Understanding the Gifts of the Spirit
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 King James Version).
We can see from the passage of the scriptures above that there are nine gifts of the Spirit. All the nine gifts are beneficial to the church; none is non-essential or less in virtue. The gifts serve different purposes and are all for the common good of the body of Christ. The bible says anyone can covet whichever of the gifts he considers as the best gift for him. 1 Corinthians 12:31 says, But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Concerning coveting the best gifts, it simply means, you can choose the gifts that best compliment your assignment.
For instance, the gift of working of miracles in the life of an evangelist will demonstrate God's mighty power, help to lift up Jesus and draw men to Him. To an evangelist the working of miracles might be the best gift. To a pastor, possibly, the gifts of word of wisdom, discernment of spirits and healing, may be his best gifts. This will all depend on an individual’s view on how the gifts fit their own ministry. The nine gifts of the Spirit can be put into three groupings; the power gifts, the revelation gifts, and the utterance gifts.
The Power Gifts
These gifts are called power gifts because when they are in manifestation, God’s power comes into play. All the gifts of the Spirit are a manifestation of the power of God; however, through power gifts, a physical and tangible transformation in people or situations occurs. Power gifts superimpose themselves on natural laws to enforce a new order; they reverse the natural way of things. Power gifts are the gift of faith, gift of working of miracles and gifts of healing.
Gift Of Faith
It is important to point out here, that every believer in Christ has got faith. It takes faith to be saved, without faith, no one gets saved. Therefore, no one who is born again is lacking in faith. The gift of faith, however, is different from the faith which is given to us to believe in Jesus, in order to receive salvation (we all have this kind of faith, which keeps us connected to God). The gift of faith is the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of someone, in a particular situation in time, empowering him to believe God for an extraordinary manifestation of God. Some tasks that God will like executing will require supernatural impartation; the gift of faith is that supernatural impartation, that is given to enable the vessel that God will use to believe, receive, envision it happening, and take an unusual step to make it happen.
The gift of faith always works alongside the power gifts. An example of gift of faith in the Bible can be seen in the life of Peter in Matthew 14:25-30, when he stepped out and walked on water when Jesus beckoned him to come to Him. It was the gift of faith that moved Peter to step out into the water and walk on it. Another example of gift of faith, can also be seen in Paul the apostle in Acts 28:1-6, when a venomous viper came out of the heat, from the sticks he put on fire and fastened itself on his hand. However, Paul only shook it off his hand and went on like nothing happened and he lived. Many years ago, I was told about the testimony of a missionary who was going on a mission trip to a certain village by car, but halfway through his trip, his petrol finished and it was in the middle of the night. When he did not know what else to do, he picked a gallon of water he had in the boot, prayed on it and emptied it into the petrol tank, went back into his car, got it started and continued his journey; that was the gift of faith in action.
The gift of faith enables a man to believe and venture into the supernatural. Another person I have noticed operating in the gift of faith is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. It takes the gift of faith to venture into a lot of the things I have seen him do over many years. He makes declarations that are out of this world, about doing certain things, which humanly speaking do not make any sense and I see them happen. It looked as an impossible task when he announced that God told him to build an auditorium, one kilometre by half a kilometre long, to seat two million+ people, the first of its kind in the world, but he accomplished it. God gives the gift of faith to enable an ordinary man to achieve an exploit which is out of the ordinary.
Gifts Of Healing
The gifts of healing are the Holy Spirit’s manifestation through a man, empowering him to minister physical healing to people who are afflicted with sickness or disease. It is also worth mentioning here, that every believer can lay his hand on the sick by faith as the Bible says in Mark 16:17 and they will be healed. Healing is a sign that Jesus says will follow them that believe, when they lay their hands on the sick. However, this has nothing to do with the gifts of healing.
There are people who are specifically gifted with the healing power of the Holy Spirit and from time to time the Holy Spirit moves them to pray for people who are ill (whom even medical doctors have concluded may never recover from the illness) and they will get healed immediately. The gifts of healing work to reverse death, deliver the oppressed and draw people's attention to Jesus. A typical example of the gifts of healing in manifestation in the Bible, is what we see in the life of Jesus, when virtue came out of Him to heal the woman with the issue of blood. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes (Mark 5:25-30).
We can identify two power gifts manifesting in the scripture above; that is the gift of faith and the gifts of healing. It was the gift of faith, which rested on this woman with the issue of blood, that moved her to believe for healing and it empowered her to press through the crowd, against every odd to touch Jesus' cloth. It was also the gifts of healing that released the virtue from Jesus, which worked healing in the woman. Wherever the gifts of healing are in operation, the gift of faith also comes into play and the person for whom the gifts are in manifestation, gets instant healing and they start to experience immediate recovery. The manifestation of the gifts of healing is not what you get everyday; however, whenever the gifts of healing are in manifestation, supernatural healing occurs, no matter what the ailment is.
Working Of Miracles
Working of miracles sets aside the natural laws and brings about things or situations that are out of the ordinary. Miracle is the revelation of God’s wonder and mighty power over nature. When miracle happens, nature is reversed. God uses miracles to demonstrate His power and to draw people's attention to Him. When the gift of working of miracles is in play, blind eyes open, the lame walk, the deaf hear, women whose wombs were taken out by doctors receive power to conceive and give birth to babies and even dead people come back to life.
One of the examples of working of miracles in the Bible is when Jesus, in John 9:1-7, opened the eyes of the man who was born blind. Jesus spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) The man went his way, washed as Jesus had instructed him and came seeing. Jesus turning water into wine was a miracle. Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loves of bread and two fishes was a miracle. I saw a cripple man on a wheel chair jump up and walk, through the ministry of Pastor Enoch Adeboye. This experience was a miracle of God.
It was the gift of working of miracles that was demonstrated when Peter reached out and pulled the crippled man at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3:1-8 and he instantly rose up, jumped and walked. Some healings come about through the gift of working of miracles and not just the gifts of healing. When it is the gifts of healing at work, healing may not necesarily be noticed physically or instantly in some cases, however, the sickness will start dying immediately and recovery will eventually fully occur and the man will rise. Whereas, with healing through the gift of miracles, there will be instantaneous physical manifestation.
Miracle recreates what is missing instantly. For instance, it will be the function of the gift of working of miracles and not the gifts of healing, when a man who is told by his doctor that he has a bad kidney, suddenly receives a brand new set of kidneys. It will be the function of the working of miracles and not healing, when a man with leprosy enters a pool and comes out with his flesh like that of a little child (2 Kings 5:1-14). Miracle recreates and replaces what is damaged.
The Revelation Gifts
Revelation gifts are so called, because they bring to light things that are hidden. God does not want the church to be in the dark. When these gifts are in manifestation, mysteries are unveiled. The devil has added advantage when the church has no light or insight into a matter. The devil operates and thrives in darkness, but through revelation gifts, the church exposes his activities and exercises dominion over his kingdom. Demon spirits operate freely where there are no revelation gifts in operation. Revelation gifts are also given to help us know the mind of God and to give us direction in life. The church diminishes when it cannot hear from God. Gifts that make up revelation gifts are: the gift of word of wisdom, the gift of word of knowledge and the gift of discerning of spirits.
Word Of Wisdom
The gift of word of wisdom imparts on an individual, the ability to have an understanding or insight into what is going on in people or situations, especially in challenging or times of confusion and provides the answers, solutions or a way to dealing with such challenges. The gift of word of wisdom often operates alongside the gift of prophecy and word of knowledge. The difference between ‘word of wisdom’ and ‘word of knowledge’ is that where word of knowledge brings to light hidden things, things that one has no way of knowing without being told, the word of wisdom gives divine direction on a path to take to deal with the difficulty or provides the answers to resolving issues. Illumination always comes anytime the gift of word of wisdom is in operation and when acted upon, solution and victory is always the outcome.
There are many examples of the operation of the gift of word of wisdom in the Bible. One of such is the story of how King Jehoshaphat won the battle against the children of Moab and Ammon when they rose up against him in 2 Chronicles 20:1-20. The Lord told Jehoshaphat that he need not have to fight the battle, but to set singers and to approach the battle with praise. As the children of Israel did as instructed, the Lord smote the Moabites and the Ammonites before them. The gift of word of wisdom always shows the way to victory. It was also the word of wisdom that was operating through Elisha the prophet, when he instructed Naaman to go and wash seven times in the river Jordan; as he did as told, his skin became like that of a little child (2 Kings 5:1-14). It was the gift of word of wisdom in operation in Joseph, when he counselled with the Pharaoh, on what Egypt should do to be saved from famine (Genesis 41:25-36).
The divine instruction or insight on what to do at a time when a miracle or solution to a problem is needed, is the operation of the gift of wisdom. I was at a mission field sometime in 1992 in a certain village in Nigeria, where a young lady was brought for me to pray for. She was unconscious for days and at times convulsing. As I began to pray for her, the Lord said I should unchain her and he showed me a bracelet around her ankle and said to remove it. Immediately I broke the bracelet off her ankle, she revived and was fully restored, such that she asked for food. The revelation of what to do for her deliverance to happen was the operation of the gift of wisdom. When word of wisdom is in operation, you not only get to know what is going on, you get to know also what to do for solution to come.
Word Of Knowledge
The gift of word of knowledge gives divine insight into what is going on in people or situations. Through the gift of word of knowledge, a believer can supernaturally know some things about people and the situations around them, without being told by anyone. God is all-knowing, He sees through every darkness and there are no secrets before Him. Through the gift of word of knowledge, He can unveil and bring to the open every hidden thing. The devil has advantage and he thrives only in darkness and in secrecy, but word of knowledge is a powerful weapon against him and it is a powerful tool for evangelism. Many people have come to believe and accept Jesus as Lord through the manifestation of this gift of the Spirit.
Jesus operated in word of knowledge in John 4:5-29. On his way into Samaria, He met a woman at a well and told her all that she did in her past. It was a word of knowledge that Jesus was operating in when he told His disciples that the widow who put her two mites in the offering gave her all. It was obvious what she gave, however, Him knowing that it was her all was through the gift of word of knowledge (Mark 12:41-44). Peter knew that Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied about the amount they gave from the proceeds of the land they sold, because the Holy Spirit showed it to him through the gift of word of knowledge (Acts 5:1-10).
Elisha knew that Gehazi went after Naaman to ask for the gift he rejected, through a word of knowledge (2 Kings 5:20-27). Satan's activity is exposed and he is limited when the church is operating in the gift of word of knowledge. God uses the word of knowledge to highlight problems that are going on in someone's life or in a place, so we can be aware and look for solutions to them. God uses word of knowledge to expose sin and instill the fear of God. He uses the gift of word of knowledge to confirm that He is present and working amongst His people. God will not reveal anything about anyone to someone, only for the sake of it. There is always something He would like us to do with that knowledge.
God may use the gift of word of knowledge to expose sin, but will never use it to embarrass or bring shame to anyone. Many years ago, while in intercession for some people in our fellowship, the Lord unveiled to me some deep secret about a sister in the fellowship. He wanted me to pray for her and go talk to her about it. Though this sister appeared to be a very involved and serious with God, there were many things not right with her and God. I was just starting out and did not know how to go about using gifts of the spirit so, I shared it with a brother in the fellowship who was very close to her and requested that he talked with her for me instead. It caused her deep pain, and almost got her depressed because he was the last person she would have wanted to discuss that with.
I was young, inexperienced and did not know how to use gifts of the Spirit. God used that experience to teach me a great deal. It is important to know how to use this gift; as sometimes, what God may show you may be for your own consumption only, to enable you to know how and what to pray for. In addition, it is not everything that should be said in public, some revelations are meant to be dealt with in private, in order not to bring anyone to public shame.
Discerning Of Spirits
The gift of discerning of spirits is the gift that enables a person to tell the difference between spirits operating in someone or in a place. Without the gift of discerning of spirits, you are going to mistake the spirit of the devil for the spirit of God. There are many spirits out there, seeking for influence and control over people. A lot of such spirits are demon and antichrist spirits assigned from the kingdom of darkness to confuse people, lead them astray and into bondage. You cannot tell that a spirit is not of God by physical appearance. You cannot tell that someone is being used by an antichrist spirit by looking at the signs, wonders and miracles that he performs. Signs, wonders and miracles do not necessarily prove that someone is a minister of God. Jesus says this concerning the last days. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
These antichrist spirits do not come looking like evil spirits, they come looking like angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-14, 1 John 2:18). You will need the gift of discerning of spirits to tell what sort of a spirit is operating in a place or through someone; just because what someone is speaking of agrees with the scriptures does not make him a representative of heaven. Moreover, because miracles happen in someone's ministry does not necessarily mean that he is working with the Spirit of God. Many people have been deceived, taken advantaged of, defrauded, and misled by many so called 'men of God', because of the signs and the wonders that they have performed.
There are many people out there carrying the Bible and preaching only for their belly. We saw an example of this in Acts 16:16-18 where an evil spirit was affirming the ministry of Paul and Silas, And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour (Acts 16:16-18).
If Paul could not discern spirits, he would have celebrated the supernatural ability exhibited by this damsel and by implication, he would have endorsed Satan’s manipulations and deceptions. Through discerning of spirits, he saw who she was really working for. Although she was promoting their cause, affirming that they were from God, he understood that the spirit operating in her was of Satan and he cast it out. Satan's purpose is always to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). Satan may appear as an angel of light, however, his motive is never for the benefit of anybody. Without discerning of spirits, you may not be able to effectively deal with the root cause of the problems you want to solve, and would keep going round the bush solving nothing. Jesus knew in Matthew 16:22-23, through the operation of discerning of spirits, who He was dealing with and He rebuked Satan directly (even though it was Peter speaking, when he tried to persuade Jesus not to go to the cross).
The gift of discerning of spirits is very helpful to the ministry of the pastor, those in counselling ministry and evangelism. It helps in knowing what kind of spirit you are dealing with, when you stand to support the people you are called to. In 1995, someone came to see me in the office, when I was pastoring a church in a city called Bauchi in Nigeria, to ask for financial assistance. To convince me to give him money, he told me all the lies in the world. While he was still speaking, God showed me that he was lying and gave me a picture of who he really was. I told him that he was lying and what God told me, he broke down in my office and gave his life to Jesus right there in my office. That was the gift of discerning of spirits that manifested through me. God wanted to save that man that day and so he revealed to me the spirit I was dealing with.
The Utterance Gifts
Utterance gifts are expressed through inspired words. Through utterance gifts, God supernaturally takes over the use of someone's tongue and enables him to speak by divine inspiration, the things that he has no knowledge of. Words are powerful, they shape destiny and they change the course of nature. God uses words to convey His counsel and release His power. Humans cannot handle the voice of God directly spoken to them. God tried it before, but to the people, His voice sounded as thunder and the whole place filled with smoke, lightening and it quaked. The people could not handle it and were afraid (Exodus 20:18-19). The people will die, if God will speak in His own voice. As such, through the utterance gifts, God takes the tongues of men and He communicates His message in human voice. Utterance gifts are the gift of prophecy, the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, and the gift of the interpretation of tongues.
Gift Of Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through someone, the Holy Spirit inspiring him to declare the counsel of God. Prophecies are given to reveal the mind of God, to give some insight into the future and to confirm or reaffirm what God had shown someone before. Basically, prophecies achieve three purposes; they are given for edification, for exhortation and for comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). For any prophecy to qualify as coming from God, it must meet these three standards. Prophecy that comes from God does not create fear, worry or confusion.
There is a difference between the office of a prophet and the gift of prophecy. Every believer can have an experience of the Holy Spirit in manifestation of the gift of prophecy and be given divine utterances to declare God's Word, but that will not make him a prophet. The office of the prophet is a calling; a man who is so called steps into that office and the authority of a prophet is upon him anytime he steps out to speak. The prophet's authority lies in his ability to hear God and thus speak. God speaks to him through inspired utterances, visions, dreams and the understanding of mysteries. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream (Numbers 12:5-6).
Furthermore, because someone has experienced the manifestation of the gift of prophecy in his life a few times, does not make him a prophet. God can and does raise people, not necessarily prophets, and imparts them with inspired words for the edification, exhortation and the comfort of His people. Prophecy is not the one and only way God speaks to His people. God actually does not intend for the believer to be led primarily by prophets or prophecies; rather, He intends for every believer to develop intimacy with Jesus. God intends for every believer to get to know Him and hear Him directly. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds Hebrews 1:1-2)
God wants to be able to speak to every believer directly and not through prophecies, (Romans 8:14, 16). God will never speak to a man through someone without first speaking or trying to speak to him directly. What Agabus the prophet told Paul the apostle, concerning what his fate would be, if he goes to Jerusalem, it was nothing new to Paul: for prior to that, God had told Paul what he would suffer for Him (Acts 20:20-24, Acts 21:10-11). Prophecies come to individuals, to confirm what God had spoken to them about before (Acts 15:32). Someone may receive a message coming fresh from God through prophecies, only where God had sought to get through to him, but the individual was distracted, not sensitive to God or was at a place where he could not understand God. However, if the person whom the prophecy comes to, takes time out and seeks the face of God to know God's mind for himself, God will speak to him directly to confirm what came by prophecy. Every prophecy given to an individual must connect with his spirit and have meaning, for it to be from God.
There are lying spirits out there who may sound like God, but are not. They seek to deceive people, defraud and bring them into bondage. If all you are going to be led by is prophecy and you cannot judge prophecies nor discern their origin and if what you are counting on is for someone to hear God for you (whether they be men of God, prophets, apostles etcetera), you are likely going to fall prey to false prophets and lying spirits. Prophecy is most of the time directed towards the body of Christ; God using the gift of prophecy to speak to the church collectively. Paul says, two or three people should speak and the rest must judge, whether what is being said is of God or not (1 Corinthians 14:29). The yardstick for judging prophecy is that it must line up with the Word of God, there must be two or three witnesses to confirm it, and it must bring edification, it must exhort and bring comfort to the people.
Diverse Kinds Of Tongues
The Holy Spirit, through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, supernaturally enables a person to speak in a language he has not learnt before. The person who is doing the speaking, may not have an idea of which language it is he is speaking, may not have the understanding of what he is saying, but he can ask for God to enable him to have the gift to interpret whatever he speaks. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is as it says; the person operating in this gift is able to speak in diverse or multiple languages, God using him at every point to speak to the people where he is.
Every believer is given the ability to speak in tongues as he receives the Holy Spirit baptism. The ability to speak in tongues during Holy Spirit baptism, comes as the initial evidence of the baptism and it is given to enable the believer, to pray mysteries: praying in such a way that only God can understand him, and praying on things that he knows nothing about. The tongues which come with the Holy Spirit baptism are also given to the believer as a tool for him to use in praying to edify himself (1 Corinthians 14:2,4). The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is different from speaking in tongues, which comes as the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is not for speaking mysteries or for personal edification. Diverse kinds of tongues are primarily for a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22).
God makes use of the gift of diverse kinds of tongues to speak through someone in a language that is strange to him, to convey a message to a person He is seeking to bring to the light of the Gospel of Jesus. Diverse kinds of tongues are in manifestation to pass messages and prophecy. Essentially, whichever way they come, they are given as a sign, to convict, bring assurance to and raise somebody up. Someone once shared a story with me, of how He visited a particular church in the USA and there he heard someone praying in his own local dialect (he comes from a certain tribe in Africa), and he could hear what the man was saying very clearly. He thought the man had lived amongst his own people and learnt their language.
He was excited, thinking that at least, there was someone in the congregation who he could speak his language with. He met the person after the meeting and spoke to him in his language, but he said to his amazement that the man did not understand what he was saying and he also discovered that the man had never visited Africa. The man told him, he was only speaking in tongues and did not know what he was saying. That was the gift of diverse kinds of tongues in operation. It is a sign to make people believe. Praying in tongues which comes with Holy Spirit baptism, is for praying mysteries and for self-edification. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is for passing messages to people.
Whereas anyone who has the ability to pray in tongues which is received through Holy Spirit baptism can and has the liberty to pray in tongues at any time, with the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, the speaker must interpret what he is saying or someone who has the gift of interpretation must be present to give the meaning of what is said (1 Corinthians 14:28). The use of speaking in tongues is one of the most controversial issues that arose in the early church, which Paul dealt with and gave specific guidance on how to operate in them. Paul says, praying in tongues should be treated as a private thing, where there is no interpreter and no one should pray a congregational prayer in tongues, since no one will understand him and agree with him to say 'Amen'. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God (1 Corinthians 14:28).
You can speak in tongues to yourself and to God, but not to the church, unless you can interpret what you are saying. You may, however, pray in tongues, as well as with understanding at the same time (1 Corinthians 14:14-17). In addition, when speaking to the people in tongues in church meetings, Paul says, only two or three people must speak and there has to be an interpreter, otherwise the one who speaks must stay silent (1 Corinthians 14:27).
Interpretation Of Tongues
The gift of interpretation of tongues is the ability to understand the message that is given through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. It is important to note that this gift is different and is independent of the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. Not everyone who has the gift of diverse kinds of tongues also has the gift to interpret tongues. However, it is ideal for whoever is given the gift of diverse kinds of tongues to also pray for the ability to interpret what he is saying in another tongue (1 Corinthians 14:13). It is also possible to have the gift of interpretation of tongues and not have the gift of speaking in diverse kinds of tongues. Messages and prophecies that are given in tongues do not make any meaning and are fruitless, unless there is someone with the gift of interpretation present. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air (1 Corinthians 14:6-9)
We know that God is not the author of confusion, but of decency and order. As touching the use of gifts of the Spirit, particularly with reference to prophecy and speaking in tongues, God instructs that everything must be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). We know that God can give messages or prophecies through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, however because of order, He will not give any message via tongues and not also give the interpretation of it. There has to be the gift of interpretation of tongues operating in a place where there is the gift of diverse kinds of tongues.
The gift of interpretation of tongues operates differently with different people. Some people hear and understand what is being spoken in tongues, as if it is spoken in their own language: whilst the person speaking is doing so in tongues, they will be hearing it in the language they understand. With other people, they cannot explain how it happens, but they just know what is being said; God supernaturally enables them to understand what is spoken in another tongue. There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which works all.
The Holy Spirits operates in different ways in our various church congregations and in individuals. There is no one particular way or style of manifestation with the Holy Spirit. It is possible for two individuals who are given the manifestation of the same gift of the Spirit to operate in the gift in different ways. God is a dynamic God and expresses Himself in various manners. As such, because someone operates in a particular gift in a style or way that is different from how you have seen it work in another person's life, does not mean that one of them is fake. It is also possible for the Holy Spirit to operate through you in one form today, but use a different form the next time. Now look at these scriptures, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
The same Spirit is the one who works through different people using different styles of administration and different methods of operation. That someone is manifesting gifts of the Spirit in a way you have not seen it done before, does not mean that the person is not of God. This is why you must never be quick to dismissing someone's ministry, because you do not approve of his method or style. The Holy Spirit has no one style or method of operation; therefore, do not use it to judge whether a person is genuine or fake. However, in whichever way the Holy Spirit is operating, even if it looks odd to you, the indication that it is the Holy Spirit working is that, it will point people to Jesus and not draw attention to the person manifesting the gift. It will be for edification, for exhortation and for comfort and it will not bring any benefit to the person manifesting the gift. Gifts of the Spirit may endorse a man's calling, make people to receive him and make his ministry more impactful, but will never take people's attention from God to a human being.
The Holy Spirit stops manifesting in a place where Jesus is not taking the glory. Some people use Romans 11:29 to explain that it is possible for God to use a man, even if he is not walking in obedience with God. The verse says, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. It is key for you to know, that the above interpretation of this scripture is not what God is saying here. The truth is that, if God calls a man to be an evangelist for instance, God will bestow on him all the gifts and abilities he needs, to enable him to be a successful evangelist. However, it will be up to the man to choose to yield himself, to be used by God in that ministry or not. He may opt for something different, or he may stay as an evangelist, but live in disregard of every instruction God has given him and fail God.
Whatever the case, God is not going to change His mind about His original plan and purpose for that man. Someday, God will require the man to account for his stewardship. This is what that verse is saying and not that one may walk away from God, not pay attention to the Holy Spirit, give himself to ungodliness and still have the Holy Spirit work through him. It is not so with God. You must pay attention and avoid people who show supernatural manifestations and yet you cannot see God in them. If you cannot see the fear of God in the man, he may not be representing God.
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-17, New Living Translation).
We can see from the passage of the scriptures above that there are nine gifts of the Spirit. All the nine gifts are beneficial to the church; none is non-essential or less in virtue. The gifts serve different purposes and are all for the common good of the body of Christ. The bible says anyone can covet whichever of the gifts he considers as the best gift for him. 1 Corinthians 12:31 says, But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Concerning coveting the best gifts, it simply means, you can choose the gifts that best compliment your assignment.
For instance, the gift of working of miracles in the life of an evangelist will demonstrate God's mighty power, help to lift up Jesus and draw men to Him. To an evangelist the working of miracles might be the best gift. To a pastor, possibly, the gifts of word of wisdom, discernment of spirits and healing, may be his best gifts. This will all depend on an individual’s view on how the gifts fit their own ministry. The nine gifts of the Spirit can be put into three groupings; the power gifts, the revelation gifts, and the utterance gifts.
The Power Gifts
These gifts are called power gifts because when they are in manifestation, God’s power comes into play. All the gifts of the Spirit are a manifestation of the power of God; however, through power gifts, a physical and tangible transformation in people or situations occurs. Power gifts superimpose themselves on natural laws to enforce a new order; they reverse the natural way of things. Power gifts are the gift of faith, gift of working of miracles and gifts of healing.
Gift Of Faith
It is important to point out here, that every believer in Christ has got faith. It takes faith to be saved, without faith, no one gets saved. Therefore, no one who is born again is lacking in faith. The gift of faith, however, is different from the faith which is given to us to believe in Jesus, in order to receive salvation (we all have this kind of faith, which keeps us connected to God). The gift of faith is the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of someone, in a particular situation in time, empowering him to believe God for an extraordinary manifestation of God. Some tasks that God will like executing will require supernatural impartation; the gift of faith is that supernatural impartation, that is given to enable the vessel that God will use to believe, receive, envision it happening, and take an unusual step to make it happen.
The gift of faith always works alongside the power gifts. An example of gift of faith in the Bible can be seen in the life of Peter in Matthew 14:25-30, when he stepped out and walked on water when Jesus beckoned him to come to Him. It was the gift of faith that moved Peter to step out into the water and walk on it. Another example of gift of faith, can also be seen in Paul the apostle in Acts 28:1-6, when a venomous viper came out of the heat, from the sticks he put on fire and fastened itself on his hand. However, Paul only shook it off his hand and went on like nothing happened and he lived. Many years ago, I was told about the testimony of a missionary who was going on a mission trip to a certain village by car, but halfway through his trip, his petrol finished and it was in the middle of the night. When he did not know what else to do, he picked a gallon of water he had in the boot, prayed on it and emptied it into the petrol tank, went back into his car, got it started and continued his journey; that was the gift of faith in action.
The gift of faith enables a man to believe and venture into the supernatural. Another person I have noticed operating in the gift of faith is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. It takes the gift of faith to venture into a lot of the things I have seen him do over many years. He makes declarations that are out of this world, about doing certain things, which humanly speaking do not make any sense and I see them happen. It looked as an impossible task when he announced that God told him to build an auditorium, one kilometre by half a kilometre long, to seat two million+ people, the first of its kind in the world, but he accomplished it. God gives the gift of faith to enable an ordinary man to achieve an exploit which is out of the ordinary.
Gifts Of Healing
The gifts of healing are the Holy Spirit’s manifestation through a man, empowering him to minister physical healing to people who are afflicted with sickness or disease. It is also worth mentioning here, that every believer can lay his hand on the sick by faith as the Bible says in Mark 16:17 and they will be healed. Healing is a sign that Jesus says will follow them that believe, when they lay their hands on the sick. However, this has nothing to do with the gifts of healing.
There are people who are specifically gifted with the healing power of the Holy Spirit and from time to time the Holy Spirit moves them to pray for people who are ill (whom even medical doctors have concluded may never recover from the illness) and they will get healed immediately. The gifts of healing work to reverse death, deliver the oppressed and draw people's attention to Jesus. A typical example of the gifts of healing in manifestation in the Bible, is what we see in the life of Jesus, when virtue came out of Him to heal the woman with the issue of blood. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes (Mark 5:25-30).
We can identify two power gifts manifesting in the scripture above; that is the gift of faith and the gifts of healing. It was the gift of faith, which rested on this woman with the issue of blood, that moved her to believe for healing and it empowered her to press through the crowd, against every odd to touch Jesus' cloth. It was also the gifts of healing that released the virtue from Jesus, which worked healing in the woman. Wherever the gifts of healing are in operation, the gift of faith also comes into play and the person for whom the gifts are in manifestation, gets instant healing and they start to experience immediate recovery. The manifestation of the gifts of healing is not what you get everyday; however, whenever the gifts of healing are in manifestation, supernatural healing occurs, no matter what the ailment is.
Working Of Miracles
Working of miracles sets aside the natural laws and brings about things or situations that are out of the ordinary. Miracle is the revelation of God’s wonder and mighty power over nature. When miracle happens, nature is reversed. God uses miracles to demonstrate His power and to draw people's attention to Him. When the gift of working of miracles is in play, blind eyes open, the lame walk, the deaf hear, women whose wombs were taken out by doctors receive power to conceive and give birth to babies and even dead people come back to life.
One of the examples of working of miracles in the Bible is when Jesus, in John 9:1-7, opened the eyes of the man who was born blind. Jesus spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) The man went his way, washed as Jesus had instructed him and came seeing. Jesus turning water into wine was a miracle. Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loves of bread and two fishes was a miracle. I saw a cripple man on a wheel chair jump up and walk, through the ministry of Pastor Enoch Adeboye. This experience was a miracle of God.
It was the gift of working of miracles that was demonstrated when Peter reached out and pulled the crippled man at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3:1-8 and he instantly rose up, jumped and walked. Some healings come about through the gift of working of miracles and not just the gifts of healing. When it is the gifts of healing at work, healing may not necesarily be noticed physically or instantly in some cases, however, the sickness will start dying immediately and recovery will eventually fully occur and the man will rise. Whereas, with healing through the gift of miracles, there will be instantaneous physical manifestation.
Miracle recreates what is missing instantly. For instance, it will be the function of the gift of working of miracles and not the gifts of healing, when a man who is told by his doctor that he has a bad kidney, suddenly receives a brand new set of kidneys. It will be the function of the working of miracles and not healing, when a man with leprosy enters a pool and comes out with his flesh like that of a little child (2 Kings 5:1-14). Miracle recreates and replaces what is damaged.
The Revelation Gifts
Revelation gifts are so called, because they bring to light things that are hidden. God does not want the church to be in the dark. When these gifts are in manifestation, mysteries are unveiled. The devil has added advantage when the church has no light or insight into a matter. The devil operates and thrives in darkness, but through revelation gifts, the church exposes his activities and exercises dominion over his kingdom. Demon spirits operate freely where there are no revelation gifts in operation. Revelation gifts are also given to help us know the mind of God and to give us direction in life. The church diminishes when it cannot hear from God. Gifts that make up revelation gifts are: the gift of word of wisdom, the gift of word of knowledge and the gift of discerning of spirits.
Word Of Wisdom
The gift of word of wisdom imparts on an individual, the ability to have an understanding or insight into what is going on in people or situations, especially in challenging or times of confusion and provides the answers, solutions or a way to dealing with such challenges. The gift of word of wisdom often operates alongside the gift of prophecy and word of knowledge. The difference between ‘word of wisdom’ and ‘word of knowledge’ is that where word of knowledge brings to light hidden things, things that one has no way of knowing without being told, the word of wisdom gives divine direction on a path to take to deal with the difficulty or provides the answers to resolving issues. Illumination always comes anytime the gift of word of wisdom is in operation and when acted upon, solution and victory is always the outcome.
There are many examples of the operation of the gift of word of wisdom in the Bible. One of such is the story of how King Jehoshaphat won the battle against the children of Moab and Ammon when they rose up against him in 2 Chronicles 20:1-20. The Lord told Jehoshaphat that he need not have to fight the battle, but to set singers and to approach the battle with praise. As the children of Israel did as instructed, the Lord smote the Moabites and the Ammonites before them. The gift of word of wisdom always shows the way to victory. It was also the word of wisdom that was operating through Elisha the prophet, when he instructed Naaman to go and wash seven times in the river Jordan; as he did as told, his skin became like that of a little child (2 Kings 5:1-14). It was the gift of word of wisdom in operation in Joseph, when he counselled with the Pharaoh, on what Egypt should do to be saved from famine (Genesis 41:25-36).
The divine instruction or insight on what to do at a time when a miracle or solution to a problem is needed, is the operation of the gift of wisdom. I was at a mission field sometime in 1992 in a certain village in Nigeria, where a young lady was brought for me to pray for. She was unconscious for days and at times convulsing. As I began to pray for her, the Lord said I should unchain her and he showed me a bracelet around her ankle and said to remove it. Immediately I broke the bracelet off her ankle, she revived and was fully restored, such that she asked for food. The revelation of what to do for her deliverance to happen was the operation of the gift of wisdom. When word of wisdom is in operation, you not only get to know what is going on, you get to know also what to do for solution to come.
Word Of Knowledge
The gift of word of knowledge gives divine insight into what is going on in people or situations. Through the gift of word of knowledge, a believer can supernaturally know some things about people and the situations around them, without being told by anyone. God is all-knowing, He sees through every darkness and there are no secrets before Him. Through the gift of word of knowledge, He can unveil and bring to the open every hidden thing. The devil has advantage and he thrives only in darkness and in secrecy, but word of knowledge is a powerful weapon against him and it is a powerful tool for evangelism. Many people have come to believe and accept Jesus as Lord through the manifestation of this gift of the Spirit.
Jesus operated in word of knowledge in John 4:5-29. On his way into Samaria, He met a woman at a well and told her all that she did in her past. It was a word of knowledge that Jesus was operating in when he told His disciples that the widow who put her two mites in the offering gave her all. It was obvious what she gave, however, Him knowing that it was her all was through the gift of word of knowledge (Mark 12:41-44). Peter knew that Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied about the amount they gave from the proceeds of the land they sold, because the Holy Spirit showed it to him through the gift of word of knowledge (Acts 5:1-10).
Elisha knew that Gehazi went after Naaman to ask for the gift he rejected, through a word of knowledge (2 Kings 5:20-27). Satan's activity is exposed and he is limited when the church is operating in the gift of word of knowledge. God uses the word of knowledge to highlight problems that are going on in someone's life or in a place, so we can be aware and look for solutions to them. God uses word of knowledge to expose sin and instill the fear of God. He uses the gift of word of knowledge to confirm that He is present and working amongst His people. God will not reveal anything about anyone to someone, only for the sake of it. There is always something He would like us to do with that knowledge.
God may use the gift of word of knowledge to expose sin, but will never use it to embarrass or bring shame to anyone. Many years ago, while in intercession for some people in our fellowship, the Lord unveiled to me some deep secret about a sister in the fellowship. He wanted me to pray for her and go talk to her about it. Though this sister appeared to be a very involved and serious with God, there were many things not right with her and God. I was just starting out and did not know how to go about using gifts of the spirit so, I shared it with a brother in the fellowship who was very close to her and requested that he talked with her for me instead. It caused her deep pain, and almost got her depressed because he was the last person she would have wanted to discuss that with.
I was young, inexperienced and did not know how to use gifts of the Spirit. God used that experience to teach me a great deal. It is important to know how to use this gift; as sometimes, what God may show you may be for your own consumption only, to enable you to know how and what to pray for. In addition, it is not everything that should be said in public, some revelations are meant to be dealt with in private, in order not to bring anyone to public shame.
Discerning Of Spirits
The gift of discerning of spirits is the gift that enables a person to tell the difference between spirits operating in someone or in a place. Without the gift of discerning of spirits, you are going to mistake the spirit of the devil for the spirit of God. There are many spirits out there, seeking for influence and control over people. A lot of such spirits are demon and antichrist spirits assigned from the kingdom of darkness to confuse people, lead them astray and into bondage. You cannot tell that a spirit is not of God by physical appearance. You cannot tell that someone is being used by an antichrist spirit by looking at the signs, wonders and miracles that he performs. Signs, wonders and miracles do not necessarily prove that someone is a minister of God. Jesus says this concerning the last days. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
These antichrist spirits do not come looking like evil spirits, they come looking like angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-14, 1 John 2:18). You will need the gift of discerning of spirits to tell what sort of a spirit is operating in a place or through someone; just because what someone is speaking of agrees with the scriptures does not make him a representative of heaven. Moreover, because miracles happen in someone's ministry does not necessarily mean that he is working with the Spirit of God. Many people have been deceived, taken advantaged of, defrauded, and misled by many so called 'men of God', because of the signs and the wonders that they have performed.
There are many people out there carrying the Bible and preaching only for their belly. We saw an example of this in Acts 16:16-18 where an evil spirit was affirming the ministry of Paul and Silas, And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour (Acts 16:16-18).
If Paul could not discern spirits, he would have celebrated the supernatural ability exhibited by this damsel and by implication, he would have endorsed Satan’s manipulations and deceptions. Through discerning of spirits, he saw who she was really working for. Although she was promoting their cause, affirming that they were from God, he understood that the spirit operating in her was of Satan and he cast it out. Satan's purpose is always to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). Satan may appear as an angel of light, however, his motive is never for the benefit of anybody. Without discerning of spirits, you may not be able to effectively deal with the root cause of the problems you want to solve, and would keep going round the bush solving nothing. Jesus knew in Matthew 16:22-23, through the operation of discerning of spirits, who He was dealing with and He rebuked Satan directly (even though it was Peter speaking, when he tried to persuade Jesus not to go to the cross).
The gift of discerning of spirits is very helpful to the ministry of the pastor, those in counselling ministry and evangelism. It helps in knowing what kind of spirit you are dealing with, when you stand to support the people you are called to. In 1995, someone came to see me in the office, when I was pastoring a church in a city called Bauchi in Nigeria, to ask for financial assistance. To convince me to give him money, he told me all the lies in the world. While he was still speaking, God showed me that he was lying and gave me a picture of who he really was. I told him that he was lying and what God told me, he broke down in my office and gave his life to Jesus right there in my office. That was the gift of discerning of spirits that manifested through me. God wanted to save that man that day and so he revealed to me the spirit I was dealing with.
The Utterance Gifts
Utterance gifts are expressed through inspired words. Through utterance gifts, God supernaturally takes over the use of someone's tongue and enables him to speak by divine inspiration, the things that he has no knowledge of. Words are powerful, they shape destiny and they change the course of nature. God uses words to convey His counsel and release His power. Humans cannot handle the voice of God directly spoken to them. God tried it before, but to the people, His voice sounded as thunder and the whole place filled with smoke, lightening and it quaked. The people could not handle it and were afraid (Exodus 20:18-19). The people will die, if God will speak in His own voice. As such, through the utterance gifts, God takes the tongues of men and He communicates His message in human voice. Utterance gifts are the gift of prophecy, the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, and the gift of the interpretation of tongues.
Gift Of Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through someone, the Holy Spirit inspiring him to declare the counsel of God. Prophecies are given to reveal the mind of God, to give some insight into the future and to confirm or reaffirm what God had shown someone before. Basically, prophecies achieve three purposes; they are given for edification, for exhortation and for comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). For any prophecy to qualify as coming from God, it must meet these three standards. Prophecy that comes from God does not create fear, worry or confusion.
There is a difference between the office of a prophet and the gift of prophecy. Every believer can have an experience of the Holy Spirit in manifestation of the gift of prophecy and be given divine utterances to declare God's Word, but that will not make him a prophet. The office of the prophet is a calling; a man who is so called steps into that office and the authority of a prophet is upon him anytime he steps out to speak. The prophet's authority lies in his ability to hear God and thus speak. God speaks to him through inspired utterances, visions, dreams and the understanding of mysteries. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream (Numbers 12:5-6).
Furthermore, because someone has experienced the manifestation of the gift of prophecy in his life a few times, does not make him a prophet. God can and does raise people, not necessarily prophets, and imparts them with inspired words for the edification, exhortation and the comfort of His people. Prophecy is not the one and only way God speaks to His people. God actually does not intend for the believer to be led primarily by prophets or prophecies; rather, He intends for every believer to develop intimacy with Jesus. God intends for every believer to get to know Him and hear Him directly. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds Hebrews 1:1-2)
God wants to be able to speak to every believer directly and not through prophecies, (Romans 8:14, 16). God will never speak to a man through someone without first speaking or trying to speak to him directly. What Agabus the prophet told Paul the apostle, concerning what his fate would be, if he goes to Jerusalem, it was nothing new to Paul: for prior to that, God had told Paul what he would suffer for Him (Acts 20:20-24, Acts 21:10-11). Prophecies come to individuals, to confirm what God had spoken to them about before (Acts 15:32). Someone may receive a message coming fresh from God through prophecies, only where God had sought to get through to him, but the individual was distracted, not sensitive to God or was at a place where he could not understand God. However, if the person whom the prophecy comes to, takes time out and seeks the face of God to know God's mind for himself, God will speak to him directly to confirm what came by prophecy. Every prophecy given to an individual must connect with his spirit and have meaning, for it to be from God.
There are lying spirits out there who may sound like God, but are not. They seek to deceive people, defraud and bring them into bondage. If all you are going to be led by is prophecy and you cannot judge prophecies nor discern their origin and if what you are counting on is for someone to hear God for you (whether they be men of God, prophets, apostles etcetera), you are likely going to fall prey to false prophets and lying spirits. Prophecy is most of the time directed towards the body of Christ; God using the gift of prophecy to speak to the church collectively. Paul says, two or three people should speak and the rest must judge, whether what is being said is of God or not (1 Corinthians 14:29). The yardstick for judging prophecy is that it must line up with the Word of God, there must be two or three witnesses to confirm it, and it must bring edification, it must exhort and bring comfort to the people.
Diverse Kinds Of Tongues
The Holy Spirit, through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, supernaturally enables a person to speak in a language he has not learnt before. The person who is doing the speaking, may not have an idea of which language it is he is speaking, may not have the understanding of what he is saying, but he can ask for God to enable him to have the gift to interpret whatever he speaks. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is as it says; the person operating in this gift is able to speak in diverse or multiple languages, God using him at every point to speak to the people where he is.
Every believer is given the ability to speak in tongues as he receives the Holy Spirit baptism. The ability to speak in tongues during Holy Spirit baptism, comes as the initial evidence of the baptism and it is given to enable the believer, to pray mysteries: praying in such a way that only God can understand him, and praying on things that he knows nothing about. The tongues which come with the Holy Spirit baptism are also given to the believer as a tool for him to use in praying to edify himself (1 Corinthians 14:2,4). The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is different from speaking in tongues, which comes as the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is not for speaking mysteries or for personal edification. Diverse kinds of tongues are primarily for a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22).
God makes use of the gift of diverse kinds of tongues to speak through someone in a language that is strange to him, to convey a message to a person He is seeking to bring to the light of the Gospel of Jesus. Diverse kinds of tongues are in manifestation to pass messages and prophecy. Essentially, whichever way they come, they are given as a sign, to convict, bring assurance to and raise somebody up. Someone once shared a story with me, of how He visited a particular church in the USA and there he heard someone praying in his own local dialect (he comes from a certain tribe in Africa), and he could hear what the man was saying very clearly. He thought the man had lived amongst his own people and learnt their language.
He was excited, thinking that at least, there was someone in the congregation who he could speak his language with. He met the person after the meeting and spoke to him in his language, but he said to his amazement that the man did not understand what he was saying and he also discovered that the man had never visited Africa. The man told him, he was only speaking in tongues and did not know what he was saying. That was the gift of diverse kinds of tongues in operation. It is a sign to make people believe. Praying in tongues which comes with Holy Spirit baptism, is for praying mysteries and for self-edification. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is for passing messages to people.
Whereas anyone who has the ability to pray in tongues which is received through Holy Spirit baptism can and has the liberty to pray in tongues at any time, with the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, the speaker must interpret what he is saying or someone who has the gift of interpretation must be present to give the meaning of what is said (1 Corinthians 14:28). The use of speaking in tongues is one of the most controversial issues that arose in the early church, which Paul dealt with and gave specific guidance on how to operate in them. Paul says, praying in tongues should be treated as a private thing, where there is no interpreter and no one should pray a congregational prayer in tongues, since no one will understand him and agree with him to say 'Amen'. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God (1 Corinthians 14:28).
You can speak in tongues to yourself and to God, but not to the church, unless you can interpret what you are saying. You may, however, pray in tongues, as well as with understanding at the same time (1 Corinthians 14:14-17). In addition, when speaking to the people in tongues in church meetings, Paul says, only two or three people must speak and there has to be an interpreter, otherwise the one who speaks must stay silent (1 Corinthians 14:27).
Interpretation Of Tongues
The gift of interpretation of tongues is the ability to understand the message that is given through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. It is important to note that this gift is different and is independent of the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. Not everyone who has the gift of diverse kinds of tongues also has the gift to interpret tongues. However, it is ideal for whoever is given the gift of diverse kinds of tongues to also pray for the ability to interpret what he is saying in another tongue (1 Corinthians 14:13). It is also possible to have the gift of interpretation of tongues and not have the gift of speaking in diverse kinds of tongues. Messages and prophecies that are given in tongues do not make any meaning and are fruitless, unless there is someone with the gift of interpretation present. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air (1 Corinthians 14:6-9)
We know that God is not the author of confusion, but of decency and order. As touching the use of gifts of the Spirit, particularly with reference to prophecy and speaking in tongues, God instructs that everything must be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). We know that God can give messages or prophecies through the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, however because of order, He will not give any message via tongues and not also give the interpretation of it. There has to be the gift of interpretation of tongues operating in a place where there is the gift of diverse kinds of tongues.
The gift of interpretation of tongues operates differently with different people. Some people hear and understand what is being spoken in tongues, as if it is spoken in their own language: whilst the person speaking is doing so in tongues, they will be hearing it in the language they understand. With other people, they cannot explain how it happens, but they just know what is being said; God supernaturally enables them to understand what is spoken in another tongue. There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which works all.
The Holy Spirits operates in different ways in our various church congregations and in individuals. There is no one particular way or style of manifestation with the Holy Spirit. It is possible for two individuals who are given the manifestation of the same gift of the Spirit to operate in the gift in different ways. God is a dynamic God and expresses Himself in various manners. As such, because someone operates in a particular gift in a style or way that is different from how you have seen it work in another person's life, does not mean that one of them is fake. It is also possible for the Holy Spirit to operate through you in one form today, but use a different form the next time. Now look at these scriptures, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
The same Spirit is the one who works through different people using different styles of administration and different methods of operation. That someone is manifesting gifts of the Spirit in a way you have not seen it done before, does not mean that the person is not of God. This is why you must never be quick to dismissing someone's ministry, because you do not approve of his method or style. The Holy Spirit has no one style or method of operation; therefore, do not use it to judge whether a person is genuine or fake. However, in whichever way the Holy Spirit is operating, even if it looks odd to you, the indication that it is the Holy Spirit working is that, it will point people to Jesus and not draw attention to the person manifesting the gift. It will be for edification, for exhortation and for comfort and it will not bring any benefit to the person manifesting the gift. Gifts of the Spirit may endorse a man's calling, make people to receive him and make his ministry more impactful, but will never take people's attention from God to a human being.
The Holy Spirit stops manifesting in a place where Jesus is not taking the glory. Some people use Romans 11:29 to explain that it is possible for God to use a man, even if he is not walking in obedience with God. The verse says, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. It is key for you to know, that the above interpretation of this scripture is not what God is saying here. The truth is that, if God calls a man to be an evangelist for instance, God will bestow on him all the gifts and abilities he needs, to enable him to be a successful evangelist. However, it will be up to the man to choose to yield himself, to be used by God in that ministry or not. He may opt for something different, or he may stay as an evangelist, but live in disregard of every instruction God has given him and fail God.
Whatever the case, God is not going to change His mind about His original plan and purpose for that man. Someday, God will require the man to account for his stewardship. This is what that verse is saying and not that one may walk away from God, not pay attention to the Holy Spirit, give himself to ungodliness and still have the Holy Spirit work through him. It is not so with God. You must pay attention and avoid people who show supernatural manifestations and yet you cannot see God in them. If you cannot see the fear of God in the man, he may not be representing God.
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit (Matthew 7:15-17, New Living Translation).
