Some people suggest that prophecy is nothing more than the preaching of the Word of God. While I affirm that prophecy might take place as someone preaches, my previous story illustrates that prophecy isn’t limited to a church service, just like the gift of healing and other gifts aren’t limited to church services. Furthermore, Paul’s description of prophecy indicates that prophecy isn’t only the result of a pastor studying and preparing a sermon, but it can include some sense of spontaneity, for Paul spoke of prophecy happening after “a revelation comes to someone” from God (1 Corinthians 14:30).
Of course, if someone does claim to prophesy, it doesn’t mean we should just accept what they have to say as coming directly from God. When prophecy occurs, we “should weigh carefully what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29). We should consider who is giving the prophecy as well. This includes taking into account the doctrine or theology of the prophet (1 John 4:1–3). Yet, if someone performs miracles or has the gift of healing, many people are prone to listen to anything that person says. Remember, someone who has the gift of healing doesn’t necessarily have the gift of teaching. We also need to remember Jesus’ warning that there are “false prophets” who can even drive out demons and perform other miracles (Matthew 7:15–23). Rather than look for miracles when evaluating prophecy, or truth in general for that matter, Jesus said we should take into account the person’s fruit. The early church followed Jesus’ teaching by watching for hypocrisy and observing a prophet’s behavior—were they meek, gentle, and humble like Jesus?—and their desire for money—would they prophesy if they weren’t paid?5 This would be wise advice for us today too.
Right Gift, Wrong Attitude
It seems when people teach on the spiritual gifts today, the focus is usually on explaining what the gifts are. When the apostle Paul wrote to churches about the spiritual gifts, however, he was not concerned with explaining what the gifts were—they probably already knew that since they did “not lack any spiritual gift” (1 Corinthians 1:7). And yet, Paul wrote, “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Many people today remain uninformed about the value of each and every spiritual gift.
People can say they think all the gifts are important, but their hearts often betray them. They might think, Serving is good, but, boy oh boy, I’d sure like to heal someone! Or, I want to be a prophet, or to give a word of knowledge. But, helping? Meh . . . And let’s be honest, having the gift of healing or miracles can get you your own TV show, but probably not the gift of encouragement, unless, perhaps, you are Joel Osteen. I imagine when you started reading this chapter some of you likely said, “Okay, I know there are all kinds of spiritual gifts, but let’s get to the good ones!” Such thoughts indicate that we don’t value all the gifts equally.
Many teachers list the spiritual gifts in categories such as gifts of revelation, utterance, and power. I’ve also seen other groupings like gifts of leadership, signs, and service; or manifestation, motivational, and ministry gifts. By contrast, when the biblical authors described the spiritual gifts, they didn’t categorize them. Instead, they just listed the gifts all together. Unlike us, the Bible doesn’t distinguish between the dramatic gifts and the less spectacular gifts. Instead, Paul listed prophecy right beside service (Romans 12:6–7), and he sandwiched the gifts of helping and administration right between the gifts of healing and tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28). This is because all the gifts are important.
All the gifts are of value because they all have the same source. Paul emphasized this repeatedly: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6). He continued by emphasizing how the message of wisdom and knowledge are by “the same Spirit” and that the gift of faith comes “by the same Spirit” and healing “by that one Spirit” (vv. 8–9). In case it wasn’t clear, to conclude he stated one more time, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit” (v. 11). Same, same, same. They are all spiritual gifts because they all have the same source, namely, the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when someone gives a message in tongues or a prophetic word in a church service, we should not think, The Holy Spirit is finally at work here! The reality is that the Spirit has already likely been at work as people used their gift of hospitality when they greeted people at the front door or as people engaged their gift of giving as the offering plate passed by. We need to recognize and value all the ways the gifts are present among us.
A Healthy Body
We need all the gifts of the Spirit to be present in our churches for the body of Christ to experience its greatest health. The only time you find the “body of Christ” analogy actually explained in the Bible is in connection with the spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Basically, Paul described how each person with a different gift from the Spirit contributes to the church similarly to the way different body parts are important for a human body to function well. He asked, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? . . . If they were all one part, where would the body be?” (1 Corinthians 12:17, 19). If a church were full of people gifted in only prophecy or teaching, it would be big on truth, but people in need might not find much help. Similarly, if the church were full of people only gifted in mercy, the church would seem caring, but it might lack direction. We need the different body parts, or spiritual gifts, because they are all important to the well-being of the church.
I need my ears to hear the doorbell when the pizza delivery person comes. I have my feet to walk me to the door. My hands help me take the pizza inside my house. And I need my mouth (praise the Lord!) to eat the pizza. Without each of these body parts, I might still be able to get my pizza, but it would be more of a challenge. Likewise, without each of the gifts of the Spirit, the church may remain malnourished.
We need all types of gifted people in the church. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Corinthians 12:21). Likewise, those with the gift of prophecy should never say to those with the gift of hospitality, “I don’t need you.” Nor should those with the gift of serving say to those with the gift of tongues, “I don’t need you.” All the gifts are important.
Not for You
This all points to the fact that the gifts of the Spirit aren’t primarily for our own personal benefit. God doesn’t give us gifts so we can have some sort of a spiritual experience, an emotional high, or to build an international ministry with our name on it. The gifts are for the health of the church. They are for others. And we don’t earn them. The gifts are not badges of honor or indicators of a higher level of spirituality. If they were, the Corinthian church would not have been so familiar with the spiritual gifts. This was a church with sexual immorality, disunity, and people getting drunk at communion (1 Corinthians 6 and 11). That’s why the gifts are called spiritual gifts, not rewards. And we receive them by God’s grace. In fact, the Greek word for grace (charis) is the foundation of the word gifts (charismata), and “we have different gifts [charismata], according to the grace [charis] given us” (Romans 12:6). God is gracious to us in giving us gifts so we can serve others. The Bible consistently reminds us that God gives them “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7), “for the strengthening of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:26), and “to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10). Let us build up the church in love, using the gifts God has given each of us. My gift is for your well-being. And your gift may be for my well-being.
Getting Gifts
While this is all good, some of you have probably wondered where or how you can get the gifts of the Spirit. After all, you can’t just order them on Amazon. Unfortunately, I don’t see any formula or in
struction manual in the Bible for how to get the spiritual gifts. The only advice I see in Scripture is that we should “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:1). (This is certainly different from one common refrain, “seek not, forbid not.”) I would add that we can ask God, who is generous. I’ve heard some preachers caution that we should “seek the Giver and not the gifts.” And there is the danger of seeking the gifts for selfish reasons. Nevertheless, Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
Aside from simply asking God yourself, it is also possible that you might have a spiritual gift imparted to you through another person. Paul spoke of his desire to “impart . . . some spiritual gift” to Christians in Rome (Romans 1:11–12), and he implored Timothy, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:14). In these passages, it isn’t quite clear whether Paul had spiritual gifts in mind. Regardless, the idea of “impartation” might sound kind of spooky, like some form of Christian magic. Nevertheless, if we can ask God to give us a gift, then surely it is okay for someone else to lay hands on us and pray for God to give us a gift, just as one might do when praying for someone to be healed. But crucially, whether it is you or someone else praying, the gift still remains a gift of the Spirit. No one who prays can control the Spirit.
Desiring and praying for spiritual gifts doesn’t mean we should be choosy. Paul did say we should “desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31) and that we should especially pursue the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1), but all he meant by this is that we should especially seek gifts that will benefit others in the church. That’s why he went on to explain that “the one who prophesies is greater” than anyone who speaks in tongues because the one who prophesies “speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort,” whereas “no one understands” the person who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets (vv. 5, 3, 2).6 Overall, though, the Bible makes clear that we should be willing to serve in whatever way God wishes, whether that is through a more public gift, or a gift that doesn’t attract attention. We don’t get to determine which gift(s) we receive. Instead, the Spirit “distributes them . . . just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
How will you know when you have received a gift from the Spirit? You might not. You might sense a prompting from God to minister in a particular way, like giving a message in tongues, or you might not feel or sense anything at all. For example, while others have observed the gift of teaching present in my life, I can’t say I noticed any particular moment when I felt I received the gift.
All Gifted
Although we are told to desire the spiritual gifts, if you are a believer, you have the Spirit dwelling in you, and you have at least one gift of the Spirit. The Bible says that God gives gifts “to each one” for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7), that the Spirit “gives them to each one” (v. 11), and that “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (v. 18). We are all parts of the body, and we are all gifted by the Spirit in some way, though we aren’t always aware of it.
One way to figure out which gift(s) you have is by doing an online spiritual gifts assessment or inventory.7 Such assessments serve as good reminders that the Spirit empowers all believers for ministry, not just professional clergy. They can also call attention to the diverse ways people can serve, and they encourage people to seriously consider what types of ministry they are best suited for. At the same time, these assessments are usually based only on a limited number of gifts listed in the New Testament, and, as I noted above, the Spirit might use you in more ways than those listed in the New Testament.8
Another (perhaps better) way to determine your spiritual gifts, although it doesn’t produce the immediate results that spiritual gifts assessments provide, is to simply begin to serve in different ways and ask others what they observe. You should also ask yourself, “What am I good at? What am I passionate about?” Your answers likely indicate where the Spirit is at work in your life. Figuring out the name or title of the gift you have is not all that important. Rather, you should just aim to allow the Spirit to use you to serve others and build up the church.
Serve!
You have a spiritual gift, so serve! You are an important part of the body of Christ, and we need you—this is one reason Christians should stay in community with one another. When functioning correctly, the church is not “one big mouth and a lot of little ears,” that is, the preacher and the congregation.9 As the Scripture implores, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms . . . so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10–11).
Father, thank you for the many ways you work among us by the Spirit. Help us recognize and value these ways. Forgive us for any pride we have had regarding the gifts of the Spirit. Please give us a desire for the gifts of the Spirit, and grant us hearts to serve in whatever way you determine is best.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion
1.What does it mean to have a spiritual gift?
2.Do you truly feel that all the spiritual gifts are important for the health of the church?
3.In what ways have you seen spiritual gifts at work in people from your church?
4.To what extent are you using your spiritual gifts to serve others?
5.Do you “eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:1)? Are there any gifts of the Spirit you are not open to receiving?
CHAPTER 7
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SPIRIT-FILLED?
Imagine. You pull the door open a crack and peer into the church sanctuary. Near the back of the room, a young woman stands with her hands raised high and her eyes shut tight, singing with much enthusiasm. Closer to the front, an older lady sits in her seat singing quietly with her head bowed and her hands folded in a position of prayer. Who is more spiritual—more Spirit-filled? Or perhaps the truly spiritual person is the young man playing guitar and leading worship from the stage. No, probably not. Surely one of these two ladies is the picture of spirituality. After all, who would really think of a man as spiritual, unless it was, perhaps, the pastor?
Spiritual = Strange?
After all I have said in this book, it is time to ask the question, what does it mean to be spiritual? In popular culture, this usually indicates some sort of mystical experience or spooky encounter. If you meditate regularly, believe in ghosts, or feel you have an unusual connection to nature, you might be considered spiritual. It also seems to help if you like crystals and butterflies. Even within the church, many people think that the word spiritual must indicate something or someone a little strange. Depending on how much exposure people have had to the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, they might associate the word spiritual with people who claim to be inspired by the Spirit to bark like dogs, scream, or roll around on the floor. Such people exist—I’ve seen them! Whether inside the church or outside the church, it seems that spiritual sometimes just means “strange.”
Some people try to justify their conclusion that it is spiritual to act strange by pointing to the eccentric behavior of prophets in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah walked around naked (Isaiah 20:1–4)—some scholars say, wearing only an undergarment—and Ezekiel lay on his side for 430 days (Ezekiel 4:4–6). Some also point to Saul, who “changed into a different person” when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1 Samuel 10:6, 10). These examples, however, don’t prove that one should expect to act strangely if one is to be truly spiritual. First of all, Saul might have just “changed into a different person” in the sense that “God changed Saul’s heart” before he prophesied (v. 9). Furthermore, when you read about the prophets in the Old Testa
ment, you don’t get the sense that the prophets were usually ecstatic and acting strangely. To illustrate the point, when Elijah had his standoff at Mount Carmel, it was the prophets of Baal who “danced around the altar they had made,” shouted, slashed themselves with swords, and engaged in “frantic prophesying,” while they endeavored to get Baal to send fire on their sacrifice (1 Kings 18:26–29). By contrast, when Elijah called on God to send fire on his sacrifice, he merely “stepped forward and prayed” (v. 36). Strange or out-of-the-ordinary things might happen when people experience the Spirit—like speaking in tongues, dreams, or visions (Joel 2:28)—but such experiences are not the primary indicator of spirituality.
Biblical Spirituality
In the Bible, the word spiritual isn’t a generic word used to refer to the nonphysical world or to a “religious” person. Rather, spiritual means specifically something that is related to the work of the Holy Spirit.1 For example, the Bible refers to people who make up the church as “a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5) since the Spirit dwells in the church (1 Corinthians 3:16), salvation is a “spiritual blessing” (Romans 15:27) because a person is born again by the Holy Spirit (John 3:6–8), and one can sing “spiritual songs” as they are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18–19 ESV). Again, spiritual simply means having to do with the work of the Holy Spirit.
This definition of spiritual implies that to be Spirit-filled is not the same as being emotional. Certainly, the Spirit may be experienced in a way that stirs the emotions and leads a person to exclaim, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:25). Nevertheless, when the Bible mentions experiencing the Spirit, it rarely discusses what the experience was like or the emotions it might have aroused. Instead, the focus is placed on the life-changing results of the experience.
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