Notes of Faith June 15, 2026
Pastor’s Pen Pulpit Series: The Holy Spirit in Today’s World
November 23, 2003
THE EQUIPPING MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Part 3
In our study of the equipping ministry of the Holy Spirit we now come to examine the individual spiritual gifts as taught in the Word of God. There are two categories: The sign gifts and the permanent gifts. First of all:
The Sign Gifts
Note: The confirming gifts were temporary sign gifts confirming the spoken word in the infant church. Note four of them:
1. Healing (I Corinthians 12:9) - The ability to heal supernaturally and instantaneously the bodies of men and women.
2. Working of miracles (I Corinthians 12:10) – The ability to perform supernatural miracles, usually in the physical realm. e.g. raising the dead.
3. Tongues (I Corinthians 12:10) – The ability to supernaturally speak foreign languages without previous study or knowledge of the language.
4. Interpretation of tongues (I Corinthians 12:10) -The ability to understand and interpret foreign languages apart from study or without previous knowledge of the language.
The Permanent Gifts
Speaking Gifts
1. Prophecy (Romans 12:6; I Corinthians 12:10) – The gift of prophecy is the ability to proclaim the Word of God with accuracy and power so as to promote understanding, edification, exhortation and comfort (I Corinthians 14:3).
2. Teaching (Romans 12:7) - The gift of teaching is the ability to communicate and instruct others in divine truth so as to promote understanding and comprehension, and to do it with comparative ease and efficiency.
3. Exhortation (Romans12:8) - The one who has this gift is one who not only responds to a call for help, but is also able to give comfort and consolation and help concerning past/present problems and to exhort and challenge to a course of action.
4. Word of Wisdom (I Corinthians 12:8) - The ability to understand and have insight into life’s situations and people combined with an understanding of what to do and how to do it. The practical application of divine wisdom to situations and people.
5. Word of Knowledge (I Corinthians 12:8) - The unique ability to understand and to systematize the Word of God and related subjects for the benefit of others.
Serving Gifts
1. Ministry (Romans 12:7) – The ability of individual believers to render practical service to other believers, individually or collectively. The ability to render service in the local church (we have beautiful examples of this in our church in those who cared for Ginny Kafka as well as the many others who quietly and faithfully care for the church grounds and building).
2. Giving (Romans 12:8) – The ability to give wisely of one’s possessions (wise discernment as to where the need really is), and to do it with joy and eagerness without any motivation that would benefit the giver. The amount given is not the issue – rather the motive is the important thing. Note: All believers are to give but not every believer has the spiritual gift of giving.
3. Ruling (Romans 12:8) – The ability to lead others in effective endeavors for God. The ability to assume the role of leadership and to function effectively therein.
Next we will take up the remainder of the permanent gifts. God bless.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Charles Covington
There is disagreement about the gifting of the Holy Spirit…whether any were given for the establishment of the church but then ceased or that all are appropriated for the benefit of the church for the entire age of the church.
I will not get into a detailed discussion here but agree with pastor Charles that the “sign” gifts were for the establishment of the church.
God can do all things at all times and therefore we could be wrong in our interpretation but I personally have not experienced a biblical use of any of the sign gifts in my lifetime. This still does not mean that God cannot or will not use them at any time.
Pastor Dale