Spiritual Gifts

TOPICS

1. Introduction, Gifts, Baptism In The Spirit

2. Tongues & Interpretation of Tongues

3. Healing & Miracles

4. The Gift of Faith

5. The Gifts of Prophecy, Wisdom and Knowledge

6. Deliverance Ministry: Discernment of spirits, exorcism, breaking of curses, hexes and spells

7. Offices: Apostles and Prophets

8. Offices: Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers

9. Service Gifts: Hospitality, Administration, Leadership, Helps….

© Copyright John Edmiston 2016, under a Creative Commons license, non-commercial, share-alike

LESSON 1 - INTRODUCTION

1. Spiritual gifts are gifts of Jesus Christ given at the Ascension to the body of Christ and are imparted by the Holy Spirit particularly through the laying on of hands and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:5,8; Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6

2. The Holy Spirit is IN the believer from the moment of conversion for holiness, wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit see Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:22,23. Also the Holy Spirit comes UPON the believer in a Pentecostal experience of power to be a witness, for the various gifts of the Spirit. Acts 1:5,8; 10:44-48

3. Spiritual gifts are not separate different spirits; they are just different ways in which the one Holy Spirit works. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

4. The gifts are to be used in a united and coordinated way and in love. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 13:1-13 Love is the ultimate gift.

5. Each gift is valuable and honorable

1 Corinthians 12: 21-26

6. Yet there is a distinct order among the gifts and a kind of hierarchy of greater and lesser gifts

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

7. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the edification of believers and for the conversion of the lost.

Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 14:5, 12,25

8. There are five office gifts: Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. Ephesian 4:11

9. There are numerous functional gifts such as healings, tongues, interpretation, administration etc. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Romans 12:3-8

10. It seems that some gifts are occasional or intermittent e.g. prophecy, miracles while others are fairly constant e.g. teaching, administration

11. The gifts are given as the Holy Spirit wills (1 Cor 12:11) but can also be sought (1 Cor 14:1,39)

Baptism In The Holy Spirit

1. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a powerful initial experience of the Holy Spirit coming up on a Christian to empower them spiritually for Christian service and witness and often involves speaking in tongues. Acts 1:5,8 2:1-21

2. It is part of a three-way set of experiences. Conversion, water baptism and Spirit baptism that can happen all at once. Acts 10:44-48

3. An analogy:

Conversion = falling in love

Water baptism = the wedding vows

Spirit baptism = intimacy, growth, multiplication

4. Conversion without baptism – the thief on the Cross. Conversion and water baptism w/out Spirit baptism – Ephesian disciples in Acts 19:1-5, Spirit baptism prior to water baptism – Cornelius’ house Acts 10:44-48

5. Without the baptism in the Holy Spirit we have zeal and wisdom but no real power e.g. Apollos Acts 18:24-28

6. Despite personally knowing Jesus and being sent into the Harvest by Him the apostles were to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:5

7. The baptism in the Holy Spirit mostly comes through prayer and the laying on of hands such as in Acts 19 and with Timothy but can also happen spontaneously such as at Pentecost.

8. The baptism in the Holy Spirit both empowers and imparts spiritual gifts. So a teacher becomes a much more anointed teacher e.g. Apollos, or receives an entirely new gift e.g. tongues.

9. The baptism in the Holy Spirit does not create a special superior class of Christian!

My Notes

LESSON 2 - THE GIFT OF TONGUES

1. Mark 16:17, Acts 2: 1-21, 10:46, 19:6,

1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13&14;

2. 5 kinds: human languages (Pentecost), angelic languages (1 Cor. 13:1), prophetic requiring interpretation (1 Cor. 14:5), private (to God) (1Cor. 14:2), false/demonic (1 Cor. 12:1-3)

3. Most people “speak mysteries to God” rather than human languages (1 Cor. 14:2-5) and interpretation is via prayer rather than by a human translator. (1 Corinthians 14:13)

4. Edifies yourself (1 Cor. 14:2-5)

Edifies others when translated 1 Cor. 14:13,27)

Glorifies God (Acts 2)

5. In Acts it often accompanies the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts 2: 1-21, 10:46, 19:6

6. Is a relatively minor gift (1 Cor. 12) and it is to be used in love (1 Cor. 13) for the building up of others (1 Cor. 14).

7. Speaking in tongues is NOT to be forbidden (1 Corinthians 14:39,40) only regulated.

8. Paul wanted all Christians to speak in tongues (1 Cor. 14:5) but evidently some did not (1 Cor. 12:30). Nowhere is it made compulsory.

9. If Christians speak in unknown tongues during public worship it can come across as weird, disorderly and confusing. (1 Corinthians 14)

10. Tongues can be used in worship if they are translated. The speaker should pray that they are able to interpret. (1 Cor. 14:5, 13, 27)

11. There should be a limited amount of tongue-speaking during worship and it should be orderly and in turn. (1 Cor. 14:27)

12. It is also called “speaking in the Spirit” and there is also “singing in the Spirit” (1 Cor. 14:15)

Spirit-to-spirit Communication

1. God’s Spirit can speak to the Christians human spirit in order to impart God’s truth via personal revelation. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16)

2. We have an anointing from the Holy One that instructs us. (1 John 2:20,27)

3. We can receive wisdom directly from God through prayer (James 1:5-8)

4. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, particularly the truth concerning Christ. (John 6:45, 14:26, 16:13,14)

5. This is part of the promise of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33,34; Hebrews 8:10, 10:16)

6. When a believer speaks in tongues to God this is a form of spirit-to-Spirit communication and opens up the Christian to divine processes including revelation which is why tongues and prophecy often go together e.g. at Pentecost and at Cornelius’ house.

7. Those who move in spiritual gifts often say that speaking in tongues helps to bring a deeper anointing and also helps to activate other spiritual gifts.

8. We are to seek after spiritual gifts, especially the revelation gifts (1 Cor. 14:39,40) and God will not allow a born-again believer to be given a false or demonic tongue. (Luke 11:11-13)

My Notes

LESSON 3 - HEALING AND MIRACLES

1. Healing is found in numerous places throughout the New Testament, especially in the Gospels and Acts but also in Revelation.

2. Miracles (signs and wonders) are rarer and tend to happen in clusters during times of revival and church planting (Acts 6:8, 15:12).

3. Healing and miracles were expected spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and James instructs church elders on how to heal the sick (James 5:13-15).

4. The healing ministry of Jesus was part of OT prophesy Matthew 8:16,17; Isaiah 53:3-5

5. Jesus always saw sickness as something to be healed: Matthew 4:23-25, 8:16,17, 9:35

6. Jesus saw healing as a manifestation of divine authority and power: Matthew 8:9-13; 9:6; 10:1; Mark 3:15; 6:17; Luke 5:17; 6:19; 9:1; 10:19

7. Jesus occasionally saw sickness as the direct result of sin: Mark 2:5, John 5:14 or of the Devil:

Luke 18:10-16 to be cast out and healed.

8. Jesus often drew a direct connection between faith and healing: Matt 8:10, 9:28,29; 15:28; Mark 2:5; 9:24; 10:52

9. Healing is associated with the presence of the Kingdom of God: Matt 4:23, 9:35, 10:7,8, 12:28 and Luke 9:2,11; 10:9

10. Jesus taught that healing was a work that His disciples could also do and He commission first the 12 (Matthew 10:1), then the 70 (Luke 10:1,9), then the wider church (Mark 16:18, John 14:12) to do so.

11. Jesus saw healing as a vivid demonstration of mercy and compassion of God towards the lost and suffering. Healing was never “earned” in any way. (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30,31). Jesus also frequently healed out of compassion (Matt 14:14; 20;34; Mark 1:41; 5;19; 9:22-24)

12. Jesus always healed just what the person wanted healed e.g. leprosy, blindness etc. Matthew 8:2

13. Jesus never told someone to wait for healing in order to develop patience and character.

14. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) which are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Ps. 139:14) and which will be raised from the dead on the Last Day. (1Cor. 6:14)

15. The body is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body! (1 Corinthians 6:13)

16. We are united to Christ and are one spirit with Him. Therefore the body is sacred (1 Cor. 6:15-17).

17. Healing is accomplished through faith in the name of Jesus that issues authoritative commands for healing (Acts 3:1-16)

18. Miracles are also a result of mountain-moving faith: Galatians 3:1-5, 1 Cor. 13:2

19. There is a gift of working miracles 1 Cor. 12:29

20. Miracles are meant to give glory to God and are not to be done for commercial gain, bitterness, envy or self-seeking. (Acts 8:4-25)

21. Miracles, signs and wonders are slightly different terms that often overlap in Scripture.

A “sign” generally points to a prophecy or a spiritual reality.

A “wonder” astonishes people and challenges their pagan or religious worldview.

A “miracle” is a low-probability event, that is inexplicable either in its nature, method or timing which must be attributed to the exercise of divine power.

They tend to be done by apostles and church planters: 2 Cor. 12:12, Acts 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 7:36

My Notes

LESSON 4 - THE GIFT OF FAITH

1. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2. Faith is the art of believing in an invisible truth as if it were already real and obtained.

Mark 11:22-24

3. Faith involves the use of commands: Matthew 8:5-13, 17:20, Luke 17:6, Acts 3:1-16

4. The gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:9) which can move mountains (1 Cor. 13:2) is an extraordinary “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3,6) given by God to His humblest servants (Luke 17:5-10).

5. The gift of faith is given to people facing extraordinary hazards or with great tasks to accomplish such as Noah building the Ark (Hebrews 11:7, Abraham (Heb. 11:8-19), or Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt (Heb. 11:23-31).

6. Jesus developed faith in His disciples my exposing them to sick people, demons, storms at sea and other challenging situations and asking “Where is your faith?”. (Mark 4:40, Matthew 6:30, 16:8)

7. The bible teacher John Wimber used to say: faith is spelled R-I-S-K and Hebrews 11 (the heroes of faith) confirms that faith is often exercised when people “get out of the boat” and face difficult situations in life. (Matthew 14:22-33)

8. People with the gift of faith are often called to lead large, difficult projects, or to be missionaries or to innovate in areas where “it has never been done this way before”

9. People with the gift of faith can live with ambiguity and can trust God even when they do not know the total outcome or where they are going, like Abraham (Genesis 12:1-11).

10. They often have to wait a long while for the result they want such as Abraham waiting for Isaac. (Romans 4:16-25)

11. They believe that nothing is impossible with God:

Matthew 17:20, 19:26 Mk 9:23, 10:27 Luke 1:37

12. They have an overpowering belief in the power of prayer: Matthew 7:7,8, 21:22; John 16:23,24

13. They see past visible circumstances to a faithful but invisible God: Hebrews 11:13-16, 23-28

14. Abraham is the example of someone with a gift of faith is called the father of the faithful because of his long life of believing God with very little evidence to show for it and even being able to offer up Isaac: Heb. 11:8-12, 17-19 Rom 4:11-13

15. Faith = believing a word from God

Unbelief = not believing a word from God

Doubt = being unsure of a word from God

Rebellion = defying a word from God

Presumption = inventing a word from God

16. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word: Rom 10:17

17. Faith grows in the soft and good heart that holds onto and nourishes the word of God and is not distracted by the cares of this world. Matt 13:23

18. Kingdom faith grows in stages like an ear of corn:

Mark 4:26-29

19. We can pray to grow in faith and we can pray that our faith will weather the storms of life:

Luke 22:32, Ephesians 3:14-21

20. We can build up our faith by praying in the Spirit (Jude 1:20)

My Notes

LESSON 5 - PROPHECY, WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

1. There are three very different types of prophesy in the New Testament. Seers (chozeh & roeh), national prophets (nabi) and congregational prophets (prophetes). Seers are visual prophets have dreams and visions and deal with local issues such as finding donkeys and winning battles (1 Samuel 9:5-10). When they do get involved with national events it is to address the leader alone such as King David (2 Samuel 24:11-14). The Nabi hear the “word of the Lord” and wrote the prophecy books of the Old Testament, enforce national moral standards and the OT covenant and are the ones who see far into the future and the Kingdom of God. The words of the Lord comes unto the Nabi. (Jeremiah 1:2,4, 11 etc) and they wrote books of the Bible. The nabi ended with John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11-15).

2. In the New Testament prophetic ability became a very common part of congregational life (Acts 2:17,18, 1 Corinthians 11:4,5; 14:29-31).

3. However, there were also specialized prophets and prophetesses. (Acts 11:27-30, 13:1, 15:32, 21:9,10)

4. There is a prophetic office that is only second to the apostles. (Ephesians 2:20, 3:5, 4:11)

5. The NT congregational prophets are more like OT seers, operate through dreams and visions (Acts 2:17,18) and do not write Scripture, for instance there is no “book of Agabus”. The book of Revelation is a prophecy given to an apostle. Thus it was written by an apostle not by a prophet.

6. NT prophets operate according to their measure of faith. (Romans 12:6)

7. Their role is edification, exhortation and encouragement (1 Cor. 14:3, Acts 15:32)

8. They tend to operate at an individual level (Acts 13:2, 21:10,11, 1 Tim 1:18, 4:14), congregational level (1 Cor. 14) or local level (Acts 11:27-30) and do not add new doctrinal revelation, new books of the Bible, or predict long-term future events. They are not to predict the date of the return of Christ (Acts 1:7).

9. NT prophecy needs to be discerned by the revelation of Scripture and by the fruit that it produces. (1 Thessalonians 5:19,20).

10. 1 Corinthians 14 is a whole chapter that outlines the high value of NT congregational prophesy.

11. However there seems to have been some trouble regulating it and in Thessalonica it became despised so Paul had to write to them to both discern it and to not forbid prophesy which would quench the Spirit. (1 Thess. 5:19,20).

12. As a precaution I think it is better if we do not a) use the personal title “prophet” b) use the phrase “thus says the Lord” c) make declarative statements about the end times. Instead say a) my impression is that the Holy Spirit is indicating b) stick to individual and congregational issues.

13. The gift “word of knowledge” is the gift of receiving spiritual insight (gnosis) about a specific item from God. It is like a download from heaven, that is helpful to the person or organization concerned.

14. The gift “word of wisdom” is the spiritual gift of being able to see God’s wise perspective on an issue of doctrine, practice or even daily life. People with the gift of wisdom bring truth and balance wherever they go. They tend to be tactful and cautious and they see the best way to do things.

15. The gifts of prophecy, wisdom and knowledge are best practiced with close friends, in a small group, with someone there to bring balance.

My Notes

LESSON 6 – DELIVERANCE

1. This lesson will cover gifts of discernment, casting out of demons, breaking curses, hexes and spells, and spiritual warfare.

2. There are three basic categories of demons. Those like Satan who are in the first heaven known as the air (Ephesians 2:2). Those like Legion that want to occupy human or animal bodies (Mark 5:7-13). And those who are captives chained in a subterranean world known as Tartarus or the Pit (2 Peter 2:4) but who might be released for a short while during the tribulation (Rev. 9:1-6).

3. We wrestle with those in the air (Ephesians 6:10-18). We command those in human bodies to leave in Jesus Name (Acts 16:16-18). And we, at this point, have nothing to do with those from the Pit.

4. Those “in the air” tend to be cultural and religious demons such as ancient religions, cults, political forces and deep deceptions raised up against the knowledge of God. This involves a constant discerning and wrestling and prayer in the Spirit. Victory may take generations.

5. Those in human or animal bodies tend to be spirits of clairvoyance, New Age, sexual sins, addictions and compulsions, major character flaws e.g. uncontrolled rage, some mental illnesses, strange moods, some physical illnesses, and delusions. They can be actively blasphemous. Victory can be very rapid.

6. The spirits “in the air” relate to spirits dwelling in people in order to bring them into disobedience, unbelief and destruction. Idols, rituals and magic practices are part of this process and must be destroyed: (Deuteronomy 7:24-26, Acts 19:19,20, 1 Corinthians 10:20,21)

7. We have spiritual authority to deal with these evil spirits and to destroy the works of the devil (1 John3:8, 4:4, 5:18,19, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 1;20,21; 2:6,7) and this authority is frequently used (Acts 5:16, 8:7, 19:12).

8. Curses, hexes and spells are words of power or other spiritual actions used to cause harm in the spiritual realm or to bind someone’s will (e.g. a love spell). Christ has conquered them on the Cross (Galatians 3:10-15, Colossians 2:13-15)

9. We can break them through believing prayer, renouncing the Devil and all his works, getting rid of any occult or sinful objects and of course by using the Name of Jesus with authority. See Cleansing Prayer in Appendix.

10. A major role of pure evil is demonic deception, false doctrine and spiritual captivity. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 2:25, 26, 3:1-9, 2 Peter 2:18, Rev. 16:13,14)

11. They may even perform false miracles, signs and wonders: (2 Thess. 2:9-11, Matthew 24:24)

12. The main weapon here is the sword of the Spirit, the correct teaching of God’s Word. (2 Timothy 2:25,26, Hebrews 4;12-14, Ephesians 6:17, Revelation 1:6, 2:16).

13. The gift of discernment of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10) is the ability to use God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit to discern the nature of spiritual things. ( 1 John 4:1-3, 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, Matthew 4:1-11, Hebrews 5:11-14) which also requires the person to be born-again and Spirit-filled (1 Corinthians 2:13-16).

14. Right teaching helps to mature the Church and to keep it from being deceived and blown around by every wind of doctrine. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

15. We are therefore to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Thess. 5:8) with prayer.

16. We also need to know a) our spiritual authority b) the power of the Name of Jesus and c) what the Word says that the blood (of Christ) does.

My Notes

LESSON 7 – APOSTLES & PROPHETS

1. The term apostle = “sent out one” or delegate, a commissioned representative. It is equivalent to the Latin “missio” from which we get missionary or diplomatic mission. There are 33 people listed as apostles in the New Testament in 5 broad categories.

2. Jesus – the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1) the One Sent From God.

3. The Twelve – Founders of the Faith, they had to be witnesses of the life of Christ from His baptism to His resurrection, obviously this category no longer exists in the modern church.

4. Founders of the Church – in regional areas or people groups such as Paul going “to the Gentiles” , this category exists today and people such as Hudson Taylor are examples.

5. Followers of the Founders – Silas, Timothy, Titus, who take on a region and largely travel within it as supervisors over a large number of churches and who focus on sorting out church disputes and leadership problems. They exist today as workers in Church Planting Movements say in India or the Philippines. A group within this group are city-wide apostles such as Andronicus and Junia who oversaw groups of house-churches in Rome, equivalent to senior bishops or archbishops or metropolitans (an Orthodox term). Senior missionaries would also fit here and they exist today.

6. False Apostles – cult leaders etc. See 2 Corinthians 11, and these clearly exist today.

7. The term apostle is so confusing as to be almost useless in the Church today and is best avoided altogether and replaced with terms such as missionary, church-planter, circuit preacher, founder of a movement, etc.

8. Apostles frequently have a strong supernatural ministry: 2 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 15:18,19 which confirms the gospel: Acts 19, 1 Cor. 2:4,5; 4:20

9. Apostles wrote the New Testament and are about laying foundations, imparting solid doctrine and setting church moral standards and ethos. They keep the church in the faith.

10. Prophecy was discussed in lesson 5, however here we will look at the New Testament office of prophet. The NT calls some people like Agabus “prophets”. These give prophecies as their main spiritual gift and do so accurately and have been tested.

11. Prophets are second to apostles and need to have their doctrine checked by them.

12. Prophets give specific direction and revelation on certain matters to the church such as to prepare for an upcoming famine, or telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

13. There has been a revival in the office of prophet since the mid-80’s sparked by a book by Bill Hamon and the work of C.P Wagner from Fuller. However very few of these new prophets are now reliable and the movement often strays into serious theological error due to a lack of accountability to apostles & theologians. I am of the personal opinion that the title “prophet” should be avoided at all costs until there is order in the movement and until major denominations regulate the prophetic as they regulate pastors, evangelists or missionaries.

14. Some insecure Christians can become dependent on being given personal words by a prophet. This is unhealthy. Instead they should be encouraged to develop a biblical worldview that informs their decision-making through a deep study of the Bible.

15. The occasional prophetic word can be quite helpful.

16. The Bible warns of an outbreak of false prophets in the last days. The role of false prophets is to turn Christians away from Christ to the worship of idols such as the image of the Beast (Matthew 7:15, 24:11, 24:24, Acts 13:6, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1, Rev. 13:11-16,16:3, 19:20, 20:10).

My Notes

LESSON 8 – EVANGELISTS, PASTORS AND TEACHERS

1. N.B. Spiritual leadership always happens within the context of place, time and culture and quibbling over exact role definitions has led to a lot of totally unnecessary church division. The world of the New Testament was very different from today so God left leadership roles quite undefined and flexible. The Holy Spirit ultimately appoints overseers. (Acts 20:28)

2. The gift of evangelist is only referenced three times in the New Testament and there is no extended definition of the role. Acts 21:8, Ephesians 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:5.

3. Evangelist probably means who led large numbers of people to Christ, then drilled the new converts in basic doctrine, cleansed them of evil spirits, got them to renounce Satan and all his works, then baptized them (Acts 8). They laid the spiritual foundations for new believers.

4. The two evangelists in Scripture, Phillip and Timothy were both very respected figures with regional authority.

5. When the evangelist had finished converting, cleansing and baptizing people and setting them in new house churches then the pastors and teachers took over and the evangelist moved on.

6. Pastor is just the word for shepherd and their role was to shepherd the people under their care. The specific word pastor is only mentioned specifically in Ephesians 4:11, and is without definition.

7. Elder or overseer is by far the most frequent term and the apostle Peter sees elders as shepherds of the flock (the pastoral role) in 1 Peter 5:1-5

8. The term elder/overseer being used of Christian leaders with pastoral authority over believers is found in: Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2,4,6,22,23; 16:4, 20:17,28; 21:18, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 4:14, 5:17-20; Titus 1:5-9, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-5.

9. The role of elder was to teach and shepherd the flock, and remuneration and double honor was commanded. 1 Timothy 5:17-19

10. So it seems Elder = Overseer =Pastor and is almost identical to today’s pastor. The lives of elders / pastors were to be exemplary. (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9)

11. Teaching the local congregation was to be an important function of the pastor/elder/overseer (1 Timothy 3:2, 5:17)

12. There is a separate office called “teacher” and these seem to be people who specialized entirely in teaching without “running the church” as such. Bible teachers, seminary professors and Christian speakers and authors would fill this role today.

13. Teachers “water” while apostles, prophets and evangelists “plant”. They tend to stay in one place for a while and provide the Word. Apollos was a powerful teacher. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

14. There seem to have been many teachers, so many that James warned against rushing into the role (James 3:1), and that people falling away “accumulated teachers” for their itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3,4)

15. Teachers were to diligently divide the Word of God, teaching in-season and out of season and stern rebuke was to be part of their vocabulary as they exhorted people into a Christian lifestyle.

(1 Timothy 1:5, 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16,17, 4:2,3).

16. The gifts and offices of evangelist, pastor and teacher tend to recognized in the believer by senior men and women of God. There is often some kind of ordination to these kinds of roles. Extensive training may be necessary to teach the Scriptures well and to diligently fulfill these roles.

My Notes

LESSON 9 – GIFTS OF SERVICE

1. Gifts of service include: administration, leadership, helps, serving, hospitality, encouragement / exhortation, giving, and showing mercy. Mostly they are exercised within a local church congregation under the supervision of the pastor, though they are also needed by missionary agencies etc.

Romans 12:6-8, 1 Cor. 12:28, 1 Peter 4:11

2. 1 Peter 4:11 differentiates between “those who speak” and “those who render service”. These are mainly “off-stage” gifts

3. There are probably many others and the list is not meant to be exhaustive

4. Gifts of service help the Church (or individual) to achieve some objective. They serve a higher end goal. For instance encouragement helps someone who is discouraged to move forward. It is not so much teaching as enabling. These gifts lift other people up.

5. People with these gifts have distinct personalities with each gift and distinct needs e.g. people with the gift of helps are quite servers behind the scenes, but they do need to be appreciated occasionally.

6. You can recognize these gifts by asking:

a) When do you experience the joy of the Lord?

b) Do you have a natural talent in that area that God is also using by His Spirit? Are you any good at it?

c) Does it fit with your character?

If you attempt something and it repeatedly goes badly wrong, or stresses you and others out then it is probably not your service gift.

7. Administration and leadership keep the engine of the church running and include board members, church secretaries, accountants, and administrators. They make sure everything is done decently and in order so that “no one falls through the cracks”. They can sometimes be bossy and need to be accountable to the pastoral team (not vice-versa).

8. Helps, serving and hospitality give “heart” to the Church and make sure that people are comfortable, happy and blessed. They also do maintenance work. They see a need and automatically fill it. Often they take direction from the administrators. They require clarity such as clear tasks and clear job descriptions and jobs with a clear end and a clear beginning.

9. Giving and mercy are directed toward both the Church and the community. People with these gifts are drawn to the down-and-outs and need to be supervised by the pastoral team so they do not burn out.

10. Deacons seem to be a ministry of service, particularly to widows, orphans and the community starting in Acts 6:1-6 and meeting the standards of 1 Timothy 3:8-13

11. People with gifts of service are to work as unto the Lord and not as “eye-pleasers”. Colossians 3:22-24

12. Some areas such as light and sound, may need short training seminars. Grounds and security may need a short briefing on legal implications.

13. These gifts are VERY culturally dependent e.g. doing hospitality and food etc.

My Notes

A PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL CLEANSING

Christians cannot be fully possessed by the Devil (because they have the Holy Spirit) but they can be oppressed, hindered and harassed. Such spiritual oppression often stems from things such as involvement in the occult, false teaching, and sexual immorality, or from keeping idols or magic books in the house (Deut. 7:24-26). Oppression can also come from outside through curses and witch-craft or from within ourselves because we harbor hatred, bitter-ness , malice and unforgiveness in our hearts (Matthew 18:21-35)

The symptoms of demonic oppression include:

1. Hopelessness, despair, loss of confidence, spiritual anguish and struggle, the constant feeling of accusation or of being ‘unclean’ in some way.

2. The sense of being cursed or of being the victim of some malicious spiritual force. A feeling that hatred, malice or envy is being directed at you in order to destroy you.

3. An out-of-control thought life, very vivid fantasies and day-dreams, being unable to think straight. Numerous fears.

4. A sense of being ‘blocked’ or stifled in one’s Christian life. A pronounced loss of enthusiasm for spiritual things.

5. Addictions, compulsions, lying, impulsiveness, habitual folly, excessive materialism, being hyper-critical, outbursts of anger, a long line of broken relationships.

6. The feeling of being attacked, strangled or seduced by spirits during one’s sleep. Seeing dark shapes. Hearing seducing, accusing or very demanding voices.

7. Unusual, even bizarre accidents and illnesses, constant financial problems, a continual lack of success in life despite one’s best efforts.

Acts 19 tells us that Ephesus was full of occult activity such as Jewish exorcists, magicians, idol manufacturers and above them all a gigantic temple to Diana (also known as Artemis). The apostles Paul and John both ministered there and Ephesians and 1 John tell us much about how to combat spiritual oppression. Here are some of the main points:

1. The powers of darkness are real (Ephesians 2:2, 6:12)

2. But Christ has conquered them (Ephesians 1:19-23, 4:8, Colossians. 2:15) and they must submit to His Name (Philippians 2:10,11)

3. Jesus Christ has ascended into Heaven (Ephesians 1:19-23, 4:8-10) and Christians have been seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) so we also have spiritual authority (1 Corinthians 6:2,3).

4. If we admit our situation and honestly confess our sins we will be forgiven and the blood of Christ will cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7-9)

5. So we see that through Christ we have a right to spiritual cleansing. (Hebrews 9:14)

6. We must renounce the hidden deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11-14) including the occult, sexual immorality & covetousness (Ephesians 5:2-5) and all hatred (1 John 2:9-11) and decide to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:5-7, Ephesians 5:8-10). This is often called removing the ground the enemy has in our lives.

7. After this we should then ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and put on each piece of the armor of God with prayer.

I honestly confess my sins (list them) including any occult involvement of my parents and ancestors (list them) (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9, 2 Samuel 21:1)

I renounce the Devil and all his works. (this may include destroying occult objects such as magic books & idols ) (Acts 19:17-20, Deuteronomy 7:24-26)

I forgive others (list their names) just as Jesus Christ has for-given me. (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:12-15,)

I claim my spiritual cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ whom I confess to be my Savior and my Lord. (1 John 1:7-9, Hebrews 9:14)

I now give any ground that Satan may have had in my life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and I ask for God to fill me with the Holy Spirit and with joy. (Ephesians 5:1-18)

I take up my spiritual authority as one seated in heavenly realms with Christ Jesus and in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I command Satan and all his demons to depart from me. (Ephesians 2:6, 1:20, Mark 3:15, 16:17,18; Luke 9:1)

I claim that all curses spoken and written against me are broken by the cross of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:10-14, Colos-sians 2:13-15) and that I have all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3) including the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:14,29) for God has out-blessed the curse (Psalm 109:28) and turned it into a blessing (Deuteronomy 23:5)

And I now prayerfully put on each piece of the full armor of God (name each piece see Ephesians 6:10-20) and I will walk in the light as He is in the light ( 1 John 1:5-7). In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

USEFUL REFERENCES

Apostles

www.globalchristians.org/articles/apostle.htm

Prophets

www.globalchristians.org/articles/prophecy.htm

Handbook on Spiritual Warfare

http://www.globalchristians.org/cleansing/

Online Seminar on Spiritual Warfare (free) and has MP3 files: http://newtestamentprayer.com/seminar/index.htm

Learn How To Pray

http://www.newtestamentprayer.com

False Miracles In The End Times

www.globalchristians.org/articles/falsemir.htm

The Early Church In Acts 1-8 (PDF ebook, brief)

www.globalchristians.org/pdf/acts1_to_8.pdf

Walking In The Spirit – The Basics

http://www.globalchristians.org/pdf/walking_in_the_spirit_1.pdf

Walking In The Spirit – Communicating With God

http://www.globalchristians.org/pdf/walking_in_the_spirit_2.pdf

Walking In The Spirit – Spiritual Ministry

http://www.globalchristians.org/pdf/walking_in_the_spirit_3.pdf

Walking In The Spirit – Mustard Seed Ministry

http://www.globalchristians.org/pdf/walking_in_the_spirit_4.pdf

Walking In The Spirit (entire series)

http://www.globalchristians.org/zip/walking_in_the_spirit1.zip

The Baptism In The Holy Spirit (5 short studies)

http://globalchristians.org/walkspirit/

then scroll down to studies 16-20

Prophecy – same link but go to studies 36-40

This workbook is copyright by John Edmiston (2016) under the Creative Commons License. It may be freely reproduced for non-profit ministry purposes, including being put on your website, however it may not be sold in any way whatsoever.

To contact John Edmiston send an email to: johned@aibi.ph