Word of Wisdom – Wisdom is the understanding and application of knowledge. The word of wisdom is a supernatural empowerment by the Holy Spirit to enable a believer to effectively communicate spiritual truth and how to apply it to a specific situation or set of circumstances (Acts 6:10).
Word of Knowledge – This gift refers to the Holy Spirit revealing information from God, which does not come from man. He reveals specific insights concerning physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual situations and trials (Acts 5:1-11; Acts 10:1-48; Acts 9:10-19).
Faith – Dennis Bennett described this gift as “a sudden surge of faith…without doubt.” This is not saving faith, but a supernatural faith sent during times of crisis, enabling the believer to confidently walk with Christ and speak on His behalf regardless of circumstances or persecution (Acts 2:14-41; Acts 7:54-60).
Gifts of Healings – Jesus Christ is the one Who heals the sick. The Holy Spirit works through believers as they faithfully turn to Christ in prayer and ask per the will of the Father (1 John 5:14, 15). Does God heal everyone? Absolutely not, but He does heal when it is His will and He does so to bring glory to His name and to validate the message of the Gospel (Mark 16:17, 18).
Working of Miracles – John Rea states, “The working of miracles covers those wonderful works which are not strictly healings.” James Dunn describes it as when people and things are “visibly and beneficially affected in an extraordinary way by a non-rational power” through believers (Acts 9:36-41; Acts 12:5-17).
Prophecy – Prophecy can be both foretelling and forth-telling. In this case it appears the Apostle Paul is referring to the former; a spontaneous message from God to His people for the edification of the body.
Discerning of Spirits – The Holy Spirit provides believers supernatural discernment when identifying what originates from God and what does not. For example, a spiritual manifestation, a teaching, a prophecy, or a person and their motives (Acts 16:16-18).
Different Kinds of Tongues – The Greek word used to refer to speaking in tongues is “glossolalia.” It comes from the words “glossais” which means “tongues,” and “laein” meaning “to speak.” Literally translated it would be “tongues speaking.” In Acts chapter two the manifestation was each person heard those who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in their own language. Here in verse ten, the Apostle Paul discusses the need for interpretation, indicating this gift is not always the same manifestation as in Acts. He also notes, there are times when an interpretation is not necessary and those speaking in tongues should do so quietly to themselves (1 Corinthians 14:28).
Interpretation of Tongues – Assembly of God professor Russel Spittler says interpretation of tongues “is the spiritual gift by which one so endowed makes clear to the congregation the unintelligible utterance of one who has spoken in tongues.” The Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear speaking in tongues in public worship, is to have an interpretation and it should be provided by a single person (1 Corinthians 14:27).
Reflection:
- Has the Holy Spirit ever manifested one of the above gifts through you? If so, when and what happened?
- Which gifts have you seen manifested in your church? Were they in order per 1 Corinthians 14:26-33?
- Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to use you outside of your comfort zone to minister to someone individually or to edify the body of Christ.