I am probably writing this to no one but if there are still readers or occasional visitors I am posting this to inform you I will soon be starting a study in the book of Acts.  I plan on going in detail through the entire book which should take me well into next year.  It should be interesting.

…to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 
(1Co 12:10 NASB)

The Gift of Tongues 

The gift of tongues; no other gift has been the source of more confusion, discussion, debates and strife.  It has been misinterpreted, misunderstood, misused and abused.  Some will tell you the gift no longer exists; others state that it is a sign of salvation, teaching that everyone who becomes a Christian is given this miraculous gift.

The Corinthian church placed too much emphasis on the importance of speaking in tongues and it amazes me that after 2000 years we still haven’t gotten it right.  So in order to set things straight let’s see what the bible really teaches about this mysterious gift.

Proof of Salvation?

First let’s look at the teaching that all Christians are given this gift at the time of salvation as a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  The root of this belief is based on what happened on the day of Pentecost and is a complete misunderstanding of what actually took place. 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs–we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” (Act 2:1-11 NASB)

Even a cursory reading of this text will show that what the disciples where speaking was not the ecstatic utterance that is in use today.  The text clearly states that the crowd “was hearing them speak in his own language.”  The disciples were speaking the languages of the Parthians, Medes, Elamites and others that were gathered together “as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”  This was done for 2 reasons; 1-to enable the disciples speak the word of God to those who were gathered even though they did not speak their language, and 2-To show to those who were gathered the manifested power of the Holy Spirit so that they would know it was from God.

This is clear by their reaction, “They were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?’ And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?”  They new that the disciples where Galileans and would not have known their language.  At most they would have known how to speak Hebrew, Aramaic and possibly Greek.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
(1Co 12:4-7 NASB)

and to another the distinguishing of spirits, (1Co 12:10 NASB)

Distinguishing of Spirits

An excellent example of this gift is given to us in Acts Chapter 5. The church age is at it’s infancy and the believers came together to care for one another

And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
(Act 4:32 NASB)

But there was one couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who due to Satan’s temptation became greedy and lied about the price they received for their property. Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was quick to discern their hearts and passed judgment on their actions.

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
(Act 5:1-10 NASB)

Some people feel that God was too harsh on them. They question why these two had to die just for lying. But there is more than just lying going on here, you have conspiracy - they agreed together, you have deception - Satan filled their heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and you have greed - they kept back some of the price for themselves. But still, was death really warranted in this case? Why does God not judge people who are guilty of the same or worse sins as He did Ananias and Sapphira?

What you have to keep in mind is that the church body was just forming. This event happened right after Pentecost, during the infancy of the church. Just as you would discipline an infant differently than you would a child, and a child differently than you would a teenager, God had to set the boundaries early, just as He did with Israel when they were first forming as a nation.

If you read the Old Testament you will find that God’s judgments were swifter immediately after giving Israel the law and that He was more patient with them as they grew both in size and maturity. His judgments aren’t any harsher however, God is just more forbearing as we grow from infants into maturity. He doesn’t overlook sin.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23 NASB)

If the Holy Spirit had not given Peter the gift of discernment then Ananias and Sapphira would have gotten away with their lie which could have had severe consequences. Others in the church may have learned about their deception and either attempted to follow suit or act out their own judgment upon the couple. Letting this act go unpunished could have caused a dissension in the church and hindered it’s formation and growth from the very start. Always know that God is much wiser than we are. He knows the future and knows better than we the effects that would have come from this, and He is always, always just in His judgments.

So, the distinguishing of spirits is the supernatural power to distinguish between true and false prophets, or to discern the real and internal qualifications of any person for an office, or to discover the inward workings of the mind by the Holy Ghost, as Peter did those of Ananias. As with all the spiritual gifts, this gift is not given for the purpose of judgment, or boasting, but rather for the betterment of the church body.

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.(1Co 12:7 NASB)

and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy… (1Co 12:10 NASB)  

Gift of Prophecy   

The first thing to come to mind when most people think of prophecy is the prediction of things to come. There are so called modern day prophets or better known as psychics, fortune tellers, palm readers, and others. These are referred to in the bible as false prophets and and the bible gives strong warnings about these type of prophets:

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Mat 7:15 NASB)

Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (Mat 24:11 NASB)For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Mat 24:24 NASB)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2Pe 2:1 NASB)

 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1Jn 4:1 NASB)

When related to the bible people often think of the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, or in the New Testament the first thing to come to mind is John and the book of Revelation. But if you look at scripture carefully you will discover that the main purpose of prophecy was speaking forth of God’s message under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2Pe 1:20-21 NASB)  

It included the inspired delivery of warning, exhortation, instruction, judging, and making manifest the secrets of the heart.  

But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. (1Co 14:3 NASB)  

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. (1Co 14:24-25 NASB)

Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.(Act 15:32 NASB)

This is not to say that it didn’t include foretelling of future events and John was not the only New Testament prophet who spoke of the future as this was given to Agabus:  

Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. (Act 11:27-28 NASB)  

Or a gift of understanding the prophecies of the Old Testament, and of preaching the Gospel:  

If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1Co 13:2 NASB) 

But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? (1Co 14:6 NASB)

There is a great debate as to whether or not this gift still exists and there are plenty of people who claim to have this gift today. There are people who understand Scripture and can proclaim God’s message better than others and that could be considered the gift of prophecy, I believe those gifts fit better into the categories of the gifts of preaching and teaching.  

The people who call themselves prophets today claim to speak of future events guided by the Holy Spirit. All I can tell you is you better be careful when proclaiming that something is from God:

‘But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ (Deu 18:20 NASB)

Effecting of Miracles

Yet again this spiritual gift is pretty self explanatory.  Let’s take a look at the word miracle.  Webster’s dictionary defines miracle as the following:

An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event. Miracles can be wrought only by Almighty power

There are plenty of examples of miracles throughout the bible.    From Moses with the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea; to Jesus causing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk; to Paul healing the sick and even raising the dead.

The confusion comes when trying to distinguish this gift with that of the gift of healing.   By the definition given by Webster’s Dictionary any supernatural event is considered a miracle and technically supernatural healing is by definition a miracle.  In my previous post I listed the following act as an example of Paul’s gift of healing:

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.  There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead.  But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.”  When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left.  They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.  – Acts 20:7-12

While you can make a case that Paul did heal the boy this event fits better under the category of the effecting of miracles. 

Paul stated that this was a sign of a true apostle:

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. – 2Co 12:12

Therefore we can know that all the apostles possessed this gift.

I firmly believe that this gift was given solely to demonstrate the awesome power of God to confirm His message through His people.  Moses was given this gift to show Pharaoh who the one true God was, to show the Israelites that God will provide for them and that His justice will prevail.  Jesus used miracles to show that He was the chosen one, the one that the scriptures spoke of and that He was God.  The apostles had this gift in order to show that they were chosen by God to deliver his message and to help bring about the church age. 
 

Gift of Healing
Now we come to the gift of healing.  This gift is pretty self explanatory.  It is the supernatural ability to heal people of their afflictions; whatever they may be, and has even included death in a few rare occasions.  The main purpose of this and all other gifts is to glorify God and demonstrate his power.  It is not for the sole purpose of glorifying the individual.

Both Peter and Paul were granted this special gift.  As Peter and John were entering the temple they came across a man begging for alms (or gifts) who had been lame since birth.  Peter looked at the man and told him to walk:

But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene–walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; - Acts 3:6-7

Now what was the reason for healing this man?  Was it to cure him of his misery?  No, it was so that those in the temple would see the power of God and allow Peter to preach Christ and Him crucified:

But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” – Acts 3:12-16

Note that this healing came from faith in Jesus Christ.  There are some today who say that you must believe to be healed but I believe that the faith was that of Peter and John and not the man being healed.  There is nothing in these verses to indicate that the lame man had any faith in Christ so we must attribute the healing faith to that of Peter and John (Matt 17:20; John 14:12), though he must have believed that they could heal him (Matt 9:28; Matt 13:58; Acts 14:9).

Paul also possessed this and many other gifts.  Paul once gave a sermon that lasted so long that a man fell to his death from a third floor window after falling asleep:

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted. – Acts 20:7-12

Paul didn’t let this little incident interrupt his sermon however.  Notice that after he went down and healed the man he went right back upstairs to eat and continue his preaching.  This should make you think twice about falling asleep during a sermon!

There are many other examples of both Peter and Paul healing the multitudes.  People were even healed by Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:12-16), and by Paul’s handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12). The Old Testament Prophet Elisha was so gifted with the power of healing that even after he died his bones were able to heal a man.

And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet. – 2 Ki 13:20-21

Gift of Faith

Faith; what is it; who has it; and how do you get it?  The definition according to Hebrews 11:1 is

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

The word hope used here and in most of scripture is not the same as the word we use today.  We tell people “I hope you feel better,” or “I hope you have a nice day.”  Children say “I hope I get what I want for Christmas.”  Webster’s dictionary defines this word hope as

A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable.

The biblical word hope indicates more than a slight expectation of obtaining it, but rather complete trust, fully expecting to obtain it.  Faith gives us the assurance, the confidence, that what we hope for, or trust in, will be obtained.  A great example is salvation.  Salvation is a basic, fundamental doctrine of Christianity.  We have faith, that is we completely trust in the fact that we have eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; - Eph 2:8

So how does one obtain faith?  According to the bible:

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Rom 10:17 NKJV

So faith comes by hearing the word of God.  Does this mean that everyone who hears the word of God will have faith?  No.  Remember the parable Jesus told about the sower?

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” – Matt 13:3-9

Word of Knowledge

As was discussed in the topic Word of Wisdom, knowledge is also something that can be obtained through education and experience.  I have knowledge of computers through my education. I have knowledge of troubleshooting computers through experience.  Knowing how a computer is supposed to act and determining why it doesn’t act that way comes from experience.  While God has given me the ability to learn these things this is not the gift of the Word of Knowledge.

In the study of the gift Word of Wisdom I gave several examples that showed where someone was given the spirit of wisdom to complete a task that God had given them, along with the spirit of wisdom was the spirit of knowledge.  Often you will find these gifts are given together because one needs wisdom to know what to do with the knowledge that they have.

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. Ex 31:1-5

But again, as was the case with the Word of Wisdom, this gift is not just knowledge.  The text tells us that it is the gift of the Word of Knowledge.  This implies that it is more than knowing something but that it is also being able to convey that which the person knows.  The gift Word of Knowledge is a supernatural knowledge of God, His word, and at times his purposes. 

You will normally find this gift accompanies that of the gift of prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, and was given to the apostles, and is sometimes given to preachers and teachers but not always.  One can have the gift of preaching and teaching and gain the knowledge needed through study and experience, but we’ll look further into that when I discuss those gifts.

A few examples of this gift are:

He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, and the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. – Num 24:15-16

Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. “Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?”  2 Chr 1:8-10

Moreover, the LORD made it known to me and I knew it; then You showed me their deeds. – Jer 11:18

that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; - Eph 3:3-5

Each of these verses shows that knowledge was given by revelation from God.  The Lord gave them special insight for a specific reason.  As I mentioned earlier this gift is found especially in the prophets and the apostles.

In order to understand what this gift is I believe it would be best to look at what it isn’t.  According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary wisdom is defined as ‘The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice.’  We can obtain this kind of wisdom both through education and experience.  You can be taught how to make the right choice, for example a good education in math and economics can help you to become wise in the financial world.  If you grew up on the streets you could be considered to have what is called streets smarts.  Or, if you are smart, you can learn from your mistakes and become wise in the ways of life. 

We can see examples of this type of wisdom all throughout scripture:

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.  So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deut 4:5-6

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” Psalm 111:10

“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.  Acts 7:22 (KJV)

There is nothing wrong with this type of wisdom, we are advised by scripture to search for it as we search for hidden treasure:

My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; f you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God Proverbs 2:1-5

Scripture tells us that wisdom is better that silver or gold and that nothing compares with it:

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Proverbs 3:13-15

However it can also be dangerous if mixed with pride.  An abundance of knowledge and wisdom has a tendency to cause people to become puffed up in their own knowledge.  The danger here becomes that these people become unteachable.  They think they know everything.  This is what happened with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes of Israel.  They thought they knew all there was to know about God, that they had all the answers.  So when Jesus didn’t meet all the expectations of what they thought the Messiah was going to be the rejected Him.

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written,”I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Cor 1:18-21

We are warned over and over again in scripture about this type of wisdom.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. Prov 3:7

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. Prov 26:12 (KJV)

Let no man deceive himself If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, - Eph 4:11

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; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. - Rom 12:6-8

No other subject in theology has been the cause of debate and arguments as has the subject of spiritual gifts. From the number of gifts, to their purpose, who has them, who doesn’t, and whether or not some of them still exist. These and other points have caused problems in the church in the days of Paul and still continue to separate the church today. Churches have split; denominations have formed; all over the topic of spiritual gifts. Where does all this dissention come from? One word, Satan! Satan will do whatever it takes to destroy the church, to keep it from becoming that which God has ordained for it.

Now I’ll be honest and upfront with you; some of you will probably disagree with a few of the things that I have to say about these gifts. I just hope that you will bear with me, keep an open mind and more important an open bible for it is there that we will be looking at where these gifts come from, to whom they are given, for what purpose they are given and whether or not they are still in use today.

Paul says in 1Cor 12:1 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.” The word unaware in the NASB is also translated as ignorant in the KJV which means to be uninformed or uneducated. Obviously the church knew about spiritual gifts, they were using them, albeit incorrectly. Paul wanted to teach them the proper function of the gifts and the motive behind using them. It is my hope that from this discussion you will come out with a better understanding of spiritual gifts, not so you can boast to your friends, or win a debate with someone, but so you will be able to recognize which gift(s) you have and determine how you may best use that gift(s) to fulfill your role in the church. And when I say church I mean the real church, the body of Christ, not some brick and mortar building where you go to meet and worship.

Understanding Scripture
I do not offer a spiritual gift test as I don’t believe that they are accurate or necessary. God gave you a gift to be used so I fully believe that He will make it evident what that gift is. Spiritual tests are faulty in my opinion. If you desire to have a specific gift then when you take the test you may subconsciously (or consciously) be biased in your answers, causing you to struggle in an area of service you weren’t wired to be in. This could eventually taint you towards any service in the future.

In order to be able to understand what each gift is we need to search the scriptures. We need to interpret scripture with scripture. What does this mean? It means that we must take a verse we are trying to understand and compare it with other, similar verses to discern the meaning. We also must take each verse in context to understand its meaning, look at the surrounding verses to understand what is being said. Then you need to understand to whom the author was writing to and the reason they were writing. For example; here Paul is writing to the Corinthian church because there were several problems going on in this church and Paul needed to set them straight on several issues. .