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The Gifts Of The Holy
Spirit.
My dear Friends,
I sincerely pray this letter finds you basking in the glorious peace and
joy of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that your new-found brethren in Christ
are enjoying the liberty, majesty and power of the God who died for you,
and now lives among you. I realize how difficult it is to be different, Mathetes, even with the Holy Spirit at our side. But
imagine, if you can, what oneness with God in His kingdom, as a reward for
being different now, will be like. And imagine too, how Stephen must have
felt as he proclaimed the truth, while the people were picking up stones with
which to kill him. His oneness with Jesus at the moment of his death, when
he prayed for God to forgive his murderers, illumined his face, and it will
illumine ours as well. It is exhilarating to proclaim the good news to
those who are enslaved by Satan, and then watch as the kingdom of darkness
crumbles.
When the seventy disciples reported back to Jesus after He sent them out in
power and authority, He said, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven
like lightening" (Luke 10:17).
The same authority issued to those disciples is ours today as well, dear
friend, as you will soon see in our discussions about the gifts. And
Satan's kingdom is falling from heaven.
It must have been especially gratifying for all of you when your pastor
stepped down from his pulpit and proclaimed an open assembly. Continue to
maintain your guard in this spiritual battle though, my friend, because one
Sunday does not make a revolution, and a small victory can turn into a
major defeat if we permit complacency to return to our hearts.
I was especially interested to read that a number of members within your
assembly expressed a desire for discipleship training as well. God is truly
magnificent! Use the material that is at your disposal, if you wish, and
continue in your own studies as we exchange these messages. It might be
useful to dig out the letters which first brought you to the Lord, and
start from the beginning in your teaching to these brethren. I have copies
of those earlier letters available, Mathetes, if
you find you have misplaced some of them. At whatever cost though, you must
remember, if the cornerstone is not perfectly set, the whole building will
be out of square. Insure that Jesus is perfectly placed within their
hearts.
Let us now turn our attention to a wonderfully amazing spiritual reality;
the fact that the Holy Spirit endows us with spiritual gifts (1Peter 4:10-11). As I have already told you, many people get
uptight when this topic is broached, but I prayerfully seek for these
discussions on the gifts to be a unique presentation of a glorious subject.
I believe that the reason so many Christians get upset when the Holy Spirit
and His gifts are discussed, is because these same undisciplined
individuals do not fully understand how we are supposed to assemble. While
we may comprehend the principle of assembly at this time, we must also now
comprehend the practice of assembly. The gifts are given for a purpose
(Ephesians 4:12-13),
and in the fullness of His giving and our receiving, that purpose will be
met.
Today, I wish to submit a second conversation about the gifts in general,
and discuss their overall function with you. At the end of this letter,
however, I am providing you with some questions and statements which, when
answered or rated appropriately, may help you discover the divinely
appointed abilities endowed upon you by the Holy Spirit. (I don't want to
say supernatural abilities because they are not supernatural to Him. In His
eyes these are quite natural, and as His children they are to become
natural to us as well).
In the following three letters, we will discuss each gift individually, and
I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to your potential within
the body of Christ. In the following letters I will show you where in the
Bible each gift is introduced and supported, as well as direct you to
passages which show the literal application and use of each gift.
There are three classifications of gifts which the Holy Spirit gives to
God's children. They can be thought of as: service, support and sign.
The full endowment of gifts that the Holy Spirit will present to any child
of God, however, will usually be a mixture from any of these three classes.
While the mixture of gifts seemingly appear to support a primary gift,
there is no limit to the number of gifts that He might allow within a mix,
to any child. I am constantly amazed by the combination of talents He has
presented to the brethren, and can assure you that like snowflakes, no two
are alike. The degree of intensity of any particular set of gifts
therefore, given to any particular member of the body, will differ from
member to member. (Romans 12:6).
For example: These letters to you are the spiritual evidence of the gifts
of administration, discernment, evangelism, exhortation, faith, knowledge,
prophecy, teaching and wisdom, which I believe God has given to me.
Although I have others, this is mostly a prophetic teaching ministry,
(support) which is enhanced by the other gifts. The sum allow me to help
you fulfill your service to the body.
Support gifts, therefore, are those which enable someone within the
body to equip other members of the body, for their work of service. While
every child of God is endowed with at least one or two of the service
gifts, it is not necessary for many of His servants to possess support
gifts. Too many cooks spoil the pot. The support gifts are: Apostleship,
Evangelism, Pastor, Prophecy and Teacher.
Service gifts, on the other hand, are those which, simply put, give
us the capacity to serve each other. I don't think I have ever seen
anything more spectacular than when the service gifts are utilized to their
fullest. While the sign gifts are amazing, and they attract tremendous
notice, and while those with certain support gifts seem to get a great deal
of attention in our society, it is the service gifts which help everybody
to function properly. The encouragement, faith, assistance, guidance and
direction given to the body through these gifts is exactly what the body is
crying for today.
During my eighteen months in Vietnam I was stationed at our group
headquarters in Nha Trang
for awhile, then went out to an A-team site
(A-242 Dak-Pek), located in the central highlands
of that country, for the remainder of my tour. The front line assignment
was dynamic, to say the least, but without the backup received from the
B-team, C-team and Headquarters, it would not have been a very dynamic
situation at all. We would not have been able to function as a fighting
unit. Each member of the service teams, a ratio of at least ten-to-one for
every member of an A-team, had to perform their functions to the best of
their ability, in order for those A-teams to survive. So it is with the
service gifts (1Corinthians 12:14-25)
because they are the lifeline of the body; the blood, nerves, bones,
fingers, feet and heart. Without them, the body cannot survive. The service
gifts are: Administration, Authority/Leadership, Discernment
(Distinguishing of spirits), Exhortation, Faith, Giving, Helps/Service,
Knowledge, Mercy and Wisdom.
Finally, the sign gifts can be viewed as the literal outward authentication
of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, both to the world and to
the body (1Corinthians 14:22).
The sign gifts are: Effecting of Miracles, Gifts of Healings, Prophecy,
Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues.
These sign gifts, and especially the last two, are a tremendous source of
conflict within the religious institutions today, Mathetes,
because they can be faked. Tongues and Interpretations are a snap to
pretend, and with a little assistance and preplanning, illusions can be
set-up, and phony healings can also be presented.
I have already told you about the false use of tongues which I witnessed in
a Pentecostal/Charismatic gathering, where an individual stood to speak in
a tongue known to them (in this case it was Latin), and some
"interpreter" rose to tell what the message was - not getting one
word correct. And I also told you about the televangelist who mocked God in
declaring that his walk with God was perfect, therefore his body was
perfect - while a young lady in a wheelchair sat helplessly as this
"teacher" laid hands upon his congregation for
"healing". Both of these situations reflect the abuse which
confront us today in the misuse of the gifts, and I will openly expose the
false use of the gifts whenever I can.
Many false teachers, preachers and prophets are more interested in numbers
and donors than they are in glorifying God. In order to attract attention
to themselves and their cause, these false expositors deceive others into
thinking that God must really behave the way they do, but God is not the
deceiver. The true movement of the Spirit of God does not have to be
orchestrated by any man. We simply need to faithfully use and apply what He
has already given us, because the fireworks from that display will be
fascinating enough. Test the spirits, Mathetes,
and rebuke the false practitioners!
As a side bar, I have to tell you that I especially loathe the fake
healings, where when the "healer" lays hands on a person, that
person falls backward to the floor in a convulsive state (naturally
necessitating someone stand behind the person "being healed" in
order to catch them). Look at the miracles wrought throughout the New
Testament, Mathetes, and you will see where God
has people leaping to their feet, not falling to the ground.
Is it any wonder Satan has been able to deceive the world into thinking
Christianity is a sham? Is it any wonder why even professing Christians are
not only skeptical, but literally afraid to deal with the Holy Spirit
within their own lives? This wrong must be made right! This error must be
corrected! These false teachers/preachers/prophets/healers, false speakers
and interpreters of tongues MUST BE EXPOSED for what they really are; they
must be exposed as workers of deception and iniquity. And again the Spirit
cries out, "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE."
In my own long-winded way, Mathetes, I am
expressing my outrage, as well as the desire of my heart, to expose the
false, teach the correct, and help the body of Christ to fully understand
who and what we are. The gifts which we have been given are magnificent,
but Satan is attempting to destroy their beauty in our eyes, eliminate the
power of their use by our hands, and present us as demented and
undisciplined radicals to the world. Our God is the power of all creation,
and the gifts He has bestowed upon His children are powerful as well. We
are being timid in our faith walk though, and God appears puny to the world
(2Timothy 1:7). It is our faith that has been puny, however, not God, and
it is our lack of understanding for His Word that has caused our confusion.
We must seek out the fullness of the gifts that are already within us, dear
friend, and utilize them in this spiritual battle, against the foes of our
King.
In Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, the gifts are established,
outlined, and in part, explained. We will refer to these passages
frequently as we proceed in this teaching. In your understanding of what
the gifts are though, please do not loose sight
of why we have been given the gifts in the first place. What we have from
God is freely given to us, therefore it is to be freely given to others,
for the glory of God (Matthew 10:8).
Many false teachers profess that most of the gifts, if not all of them, are
not being given today. This is especially true of the sign gifts and some
of the support gifts. Read the Word of God though, because He says we will
have the gifts, "Until the perfect comes" (1Corinthians 13:8-10).
Considering that Jesus, the Perfect, had already come, was crucified and
died, was resurrected and ascended into heaven, when Paul was inspired to
write those words, it is clear that God is speaking of the second coming of
Jesus as when, "The Perfect comes". Clearly, the gifts will be
with us until the time of His return, and anyone who teaches differently is
detracting from the fullness of God's Word.
Search through your Bible, Mathetes, and discover
how the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, was always accompanied by
the power of God. Witness how the power of God was always displayed when
the testimony was presented. (1Corinthians 2:1-5, 4:19-20; 2Corinthians 9:10-12 Philippians 1:19-20; etc.). We need to
acknowledge that God still works in and through His children today, both
lovingly and powerfully, and that He is the One who calls us to this work
of service. Without that basic faith we will never see an outpouring of the
Spirit of grace, and revival will never arrive for this generation. Only
faithlessness would dictate that the gifts are dead, because without the
gifts, the body has no capacity to "show" their faith by their
works.
Those denominations expecting God to perform in the confines of their
gatherings, must reassess their purpose and function. The Holy Spirit is
our enabler when our heart is right before God (Acts 8:18-21), and when our intent is to
glorify the One who died for us (Acts 14:3). Judgment day shall come
indeed, and those within many of the religious institutions, who leave
their gatherings feeling fulfilled because everyone spoke in tongues, and
because they laid hands upon each other in their ritualistic manner, must
begin to ask if God is really being glorified before the world. John 7:4 is
fundamental to comprehending the faithful use of the gifts, and the parable
of the talents is applicable as well (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-26). The excitement and
fervor of many Pentecostal gatherings attract vast numbers of people and
money, but God is not interested in numbers, money, programs or buildings;
GOD IS INTERESTED IN THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON. Proclaim the gospel to the
individual, in love, and the power of God will be present. That is a
spiritual law.
Materialistically speaking, everything we have is a gift from God (John
3:27; 1Corinthians 4:7), and just as we are supposed to be wise stewards of
the material things we have received, we are also to be wise stewards of
the spiritual things we have received (1Corinthians 4:1-2). The wise
stewardship of any ability must include the proper use and exercise of that
ability, and these gifts from God are no different (1Timothy 4:14). With regard to our gifts,
it is not a "use it or lose it" proposition in so much as they
will be taken away. It is a "use it or lose it" situation though,
inasmuch as the gifts are like a muscle in our bodies. If we exercise the
muscle it grows healthy and strong, but if we do not use it, it eventually
will atrophy and become useless.
The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocably given to each one within
the body (Romans 11:29),
for a purpose (1Corinthians 7:7), and we are to utilize them in service to
each other (1Peter 4:10-11).
I believe the command issued in Proverbs 3:27, that we,
"Not...withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your
power to do it", applies with certainty to the use of everything we
have received from God. Eternal rewards are in part based upon these things
(2Corinthians 5:10).
Within the past twenty years, I have had periods when I was unable to teach
on a regular basis. During those periods, my entire spiritual walk suffered
because one of my primary purposes within the body is to teach.
Spiritually, everything grew dull while I silently watched others
functioning - especially when a teacher was needed and my work prohibited
me from getting involved. Those were painful learning experiences, and I
desire for you to gain from them.
The topical concordance will give you additional insight into the reality
of our gifts, Mathetes, as well as their
necessity and use within the body. Our previous letter on this topic should
prove helpful too.
The questionnaire following this letter may help you to learn which gifts
God has given you, but you must also realize that while you may be able to
recognize some gift or gifts today, your complexion as a soldier of Christ
will change as you mature (the brick building process) and you will most
likely be able to identify other gifts as time passes. I think it would be
a sin against the Holy Spirit though, to deny the possibility of any gift being
bestowed upon any one of us, at any given time. Test the spirits, Mathetes, and be prepared in your faith walk to utilize
the different abilities which God has blessed you. Do not presume or assume
you are gifted in any area, but prayerfully appeal to the Holy Spirit for
knowledge and understanding of your gifts. Seek the greater gifts -
especially that you may prophesy - and walk faithfully in your Lord. He
will not withhold wisdom or any good thing from you.
In the following letters, as we discuss each of the gifts separately, I
want you to fully grasp two basic facts: First, no two children of God are
alike, and second, no two children of God are to be compared - one against
the other.
We are each blessed with a unique set of gifts that allow us to move
within the body of Christ in a unique way. We have each been blessed with a
unique life experience as well, of which our make-up primarily exists. In
His wisdom, God has permitted and pre-planned each of the experiences of
our lives, in order to combine them with the gifts He is now giving us.
Knowledge, personal experience; added to wisdom, the Word and the gifts of
God, equals power. No part of your life was a mistake in the eyes of God,
nor will any event future be outside of His knowledge. The pain, grief,
anguish, sin, hardness of heart, delinquency of youth, drinking and drugs,
sex and violence, ups and downs, peaks and valleys, are all useful to God.
We are a product of our experiences, but now we are born-again into the
living God, and are gifted by Him for ministry. The fullness of who you are
as His child, walking on this earth, is a combination of your experiences
(knowledge), faithfully surrendered to Him, and working in unison with His
gifts (wisdom) to you. That uniqueness is invaluable in the hands of a
loving Creator.
Do not expect two servers to be alike. Do not expect two teachers to be
alike. Do not anticipate for a moment that the gift of mercy will present
itself in exactly the same manner, through two different brethren, at any
given time. It will not happen! Each child is burdened differently; that's
what all of those verses mean which speak of each one using their gifts,
according to their faith, according as they are able. And do not judge when
another is supposed to react either, or how they are supposed to react, in
any given situation. God is the judge. Rejoice in the blessing of your God
within you, Mathetes. Rejoice in the love of His
presence and rejoice in the knowledge that He has called you for the work
of service. Praise be to our God!
Answer the questions which follow, my friend, but only after you pray for
enlightenment. May His guidance and direction reveal all that He needs and
desires for you to be, and may your heart be receptive.
Love, as always in Christ Jesus our Lord; wonderful in mercy, and gracious
in forgiveness,
Rev. William Asarisi
Topical concordance:
Fasting:
Old Testament: Isaiah 58(all); Daniel 9:3; Joel (all); Zechariah
7:5-14.
New Testament: Matthew 6:16-18,
17:14-21; Mark 2:18-20, 29; Acts 27:33;
Philippians 4:5.
Gifts:
Old Testament: Psalms 37, 51:10-13; Proverbs 3:27.
New Testament: Matthew 7:6, 10:4-8, 15:36, 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-16;
John 3:27, 4:35-38, 7:4, 9:4-5, 11:54, 14:12; Acts 3:1-16, 6:2-4, 8:18-21,
9:20, 11:17, 14:3, 20:35; Romans 1:9-11, 5:15-17, 11:29, 12(all);
1Corinthians 1:4-7, 2:1-13, 3:7, 4:1-2, 4:7, 4:19-20, 4:27, 7:7, 12(all),
13:8-10, 14:1,22,39; 2Corinthians 5:10, 9:10-12; Galatians 5:22-23;
Ephesians 2:8-10, 4(all); Philippians 1:19-20, 1Thessalonians 1:5-6;
1Timothy 4:14; 2Timothy 1:6-9; Philemon 1:6; Hebrews 2:4, 5:1-4; James
1:17, 5:13-16; 1Peter 4:10-11; Revelation 2:5-7.
As you answer the
following questions, or attempt to identify with the statements made
in the following list, keep these three thoughts in mind:
- What activity or activities have
you either performed and been encouraged by the Spirit of God about,
performed and been encouraged by other brethren about, or seriously
felt the desire or urge to do - and simply did nothing because of a
lack of understanding or faith, or both?
- What activity or activities have
you either performed or felt moved to perform, which appear to hold a
special anointing from God? This would particularly include things
that seem out of the usual, as far as the world is concerned, but now
seem entirely plausible to you.
- What activity or activities bring
incredible fulfillment and enjoyment to you, or would if you would
only follow through with that urging inside of you?
It is important for you to
remember that while the questions or statements may appear emphatic, I have
attempted, wherever I could, to make you analyze your inner feelings, your
inner spirit. This self analysis is needed for
you to see what the Spirit might be leading you to do. Whether you have
actually followed through on His leading to this point is irrelevant to the
score that you give yourself. What is relevant, at least at this point in
your spiritual development, is whether He wants you to do something or not.
Your lack of understanding or faith, or both, really have no bearing upon
the gifts which He has in fact given to you. It is on the basis of these
criteria that you should rate your answers as:
0 = Not at all. 1 = Very Little. 2 = Some. 3 = Very Much.
1. It is more appealing to
you, and you receive greater pleasure, from setting the stage, instead of
performing on it. _____.
2. Have you ever been led to pray for a nation, group of people or an
individual whom you have never visited or met, but feel a strong leading or
attraction to? _____.
3. In a gathering of brethren, are you sought out for direction (either
spiritual or with regard to problems and situations in their daily lives)
and frequently respond appropriately? _____.
4. When meeting strangers do you have an ability to identify people as
trustworthy or not, suspicious or not, truthful or not? And have these
"suspicions" been upheld over a period of time? _____.
5. When meeting strangers you immediately desire to know their spiritual
condition with regard to God, and either begin to, or feel an urge to,
share the gospel with them upon learning that they do not know Jesus
personally? _____.
6. Upon hearing about a brethren in sin, you are moved to approach the
brethren, compassionately, with a word of repentance? _____.
7. When present with people in pain, agony or grief, are you led to
silently sit in prayer, seeking God's divine intervention, knowing either
beforehand, during or after your prayer, that God will in fact touch that
person or their life in a miraculous way? _____.
8. Upon learning of a need, you pray for the fulfillment of that need, and
then receive what you had sought, or seen it provided. If you have received
it, you faithfully pass the item along._____.
9. When present with people in pain, agony or grief, do you ever experience
pain yourself, either in your hands, your feet or some other part of your
body? _____.
10. When present with people in pain, agony or grief you are moved to
offer, or desire to offer, assistance in the care, feeding and general
maintenance of the person and/or their family. _____.
11. Have you ever heard someone speaking an unknown language and innately
knew what they were saying, even though you had never studied or learned
the language before? _____.
12. When in a gathering of the brethren, do you ever "know" deep
in your heart, that you have a verse to share with someone, although you
may not know who or why? _____.
13. Upon learning of a physical need in you
community, you are moved with compassion to volunteer time and energy to
assist in whatever way you can, in order to relieve see the need satisfied.
_____.
14 In the proclamation of God's Word to others, either by you or by someone
else, have you ever been moved to pray for a display of the power of God as
an emphatic validation to the claims that were being spoken about Him?
_____.
15. When meeting strangers, you are moved to offer them spiritual guidance,
and prayerfully seek God's protection of them. _____.
16. Upon hearing a teaching, you are led to search the Word of God to
verify the truth of the message for yourself. _____.
17. When meeting strangers you have found a new capacity within yourself to
have a knowledge about their past. _____.
18. Upon hearing a teaching, you desire to spread the teaching to others.
_____.
19. In general, do you ever find your mind speaking unrecognizable words
while you are praying? _____.
20. When in a gathering of the brethren do you ever know deep in your heart
that you have a message to give to another, although you may not know who
it is meant for, or why? _____.
21. Are you concerned with punctuality, in regard that people do not waste
time, either yours, theirs or a leader in the body? _____.
22. Do you ever desire to be ministering to a nation/people that you have
never personally visited, or having visited, and are now moved to share the
gospel of Jesus Christ with them? _____.
23. Does your Spirit lead you to easily grasp the reigns in a period of
turmoil, directing others in a harmonious, compassionate and loving manner?
[I am not speaking about being bossy, the issues of harmony, love and
compassion are key to this response]. _____.
24. Has the Spirit ever led you to know how to pray for a person in such a
way that an otherwise unexposed situation was identified and rebuked?
_____.
25. Are you burdened to spend time in places frequented by non- believers,
in order to share the Word of God with them? _____.
26. Are you ever led by the Spirit to lovingly, compassionately and without
judgment, communicate to anyone within the body, individual words of
encouragement or chastisement? _____.
27. Have you ever prayed for someone or something and known, perhaps even
before you began to pray, that God was going to respond to your request
favorably? _____.
28. I am moved to provide for the poor and downtrodden in my community, and
am led to pray for additional finances in order to meet the needs around
me. _____.
29. When in a gathering of the brethren do you ever know that someone
(although you may not know who), is suffering from a particular ailment?
Even though you may not know what to do about it? _____.
30. When in a gathering of the brethren, do you want to make certain that
everybody in the assembly is comfortable, and wish to insure that all of
their needs are being met? Does this stem from a desire to heighten their
worship experience? _____.
31. In the quiet of your prayer time, have you ever surrendered to the Holy
Spirit and heard the Spirit pray in a language you have never been taught,
and still understood what was said? _____.
32. Have you ever read your Bible, and recognized that someone you know was
being spoken of through a particular passage? _____.
33. When present with people in pain, agony or grief do you ever experience
a quickening in your spirit, and pray that somehow their pain could be
taken away, even if it meant for the pain to be transferred to yourself?
_____.
34. Have you ever prayed for rain, drought or some other unnatural event,
in order to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, or, have you ever wanted to, and
just felt too foolish? _____.
35. When in a gathering of the brethren, do you caringly reach out to those
around you, offer to meet with them afterward to discuss whatever might be
on their mind, or seek to discover what might be their particular need?
_____.
36. When you hear a teaching you know is not true to the Word of God, you
immediately (yet lovingly) approach the teacher with Scriptural reproof, in
front of the gathering or class. _____.
37. Have you ever been given a dream or vision about an event or happening,
and then seen that incident occur? _____.
38. When in a gathering of the brethren, do you speak the Word of God in
such a way that people are moved to act upon God's truth?_____.
39. Do you easily learn and speak foreign languages? _____.
40. In the quiet of your prayer time, have you ever been moved to instruct
one of the brethren to do something - which really had no meaning to you
personally, but did to them? _____.
41. Do you receive satisfaction solving logistical problems that might
otherwise hamper a ministry? _____.
42. Have you ever had the desire to go on short-term journeys into foreign
countries, even if the time spent with the locals is spent building
latrines? _____.
43. Since you have become a Christian, do you find it more natural to take
responsibility for others, and give directions in an understanding and
unassuming way? _____.
44. Have you ever heard someone speak, and known that the person was not
telling the entire truth, and then either did, or wanted to, approach that
person with what you knew? _____.
45. Are you burdened to ask God for the ability to speak forth His Word in
such a way that men would receive the truth of His salvation in Jesus
Christ? _____.
46. Have you ever found yourself counseling people, with unusual clarity of
mind and purpose, and learned that your counsel was immensely profitable
for the listener? _____.
47. Have you ever simply "known" while in prayer, that God was
going to do some amazing thing, and then watched the event occur? _____.
48. You have a keen awareness for needs in your community, and have found
that God will use you to distribute goods or money to relieve those needs.
_____.
49. Have you ever been moved to announce that someone in your gathering is
suffering from a particular ailment, although you may not know who it is?
_____.
50. When in a gathering of brethren, do you automatically want to assist
anybody that you know is having difficulty? _____.
51. Have you ever traveled to a foreign nation and known instinctively what
the people were saying, although you never studied the language before?
_____.
52. In the quiet of your prayer time have you ever been given a Scriptural
passage to share with one of the brethren? _____.
53. Have you ever been moved to open your house to strangers when you
discovered that they were in need, even if the outside world might consider
them repulsive? _____.
54. Do you ever feel moved of the Spirit to pray for an outpouring of the
power of God as a witness, while another of the brethren is testifying to
the unsaved? _____.
55. Are you unusually burdened to seek out the stray and lost sheep of
God's family, inviting them to join you and others for a time of
fellowship? _____.
56. When you read the Word of God, do you understand a passage or verse to
be saying something in a way that has never been taught to you before, and
upon locating confirmation within God's word, you openly declare the truth
that has been revealed to you? _____.
57. In the quiet of your prayer time have you ever sought information from
God about an event or circumstance still in the future, received an answer
to that prayer, and then watched as the events occurred? _____.
58. When you read your Bible, do you easily master the truthful facts and
principles of God's Word, and then do you desire to teach those facts and
principles to others? _____.
59. Have you ever been burdened to ask God for intervention of the Holy
Spirit in your prayers - because you honestly did not know what to say -
and heard Him groan and utter from deep within your heart in a way that you
did not understand? _____.
60. Have you ever been burdened to ask God for guidance in speaking with a
troubled brother, and then known exactly what to say, solving their problem,
or resolving their dilemma? _____.
61. Are you more comfortable as a recluse, assisting from behind the
scenes, instead of being out in front of people? _____.
62. Does your Spirit feel a true desire for an itinerant lifestyle of
teaching and ministering to non-believers, as well as teaching young and
impressionable Christian communities? _____.
63. Does your Spirit rejoice in guiding others in the smooth performance of
their work and service to the Lord? _____.
64. Does your Spirit ever move you in such a way that you recognize false
teachings, false rituals, false prophesies and false brethren? _____.
65. Have you ever found yourself speaking of the wonders of Jesus, and the
joy of Him in your life - regardless of your personal tribulation - to complete
strangers, to the end that they desired to learn more about the God who you
say loves them? _____.
66. Does the Spirit within you urge you to lovingly, compassionately and non judgmentally address an individual you know to be
born again, but whom you know is living against the Word of God, in an
effort to redirect that person back to the cross of Christ? _____.
67. Do you believe that God can do anything and everything...all of the
time, without any doubt? _____.
68. Do you ever feel led to pray about the financial support of a
particular family/ministry, seeking specific amounts from God, and then
seen God provide those exact funds? It is quite possible that you may be
led to such prayer but dismissed it as an insane notion. _____.
69. Have you ever prayed over an ailing person and felt a surge or presence
of power within yourself that you were unable to explain? While you may
have been led to lay hands on the individual, you dismissed your feelings
as anxiety or some other sense? _____.
70. Are you moved to prepare a meal, mow the lawn or wash windows for
people, when you know they are unable to perform the task? _____.
71. Have you ever heard someone praying in an unknown language and known
exactly what that person was praying for? _____.
72. Have you ever been moved to address a specific individual with a
passage that had intense spiritual relevance to that person? _____.
73. Does the Spirit within you ever move you to help someone who is
experiencing tremendous personal, physical or spiritual loss, although to
this point you may have denied the urge? _____.
74. Does your Spirit ever yearn for the power of God to be displayed in a
wondrous way, in a testimony to a dying world? _____.
75. Have you ever been exceedingly burdened to bring back into fellowship,
a brethren who had slipped away from following the Lord? _____.
76. While studying the Bible, do you easily see and comprehend a deeper
truth to a Scriptural passage, even finding a secondary and even third
level of teaching held within a particular verse?_____.
77. Does your Spirit see past events in a person's life, which allows you
to testify about Jesus in a life-saving, soul winning fashion to them,
today? _____.
78. Have you ever proclaimed God's Word in such an inspired and enthusiastic
manner to another person, that their direction in life was altered? _____.
79. Do you sincerely desire to learn to speak a foreign language in order
to provide an opportunity for ministry? _____.
80. In proclaiming God's word to others, either among the brethren or the
unsaved, have you ever been moved to offer advice to an individual or group
regarding a specific course of action that they were to follow, without
even having known that they were searching for guidance in the first place?
_____.
81. Are you more comfortable typing than talking? _____.
82. Do you yearn more for the purity of the teaching of God's Word,
more so than you are personally interested in teaching yourself? _____.
83. Are you ever moved to take charge of a particular situation, even
though you are not normally involved with those particular matters? This is
not being pushy, but normally applies during adverse moments. _____.
84. Can you easily identify attacking and disruptive spirits, even while every one else may be in a state of confusion? _____.
85. Do you easily speak about Jesus among strangers? _____.
86. Have you ever talked with somebody about sin, in general, and then had
that person confess their personal sins to you? _____.
87. Are you ever led to pray for something really big, even while the rest
of the brethren may have given up on the project or person? _____.
88. Have you ever been led to reach into your pocket/purse, to give
whatever money was there to the person or need before you? _____.
89. Have you ever prayed and fasted [tc]
for a sick person and then laid hands upon them for healing? _____.
90. Do you frequently wash dishes, sweep or clean, either during or after
social events, even though you were not responsible to do so? _____.
91. Can you understand people who speak with huge accents, while everybody
else is having difficulty understanding them? _____.
92. In a gathering, when listening to prayer requests, do you easily focus
upon a specific Scriptural passage that you know addresses the request?
_____.
93. Do you find it easy to approach the down-trodden, while society may be
repulsed by them? _____.
94. Have you ever actually performed an act otherwise thought to be
inhuman? _____.
95. Does it bother you that some people, for whatever reason, are not
enjoying fellowship with their brethren? _____.
96. Do you easily speak out against unrighteous social issues? _____.
97. Do you have frequent visions or dreams that you, or another of the
brethren, can interpret? _____.
98. Do you enjoy teaching other Christians about Jesus, and do they enjoy
learning from you? _____.
99. When you speak to foreigners, are you easily understood? _____.
100. Are you frequently sought out by the brethren, or others, for advice
to their personal problems? _____.
Upon
completion of answering all of the above questions, use the following chart
to record your responses. Each row represents a total for a particular
gift, and the rows with the highest scores indicate those abilities which
are most evident in your life at this time.
Copyright©
2010 Deming, NM
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