THE WORLD
OF THE ADEBOGUNS
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© Reverend Olukayode Adenola Adebogun All rights reserved. Printed in Regina, SK Canada by National Print-It Centres. First Edition 2002 Design & typography by Marlene Solberg, Regina, SK Canada TRADE ORDER Anglican Church Of Canada Diocese of QU'APPELLE 1501 COLLEGE AVENUE, REGINA, SK, CANADA TEL 306-522-3263 FAX: 306-352-6808 EMAIL: "churchmouse resource center" quappele@sk.sympatico.ca COST $10 (CND) + S&H + TAX special note Effort has been made to acknowledge all materials quoted from other sources. If there are any that are not correctly quoted or have been omitted, the author will appreciate your contribution so that they will be properly acknowledged in any future editions. Dedicated to the glory of God and furtherance of the gospel of Christ.
Contents Foreword viiVen. R. Ayo Akinwale Archdeacon of Isale Eko (Anglican Communion) St. Paul Anglican ChurchEbute Ero, Lagos State, Nigeria
Acknowledgements ixIntroduction xiChapter One Spiritual Gifts Chapter Two The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts Chapter Three Types of Spiritual Gifts Chapter Four Recognising, Receiving, and Operating Your Spiritual Gifts Chapter Five Leading and Guidance of the Holy Spirit Chapter Six Final Words Remember!
CHAPTER THREE Types of Spiritual Gifts Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4 KJV) Naturally, there are different gifts, and functions; individually grace is given to us in different ways out of the rich diversity of Christ’s giving. As the Scripture says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men" (Ephesians 4:8 Phillips). This chapter intends to analyse major gifts in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit still gives gifts (diverse gifts) to men today. It will take a spirit- filled manto take note of this. A comprehensive list of these gifts are found in Romans 12:1–8, 1 Corinthians 12:7–10 and Ephesians 4:11. For the purpose of analysis these spiritual gifts shall be classi fied into major gifts and minor gifts. (This classificationdoes not make any gift inferior to the other, it is God that gives as He pleases.) Major Gifts There are nine manifestations of the Spirit mentioned speci fically in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11. These major giftscould be classi fied into three subgroups:7 I. Power Gift a. Faith b. Gifts of Healing c. Gifts of Miracles II. Mind Gift a. Word of Wisdom b. Word of Knowledge c. Discerning of Spirit III. Inspirational Gift a. Prophecy b. Diverse Kinds of Tongues c. Interpretation of Tongues I. Power Gift These are miracle-working gifts. These are gifts with clear manifestations in the life of a man and are often beyond the understanding of man in their manifestation. They are gifts of faith, healing, and miracles. a. Faith We are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). But this gift is beyond the ordinary faith spoken of in Hebrews 11:1 and 6. Whoever will come to God must certainly believe that He is God. This gift of faith is a special trust in God beyond the reasoning of ordinary man (even some believers). It is a special faith that can make the impossible possible. A faith that violates the law of nature. The faith of Daniel in the lion’s den is a good example (Daniel 6:16–24). Another example is Jesus’ faith in Mark 4:37–41. Types of Spiritual Gifts 8 This gift of faith is not saving faith, fruit, presumptuous faith, or general faith. It is the faith of God seen in Mark 11:24. A believer having this gift often finds anythingpossible. This will always operate even in his way of life. It is beyond the principle of positive thinking. Such faith can raise the dead. b. Gifts of Healing Very often medicine and natural herbs are used to treat certain diseases but as the slogan of the doctors say "We care and God heals." This paves the way for a healing beyond the use of these things. Healing could be because of these things and it might be without them. This gift is God’s ability to heal a sick person spiritually and physically from all kinds of disease or sickness. Note however, that in 1 Corinthians 12:9 the word gift is plurali sed for only this gift. This suggestsdifferent kinds of healing power to heal different kinds of illnesses. This also shows that a gifted believer could have special ability to heal a particular disease on a particular part of the body. The healing of Peter’s mother in Mark’s gospel is an example. c. Gifts of Miracle (Working of Miracles) This is also a sign gift and if used, can bring about the replacement of missing parts of the body. The gift of miracles is the ability to perform wonders in a way contrary to the law of nature. Miracles are not limited to healing alone. An example would be the changing of the water into wine and the calming of the storm in John 2:1–11 and Matthew 8:23–27. Another example is in Acts 4:1ff where this gift attracted people to the gospel of Christ. Types of Spiritual Gifts 9 II. Mind GiftThese are gifts of revelation and they often expose the mind of God to man. They include a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge and a discerning spirit. a. Word of Wisdom This is a speci fic and clear insight into the will ofGod. It is the ability to put God’s will into action. When it seems that a dif ficult situation arises withinand without, the presence and operation of this gift may give a lasting solution or utterance to the problem. The operation of this gift usually points to the future. It is an indication of the omnipotent power of God. Read 1 Corinthians 2:6–7 and Acts 21:10–11. b. Word of Knowledge This is simply the ability to understand the hidden truths of God or to understand a man that is unknown to him (the person). A prior knowledge of the spoken truth is not necessary for this truth is to be revealed. The word of knowledge brings about a revelation concerning the past and present. The word of knowledge is indispensable to any effective preacher. It is not natural intelligence or ability of man. It is a divine insight into the will of God. An example is found in Acts 5:1–5 (Peter with Ananias and Sapphira); 2 Samuel 12 (the prophet Nathan and David); 2 Kings 6:8–14 (Elisha and the king of Syria). c. Discerning of Spirit Since there can be false teachers and false prophesies that come from the evil spirit, a discerning spirit is necessary in order to distinguish the truth from the false- Types of Spiritual Gifts 10 hood (1 John 4:1–6). Discerning of spirit is the God givenability to discern or detect the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. The manifestation of this gift could involve revealing the kind of spirit operating in a man (e.g. Acts 16:16–18, Paul and a girl possessed with a spirit of divination). It may also reveal the spirit behind a message or action (e.g. Acts 13:8–11). The operation of discerning of spirit is by the physical identi fication of the spirit which an ordinary eye maynot be able to see. III Inspirational GiftThese are vocal or speech gifts. It has to do with exposing the purpose of a message. They include the foll0wing: prophecy, diverse kinds of tongues and interpretations of tongues. a. Prophecy Contrary to what some theologians and preachers teach, the gift of prophecy is still in operation today. The age of prophecy and prophetic utterance has not ended. Prophecy could be direct or indirect. Direct prophecy involves God speaking through someone to His people. The one who delivers the message may or may not be conscious of his or her utterances. Indirect prophecy involves God speaking to a man and then the man relating the message to the people. Prophecy, therefore, is a divine utterance in the local language of the speaker. The gift of prophecy differs from tongues. The simple gift of prophecy should not be confused with the ministry of a prophet. Every prophet must exhibit the gift of prophecy but if a man Types of Spiritual Gifts 11 gives a prophecy it does not imply that he is a prophet. Read 1 Corinthians 14:1 and following. b. Diverse Kinds of Tongues This is an utterance in a language not learned by the hearer. The gift involves the speaking of earthly and heavenly language including ecstatic language of praise and power (1 Corinthians 13:1; 14:2, 10). Speaking in tongues is not learned by human means but it is an utterance given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1–7). Speaking in tongues could be an address to an individual or a congregation or to God. He that speaks in an unknown tongue edi fies himselfFor he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howebeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. (1Corinthians 14:2 KJV) It is a gift that often strengthens one’s prayer life (Romans 8:26–27). However, great care has to be taken in the use of this gift. Read 1 Corinthians 14:5–15. If a man cannot speak in tongues, then it does not follow that he is not a believer or that he does not have the Spirit of God. It is a gift. It seems, however, that this phrase "diverse kinds of tongues" talks about different tongues or languages spoken or used by a person who has the gift of God. It is not limited to one. Read 1 Corinthians 14:38–39. c. Interpretation of Tongues Since tongues are not learned by the user and it may be a language in which a congregation is not familiar, Types of Spiritual Gifts 12 this calls for an interpreter who will interpret the words spoken in tongues into the language spoken by the people. Interpretation of tongues is a speci fic gift ofthe Holy Spirit. "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret" (1Corinthians 14:13). Usually these vocal gifts are employed together. A man may give a prophecy in an unknown tongue and give an interpretation in the common language of the congregation. Minor Gifts They are called minor because they seem to operate underneath, where there is not a lot of recognition. They include: • Ruling • Dreams • Visions • Giving • Exhortation Many believers often do not recogni ze these gifts as beingspeci fic gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are needed ifthe Church is to be complete and perfect. Ruling This is a special gift of administration. Not all have it. Not all can be political leaders. Some people have this special gift and when there is no committee or group of people assisting them they can go all the way in organi zing and planning a program or action.Solomon was a man with this special gift. Read Romans 13:1–4 and Proverbs 29:2. Types of Spiritual Gifts 13 Dreams These are speci fic revelations given by God to Hispeople when they sleep. It could be for any purpose. Some people have this speci fic gift and God often usesit as a means to operate in their life. That this gift operates in every common man does not disprove the fact that it is a gift of God. See for example Genesis 37:5–7; 9–10. Some other people are gifted in the interpretation of dreams (Genesis 40:5–23; Joel 2:28). Visions This is another gift that seems common today. Not all have this gift. This is a speci fic revelation of God toman when not sleeping. This is not a trance (a state in which one receives or sees a revelation when half asleep and half awake). It is God opening the eye of a man physically to see certain things of His own purpose. It could be past, present, or future events or assignments. Read Acts 10:9–10 – trance. Read Joel 2:28. Giving All must give (Luke 6:38) but this gift goes beyond the ordinary or common way of giving. In fact, it is beyond the ordinary sacri ficial giving (2 Samuel 24:24).But it is a special endowment from God on an individual to give without hesitation to meet the need of the saint. This giving does not imply giving physical things alone but it involves giving oneself to the service of humanity and God. An example of the operation of this gift is seen in Dorcas (Acts 9:36–40). Types of Spiritual Gifts 14 Exhortation We are expected to exhort one another in love but this gift of exhortation makes an individual ready to give speci fic words in specific situations in the lives ofspecific people (Isaiah 28:10; 50:4). God’s gifts are many and may not be limited to ink and paper. The recognition of the presence of the Holy Spirit will give more insight into the various gifts and their operations. Read John 21:25. And there are also many other things.…if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:25 KJV) ....................................... ........................................................ IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE, ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! |
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