Spiritual Gifts

Introduction

Spiritual gifts are vital. If the purpose of the body of Christ is to honor Christ, it will only occur when we are a complete, functional, maximized body -- ministering the gifts that the Spirit of God has so graciously given to believers.

The Benefits of Exercise

When the body functions as it should, there are four basic results. These are important because all of us are result oriented.

1. THE PEOPLE RECEIVE THE BLESSING

You will be blessed when you minister and see the fruit of your labor. God never intended the ministry to be carried on by professionals, while everyone else watched. God intends all of us to minister, so that all of us see God at work, see fruit, and understand the joy and blessing. So, one of the benefits of the functioning body is that you receive the fullness of what God intended.

2. THE WITNESS IS DYNAMIC

A fully functioning, redeemed community, in the midst of a nonredeemed community, is dynamic. When Peter exercised his gift of prophecy on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand people were saved (Ac. 2:14-41). When other believers exercised the gift of giving and shared what they had, the Lord added daily to the church those people who saw that kind of love and wanted to be a part of it (Ac. 2:44-47). The early church in Jerusalem, throughout the book of Acts, illustrates how the ministry of the gifts of believers created a response in the unredeemed community.

3. LEADERS ARE MADE APPARENT

In a full functioning body of believers, leadership rises to the top. There is a lot of material on leadership available to the church today because there is a real need for leadership. The people won't do what they ought to do unless there is someone to help them and work with them. Leadership is a priority.

The church tries to find its leaders in amazing ways. There are seminars and books on leadership. There is a great amount of material that is simply an adaptation of the world's system for finding leaders. It is the old SNL syndrome -- The Strong Natural Leader. Find the guy with all the psychological qualifications. As the church has become more like the world, it has tended to opt for the world's standards. So, when the church says, "We have to educate our people," they want a man with an education or a man with a degree in education. The church might also say, "We have a lot of problems, we better get someone with some psychological training to handle those problems," or, "We have a lot of young people with needs, we better find an expert in the youth area," or, "The world ought to hear about us, let's hire a PR guy," or, "Our worship services are rather dull, let's get a lot of musicians and have some creative worship."

So, the church opts for the stylized leadership that is characteristic of the world. But the truth is, all God ever expected from His leaders was that they have certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, and certain moral and spiritual qualifications. These qualifications become manifest in the ministering community. As people minister, they simply will emerge as leaders. Spirit-filled leadership always emerges rapidly when God is freely at work in His body.

4. UNITY DEVELOPS

When unity develops, there is a beautiful love and a wonderful fellowship. This fulfills our needs, and reaches out to touch the lives of those who would like to have their needs met.

These benefits result when the body truly functions. And the key to making it function is the use of these spiritual gifts.

Review

We have been discussing the three categories that come under the heading of spiritual gifts. The first category was the gifted men: the Apostle, prophet, evangelist, teaching pastor, and teacher. Those five individuals are the gifted men given to the church to lead, direct, and perfect the church (1 Cor. 12:28a; Eph. 4:11-12).

The next category is the permanent edifying gifts. There are some gifts that the Spirit of God has given to the church for the duration of the church's ministry. These gifts are to be ministered at all times in the life of the church. There are other gifts in the third category, the temporary sign gifts, given only for a special period of time and for a very specific purpose.

Now, there are two categories of permanent edifying gifts. First Peter 4:10 says, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold [lit. `multi colored'] grace of God." You are a steward; minister your gift. Then Peter divides the gifts into two categories: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister [serve], let him do it as of the ability which God giveth..." (v. 11a). There are two kinds of gifts: speaking gifts and serving gifts. All gifts serve in a sense, and the service gifts may involve communication, but Peter's terminology helps us distinguish between these two categories.

There are five speaking gifts mentioned in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. The first gift is...

A. Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10)

There is a big debate today about whether the gift of prophecy still exists. There are people who want to say that prophecy has passed away, based on 1 Corinthians 13:8. They say that prophecy has been done away because the perfect thing has come (i.e., the Bible). When the Bible was finished, prophecy, tongues, and knowledge passed away. Now, that is usually a viewpoint given in order to eliminate tongues. But when they have eliminated tongues, they also have to eliminate prophecy and knowledge because they are in the same verse. I believe that poses some very serious problems. However, we will assume that prophecy has not been done away with.

1. THE PROCLAMATION OF PROPHECY

The Greek word for prophecy is propheteia, from the verb propheteuo. It is a basic word coming from pro = "before," and phemi = "to speak." It means "to speak before." It does not mean "to speak before" in terms of time, but "to speak before" in terms of an audience (i.e., "to speak in public, to publicly proclaim"). That is the gift of prophecy. It is not necessarily revelatory (i.e., revelation direct from God), or nonrevelatory (i.e., proclaiming something God already revealed in the past). It is simply a communicative gift. The idea of predicting the future was only an English addition to the word from the Middle Ages. A Greek or a Hebrew knew that prophecy simply meant "to speak publicly."

Now, what is the gift of prophecy? It is the ability given by the Spirit of God to a person to proclaim God's truth to others. First Corinthians 14:3 says, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men...." There, in very simple terms, is a definition of the gift: He speaks unto men God's word. I wish that the Bible translated the word "proclaiming." It is the gift of proclaiming, the gift of speaking before men.

2. THE PRIORITY OF PROPHECY

a. In Time

There has never been a time in the history of God's dealing with men that someone hasn't had this gift, because at all times God had someone speaking His word.

1) The Past

a) The Old Testament

For example, the Old Testament abounds with uses of the enablement to prophesy. The primary function of the Old Testament prophets was to proclaim God's word. Some of it was future proclamation, some of it was present proclamation, and some of it was reiteration of past proclamation. Very often the prophets would speak about what God had done. Prophecy was not just prediction -- that was only one-third of its capacity. It was simply the gift of proclaiming God's truth and speaking God's word.

I am confident that prophets and the gift of prophecy ranked number one in the Old Testament. It was the most critical aspect because the Old Testament was the composite of that prophecy. It is what God proclaimed that was recorded. In fact, Peter comments regarding the Old Testament: "For the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). The entire Old Testament is a proclamation of God.

b) The New Testament

In the New Testament, prophecy was just as vital because God was not through revealing Himself. He disclosed all of the mysteries (Eph. 1:9), He made known to the Apostles His will (Col. 1:9), and the Spirit of God brought into their remembrance all that Jesus told them so they could write it down (Jn. 14:26). The New Testament writers claimed they were inspired by God. When the whole of the New Testament was complete, it too was a proclamation from God. In fact, in Revelation 1:3 John says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy...." What does that mean? Simply, the proclaiming of God's truth.

So, in the Old Testament, the most vital thing was that the people proclaim God's truth. In the New Testament, the most vital thing was that the people proclaim God's truth.

2) The Present

In addition, I believe in this post-New Testament age, that the most vital thing is people proclaiming God's truth. I don't think it has changed at all -- that is still what God desires.

a) 1 Corinthians 14:1 -- "Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." This is vital. When you come together as a congregation, desire for prophecy to be the gift that is used.

b) 1 Corinthians 14:39 -- "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." When they came together, all that they were doing was speaking with tongues. Tongues had a place, but they needed to quit doing that all the time and desire to exercise prophecy. Why? It is the most vital because it is a proclamation of God's truth.

b. In Ministry

Prophecy is also vital because it ministers...

1) To Believers

First Corinthians 14:3 says, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." Prophecy ministers to believers in those three ways.

2) To Unbelievers

First Corinthians 14:24-25 says, "But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convicted of all, he is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth." Paul is saying, "When you all come together and babble in these tongues, the people who come into your midst think you have lost your mind. But if you will prophesy, when they come in, they will listen and be convicted. As a result, they will fall on their face, repent, and believe."

Prophecy, then, ministers to believers and unbelievers. That is why Paul encourages them to be exercising that gift.

3. THE PRESENTATION OF PROPHECY

Now, I don't feel that we can restrict this only to revelation. Sometimes, when the people spoke proclamation, they were reiterating something already revealed. They certainly couldn't preach the gospel as direct revelation -- it had already been given. If they were giving the gospel to unbelievers, as indicated in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, they would simply have been reiterating something God had already revealed. So, we conclude that prophecy can fall into one of two categories: revelation or reiteration.

a. Revelation

1) The Definition Disclosed

What is revelation? It is disclosing something never before disclosed, saying something never said, knowing something never known. Sometimes a prophet opened his mouth and spoke something never said before. It came right out of the mind of God -- divine revelation that became Scripture. And what they said could also have been a practical word from God that isn't recorded in Scripture.

2) The Delivery Demonstrated

a) In the Old Testament

Here is the common Old Testament usage: Ezekiel said, "Moreover, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying" (Ezk. 7:1). When the word of the Lord came to Amos, he said, "The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken; who can but prophesy?" (Am. 3:8). Jeremiah said, "...But His word was in mine heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones..." (Jer. 20:9b). This was revelation -- God pouring His word through the prophet. But, there were other times when a prophet preached a message which God had already given. There were occasions in the Old Testament when the prophets simply reiterated something that was common knowledge.

b) In the New Testament

Sometimes, the New Testament prophet, or Apostle, exercised the gift of prophecy. He might receive divine revelation and speak something for the first time. Other times he would repeat something that had been said. Sometimes the prophecy was doctrinal, sometimes it was practical.

For example, a group of elders came together to set apart Timothy for the ministry and laid their hands on him (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14). Paul says, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands..." (1 Tim. 4:14). On that occasion, when they commissioned Timothy, someone probably received a prophecy from God. There were multiple prophecies regarding his life (1 Tim. 1:18). That is another case of direct revelation. Some of that direct revelation then was scriptural, some of it was practical. Some of it was also practical for a believing community. In Acts 11:27-30, a prophet named Agabus prophesied a famine. As a result, some Christians sent relief to those who would be oppressed by the famine.

So, prophecy is revelatory. There were times, during the era of the writing of Scripture, when God spoke directly through the prophet His word. There was no way that these prophecies could ever have been known because they had never yet been said.

b. Reiteration

1) The Point of Prophecy

Prophecy can also be reiteration. I don't think anyone can say that no one has the gift of speaking before people. If they insist, then what do you call my gift? We would have to come up with a new name for it. Proclamation is as good a word as any. The point of prophecy is not that it is always revelatory, the point of prophecy is given in Revelation 19:10: "...for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." In other words, the heart of all proclamation is Christ. Someone who proclaims or gives testimony for Christ is fulfilling the spirit of prophecy.

2) The Proof of Prophecy

Now, there are some people who insist that prophecy has ceased. The word itself means "to speak before." This is still going on. There are still people today who have the ability to speak before others to proclaim God's Word. By its very simplicity, prophecy has the possibility of broad implications. For example:

a) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21 -- The last few verses of 1 Thessalonians 5 have been done a terrible injustice because of the way it is organized. It consists of short phrases with seemingly no connection: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks..." (vv. 16-18a). We don't connect them, but they are connected. In the original writings of the New Testament there were no paragraphs or verses, and there wasn't much punctuation. So, we can read verses 19-21 this way, "Quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesyings, prove all things; hold fast that which is good." This is very interesting. He says, "Don't hate prophesyings." Why? If you do, you will quench the Spirit (v. 19). Why? The Spirit has given prophecy. Don't just throw it out, but test it and hold on to what is good (v. 21). The Spirit has given people to the church who proclaim. Don't quench the Spirit by despising the gift; just examine the prophecy and hold on to what is good.

You say, "But, how do we examine them?"

b) 1 Corinthians 14:37 -- "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." What are the things that Paul has written? The commandments of the Lord -- the New Testament Epistles. So he says, "If anybody claims to be a prophet, and he prophesies, judge him by the written Word." Don't despise prophesying, that would quench the Spirit. Simply test it, find out what is good. And what is the test? How do you know if a prophet is right or wrong? If he agrees with the Bible, he is right; if he doesn't, he is wrong. That is the test.

c) Romans 12:6 -- "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." Other gifts are mentioned in the following verses. Interestingly enough, not one of the gifts mentioned is miraculous in nature. But prophecy is included with this list. All of the gifts that are miraculous in nature are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. None of those listed in Romans 12 are miraculous in nature, yet prophecy is included here also. This shows me that prophecy can be miraculous in the revelatory sense, or in the sense of proclaiming what has already been revealed. So, prophecy is included in both groups.

Notice that verse 6 says, "...let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." The word "proportion" means "the measured out, the limit." In other words, that is all there is, there isn't any more. It is the proper proportion.

Now, many people think that "according to the proportion of faith" means "whatever proportion of faith God has given -- the ability to believe God." No. The definite article is present in the Greek, so the verse says, "...according to the measured out amount of the faith." If you are going to prophesy, be sure your prophecy agrees with the already revealed body of truth called "the faith."

So, the nonrevelatory aspect of prophecy is seen in a list of gifts that are nonmiraculous, although they are supernatural as energized by the Spirit. Paul is saying that if you have the gift of prophecy, then be sure you prophecy according to the proportion of the faith that has already been revealed (i.e., the Word of God). The exact same construction of faith is used in Jude 3: "...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." "The faith" is the revealed truth -- not our subjective faith, but objective faith -- that is to be the criteria upon which the gift of prophecy, in its nonrevelatory sense, functions.

Prophecy is proclaiming. It was revelatory at one period of time, but when the Bible was finished, Revelation 22:18 says, "...If any man shall add unto these things [the words of this book], God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." The revelatory aspect is finished. It belonged to the infancy of the church and concluded at the closing of the canon of Scripture. It ceased at that point. The nonrevelatory reiteration continues. And we can thank God that throughout the history of the church, there have been great proclaimers of Christ...and there still are today.

B. Word Of Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8b)

First Corinthians 12:8 lists two gifts: "For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge...." Let's look first at "the word of knowledge."

1. UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

The word knowledge is so broad that it defies a closed definition. It is very hard to be specific about what it means. The phrase is "the word of knowledge," and that indicates to me a speaking gift -- the utterance of knowledge. The Greek word for "word" is logos and can mean "written on a page, spoken to a crowd, spoken privately to individuals." It is speaking knowledge. This is a special gift. You say, "Well, what is it?" It is the Spirit-given ability to observe biblical facts and make conclusions. In other words, it is the ability to understand the Bible. I praise God for people with this gift. I don't have the gift of knowledge. I have to read what has been written by those who have the gift in order to help me to understand biblical truth. Then I can take it and apply it. The gift of knowledge is the ability to observe biblical facts and make conclusions.

For example, you may go to the bookstore and buy a book that has been written by someone with the gift of knowledge. He will take different biblical truths, put them together, and come up with a fantastic conclusion about some truth. This is the basic gift for biblical interpretation. These are the people who continue their training, perhaps obtaining a Ph.D. in cuneiform and Sanskrit, so they can read the ancient characters in caves. Out of this they begin to collect biblical facts and come to conclusions, which, later on, could be translated into practical insights and information. The ability to understand the Bible is a vital area.

2. UTILIZING THE GIFT

There are different ways that this gift is manifest. It can belong to people who have never been to college or seminary, but they have an ability to study the Bible, draw out facts, and make conclusions by observation. It is energized in different ways. A hundred people might have it, yet it might work differently with each one. It might be in combination with wisdom. Sometimes I feel as if I have one-tenth of the gift of knowledge and nine-tenths of the gift of wisdom.

a. Revelation

Now, at one time the word of knowledge was surely revelatory. In the cases where the word of knowledge would come to someone, God had given His will to that individual, who would say, "Here is a divine truth." They would utter it direct from God. I believe that Paul received that kind of knowledge (Eph. 3:3-5; Col. 1:25-27). God would directly give him a particular word of knowledge, and he would proclaim that word. So, it was revelatory on occasion.

b. Reiteration

Other times it was not revelatory, but simply taking what was already written and expanding on it. The Greek word for knowledge is used over three hundred times in the New Testament, with so much variation that there is no way it can be isolated only to revelation. Some people want to say that it is never used outside of revelation. That is not possible, it is used for many things. The Bible even says that the Christian is to be filled with knowledge (Col. 1:9-10).

The best definition of the gift of the word of knowledge is in 1 Corinthians 13:2: "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge...." This is the gift of understanding the mysteries that have been revealed. The people with this gift are the writers, scholars, teachers, professors, and researchers. I know some people who do nothing but research; they are available to be hired by a writer, an author, or an institution to research a given area of biblical truth, and to draw out of it all the basic conclusions as a basis for someone's book, course, or whatever the group wants accomplished.

The third speaking gift is...

C. The Word Of Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8a)

This gift was used in a revelatory sense in the early church when God would give someone special wisdom. Incidentally, the word wisdom is sophia in the Greek. It is used in so many ways in the New Testament that it is impossible to isolate it only to revelation.

1. THE SKILLFUL APPLICATION

What is this gift? It differs from knowledge in this way: The emphasis is on the skill of application rather than the knowledge of facts. Wisdom is the ability to take the facts that the gift of knowledge has brought out and make a skillful application of it. It could belong to a Christian counselor, who identifies a problem, and then by his knowledge of the Word of God, draws out the principles that can be practically applied to solve the problem. It is the gift of the expositor, who can take the Word of God, study the commentaries (as I do), read from all those who have the gift of knowledge, and out of that, draw the applicable principle to living. It can also be a gift that a believer ministers to another believer, by assisting him in his practical life.

The gifts of knowledge and wisdom are also very different. Many of you know people who have so much Bible knowledge, but virtually no wisdom, so that they are ridiculous when it comes to application. They are the absent-minded professor type. They have all this knowledge in their mind, but they can't seem to make it work in their life.

Wisdom, then, is the skill to apply the facts that have been discovered by someone with the gift of knowledge. Now, someone might have both knowledge and wisdom equally, or a lopsided combination of them.

2. THE SCOPIOUS CATEGORIES

Since wisdom (Gk. sophia) is such a broad word, don't confine it only to revelation. In fact, in the New Testament, twelve of the twenty-seven books use the word sophia. It is used in five categories.

a. An attribute of God (Rev. 7:12)

b. Intellectual ability (Mt. 12:42)

c. The person of Jesus Christ, who is called the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

d. Proud human wisdom opposed to God (Js. 3:15-17)

e. Spiritual understanding of God's will

This is the primary use of sophia. I believe this is exactly what the gift is -- the ability to understand God's will and make an application to obedience. And this is the way it is used most in the New Testament (Mt. 11:19; 13:54; Mk. 6:2; Lk. 7:35; 21:15; Ac. 6:10; Js. 1:5; 3:13, 17; 2 Pet. 3:15). Those passages incorporate the main use of wisdom -- that we know and behave in accord with God's will.

What is the gift of wisdom? The Spirit-given ability to show us the principles that we need to know and obey to fulfill God's will. It had a revelatory aspect, but that was not its exclusive use. Godet says, "Knowledge makes the teacher, wisdom the preacher and pastor." But I would go even further than that and say, "Knowledge is the collecting of facts; wisdom is the application."

The Attempt to Eliminate Gifts

There are people who want to eliminate knowledge, wisdom, and prophecy as still existing today. They have a problem, because if they eliminate prophecy, then what do they say the people are doing who proclaim the Word? If they eliminate knowledge, what are the theologians and the people who dig out deep truth with their skill doing? And if they eliminate wisdom, what are they going to call the gift of taking the truth and applying it to life? They will have to come up with new names because God is still doing these things, and there are people still ministering in these ways.

Now, the fourth speaking gift is the gift of...

D. Teaching (Rom. 12:7)

Romans 12:7 says, "Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on [the] teaching." Again, the definite article is present in the Greek. In other words, whatever you teach, let it be consistent with the teaching.

1. THE DISTINCTION

What is the gift of teaching? First, we should distinguish between the gift and the office. You can be a teacher in the church, and that is an official position. If you were a teacher, you certainly would have the gift of teaching. But not all who have the gift of teaching are recognized as official teachers because the gift can be exercised in so many ways.

2. THE DEFINITION

a. Passing on Truth

The gift of teaching is the ability, in the Holy Spirit, to pass on truth to someone else. Prophecy is proclaiming Christ to an audience; teaching is passing on truth to someone else so that they receive it and implement it. It is a communicative ability. People say, "Well, what is the gift that enables a person to share one on one with someone and build them up?" Maybe it is the gift of teaching, because they are passing on truth to others so they will receive it and implement it in their lives.

b. Systematic Teaching

There are many forms of the basic word teach in the Greek -- didaskalos, didasko, didaktikos. In all the various forms, the root meaning carries with it the idea of systematic teaching, or systematic training. It is the word that is used to refer to a choir director who trains a choir over a long period of rehearsals until they are able to perform. The gift of prophecy could be a one-time proclamation of Christ, but the gift of teaching is a systematic training program to take a person from one point to another. That is the curriculum for the teacher? The Bible, the Word of God. The gift is to teach systematically the truth of God.

It can be used with men -- one on one, one on two, one on three, one on five thousand. It can be used with women -- one on one, one on two, one on three, one on five thousand. It can be used by a lady in a little group of children. It can be used by a mother to a son. It can be used by a husband to his wife. It can be used in any conceivable way that the Spirit of God desires. It is the ability to pass on truth in a systematic progression so that someone receives it, implements it, and a change of behavior takes place. In fact, it is a gift that belongs to a lot more of us than we realize.

E. Exhortation (Rom. 12:8)

Romans 12:8 says, "Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation...." This is the revealed exhortation of God to man. What is the exhortation? The Greek word is parakaleo. Parakletos is "comforter." The word means "to comfort, help, advise, or strengthen." It is the gift of strengthening. God has given some people to the body whose job is not necessarily to proclaim, or to dig out the facts, or to figure out the principles and apply them in wisdom, or to systematically teach. It is simply to strengthen people. They encourage you, they help, they advise, they strengthen. It is the ability to provide comfort, courage, help, and strength to someone who needs it. It can come through the pulpit because prophecy is exhortation. It can come through teaching. It can come through counseling. It can come in many ways. It is the ability to get alongside someone who has a problem, and build them, encourage them, strengthen them, and bear their load.

People say, "It's the gift of counseling." That's wrong. Counseling is not a gift, counseling is a process. I am quite confident that there are some counselors who exercise the gift of teaching, some who exercise the gift of strengthening, and some, like me, who exercise the gift of proclaiming. Now, that doesn't always work in a counseling situation. But there is no gift of counseling. The gift can be used in counseling, in teaching, and in informal conversation. Luther said, "Teaching is directed to the ignorant, exhortation to those who know better."

I want you to notice a beautiful progression in these gifts. This is how God ministers to His body: Prophecy proclaims the truth. Knowledge clarifies the truth. Wisdom applies the truth. Teaching imparts the truth to someone else. And exhortation demands that it be obeyed. All of them come together as we minister to each other so that the body might be built up.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What are the four results that occur when the body functions as it should? 

2. How can witness be dynamic? Give some examples. 

3. How does the world find its leaders? How does the church? What kind of qualifications are necessary for leadership in the church? 

4. What is the basic difference between the permanent edifying gifts and the temporary sign gifts? 

5. What are the two categories of permanent edifying gifts? 

6. Why does a debate exist today about the existence of prophecy? 

7. Define prophecy. What is the gift of prophecy? 

8. How was prophecy utilized in the Old Testament? in the New Testament? 

9. Why is prophecy vital in our day? 

10. How is the gift of prophecy able to minister to both believers and unbelievers? 

11. What two categories make up the gift of prophecy? 

12. What is revelation? How was it manifested in both the Old and New Testaments? 

13. What is the point of prophecy? Why shouldn't prophecy always be revelatory? 

14. Why should we not hate prophesyings, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21? What one thing should be done to prophecy? 

15. How is prophecy to be examined? What is the basis for this examination? (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 14:37)

16. Explain what is meant by "the faith"? (see p. xx; Rom. 12:6; Jude 3)

17. Define the gift of the word of knowledge. 

18. How is the gift of the word of knowledge manifested? 

19. What is the difference between the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge? Who can minister the gift of the word of wisdom? 

20. What are the five categories that wisdom falls under? Which one is the primary use of the word? 

21. "Knowledge makes the _______, wisdom the ________ and ______." 

22. What is the gift of teaching? What is the difference between the gift and the office? 

23. What one word describes the process that teaching goes through to take an individual from one point to another? 

24. What is the curriculum for the teacher? 

25. What does exhortation mean? How does exhortation reach the individual? 

26. What is the difference between the ability to counsel and the gift of exhortation? 

27. "_______ is directed to the ignorant, ___________ to those who know better." 

28. What are the five ways that these gifts minister to the body? 

Pondering the Principles

1. Review the four results of a truly functioning body. On a scale of 1-10, how does the local body you are a part of manifest these results? Which one is manifest most often? Why? Which one is manifest least? Why? Do you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ to manifest their gifts? In what ways do you think you could help your local body to manifest any one of these results? Pray that God would help you to determine how you might be most effective in helping the body to truly function as it should.

2. Where do you think the Bible came from? Look up the following verses: Isaiah 16:13; 24:3; Jeremiah 1:9; Ezekiel 2:7; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; Micah 1:1; Zephaniah 1:1; Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 1:1. In order to have the proper understanding of the source of Scripture, memorize 2 Peter 1:21: "For the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

3. Review the five speaking gifts. Do you find yourself with the great desire to proclaim Christ, and do you follow through in that desire? Then you may be gifted in the area of prophecy. Do you find that you have the ability to observe biblical facts and make conclusions from those facts? Then you may be gifted in the area of the word of knowledge. Do you find that you have the ability to understand God's will and make application of it towards obedience? Then you may be gifted in the area of the word of wisdom. Do you find yourself with the desire and ability to pass on the truths of the Bible to someone to help them grow? Then you may be gifted in the area of teaching. Do you find that you have the desire and ability to strengthen someone in their walk with God? Then you may be gifted in the area of exhortation. Perhaps you do not know if you have the ability in one of these areas, but you certainly have the desire. Ask God to help you to determine how you might begin to step out and exercise that desire. Remember, whether or not you are truly gifted in one of these areas is not the issue, but that you are ministering to the body of Christ.

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986