Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 12-13
Unity: The Gift of the Spirit – Continued
Please review 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 for background to this section.
From Last Lesson: We need to remember that God is sovereign and while the gifts named are adequate for the ministry of the church, God is not limited to these lists. He may give other gifts as He pleases.
The word apostle means “one sent under commission,” and refers primarily to the 12 Apostles and Paul. These men had a special commission, along with the New Testament prophets, to lay the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20).
The Apostles also were given the ability to perform special signs and wonders to attest the message that they preached (Hebrews 2:4). Paul had performed such miracles during his ministry in Corinth. In fact, Paul considered the Corinthian church a very special “seal” of his ministry as an apostle. Corinth was a difficult city to minister in, and yet Paul accomplished a great work because of the Lord’s enablement (see Acts 18:1-17).
Prophets were New Testament spokesmen for God whose messages came immediately from God by the Spirit. Their ministry was to edify, encourage, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). Their messages were tested by the listeners to determine whether they were truly from God (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Again, Ephesians 2:20 makes it clear that apostles and prophets worked together to lay the foundation of the church.
Teachers (also pastor-teacher) instructed converts in the doctrinal truths of the Christian life. They taught from the Word and from the teachings of the Apostles (tradition). Unlike the prophets, they did not get their messages immediately by the Spirit, though the Spirit helped them in their teaching. James 3:1 indicates that this is a serious calling.
The evangelist majored on sharing the Good News of salvation with the lost. All ministers should do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5) and seek to win souls, but some men have been given evangelism as a special calling.
In the early church, miracles were a part of the credentials of God’s servants (Hebrews 2:1-4). In fact, miracles, healings, and tongues all belong to what theologians call “the sign gifts” and belonged in a special way to the infancy and establishment of the church.
Helps and governments have to do with the serving of others and the guiding of the church. Without spiritual leadership, the church flounders. Ministry (Romans 12:7) and ruling belong to this same category. Any believer with a true gift of ministry (service) should be grateful for people with the gifts of helps and leadership.
There were several “speaking gifts”: tongues and the interpretation of tongues (about which more will be said later), the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge (the ability to understand and apply God’s truth to a definite situation), and exhortation (encouragement, rebuke if necessary).
Giving and showing mercy relate to sharing material aid with those in need, as well as supporting God’s servants in ministry. The gift of faith has to do with believing God for what He wants to accomplish in the church’s ministry, that He will lead and provide. The discerning of spirits was important in the early church since Satan tried to counterfeit the work of God and the Word of God. Today, the Spirit especially uses the written Word to give us discernment (1 John 2:18-24; 4:1-6) especially so that we can stand against false teaching and false prophets (2 Peter 2:1).
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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