Derek Prince - The Gifts Of The Spirit

The Gifts

of the Spirit

Understanding and Receiving

Gods Supernatural Power in Your Life

Derek Prince

The Gift of the Spirit

2007 by Derek Prince Ministries, International

This edition DPM UK 2017

ISBN 978-1-78263-363-1

Kindle 978-1-78263-364-8

ePub 978-1-78263-365-5
Product code: B92

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version , 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from the New American Standard Bible , NASB , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV, 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All definitions of Hebrew and Greek words are the authors except for dorea , chapter 2, p. 28. See Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #G1431, and New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (NASC), #G1431, 1981 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

Derek Prince Ministries

www.derekprince.com

Part 1

The Nature of the Gifts

Chapter 1

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The New Testament depicts Christianity as a supernatural way of life. To be functioning members of the body of Christ, as well as more effective witnesses for Him in the world, we need an understanding of the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and their operation in our lives. The apostle Paul listed these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:411)

These gifts are all supernatural. None of them could be explained by natural talent, education, or ability. A word of wisdom or knowledge is not the kind of wisdom or knowledge that comes from spending fifteen years in college and having three degrees. It is wisdom or knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit. Healing is not the type of healing that is administered by the general physician or the surgeonthough we respect medical science and are grateful for it. This is supernatural healing.

The Nine Gifts of the Spirit

Let us look at a more literal translation of some of the gifts of the Spirit from the above passage to prepare us for exploring each of them in some detail in coming chapters. In verse eight, where the New King James Version reads, For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, there is actually no the in the Greek. I therefore translate these gifts as a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge. In verse ten, to another the working of miracles is literally workings of miracles. Both significant words are plural. Likewise, discerning of spirits should be discernings of spirits.

Four of the gifts are therefore plural in nature: (1) gifts of healings, (2) workings of miracles, (3) discernings of spirits, and (4) kinds of tongues. Recognizing the plural nature of these gifts is important for understanding how they function.

The nine gifts are readily divided into three groups of three, under the headings of Revelation Gifts, Power Gifts, and Vocal Gifts.

Revelation Gifts

a word of wisdom

a word of knowledge

discernings of spirits

Power Gifts

faith

gifts of healings

workings of miracles

Vocal Gifts

different kinds of tongues

interpretation of tongues

prophecy

For many years, Bible teachers and commentators have listed the spiritual gifts in groups of three for the purpose of easy reference and classificationthree groups, with each group containing three gifts or manifestations. This particular grouping is not the only way we can view the gifts, but it is a useful way to arrange them and helps us to understand them more clearly.

A word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, and discernings of spirits are revelation gifts; they convey revelation we could not receive in any other way. Faith, gifts of healings, and workings of miracles are gifts of powerthey get things done. They could also be called dramatic gifts; they are the gifts that really arrest peoples attention. Different kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and prophecy are vocal gifts because they necessarily operate through human vocal cords.

Ministry Gifts and Spiritual Gifts

To avoid potential confusion, it is important to consider the relationship and differences between the ministry gifts, which are found in Ephesians 4:11, and these nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The context for the gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 is the resurrected Christ, for we read in verses eight and ten: He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. Verse eleven specifies five main gifts the resurrected Christ gave to humanity: He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.

Let us look at the gifts in two parallel columns:

Ministry Gifts - Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers

The Gifts of the Spirit - a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, workings of miracles, prophecy, discernings of spirits, different kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues

These two groups of gifts are distinguished from one another in three ways.

The Person as Gift/The Gift Given to a Person

First, with the ministry gifts, the believer himself is the gift given by Christ to His church. The wording emphasizes this: He Himself gave some to be apostles. He did not give to some apostleship, but He gave some to be apostles. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are Jesus ministry gifts to His church because the church can never be what He intends without them. For example, the

apostle Paul was Jesus gift to the Gentile believers.

In contrast, with spiritual gifts, the gift is given to the person, who is then able to minister it to others. Paul wrote, To one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). Therefore, with ministry gifts, the person is the gift, and with spiritual gifts, the person has the gift.

The Gift as Lifework/The Gift as Brief Manifestation

Second, with a ministry gift, every aspect of the total ministry makes up the gift. It is like an athlete who runs the mile faster than anybody else. His whole life centers on running the mile. Similarly, for the person who is a ministry gift to the church, his whole life centers on being an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher. Paul often compared Christian ministry to the activities of athletes because there is so much that is parallel between them in terms of the need for training, discipline, and dedication. A ministry is a lifework.