Thursday, January 10, 2008

Unique Facts about Individual Spiritual Gifts

1. Service In I Peter 4:10-11 we learn that we are to carry out the purpose of our own gifting through the vehicle of service. So a leader serves by leading, and an encourager serves by encouraging. So then with the gift of service we get the redundant sentence, "A server serves by serving." There must be a lesson in this for the other gifts about how to serve.

2. Prophecy
This is the only gift to match one of the three Old Testament Offices fulfilled by Jesus: Prophet, priest, and king.

3. Shepherding
This is the only gift claimed as a title by Jesus. "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11).

4. Discernment
The only gift outside of the miraculous gifts to be given as a double plural, literally "discernments of spirits" (I Cor 12:10).
The other examples include (a) Workings of Powers (miracles) (b) Gifts of healings (c) kinds of tongues

5. Faith
(a) This has to be the most interesting one to me. This is the only gift which matches one of the three eternal qualities of I Cor. 13 "These three remain: faith, hope, and love." It is especially interesting that Paul is specifically contrasting these eternal qualities with the temporary qualities of the gifts. So how can faith end up in both categories? Gift-I Cor 12:9; eternal quality-I Cor 13:13. (b) Faith is also the only gift that is a fruit of the spirit as well (Gal 5:22).

6. Hospitality
This is the only gift listed outside the writings of Paul (I Peter 4:9).

7. Encouragement
The only gift used as a title of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).



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