There are 25 Spirit gifts found in the Word of God. There are two primary distinctions regarding
these gifts. First, are the Diakonai (or Charismata), the functional ministry
gifts, which are found in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Romans 12:3-8. Secondly, are the Phanerosis, the
manifestation of the Spirit gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
The third element is Domata - the anointed-gifted men and
women of God - assigned by the Lord Himself.
Therefore, it is very important that we accept the stated three elements
of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Diakonai, Phanerosis and Domata (the ministry,
the manifestation of the Spirit, and the anointing).
If we expect God to use us, He will be ready and willing to
do so. God knows who needs ministry and
whom He needs to use to get the job done.
When you are in line with the above three items, God is bound to use
you. It is important not to set standards
on God. Be careful not to tell Him how
you want to be used and what gifts you want Him to put in you. Fear of the unknown is a big problem with
many Christians in allowing God to do anything He wants with and through
them. In any case, the important thing
is being willing and expectant of God to do a great and mighty work by using
His gifts in you.
OCCUPATIONAL GIFTS
When we use the term “occupational gifts”, we are referring
to the gifts the Holy Spirit uses to manifest Himself. Occupation is a job or profession - the
action, state, or period of occupying or being occupied by the Holy
Spirit. The fact that the Holy Spirit
comes into our bodies when we become born-again puts us in a position of being
living vessels for God. God designs this
vessel for a specific purpose and “calling” in mind. Your occupation is your calling.
Let us look at the list of occupations of the Holy Spirit:
PROPHECY
Definition:
Prophecy is a reception and declaration of a Word from the
Lord, through the direct prompting of the Holy Spirit and the human instrument
He uses.
Purpose:
True prophecy builds up and edifies. It builds up because
God is always building up the Body of Christ.
This person may bring encouragement to the church using strong words (1
Corinthians 14:3). This individual is
used by God to bring rebukes to Body members, as well as the Church as a whole
(1 Corinthians 1:9-10). The person
blessed with this gift oftentimes functions under direct revelations of God (1
Corinthians 14:29-31). Prophets shed new
light on the fullness of our Salvation.
This person will have the tendency to “preach to the nations.”
Prophets build up because they are an overt picture of what
a believer is all about (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). Prophets oftentimes reveal whether God is
present in an assembly, thereby confirming the believer in his faith, and even
causing the unbeliever to confess God’s presence (v. 24).
Prophets also build up because they lay bare the secrets of
the heart (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). This
is why they intimidate many Body members.
Prophets are usually loved or “hated” due to this. Prophets normally prevent people from hiding
behind masks or pretending to be righteous when they are not. Where prophets are, honesty and integrity are
indispensable (Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5).
Bottom line: Prophets
are used by God to show the people there is a God!
Fleshly Liabilities:
People with the gift of prophecy (if walking after the
flesh) can become dictatorial, domineering, demanding, troubled when things
don’t go their way, intense about things that don’t matter, be too forceful, be
too direct, and oftentimes are accused of being bossy.
They can be afflicted with weaknesses (to keep them humble
before the Lord) and have a problem tolerating weak or sick people. When walking after the flesh, they have
problems accepting indecisive and/or lazy people. They are tough on people who do not
understand authority or those who won’t accept challenges.
Prophets expect people to think and gain understanding
quickly, as well as, assume that most people will keep up with them (Isaiah
30:30).
Places of Service
1. Offer
personal prophecies to individuals
2. Offer
church wide prophecies to the Body of Christ as a whole
3. Church
promotions
4. Message
to the Body of Christ
5. Sunday
school teachings
6. Church
activist in the political arena
7. Evangelism
campaigns
TEACHING
Definition:
This gift gives special ability to communicate the Word of
God in such a way that it is organized and the Body of Christ learns easily.
Purpose:
Christians with this gift have an overwhelming desire to
explain the Truth to those around them.
A prophet declares Truth, while a teacher logically explains it. Oftentimes prophets and teachers do not get
along; although in God’s eyes, prophets and teachers make great working
partners. Their gifting brings balance to one another.
Teachers are interested in searching things out. They love details and better yet, love
presenting the details they have uncovered.
Teachers love to study and usually encourage others to be men/women of
the Word. Many times, they think
education equals transformation, through studying the Word of God. At times, they forget that transformation
only comes through the Spirit.
The gift of teaching is mentioned in all three scriptural
references listed regarding spiritual gifts: Romans12, 1 Corinthians 12, and
Ephesians 4. Scripture often confirms
that many Body members receive this gift.
This gift is needed for most areas of the local church and the church
worldwide. For example: the morning message, Sunday school, special electives,
children’s church, day care, training classes, the music ministry, and many
others.
People who have the gift of teaching oftentimes use their
gifts as an occupation: schoolteacher, professor, learning institutes, sales
education, etc.
Teachers are normally patient with their students. They like to come up with new ideas on how to
reach their students and to help them better understand what is being taught.
God uses the teachers to communicate His day-to-day points
of living (Ephesians 4:11). They are
often seen as pastors, motivational speakers, or trainers. In fact, many people with the gift of
teaching think they are pastors. As we
will learn later, pastors are very different in the way they care for people.
Fleshly Liabilities:
It is common for teachers to have a difficult time
establishing and maintaining friendships.
If they are walking after the flesh, they have the tendency to be too
serious, haughty, high-minded, critical, contemplative, oftentimes judgmental,
moody, and tend to analyze everything.
People who are trying to establish relationships with them get
frustrated at times. When they are with the teacher, the teacher seems to
communicate by teaching. Many teachers
do not know the difference between teaching and just communicating with
someone.
Teachers have the tendency to be bothered by “shallow”
thinkers, people who state things that are not supported by the documented
Truth, people who do not present Truth in an organized fashion or who simply do
not prepare properly before they teach.
This is why a teacher oftentimes has difficulty relating to the
prophet-type – who hears the Truth directly from God.
Many times, teachers have a problem with authority because
they believe what they are saying is the authoritative way.
Places of Service
1. Sunday
morning messages
2. Sunday
school teacher
3. Children’s
ministry
4. Small
groups
5. Radio/TV
ministry
6. Community
Outreach
7. Conduct
Bible studies
8. Preaching
9. Elective
classes
10. Mission
work
Teachers need to remember to rest in Christ, focus on
building their existing relationships, build new friendships, ask more
questions of people, allow for more group discussions, and spend more time
being practical (application). Overall,
the teacher needs to be more fun loving, lighthearted, and animated.
Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, ©
Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The
Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
