Developing Spiritual Gifts

by Jeremy Simpkins


Jubilee Church, Teesside, UK

When I visited Kings Church Hastings as a lukewarm teenager, I was immediately ruined by the sense of God’s presence. From that day on I would never be the same again. I was particularly amazed by the use of spiritual gifts. This was the first time I’d heard tongues and prophecy or seen anyone prayed for to be healed! This ignited in me a life-long passion for the presence of the Spirit and a deep desire to see his gifts displayed in the body of Christ.

I often find that people have not been well taught in this area. Paul was concerned that the Corinthians should not be ‘ignorant’ about the correct use of the gifts. Every leader’s calling includes teaching regularly on the Spirit and his gifts; in Jubilee we aim to do this once a year. However, teaching alone is not enough. Leaders are responsible for creating an atmosphere where gifts are regularly displayed and should consistently model them.

Like Timothy, some of us have the tendency not to use our gifts. ‘Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you’ (1 Tim. 4:14-15). My experience is that unused gifts can easily become dormant, like a fire burning down to the embers. Paul writes to Timothy to ‘rekindle the embers, fan the flame and keep burning, the gracious gift of God, the inner fire that is in you’ (2 Tim. 1:6 Amplified Version).

We have the responsibility to fan into flame the Spirit’s activity within us. It’s the Word of God that fuels our inner fire. The more I know God’s Word and live it out, the more the Spirit seems to ignite me! God never moves outside his Word, so every gift is backed up in Scripture by its use, by its vocabulary and most certainly by it being expressed in

an atmosphere of love. So here are some keys to fanning your fire.

 

Be filled with the Spirit!

You may think that’s obvious, but I’m amazed how many are not aware of this essential experience. It’s not enough to belong to a ‘Spirit-filled’ church or to know all about the Spirit; we need to be personally and continually filled with him. You may have even experienced God’s power. Paul did so on the road to Damascus; he was thrown to the floor, heard the audible voice of God and certainly saw the light, but it was days later that a brave disciple laid hands on him to be filled with the Spirit! If you are unsure about these things, search the Scriptures, listen to good teaching and ask your leaders to lay hands on you. But even if you have been previously filled with the Spirit, the Biblical injunction is to be continually filled, an on-going process. So ask yourself, ‘Am I filled right now?’

 

Eagerly desire spiritual gifts

Although the Spirit gives gifts sovereignly ‘to each one, just as he determines’ (1 Cor. 12:11) there is also encouragement for us to ‘eagerly desire spiritual gifts’ (1 Cor. 14:1). That carries with it a sense of a burning, passionate zeal for God to use us. You may think that’s selfish, but Biblically this is how you will serve the body as all the gifts are ‘for the strengthening of the church’ (1 Cor. 14:26).

Paul teaches that when we meet together everyone has the potential to be used through spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:26). That means that I should come available and even expecting to be used by the Spirit!

 

Be obedient…

First, obedience to the Spirit – we must learn to recognise and respond to the Spirit’s prompting. For me it’s about learning to listen to the ‘still small voice’ that so often comes totally out of the blue, like a forgotten thought, but feels so natural that I’m often tempted to think it was my idea!

We also need to be sensitive about when it is appropriate to bring a gift in a meeting. How often have you heard a great prophecy brought at the wrong time? To hear some people, you would think they had no choice in bringing their gift, but God never takes us over like a force that is foreign to us. In fact ‘the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets’ (1 Cor. 14:32).

Second, we need to learn obedience to those with spiritual authority. Good leadership brings us security so that ‘everything is done in a fitting and orderly way’ (1 Cor. 14:40). However this is more like the order of a rugby match, than the order of a graveyard!

Let me encourage you to work with your leaders and learn from them. Ultimately Scripture says that ‘the others should weigh carefully what is said’ (1 Cor. 14:29). That doesn’t mean that others are judging you; rather they are feeling the weight of what has been said and deciding an appropriate response.

 

Actively encourage others

Unfortunately, sometimes we can be quicker to criticise than to encourage! Stop right now and ask yourself when was the last time you encouraged someone in their gift? You might think that this may lead to pride, but most find it difficult to ‘step out’, and feel uncertain and nervous. That’s why we are told to ‘encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness’ (Heb. 3:13). We have an enemy who constantly sows condemnation, but genuine encouragement stimulates courage and faith.

 
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes!

Fear of failure often prohibits people from stepping out in

the gifts, but we know that Scripture promises that we only ever ‘prophesy in part’ (1 Cor. 13:9)! So, like children learning to walk, we will sometimes fall over, but let’s remember ‘a righteous man falls seven times, yet rises again’ (Prov. 24:16) I am personally convinced that God is more pleased if we step out and fall over, than if we sit back, do nothing out of fear and always appear to be right!

I once read that the famous inventor Thomas Edison experienced well over 10,000 failed experiments before his success with the electric light bulb. Apparently his loyal assistant once sighed about ‘another mistake’ to which Mr Edison replied, ‘My good man that was not a mistake it was an education!’ Let’s not wait until we get it all right; that will be far too late. We need to step out in faith now!

A freeflow of gifts will only be birthed in communities of genuine love and forgiveness. I find it fascinating that the context of all the key passages on spiritual gifts is our love for one another and our relationships together. God has designed it that the gifts flourish best in an atmosphere of grace.

 

And finally…

Let’s remember that spiritual gifts are not just for believers. In a genuine desire to put unbelievers at ease some have abandoned the public use of gifts. But Paul would encourage us to do the opposite: ‘Tongues are a sign, for unbelievers...if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”’ (1 Cor. 14:22, 24).

Please don’t think only in terms of church meetings. Most New Testament examples of the use of spiritual gifts take place in public places. Jesus had a word for the woman at the well. Peter and John didn’t invite the lame man to a healing meeting; he was healed in the street! In fact, if you think about the range of spiritual gifts, it would be difficult to see them all being used in our meetings. Think of hospitality, administration, mercy, or serving, for example. So come on, let’s fan into flame the Spirit’s wonderful activity among us!