Spiritual Gifts, 21

 ~ The Speaking Spiritual Gifts ~

Opening Comment  ~  “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). 

Speaking Gifts  ~  This is a large category of Spiritual Gifts.  First we looked at Source Gifts, then Serving Gifts, and now we come to the category of Speaking Gifts. 

I like to compare this category of God-given abilities to the Medical Community in societies.  Looking at in this way we might liken various Speaking Gifts this way:

     Evangelist ~ Spiritual Obstetrician

     Teacher ~ Spiritual Pediatrician

     Pastor ~ Spiritual General Practitioner

     Exhorter ~ Spiritual Cardiologist

     Musician ~ Spiritual Psychologist

     Preacher ~ Spiritual Physical Therapist

Scripture  ~  “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). 

John Phillips puts it this way: While Serving Gifts were involved in “Expanding the Work of God,” Speaking Gifts have more to do with “Expounding the Word of God.”

Traits  ~  The speaking gifts are the public gifts – those that are typically carried out publicly in the local church.  In a very real way, they are a sub-set of the Serving Gifts as are all spiritual gifts – since all Spiritual Gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ.

These gifts are often motivational within the body of Christ (i.e., “Expound the Word of God” which has to do with body life and spiritual growth).  This category includes Inspiration of Truth (or Prophecy), Incarnation of Truth (or Ministry), and Interpretation of Truth (or Teaching).   

Caution  ~  Because these gifts are exercised so publicly it can easily be assumed that those with these gifts are more spiritual than those with other gifts.  This is a false assumption. 

Closing Comments  ~  “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

* * * * *