What is the gift of prophecy?

Examples of prophecy, or the foretelling of the future, are found throughout the Word of God.  There are numerous Old Testament prophets as well as many books of the Old Testament written by prophets.  The New Testament includes many references about believers prophesying, to include listing it as a spiritual gift which the Apostle Paul ranks as greater importance than many of the other spiritual gifts.  What then is the gift of prophecy?

The Apostle Paul includes the gift of miracles in his letter to the Romans as well as the Corinthians.

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many from one body, and each member belongs to the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” (Romans 12:4-6 NIV)

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given though the Spirit the message of wisdom…to another prophecy…and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (I Corinthians 12:4-8, 10-11 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts? (I Corinthians 12:27-30 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

Basically, the spiritual gift of prophecy is when the Holy Spirit guides a believer to strengthen, encourage and comfort others by explaining how the sovereign providence of God impacts current as well as future events around our world.  On the surface, prophecy may have similarities to other spiritual gifts, such as teaching.  However, the Apostle Paul separates prophecy from the other spiritual gifts and ranks it as having greater importance than several of the other spiritual gifts, since it helps edify the church…not individual believers. (I Corinthians 14:5-6 NIV)

Overall, the spiritual gift of prophecy remains vitally important in churches today, especially with the ever-changing world events around us.  The gift of prophecy serves a distinctly unique purpose for the church in that it empowers believers to have a greater understanding of God’s intricate involvement in the world around us.  As a result, the Holy Spirit entrusts many believers with the gift of prophecy for the purpose of helping others understand God’s sovereign providence in relation to our lives and the ongoing world events.

What is the gift of miracles?

Throughout the Word of God you find numerous examples of miracles.  In the beginning of the Bible, you see God creating the earth and everything within it, Noah preparing an ark for the great flood, and Moses parting the Red Sea.  In the New Testament, you find Jesus Christ feeding the multitudes, changing water into wine, walking on water, along with many more wondrous acts.  There are many more examples of miracles.  What then is the spiritual gift of miracles?

The Apostle Paul includes the gift of miracles in his letter to the Corinthians.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given though the Spirit the message of wisdom…to another miraculous powers…and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (I Corinthians 12:4-8, 10-11 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts? (I Corinthians 12:27-30 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

One common theme among miracles is how individuals entrusted with the spiritual gift of miracles will feel led by the Holy Spirit to turn ordinary events into awe-inspiring marvels for the purpose of validating servants of the Lord and for glorifying God.  In other words, the Holy Spirit guides believers to use supernatural powers to authenticate God’s providence.  However, miracles in themselves do not necessarily produce faith.

For example, Jesus Christ’s first disciples (Simon Peter, James and John) decided to follow him after they returned an unproductive night of fishing and Jesus demonstrated how they could miraculously catch a large amount of fish…just by casting their fishing nets to the other side and making a catch so large that caused both of their fishing boats to start sinking.  Jesus Christ later instructed the disciples, “Come, follow me…and I will make you fishers of men.” (Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 4:19 NIV)  On the contrary, Jesus Christ performed many miracles, with many who decided to put their faith in him, yet there were many people who still would not believe in him. (Matthew 11:20; John 11:45-46; 12:37)

 

So in a sense, miracles are not an end goal to meet all means for reaching people.  Rather, miracles are only a means of reaching the end goal of sharing the message of God’s love with others.  Thus, everyone does not have the same spiritual gift or gifts (i.e., miracles, healing, evangelism, etc.), since each spiritual gift serves a unique purpose towards the overall vision of the church. 

What is the gift of ministering?

Ministering, or helping others, is a very common spiritual gift found in churches.  Many believers like to minister and help others within churches by working behind the scenes, with most people not even knowing about their efforts.  On the other hand, you have believers who visibly serve others within the church be it serving in a ministry, or just plain helping out where someone needs an extra hand.  Yet, you still have the function of ministering in an official capacity…often referred to as ministers, servers, or deacons.  Neither method of ministering or helping others is inferior to the other…but rather they are just various roles with different responsibilities. 

For example, you have certain individuals who volunteer hours of their personal time to clean, maintain and/or repair church facilities, when nobody is in the building, or maybe they work a sound booth in the back of the church during the services.  Too often, their efforts go unnoticed to others within the church; however, many of these people prefer to keep a low-profile.  On the other extreme, you have many believers who visibly minister and help others during the normal hours of the church services and activities.  On the surface, the only difference between these ministering roles seems to be the personality temperaments of the people, whether they are extroverts or introverts.  However, the Holy Spirit ultimately decides who he will use for any role, regardless of his or her personality temperament. 

The Apostle Paul includes the gift of ministering or helping twice in his letters, once to the Romans and the other to the Corinthians.

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many from one body, and each member belongs to the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is…serving, let him serve….” (Romans 12:4-7 NIV)

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others….” (I Corinthians 12:27-28 NIV)

The spiritual gift of ministering is not necessarily synonymous with the function of ministering, in that a deacon, server or minister are usually held to higher leadership standards than someone volunteering in a non-leadership role.  The Apostle Paul makes this standard clear in his letter to Timothy.

“Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.  They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.” (I Timothy 3:8-10 NIV)

Overall, the spiritual gift of ministering, or helps, is when the Holy Spirit guides a believer to attend to the needs of others for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God.  There are many believers who have the gift within our churches.  Some of these believers are in church leadership positions, while others just find a niche to serve within the church – whether openly or behind the scenes.  Of course you still have others, with the gift of ministering as well as the gift of apostleship, which may represent their local churches and/or denominations/affiliations as traveling ministers sharing their God-given talents and gifts to others in different areas of the world.  Regardless, ministering to others serves as a testimony of God’s love. 

What is the gift of leadership?

Who actually leads a church?  Is it a pastor, a church board, or a religious affiliation/denomination?  Should the believer have an extroverted or introverted personality temperament?  How is the gift of leadership relevant to the local church?

The Apostle Paul includes the gift of leadership in his letter to the Romans as well as to the Corinthians.

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many from one body, and each member belongs to the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith…if it is leadership, let him govern diligently….” (Romans 12:4-6, 8 NIV)

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts? (I Corinthians 12:27-30 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

In the Old Testament, when Moses left the Israelites for a length of time to talk with God on Mount Sinai, the Israelites lost sense of God’s vision and decided to build a golden calf to worship their own gods.  The Israelites said, “…Come, make us gods who will go before us.  As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 NIV)  King David understood the responsibility of being a God-fearing leader with the words, “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make straight your way before me. (Psalm 5:8 NIV)  King Solomon also reiterated this same concept by warning against the lack of leadership, “Where there is no vision, the people perish….” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

 

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul indicates that an overseer of a church should have the ability to lead others with all honesty.  He makes this clear with the following words and subsequent rhetorical question.  “…If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer…He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respects. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” (I Timothy 3:1, 4-5 NIV)  In other words, people need a leader who can cast God’s vision for their lives as well as the local church.

God has chosen many people over the years to lead his people.  Moses led the Israelites out of their oppression in Egypt. (Exodus 14:15-18, 29-31)  Years later, as the Israelites cried out for help from their oppression, they were helped by Deborah, a prophetess who was leading Israel at that time. (Judges 4:3-5)  In the New Testament, God still uses leaders to watch over his flock, be it as an overseer or pastor of a church, an administrative person or church board member, or a person of faith leading in a civil position of responsibility.  In summary, the spiritual gift of leadership, or governments, is when the Holy Spirit guides a believer to diligently lead others and/or an organization by perseverance and adherence to the Word of God. 

What is the gift of interpretation of tongues?

Within many churches you will hear about how believers speak in tongues, be it referenced to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in a prayer language or like manner.  What role does the spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues play in churches?  Is the interpretation of tongues synonymous with speaking in tongues?

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he includes the spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues as a separate gift from the gift of speaking in tongues.

 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given though the Spirit the message of wisdom…to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” (I Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV)

Likewise, the Apostle Paul used rhetorical questioning to indicate that the interpretation of tongues is distinctly separate from the other spiritual gifts.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts?” (I Corinthians 12:27-30 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

The Apostle Paul later explains how the interpretation of tongues plays an important role for having orderly worship, especially since publicly speaking in tongues is meaningless to a church congregation unless an interpreter is present.  In similar manner, Scripture also teaches that some believers may reach a point of excitement where they may experience speaking in ecstatic utterances of praise during their personal time of worship and/or prayer.  Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul’s letter emphasizes the importance of having order while having these experiences during church services. 

“For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God.  Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit…He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he prophesies edifies the church.  I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.  He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.”  (I Corinthians 14:2, 4-5 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

 

“Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?  Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?  Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?  So it is with you.  Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying?  You will just be speaking into the air…For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.” (I Corinthians 14:6-9 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

 

“What then shall we say, brothers?  When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.  If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.  If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.  Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (I Corinthians 14:26-28, 39-40 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

 

In summary, the spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues, or the translation of languages, is when the Holy Spirit guides a believer to miraculously translate the words of another believer speaking in an unfamiliar language and/or dialect, otherwise known as speaking in tongues.  The interpretation of tongues is not normally practiced as much as it was during the days of the original church.  However, believers should still familiarize themselves with the guidelines for this gift, in the event that the Holy Spirit may guide a believer or believers to speak in tongues during a church service.  Overall, the most important role of this gift is ensuring that the message of salvation is spread and related to others in an understandable manner…for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God.