The Necessity of Spiritual Gifts
Pastor Leslie Chua
“But earnestly desire the best gifts. ”
God gives spiritual gifts to His church. He distributes them to individual members of the body of Christ ‘as he wills’ (1 Corinthians 12:11). You can ask from God, but you do not get to decide what gifts you possess. God gives to different ones different combinations of gifts. Those with the same spiritual gift would quickly discover that everyone possesses different levels of power when exercising that same gift.
Spiritual gifts are divine enablement for ministry purposes. Essentially, when we possess a certain gift, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the works of God’s Kingdom. So, it is important to know that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not an end in themselves. Rather, these gifts are spiritual tools to accomplish the will and works of God.
As the term suggests, these anointings are gifts; they are not earned. They are not rewards for our obedience and faithfulness. Like talents that we are born with, God sovereignly apportions these gifts to us. So, no one should boast if he moves powerfully in a certain gift. It is not a reflection of his spiritual maturity or Christian character. Samson is a good example. Whenever the Spirit of God came upon him, he would possess superhuman strength. Sadly, despite God’s amazing grace in his life, he was a carnal man.
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Spiritual gifts are divine enablement for ministry purposes.
…these gifts are spiritual tools to accomplish the will and works of God.
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During the Old Testament period, only selected men and women had the privilege of being filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. These are the prophets, judges, and kings.
Things are different in the New Testament era. Since the Day of Pentecost ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven, God poured out His Spirit on the followers of Christ.
What a privilege it is to be filled with and empowered by the Spirit of God! The Holy Spirit’s impact on the church is obvious from the book of Acts. The believers moved in great supernatural power, which enabled them to live victoriously, preach the gospel fearlessly, and advance the Kingdom of God mightily.
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Paul urged the Corinthian believers to earnestly desire these spiritual gifts
(1 Corinthians 12:31).
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In his letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle, Paul, gives us an idea of the spiritual gifts that were commonly manifested in the early church. There are many varieties of spiritual gifts. But those that attract the most attention are the nine power gifts, which Paul listed in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
Paul urged the Corinthian believers to earnestly desire these spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31). I like the King James translation of this verse – ‘Covet earnestly the best gifts.’ The word, covet, captures the intense desire that we ought to have for spiritual gifts. In other words, you must want it badly.
There are good reasons for Paul to say that. Paul had experienced the impact of these spiritual gifts on his ministry. Those who have the privilege of experiencing these gifts will tell you that the gifts make a world of a difference to their ministry.
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The Holy Spirit is still moving actively. We will most likely witness a phenomenal move of the Holy Spirit in these last days as it was in the days of the early church.
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The ‘power’ gifts of the Holy Spirit have often been relegated to the status of good to have, but not necessary. Worse, many church pastors and leaders believe that these gifts had ceased to be in operation since the days of the early church. Nothing is further from the truth. While it is true that most of these power gifts are not common nowadays, it does not mean that God has stopped empowering the church in such a supernatural way.
The Holy Spirit is still moving actively. We will most likely witness a phenomenal move of the Holy Spirit in these last days as it was in the days of the early church.
The necessity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot be underestimated. Here are several reasons the church needs to flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Manifest God’s Presence in the Church
The Holy Spirit is the primary manifestation of God in the church. The Father and Son are in heaven. Only the Holy Spirit is on the earth.
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When the spiritual gifts are exercised properly in the body of Christ, believers will know that God is present in their midst.
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When the spiritual gifts are exercised properly in the body of Christ, believers will know that God is present in their midst.
I had the privilege of experiencing the power gifts in operation for more than seven years in the 1990s. it came at the back of a conference conducted by John Wimber in 1990. After the conference, I began to witness the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in my church and the small groups that I was supervising.
Except for miracles, we experienced the other eight spiritual gifts regularly. We had exciting spiritual encounters almost weekly. People fell under the power of the Holy Spirit when we laid hands and prayed for them. Frequently, those who were demonised manifested during worship and prayer, and we would cast out the demons.
Speaking in tongues was the commonest gift. Everyone spoke in tongues.
Together with several others in my small groups, I experienced the interpretation of tongues for the first time. I did not understand the tongues that were publicly spoken. However, I got the message in its entirety in a flash immediately after the tongues were spoken.
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The gift of faith refers to a sudden surge of faith that wells up in us to believe in something that we would otherwise deem as impossible.
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We prayed for the sick, and we witnessed many instances of physical healing. Once, we hosted a small group of visitors from Taiwan. A lady from the group was heavily bandaged on one leg due to a car accident. She walked with crutches. She could feel the power of God like an electric current flowing through her injured leg when we prayed for her. She was instantly healed and she could walk without her crutches. In a surprised tone, she asked me, “Does healing like this happen all the time in your cell group?”
The gift of faith refers to a sudden surge of faith that wells up in us to believe in something that we would otherwise deem as impossible. I experienced this gift on several occasions when ministering to others.
On one occasion, I prayed for an unbelieving woman who had been married for about six to seven years, but she could not conceive. The Holy Spirit gave me a prophetic word for her, and I confidently declared to her in faith, “You shall conceive in two months.”
After the couple had left, I questioned my audacity to prophesy so specifically though I knew that God had spoken clearly to me. I could have played it safe by telling the couple that I sensed God wanted to give them a child. But I prophesy confidently to them earlier because I was operating on the gift of faith.
The woman conceived. I got the news exactly two months later and the gynaecologist estimated the baby was about eight to nine weeks old.
At that time, my primary spiritual gift was the word of knowledge, The word of knowledge is the supernatural ability to know something about a person or situation that is undisclosed and so one has no way of knowing. It is the supernatural revelation given by the Holy Spirit.
Often, when I laid hands on people and prayed, the Holy Spirit would tell me something about the person or situation. Usually, when I released the word of knowledge, the person would respond with amazement – “How do you know that?” It often opened the door to honest conversation, confession, and deeper ministry. On three occasions, I picked out people who were engaged in a homosexual relationship. That was in the nineties.
The word of knowledge was also very useful when doing deliverance. Often, the Holy Spirit would reveal the root cause of demonization. Sometimes, the person did not even know about that part of their own history until they checked with their parents. Demons would be cast out easily once the root cause is known and the person confesses the sins.
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The word of wisdom is a divinely-inspired solution to a problem or impasse.
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Another gift that I experienced quite frequently at that time was the word of wisdom. This is the not same as typical wisdom, which is the result of knowledge and understanding coupled with experience. The word of wisdom is a divinely-inspired solution to a problem or impasse. I usually experienced this wonderful gift when engaging in spiritual warfare and deliverance.
During this period, our church and cell group members were constantly amazed at the power and works of the Holy Spirit. Divine revelation and guidance were so real. We were excited and awestruck by what God was doing in our midst.
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The power gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest God’s presence in the church.
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Whenever we gathered to worship, pray, fellowship, and study the Word, there was a palpable sense of anticipation as to what God was going to do next. He never failed to surprise and amaze us.
There was also a deep sense of holiness and fear of God. Those who lived in sin were afraid of being picked out by God’s revelation through the word of knowledge. We were kept on our toes.
The power gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest God’s presence in the church.
Build Unity
Christians in a church that move in the gifts of the Spirit learn quickly that they need one another. Different ones possess different gifts. No one has a monopoly on all the gifts. Effective ministry requires everyone to play their part.
This is how a typical ministry session went for us during that period in the 1990s. One person received a word of knowledge and another saw a vision that added to the understanding of the situation. Then, another released a word of wisdom, which shed light on how to pray in a targeted manner. Following all that, various ones prayed to break the demonic strongholds and minister to the person. Usually, afterwards, prophetic words of encouragement would be released as the Holy Spirit showed us what He was going to do in the life of the person going forward.
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Christians in a church that move in the gifts of the Spirit learn quickly that they need one another. Different ones possess different gifts. No one has a monopoly on all the gifts. Effective ministry requires everyone to play their part.
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Everyone was involved in some way. It was a body ministry. We recognised that we needed one another. Combining our different spiritual gifts and working together, we see many lives healed and transformed to the glory of God.
As Paul said after a brief explanation of the power gifts of the Holy Spirit: “But now indeed there are many members, yet one body” (1 Corinthians 12:20).
Build Up the Church
Spiritual gifts edify believers and build up the church (1 Corinthians 12:7, 14:12; Ephesians 4:7, 11-16).
Paul said, “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:4).
It is the same for all the other gifts. When we experience the supernatural power of God working in and through us as we practise these gifts, we are edified and the body of Christ is built up.
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God will once again pour out His Spirit on all who earnestly covet His spiritual anointing and empowering.
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Those years in the 1990s are unforgettable for me. It is a big milestone in my spiritual journey. Its positive effects remain with me to this day. I learn much from those experiences with spiritual gifts in full operation. It feels like I am living in the book of Acts. Until today, I remain edified by those experiences, and I know that many lives have been enriched and transformed.
I long to relive those days and I often pray that God will once again pour forth His Spirit in such a mighty manner once again. That is my prayer for our church. He certainly will as we approach the end of the present age. God will once again pour out His Spirit on all who earnestly covet His spiritual anointing and empowering.