Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Ministry

by Norma Dearing
Spring 1999

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines" (1 Corinthians 12: 7–11 ).

Jesus is the embodiment of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in I Corinthians 12: 7–11 . As Christians, we are individually blessed with one or two.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are nowhere more powerfully evident than in the healing ministry. These gifts, particularly when used by a team of prayer ministers who each have individual areas of gifting, enable Jesus' will for healing to be carried out. In the healing ministry, these gifts are profoundly important.

The Gift of Wisdom. This gift is usually given by God to a person to impart understanding to another. When you find yourself answering a question in a profound way that brings a deep understanding to another, you exercise the gift of wisdom. It is not something you usually know in the natural but comes to your heart and mind in a supernatural way.

Judith MacNutt uses a helpful example to describe this gift: When she was 22, a friend, Jane Ethel, asked her to explain the Trinity. Judith gave an explanation that completely answered the question and witnessed to Jane Ethel's questioning heart. When her friend asked Judith how she knew this answer, Judith said she did not know. Today, Judith realizes she was operating in the Gift of Wisdom.

The Gift of Knowledge. Also called "the word of knowledge," this gift is something the Holy Spirit shows you in ministry that you would not otherwise know. It may be in the past or the present.

I once prayed with a newly married woman, and the Lord gave me the knowledge that she had been sexually abused but had never told anyone. I realized this was her deepest, darkest secret and the root of her problem. I asked the Lord what I was supposed to do with this information, and He said nothing at this time. I was to pray silently and wait for her to share it. After an hour, she finally fell in my arms, sobbing, and said, "I hate sex. I just hate it." I asked if she knew why, and the entire story of her abuse came out. She received deep inner healing of her abuse and was later able to fully receive and enjoy the blessing of her marriage.

The Gift of Faith. This is a supernatural gift of fully believing that a prayer is going to be answered. It is a sudden feeling of faith, usually in a crisis, when you are fully expecting that God is absolutely going to answer the prayer.

My husband, Peter, was flying on an airplane, and a baby at the back of the plane was crying. The Lord told Peter it was because of the air pressure and he was to go back and lay hands on the baby's ears. My husband is an introvert and not someone who would ever impose himself on anyone, but in this instance he knew he had heard God clearly and he had complete faith that God would heal if he obeyed. He moved to the back of the plane and asked the mother if he could pray for the baby. She said yes. When Peter lay hands on the baby's ears and prayed, she stopped crying immediately.

"(Jesus) said to them, ' ... For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you"' (Matthew t 7:20).

The Gift of Healing. This gift is for the purpose of supernatural healing of injuries, sickness or disease. All people can lay hands on the sick and pray, but a person with the gift of healing is one who is used by God in very powerful ways, for whatever reason God may have. The person with this special gift seems to have a higher percentage of success in praying, especially when praying for more difficult areas such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, etc. This is the case with Francis and Judith, as well as others. God is the One who does the healing, but He uses some people in very powerful ways to carry out His healing.

The Gift of Miracles. This gift is often related to the gift of healing, but not always. It is something that defies nature, like the parting of the Red
Sea or feeding the five thousand. But this gift still is evident today in a variety of ways. In the healing ministry, I have witnessed a man's legs, four inches in difference, become even as I held his feet in my hands. He left carrying his special built–up shoe in his hand.

Another. miracle was a young nurse who had lost all the amniotic fluid during her pregnancy and was encouraged by her doctor to abort. A group of us prayed for her, and the child was born in perfect health. The doctors even admitted it was a miracle. We also have seen many women conceive who were told it could never happen. Ann Bauwens, on our staff, was told it was medically impossible for her to conceive. Through prayer, Ann and Bob conceived not one but TWO beautiful children, miracles called Katie and Robert.

Next issue — The Final Four:
Prophecy, Discer nment, Tongues &. Interpretation of Tongues

Norma Dearing is the Director of Prayer Ministry at CHM.