Spiritual Gifts

One of the best materials I have seen published on understanding spiritual gifts is the booklet, Spiritual Gifts. It's published by IBLP (Gothard).

 

Certainly...

Scripture seems to describe my experience very well. Even if my experience is not specifically described in scripture, it is still not wrong.

 

Wouldn't this be another gift?
Such as prophecy.</font>[/QUOTE]It could be, but it usually isn't categorized that way by writers on spiritual gifts. Since I also have that gift, it would make sense. The gifts given to be are complementary of one another.

I notice it also does not say fortune telling either.</font>[/QUOTE]What I have described is not fortune telling. It is information for immediate use in ministry.

And I would appreciate it if you did not treat me as if I now nothing. I also have the biblical gift of knowledge, so I know what I am talking about.

Excuse me, but I also have done months of study on this subject and am writting a study on it. I have researched this subject in the bible over and over agin, and read afew other things, being careful not to choose information too drastic in either direction. So do not act as if I have no knowledge on this subject.</font>[/QUOTE]I am not trying to be smug. What I am saying is that if you knew me, you would probably understand what I am referring to... My friends certainly understand what I am describing. Most of them have experienced words of knowledge occasionally.

I made no insinuation that you are somehow ignorant of the issues.

[ January 04, 2003, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: Baptist Believer ]

 

What really spooks me is--folks who say they have a particular gift but really don't--

Folks I know may say something like--"Well, I have the gift of decernment! I know how the church crowd feels! I can read the atmosphere of the people!"---and I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt I can prove them wrong--how they think the crowd feels is not really how the crowd feels but how they(the person with that so called decernment) feels---the crowd's "thought" is really their thought! Now, that spooks me!

Something else that really spooks me is folks who really strut their stuff about the gift they have--carryin' on with that gift of tongue or that gift of healin' or whatever--and there is absolutely no evidence of the fruit of the spirit being produced in their lives whatsoever! The gift may be kind--but the spirit is mean! Kind gifted--mean spirited! No such thing exists!

Your friend,
Blackbird

 

Amein, Blackbird!!

The only gift I have is the gift of "helps," although,
on rare occasion, I have foreknown things that
were necessary .

 

Certainly...

Scripture seems to describe my experience very well. Even if my experience is not specifically described in scripture, it is still not wrong.</font>[/QUOTE]Please show where.

 

Abiyah: "The only gift I have is the gift of "helps, ... "

That gift is MUCH BETTER than all the showy
gifts put together! Well, my caveat is that
if the gift is used for the glory of God
and for the service of His Kingdom, then
the gift of helps is MUCH BETTER than all
the showy gifts.

I like what Wagnor said
(Finding Your Spiritual Gifts)
about helps:

"The gift of helps is the special ability that
God gives to certain menbers of the
Body of Christ to invest the
talents they have in the life and
ministry of other members of the BOdy,
thus enabling those others to increase
the effectiveness of their own spiritual gifts."

Abiyah: You GO girl!!!!

Baptist Believer: "Discernment:

I am very confident of this gift
I have the ability to discern truth
from error very quickly (even if I don’t
understand why it is wrong yet) as well
as detect the work of the evil one.
I am very quick to discern who is a false
teacher and who is lying. Some of this
may be natural ability, but I suspect that
it is almost wholly of God. I do not recall
having this ability before conversion."

Generally Discernment is thought to be the ability
to distinguish between that which is of God
and that which is of satan. But there is a third
posibility: it is just human. I also
seem to be blessed (cursed?) with this gift
of Discernment. And i can see it sometimes
even on short posts on Buletin Boards such as
this one. IT seems to me frequently that the
underlying spirit is not direct from God,
not direct from Satan, but is just human.

 

As for spiritual gifts. I believe today there are no so called miraculous gifts such as tongues and predictive prophecy. As for less spectacular ones I have not given it so much thought. I do not believe the gift of discerning spirits exists today like as it was in Paul. No ordinary believer in NT times had all gifts, that is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12. I think some may had a few, viz. more than one or two. That would have applied chiefly to men in leading positions such as elders. I think the most important gifts today, if it is right to talk about gifts, are teaching and preaching (prophesying) and pastoring. These come to mind as really important.
There seems to be a real shortage of those gifts today for some reason which only God can account for.

The fruit of the Spirit, not fruit-s. I believe the fruit of the Spirit is manifested only in true believers, and it consists of manifold graces, such as faith, hope, godly love, patience etc. The Adversary, Satan, is able to counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit to a certain degree in his own emissaries. Otherwise the NT would hardly talk about "wolves in sheep clothing". When a true believer is filled in spirit or full of the Spirit he/she is bound to exhibit those graces known as the fruit of the Spirit. Nevertheless it is chiefly other true believers that recognize it, often unbelievers and false Christians do not recognize the saints, as John said in his first epistle.

Harald

 

I really like this discussion.

Do you think that having a beautiful singing voice is a gift? I do. It cannot be learned, but then I hear you say, but the person had the gift before he became a Christian.

Most musical ability can be learned. Is it a gift to have the desire to learn to play an instrument to praise the Lord?

I do think that when Christians are faced with a situation that they are not prepared for that they can pray and that the Holy Spirit will guide them in what to do or say. I have had this happen to me. I would be amazed at something that I said or did.

I think my strongest gift is "faith"

I hope we have more discussion on this subject.

I was concerned in the past because I could not speak in tongues. Some people were saying that you are not filled with the holy spirt unless you can speak in tongues. I have trouble just speaking my native language of English. But one day when I was reading the scriptures, it was revealed to me that speaking in tongues is one gift and is not given to all.

 

Yup. People who brag about their gifts hurt the body of Christ. Furthermore, those who exercise their "gifts" the way you describe probably don't have the gift.

Yup. The gifts always exalt Christ, His church and His work/ministry. Anyone who uses a "gift" to exalt themselves is in clear sin and they are to be ignored or disciplined. And if the fruit of the Spirit is not present in their life, there is reason to suspect that they may not be a believer at all.

 

Certainly...

Scripture seems to describe my experience very well. Even if my experience is not specifically described in scripture, it is still not wrong.</font>[/QUOTE]Please show where.</font>[/QUOTE]I suspect you are referring to the gift of "word of knowledge". I don't have time to give you an exhaustive list right now, but the most obvious examples are when Jesus knows the thoughts of those around him (an example is Matthew 12:25) or knows something about someone or a situation through supernatural means (an example is John 1:47-50).

Remember, Jesus was born as a human without the inherent powers of deity (see Phillipians 2:6-7) but relied on the Holy Spirit to do His work. This same Spirit works in and through us today.

I'll locate more examples for you and post them sometime this weekend.

 

Amen!

Yes. Excellent point.

Amen. It is often just human corruption at work.

 

Thank you, Ed Edwards. I never thought of it that
way before. I have learned, however, that this gift
must be tempered, or one becomes an enabler,
thus hurting people more than helping. I have also
learned to discern when people want help and
don't want help. Funny--both my husband and
stepson have this gift.

 

You are welcome.
You are correct: spiritual gifts should
be exercised carefully and under the guidance
of the Holy Spirt.

I also see another gift in you, Sister
Abiyah. You always seem to have an
empathy with others. Perhaps you have
this gift as described by Wagnor
in Finding Your Spiritual Gifts?

"Mercy. The gift of mercy
is the speical ability that God
gives to certain members of the
Body of Chirst to feel genuine empathy
and compassion for individuals
(both Christian and non-Christian)
who suffer distressing physical,
mental or emotional problems, and to translate
that compassion into cheerfully done
deeds which reflect Christ's love and
alleviate the suffering."

(item corrected for spelling)

[ January 05, 2003, 06:30 PM: Message edited by: Ed Edwards ]

 

Thank you, Ed Edwards. 8o) I guess I will have
to think about that one for a while--I do not see
it in myself. If, in fact, it is there, it would take
too long to describe how it would, indeed, be
a new gift from our God, not at all present in my
earlier years.

 

Hi, I know where you are coming from. However I think you need to distinguish the gifts as 'signs' from the gifts used to build the church.

In terms of the gifts as 'signs'; ie abilities that come along provably instantly and miraculously I don't know of any.
However gifts that are definately 'from above' but not developed as signs I know of many.

Recently I had a bout of kidney stones, I suffered badly and was on a four hour painkiller cycle. At 2:10AM one morning I could hardly bear the pain (I was crying) I had 1hr 50mins before my next painkiller. I didn't know how I would cope.

About 2:15AM the pain just started to deaden, it still hurt but I relaxed noticably and even went to sleep.

A couple of days later a sister at chapel came up and poked me in the ribs and said: "Are you ok. I woke up 2 O'Clock in the morning the other day and couldn't get you off my mind and started praying for you".

Gift of Knowledge.

Please note: we are an extremely conservative, non-charismatic, fundamentalist bible-believing group. This wasn't a gift to make a fuss over, it was a gift designed to help me cope with the pain.

I actually just wrote an essay on the gifts for a masters course I'm doing ... I can forward it to you if you are really interested.

Yours in Christ

David A Bayliss

 

Yes. In one of the Pauline Epistles (sorry, don't have my Bible handy right now), Paul mentions that he is a preacher, a teacher, and something else that I can't think of right now. If he had more than one gift, then it goes to figure that some of us can, too.

 

Is it tongues?

1 Corinthians 14:18 "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you."

 

I heard about a man9actually a personal frined on my pastors) who works in a migrant ministry(hispanics) here in Ky. who has never learned spanish, never took it in school, and in this area no reason to have ever heard the language before in person. Who started work with this mninistry when they started it in his church a few years ago,and eventually volenteered to teach a bible class to the hispanics. He uses a spanish bible, reads it in spanish, studies it in spanish to write his lessons, speaks his lesson in spanish. And has never been taught one word in spanish. Never stusied the language, just picked up a spanish bible and started reading, open his mouth and start speaking spanish. And still does to this day.
That is tongues being used to edify and build the church.
Now do we use tongues, nope not a single person in our church, nor do the most of us feel it is necessary. But as scripture says, God through the Holy SPirit gives gifts as He chooses depending on the need of the church to presorm the ministries He has given them. We have a migrant ministry also, very few in our church know any spanish at all, one man decided a few months ago to learn it. Did God provide the same for us, nope, He provided a spanish missionary, who speaks spanish, and is hispanic, who evangelizes like nothing I've ever seen, men getting saved in WalMArt.