Releasing Spiritual Gifts TodaySýnishorn

Receiving God’s Gifts

The late John Wimber, who was well-known as a teacher and leader in the Vineyard movement, said, “A believer does not possess gifts; a believer receives gifts from God to be used at special times for special occasions.… The gifts are the tools which enable one to fulfill the ministry required.”

Spiritual gifts are not ours to simply play with—or not—according to our own whims. They are ours to activate by faith and to use at God’s direction. Whenever He wants to bring His kingdom to bear on something, His first choice is to use a spiritual-gift-equipped follower. That man or woman or child does not have to be a “professional religious person.” God typically uses the nearest available believer to accomplish His purposes throughout the world.

Tools, Not Toys

As John Wimber put it, spiritual gifts are tools; they are not toys. As such, you need to practice using them, and you will not be an expert on your first try. It is no small thing to step out in public to use them. You really do have to be willing to appear stupid and to fail. Nothing is guaranteed, except that the Holy Spirit will be with you. We need to be willing to practice the gifts purposefully as we learn from spiritual mentors and become willing to take risks. The Holy Spirit will never impel you to do something. If you are waiting for God to cause you to say or to do something, you will wait forever. You need to act. 

We must realize that the gifts of the Spirit are not just human talents and abilities, polished until they shine with God’s light. Although humans do use their innate, God-given faculties when they use the gifts of the Spirit as tools, the gifts are not part of their original “tool set.” We can observe that God employs and strengthens human temperaments and abilities by His Spirit, but that is not the same thing as receiving spiritual gifts, which are “direct manifestations of the Holy Spirit through believers,” as Pastor Dick Iverson says.

Why Does God Give Spiritual Gifts? 

For the Common Good

Scripture exhorts us to seek spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1), and the apostle Paul made it clear that the gifts are meant to be used on behalf of other people. “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). The gifts have been given to you so you can channel God’s love to someone else. Gifts are for giving away!

For the Whole Body

God gives spiritual gifts so that the entire body of Christ can profit from them, so that each member can benefit the other members of the body. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12–31; Romans 12:4–8.) The nine gifts that I will be focusing on in this devotional are not the totality of body ministry, but total body ministry is not possible without them.

For the Effectiveness of the Gospel

Without God’s supernatural endowments, the church cannot presume to preach the gospel to the whole world and reap the great harvest prior to the coming of the Lord. (See Matthew 24:14.) When the early disciples were scattered by persecution, they took the gospel wherever they went and exercised spiritual gifts, as was the case with Philip in Acts 8:4–8. Jesus Himself said that supernatural gifts would be the “credentials” of believers. (See Mark 16:17–20; Acts 4:33; Hebrews 2:3–4.)

How to Receive God’s Graces and Gifts

The following are steps for positioning ourselves receptively as we seek God and His gifts.

1. Choose God’s Choice for You

First, we choose God’s choice for us. God is sovereign over all and He gives us graces, ministries, and spiritual offices as He desires. His decision to bestow gifts is not dependent on the recipient’s choosing. Yet we get to choose His choice for us! It takes these two seemingly opposed truths joining forces to reach the goal of receiving and exercising spiritual gifts: Is it God’s sovereignty? Or our free will? Yes—both. Let us choose to receive and operate in the gifts God has for us.

2. Be Open and Receptive to God

We need to actively seek and ask for what God has chosen, making ourselves available to receive it. Those who are already gifted can help each other to receive God’s gifts, often through the laying on of hands. One example in the Old Testament is when Moses laid his hands on Joshua to impart to him the gift of leadership. We see this practice throughout the history of the people of God, especially after the Holy Spirit was given to the church.

Sometimes, the laying on of hands confers an impartation of great magnitude, such as with the disciple Ananias and the future apostle Paul. (See Acts 9:17–18.) An impartation can also occur without the laying on of hands, as in the case of intentional mentoring. 

3. Make Yourself Available to God

We should be aware that it is quite possible to miss our chance to receive an impartation of God’s grace. Jesus’ disciples received His impartations by making themselves available when He called them and sent them out to minister in His authority. Out into the countryside they went, without Him, to test their new gifts, and then they came back to report their successes to Him. (See, for example, Luke 10:1–11, 17–19.) Ministering in Jesus’ name brought them great joy, even in the midst of the personal sacrifices and difficulties that came with the territory.

Heavenly Father, I ask You to be my Gift-giver, my Fruit-bearer, and my Teacher and Guide—always to Your glory. As I walk through life, may I reflect Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit wherever I go. Let me be continually open and receptive to the gifts You want to give me. I have great expectations that You will move in my life today! Amen and amen.