Sermons - 2007 Week 37
The Varieties of Spiritual Gifts (Part 1)
1 Corinthians 12:8-11
Spiritual gifts are given to every believer to edify and evangelise. If we do not use them, the church is poorer and loses power. There are permanent and temporary gifts. The temporary gifts are signs to confirm the Word of God. The permanent gifts edify the church.
The Gift of Wisdom
Wisdom is the ability to understand God’s word and will and, apply it obediently. It is the ability to apply truths to life’s situations. It may be the pastor-expositor who studies the Word, interprets and applies it to sermons and imparts this Wisdom of application truths to the congregation.
The Gift of Knowledge
The Gift of Knowledge is to have this insight into God’s Word. The truths could not be known apart from God’s revelation. There is this special ability to study His word and discover the full meaning. Today, there is no new revelation, there is no new knowledge from God. Anyone who adds or subtracts from it will suffer God’s judgment (Rev 22:18). Jude 3 states, “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” True Wisdom often comes from Knowledge. Thus, the two are closely linked. One, to understand and to know the truths, and the other, to convey and apply the truths.
How are the two gifts, knowledge and wisdom linked? Are there situations when one is apart from the other? Discuss that sometimes. these gifts are separate in different believers.
The Gift of Faith
This is distinct from saving faith. This gift is a supernatural faith, a gift of God appealing to, and trusting, God to do what is beyond His normal provision. In James 5:16b-18, we see much of this prayer of faith and its ability to move what was seemingly impossible.
One’s gift of faith has the ability to move others along. Sometimes, logic will not prevail as faith can overcome. In 1 Corinthians 13:2, Paul states that even with faith that can remove mountains, without love, it is nothing. Paul was pointing out that it should be complemented by love. This gift of faith is also the ability to see something that God wants done. One must understand the will of God to appreciate the outcome of this faith.
The exercising of this faith will build faith in others. Discuss this statement.
The Gifts of Healing
The plural is used here and there is a diversity of abilities to heal. Paul used the gift of healing to authenticate his messages. While Paul could raise Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:9-12), he could not heal Epaphroditus (Ph 2:26-27). God healed Epaphroditus. Thus Paul did not always heal and the acts of healing were for a purpose, as a sign to authenticate.
Today, there is no need for these sign gifts. No Christian today has the gift of healing. When Jesus healed, he did not insist that the sick was a believer, nor showed tremendous faith. When Jesus healed, there was a purpose, as a sign to authenticate or to convince, unlike the “faith healers” of today. Faith healing today merely plays on the weak by threatening them with their lack of belief and faith for failure to be healed. It is not the charlatans professing faith healing that heals. There has never been any authenticated healing by them. If they could, there is so much suffering, death and disease out there in the hospitals and infirmary for them to show their compassion and be a witness to Christ. Remember that it is God that heals.
Question: It is a win-win situation for faith healers who claim that a lack of faith has failed to cure someone of the disease and when a person is cured he shows true faith - discuss this fallacious line of argument.
Dr and Mrs ET Chua
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