We have already spoken extensively about the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues) heretofore in this series. We made the case that what we refer to as spiritual gifts, the bible calls the manifestation of the Spirit. But can we say anything more about the purpose and usefulness of these activities?

There are three fundamental lists of gifts in the New Testament. Ephesians 4, Romans 12, and 1 Corinthians 12. Without understanding the differences between these three lists, we will conflate the various ways the gifts are God are intended to function in church, in our lives, and in the world.

“The treasure of the secret place is that you would be moved by Me and nothing else.”

There is a reason I am so passionate about introducing people to their own hearts. This is because without knowing your heart, you will fail to know your fallibility.

Prophecy can speak to the past, present, or future, and can be limited by the degree of what is revealed.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 14, a fascinating statement is made about the nature of prophecy. Speaking of unbelievers that would be the recipients of a prophetic word, Paul states…

There are numerous examples throughout scripture of the same taking place. The scope of prophetic ministry does not just cover the future and the present, as we have seen it can cover the past as well. Those who walk in some level of prophetic discernment can at times reveal future events, present circumstances, or past actions.

For many, the gift of prophecy implies a certain foretelling of future events. The assumption then is that that the function of prophecy carries a predilection for the future, and, if the aforementioned is true, then the measurement of efficacy is accuracy. This is not so far removed from the scope of prophecy as to be false, but it is a truncation of the gift.

Prophecy from the paradigm of the New Testament is to make known the heart of God for His people, creation, and His church. In the Old Testament it was to point forward to the mystery of God yet to be revealed, in the New Testament it is to make know the heart of God for the world.

As we understand the paradigm shift from gift-based to presence-based, we can begin to put into place some common misunderstandings of prophecy. In a gift based dynamic we will tend to look at the most excellently gifted to understand the function of prophetic ministry. Hence the focus upon Old Testament prophets and their function. But within the scope of prophetic ministry there will few called to speak into national and international situations. The call as a prophet to the nations is the exception and not the rule.

Jesus did all he did because of His communion with the Father. He was the exact representation of the Father in all that he did.

Hebrews 1:3a …being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…

When we look at how Jesus modeled the movement of the Holy Spirit we find some striking contrasts with our present paradigm. Jesus never once concerned himself with what particular gift he was operating. He simply went about the business of healing, setting free, and prophesying. No one miraculous encounter with Jesus saw less than three manifestations of the Spirit

When it comes to any semblance of understanding God, His plan, or his purpose for your life, we must begin by acknowledging all that we do not know. The place we most often begin when it comes to our attempt to understand how to live, move, and have our being in God (Acts 17:28) tend to be what we know, rather than what we do not know.

According to objection 3, the gifts were integral to demonstrate the power of the Spirit through the early church, but is no longer necessary for today because the church has been established. Once the church was established, the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit present in individuals was not necessary for continued church growth. The strategy of God changed. This wouldn’t mean that the ability of God to heal had ceased, but the metering out of a gift through individuals ceased.

The gospel is not responded to in the head, it is responded to in the heart. It is not mental assent to a particular set of ideas (though that is an aspect of Christianity), rather, it is a life-changing encounter with the Spirit of the living God. If Christianity was primarily about engaging with a particular set of doctrinal beliefs, it would have been said that Christ dwells in the mind. But it does not.

To be known requires that I speak, and to fully know requires that I hear. Hearing and communication are the most vital and foundational aspects of any relationship. Without communication, intimacy is lost. Without listening, value is never established.

We desperately crave to be known, seen, and accepted. This fathomless need is excruciatingly unfulfilled day by day, yet it is the ultimate destination of the human life. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

In Numbers 11, the Bible recounts a time in the life of Moses when he was overwhelmed with his responsibility for the people. Moses spoke with the Lord about the situation. The Bible says that the Lord came down in a cloud and placed His Spirit upon 70 elders.

Why did people speak in tongues or prophesy in the books of Acts when they were filled with the Spirit? Because the Spirit was manifesting within them.