“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” – 1 Cor. 12:7-11
Last week I said we would look more at the Spiritual gifts that are given to those who have received the gift of salvation. This is something I’m interested in, but I’m by no means an expert, so bear with me. Anything that’s valid will be backed up by God’s Word, so I’ll look there to confirm what I find. Beginning with the passage in 1 Corinthians that is listed above, we see wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment between spirits, speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. No one person will have all of these gifts because we are to work together as the body of Christ to use the gifts for good.
Wisdom
The purpose of wisdom is to apply knowledge to life in such a way as to make spiritual truths quite relevant and practical in proper decision-making and daily life situations. This gift could be used in many ways, for instance, to counsel members of the congregation, to serve as a leader in the church, or lead a Bible study. It’s always a good thing to have someone that can share the wisdom they’ve gained through the years as they’ve studied scripture.
knowledge
Someone who possesses the gift of knowledge seeks to learn as much about the Bible as possible through the gathering of much information and the analyzing of that data. A person who has the gift of knowledge may be a researcher, writer, and if they also have the gift of teaching even be able to share their knowledge by teaching a Bible study or leading a small group. The gift of teaching could make it easier for one to bring the knowledge to the level of the group they are teaching.
We’ll look at a few more gifts in another post in the near future.
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 