The Gifts of the Spirit
Rodney Pamer
Rod
Pamer pastors in Barberton, Ohio; and along with his wife, Nan, son, Paul, and
father, Bishop Nelson Pamer, serves the Apostolic Church.
The great Sahara Desert in North Africa, with
over three million square miles, is one of the largest areas in the world of
uninhabited and fruitless land. However, scientific analysis reveals that the
soil of the Sahara is among the most fertile in the world. Except for the lack
of water, this desert could be one of earth’s most productive areas. Recently,
the American space shuttle Columbia, while flying over this arid land,
determined by echoes it received that there are miles and miles of underground
rivers and no less than twenty-six lakes beneath the subterranean surface of
the Sahara. In addition, the sand dunes of the Sahara store considerable
quantities of rainwater.
The potential is there, but
it lacks the necessary development of that potential to bring forth
unprecedented life. Countless people do without necessary provisions because
those hidden resources have not been tapped.
More important, there are
spiritual reservoirs present in this world that could awaken, nurture, and
develop a limitless potential of the church. Do we realize what spiritual
resources lie untapped in our congregations?
God has provided gifts of
the Spirit that sometimes remain dormant while many churches struggle. Some
churches are arid and spiritually unproductive simply because they have not
dug down deep enough to tap the unseen reserves of spiritual power and
strength available to the church.
First, it is imperative
that one scriptural distinction be understood concerning the gifts of the
Spirit. The New Testament makes abundantly clear the difference between God’s
gift (singular) of the Spirit and the gifts (plural) of the that God bestows
on the church. Perhaps this is the most important matter to understand about
the gifts of the Spirit. The gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38, 10:45) is not
the same as any one of the gifts of the Spirit. (See I Corinthians 12.) Often
people mistakenly equate the gift of the Holy Ghost, with the accompanying
initial evidence of speaking in tongues, with the gift of tongues. There is an
important difference between the two. The gift (doron) of the Holy
Ghost refers to the gift of salvation. Doron means great sacrifice.
Jesus Christ was the great sacrifice necessary for His Spirit to return
beginning at the upper room. The gift of salvation comes to the individual
through repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and the gift of
the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues.
The gifts (charismata)
of the Spirit come not for the individual, but for the church as spiritual
endowments meant to supplement apostolic ministry in the church. The word
charisma refers to the free, undeserved blessing and work of God. These
gifts are miraculous endowments from God.
The operation of the gifts
of the Spirit is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the apostolic
church. We must be as apostolic today as was the church in the Book of Acts.
We must have the gifts of the Spirit. Without the operation of the Spirit, we
would become just as any other church. The redeemed of the Lord are not only
saved unto everlasting life, but we are the children of God. It is not merely
a term of endearment to say that God is our Father and we are His children. We
are begotten of God and have become partakers of His mighty, miraculous
nature. This relationship is available to us through the gift of God’s
Spirit and through the gifts of His Spirit.
In the history of
Christian thought, two tendencies have prevailed in relation to the gifts of
the Spirit. First, much of Christendom has neglected or ignored the operation
of the gifts; second, a small segment of the church has disproportionately
magnified the employment of the gifts. To avoid both of these extremes, the
apostolic church must seek the operation of the gifts with a biblical
understanding.
Whenever a movement
deviates from Scripture, whether in doctrine, in conduct, or in the operation
of spiritual gifts, it is destined to downfall. In the area of spiritual
gifts, the tragic excesses of the so-called “Latter Rain” of the 1950s exposed
the danger of placing the authority of the gifts above that of the Word of God
and the ministry.
The gifts of the Spirit are
not intended to replace or supplant the preaching and teaching of the Word
through the ministry—the means God has ordained to lead and perfect His
church. Gifts are to help and assist believers, and to affirm the Word. They
are for edification, exhortation, and comfort, and to help in the ministry of
preaching and teaching the Word.
The gifts are given by the
Spirit of God for the church. They are not resident in the individual, but in
the Holy Ghost. No one should claim any spiritual gift. Gifts of the Spirit are
exactly that—they are gifts of the Spirit; they do not belong to those
exercising them.
Paul wrote that when the
gifts of the Spirit are operating in the proper way and order, unbelievers will
know that God is present. (See I Corinthians 14.)
Many believe that there are
nine gifts of the Spirit; others feel there are as many as twenty-five listed in
the New Testament. The key passage concerning the gifts of the Spirit is I
Corinthians 12:8-10, which lists the nine foundational or spiritual gifts. Other
passages that list gifts of the Spirit are Romans 12:6-8 (service gifts) and
Ephesians 4:11-12 (gifts of ministerial offices to the church).
The nine gifts of the Spirit
found in I Corinthians 12 are
1. the word of wisdom;
2. the word of knowledge;
3. the gift of faith;
4. the gifts of healing;
5. the gift of working miracles;
6. the gift of prophecy;
7. the gift of discerning of spirits;
8. the gift of divers kinds of tongues;
9. the gift of interpretation of tongues.
At Corinth, there was a
serious misunderstanding of the gifts of the Spirit. Paul wrote: “I do not want
you to be ignorant” (I Corinthians 12:1, NKJV). He did not want them improperly
informed. The church of Corinth overemphasized the gifts of the Spirit, but
their use of the gifts did not make them spiritual.
David F. Gray wrote, “Peter
plainly declared that the healing of the lame man was not owing to any super
spirituality which he possessed … the exercise of a spiritual gift does not
establish that individual as necessarily a spiritual person.”
In I Corinthians, Paul gave
guidelines to help believers understand the administration of the gifts. First,
all the gifts are through the Spirit and therefore depend upon the believer’s
possession of the Spirit. Without the Spirit, there are no gifts from God for
man. Second, no one possesses all the gifts. Third, all the Spirit’s gifts are
for the benefit and edification of the entire body of believers, for the common
good of the church of Jesus Christ. Finally, the gifts are never for personal
advancement or promotion; nor are they to be used by an individual for his
exclusive personal benefit. The gifts are not for display or entertainment or
just to let us think that God’s presence is in the church.
Paul wrote to
the church in Galatia that the Spirit ministers to the church. The word here is
epichoregein, which suggests generosity, lavishness, and abundance of the
Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit are given to generously supply what the church
needs. The word epichoregein was used by that culture in marriage
contracts where the husband promised to supply his wife with all the necessities
of life according to his ability. Epichoregein was used in relation to
supplying soldiers in battle with all necessary equipment. It was used to
reflect the loving generosity of a father who supplies all the necessary
provisions of life for his children. Such is God’s gifts of the Spirit to His
church.
The great
violinist, Nicole Paganini, who lived 1782-1840, willed his priceless violin to
Genoa, the city of his birth, on the condition that it not be played. Unknown to
the citizens of Genoa, the violin was made of a peculiar wood that needed the
oils from the musician’s hands to preserve it. As long as the violin was played
and handled, it showed little wear. As soon as it was not in use, without the
oil from the master’s hands, the wood began to decay. The exquisite,
mellow-toned violin became worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as
a relic. The decaying instrument is a reminder that life, withdrawn from
service, loses its meaning.
The gifts of
the Spirit serve to give and preserve spiritual life to the church. Without the
operation of the gifts, the church is sure to decay—a powerless, lifeless
religious relic. Jesus said, “I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
(John 10:10).
