Gifts of Revelation ( Gifts of the Holy Spirit)

1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
The above gifts can be classified into the following:
1. Gifts of Speech : Tongues ; Interpretation of Tongues ; and Prophesy
2. Gifts of Revelation: Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, Discernment of spirits
3. Power Gifts: Faith, Gifts of Healing; and the working of miracles

Today, we shall concentrate on the gifts of Revelation: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, and Discernment of spirits.

A Word of wisdom can be defined as a divine revelation of God’s wisdom, with regards to a specific situation at a given time. God gives such insight and revelation to strengthen His Church, and to give direction to His people. A good example of this occurred in 2 Kings 6: 8-11 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, ‘I will set up my camp in such and such a place.’ The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: ‘Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.’ So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, ‘Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?’ ‘None of us, my lord the king,’ said one of his officers, ‘but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.’

In the above scripture, God through Elisha gave His chosen nation, Israel, words of wisdom or divine directions. This was concerning plots against them by the King of Aram. These words of wisdom were given in order for them to avoid being endangered.

Secondly, word of knowledge is a divine revelation or knowledge given about a physical or spiritual thing, and regarding a specific time and situation. A Word of knowledge is divinely given and is not based on natural observations or conclusions. A word of knowledge usually is given divinely but without any practical future direction, whereas, a word of wisdom usually contains a practical step(s) to take.

An example of a Word of knowledge can be found in 2 Kings 5 . God used Elisha to heal Naaman from Aram of leprosy. Naaman had wanted to give Elisha gifts which he declined. However, Elisha's servant , Gehazi, chased after Naaman and lied to him that his master Elisha upon second thoughts had decided to accept the gift. Upon his return, Elisha confronted Gehazi about his whereabouts.When Gehazi told a lie,

Elisha gave a word of knowledge - 2 Kings 4:26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?

I remember a day when I entered a corner shop in my area to buy a calling card - that is a pre-paid phone card, the type with a pin number concealed awaiting to be scratched off , prior to using it. I bought the card , put it in my bag without looking at it, however, I kept hearing the word "scratched." The more I ignored the word, the louder it got. I was about to walk out of the shop, then I heard these words so loudly - "The card is scratched." There and then, I knew it was God speaking to me, so I took the card out of my bag, and lo and behold, it was already scratched, with the pin number exposed and probably used. I returned it to the store keeper who apologised and replaced it. That was a word of Knowledge from God.

Thirdly, we shall have a look at the gift of discernment of spirits. The Word of God cautions us in 1 John 4:1- Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

In Acts 16:16-18 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
We learn from Acts 16, how Paul through the Spirit of God was able to discern seemingly innocent words and praises that were orchestrated by an evil spirit. Discernment of spirits is a gift that enables Christians to tell what is evil from good. I remember a friend of mine happened to join a lady pastor in a youth fellowship in her neighbourhood. Not long afterwards, my friend came to me with a concern, she had been praying with this lady pastor whom she had only met recently, and said whenever the lady spoke in tongues, she became very uncomfortable. I urged her to pray to God to reveal why this was so. Joining her to pray about this, it was not long when the Lady Pastor in question confessed she was a witch, who was only pretending to be a Christian.

It would have been next to impossible for my friend to have discovered this on her own, for this lady Pastor appeared very learned and knowledgeable in Biblical truths. She quoted scriptures correctly, preached well, and used every spiritual jargon you could think of. God's Spirit helped my friend to discern, in spite of all the convincing physical evidence , that the portrayed Christianity by this Lady Pastor was a sham. Only God's Spirit can discern this, as the devil and demons will not fight against their own.

Dear reader, God's Spirit is in anyone who accepts Jesus, to guide and lead us into every truth. Let us be conscious of His existence and gifts, so they can immensely bless us.



































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