gifts help believers understand and follow God’s will. These gifts strengthen, establish and give directions to the members of his body. The gifts help believers follow the Spirit and become mature sons of God.
When a believer yields to the Spirit as a willing vessel of the spiritual gifts, he/she is ready to be used in the gifts. All of the gifts supply what is needed by members of the body of Christ, causing the body to increase. If there is a need God is willing to meet it.
The spiritual gifts are divided into three groups: body-ministry gifts, gifts of the Spirit, and fivefold ministry gifts. The gifts of the Spirit are the manifestation of the Spirit. The body-ministry gifts are used to minister one to another in the body. The fivefold ministry gifts equip believers for them to do God’s will.
9 Gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:8-10 NASB
8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
The gifts of the Spirit involve the pouring out of God’s heart. These gifts are used at specific times to bring forth a message from God and a divine purpose. In general, there is a higher accountability for the gifts of the Spirit than for the body-ministry gifts because the gifts of the Spirit speak for God. The gifts of the Spirit are directly linked to the fivefold ministry gifts because these ministry gifts operate in the gifts of the Spirit. We subdivide the gifts of the Spirit into the empowering gifts and the power gifts.
6 Empowering Gifts
The empowering gifts are messages of God that manifest the Spirit’s presence. These gifts include words of knowledge and wisdom, discerning of spirits, prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. They show God’s will and purpose.
3 Power Gifts
The power gifts are faith, healing, and miracles. They manifest the power of the Spirit. “The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hears, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them (Matthew 11:5).
7 Body-ministry Gifts
Romans 12:6-8 NASB
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Peter 4:11 NASB
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to who belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
All believers need strengthening, encouraging, and knowledge to increase. The body-ministry gifts give their supply to each other. These gifts relate to what members of the body of Christ do for each other. Each member of Christ’s body has something to supply others that will make the body increase.
The body-ministry gifts are the expression of God’s grace. These gifts are related to humility. God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). There are many members in the body but all do not have the same office or task. Let everything you do for one another in the body is done in love.
Fivefold Ministry Gifts
Ephesians 4:11-12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
11 And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.
No one minister acting alone has everything needed to mature and equip God’s people. Fivefold ministry gifts―apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists―work together to build up and equip God’s people. The ministry gifts of apostle and prophet, which have been lost for many years, are being restored to the body of Christ. Apostles and prophets lay a spiritual foundation in the lives of God’s people, and other fivefold ministers build on this sure foundation. “You are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19-20).
People are called and equipped with special abilities and gifts to be fivefold ministers. To walk in the fivefold ministry offices a person is used consistently in the gifts of the Spirit. Apostles consistently operate in word of wisdom, faith, and miracles. “At the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people” (Acts 5:12). Prophets are used consistently in prophecy, discerning of spirits, and word of knowledge. Every minister is not a fivefold ministry gift. “God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Individuals are called and appointed for the ministry gifts by God and not by man.
There is an order among the fivefold ministry gifts. “God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). The apostles are first because God wants order in his church. Prophets are second because he wants his people to hear what he has to say. Teachers are next because he wants the people to understand his word. After apostles, prophets, and teachers come the signs and wonders. Signs and wonders occur in fivefold ministries. Without apostles and prophets, people are not able to experience the fullness of signs and wonders. While the body-ministry gifts can occur in any ministry, the gifts of the Spirit are manifested primarily in fivefold ministries.
Personal Story about Spiritual Gifts
Sherry and I have been members of a fivefold ministry team which has been laying a spiritual foundation in the lives of young ministers around the world for several years. The team members consistently operate in spiritual gifts. The people are amazed at how the team members cooperate with each other in authority and power.
Conclusions
Understanding the spiritual gifts and how they operate is critical in manifesting them in your life. Body-ministry gifts can occur in any ministry, but the gifts of the Spirit are most prominent in fivefold ministries. Fivefold ministers operate consistently in the gifts of the Spirit themselves and allow others to operate in them, as well. Earnestly desire to flow in the spiritual gifts yourself, and find a place where the gifts are taught and demonstrated. Operate in the spiritual gifts and impact the lives of others.
Study Questions
#1 What hinders you from operating in the spiritual gifts?
#2 Which of the spiritual gifts are you earnestly desiring?
#3 Under what conditions would you be free to operate in the spiritual gifts/
#4 Who could you help by operating in the spiritual gifts?
#5 What are your plans for being used more by the Spirit in the spiritual gifts?