Growth · lessons 6
The spiritual gifts: power and service
Faith, healing, miracles, helping, and administration
The miracle in the ordinary
John did not know what to do. His Small Group had a family in serious need -- empty fridge, rent overdue. He felt in his heart that he should act, organized a collection, put together food baskets, and negotiated with the landlord. In two weeks, the situation was stabilized. Nobody called it a miracle. But it was. The gift of helping -- someone who sees the need and acts -- is just as supernatural as a healing. It is God using human hands to solve real problems.
In the previous lesson, we studied the revelation and utterance gifts. Now we complete the picture with the power gifts (faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers) and the service gifts (helping and guidance/administration).
It is important to note: the more 'spectacular' gifts are not more important than the service gifts. Paul is emphatic: the body needs all its members (1 Corinthians 12:21-22). The hand that serves is just as necessary as the mouth that prophesies.
Power Gifts -- God acts supernaturally through people:
- Gift of faith -- this is not saving faith (which every believer has), but a supernatural empowerment to believe the impossible in a specific situation. It is the faith that moves mountains (Mark 11:23) -- given by the Spirit for a precise moment.
- Gifts of healing -- a supernatural empowerment to be an instrument of physical, emotional, or spiritual healing. Note the plural: 'gifts' (variety) of 'healing.' Not every prayer results in healing, but God continues to heal through His church.
- Miraculous powers -- empowerment to be an instrument of divine interventions that transcend natural laws. It is the God of Elijah, who parts seas and multiplies bread, at work today.
Service Gifts -- God empowers for the practical care of the Body:
- Gift of helping -- empowerment to identify needs and act effectively. It is the Christian who serves tables, visits hospitals, organizes donations, and takes care of what happens behind the scenes. Without this gift, the church does not function.
- Gift of guidance/administration (kybernesis -- the helmsman of a ship) -- empowerment to organize, plan, and lead processes. It is the one who brings order to chaos, structures projects, and makes things happen efficiently.
These gifts are just as spiritual as prophecy or tongues. Every empowerment to edify the Body comes from the same Spirit.
When healing does not come Show
One of the most sensitive questions of the Christian life: we pray for healing and it does not come. How do we understand this?
1. God is sovereign -- He heals when He wants and how He wants. Even Paul was not healed of his 'thorn in the flesh' (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
2. Lack of healing is not lack of faith -- this is a cruel distortion. People of great faith get sick and die. Blaming the sick person is anti-biblical.
3. We live between the 'already' and the 'not yet' -- the Kingdom has already come (there are healings today), but it has not been fully consummated (there is sickness until Christ's return). Complete healing is guaranteed in eternity (Revelation 21:4).
4. Keep praying -- the fact that not every prayer results in healing does not mean we should stop praying. Jesus commanded us to pray for the sick (Mark 16:18). We obey and trust the outcome to God.
Balanced posture: pray with faith expecting the miracle, but trust in God's sovereignty if He says 'not now.'
Paul destroys the hierarchy of gifts. In the culture of the Corinthian church -- and in many churches today -- spectacular gifts are exalted and service gifts are ignored. Paul flips it: those that seem lesser receive greater honor.
The sound does not work without the technician. The service does not happen without the one who cleans. The Small Group does not sustain itself without the one who welcomes. If you have the gift of serving, administrating, or helping -- you are just as necessary as any preacher.
“The foundation and the greatest strategy of discipleship is learning to love our neighbor as Christ loves us.”
Stop and think
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1
Have you ever seen or experienced power gifts (supernatural faith, healing, miracles) in your life or in the church?
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2
Do you equally value the service gifts (helping, administration) and the more visible gifts? Why or why not?
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3
If the gifts are 'for the common good,' how are you using yours to edify others?
For this week
Identify which service gift you can exercise this week in a concrete way: help someone in need, organize something in the Small Group, serve in a ministry at church. Also, pray for someone who needs healing -- it does not need to be spectacular; pray with faith and leave the outcome with God. In the Small Group, share: 'Which gift do I see operating in me and how can I grow in it?'
To close
“Father, thank You for every gift You distribute to Your church. Thank You that no gift is lesser and no member is dispensable. Use me wherever You wish -- whether to pray for healing or to serve tables. May I not despise any gift and not covet what is not mine. May love be the motive for everything. In the name of Jesus, amen.”
For the discipler
Objective
Complete the teaching on spiritual gifts (power and service), equally valuing visible and invisible gifts, and helping the disciple identify and exercise their gifts to edify the Body.
Difficult questions
- If I have the gift of healing, why is not everyone I pray for healed? The gift operates according to the sovereignty of the Spirit, not according to our will. You are a channel, not the source. Continue to be available and obedient -- the outcome belongs to God.
- My gift is 'just' serving. Does it matter? Very much! Without service gifts, the church falls apart. Jesus washed feet. Paul made tents. Serving is the purest expression of Christ's love.
- How do I discover my gifts? Three indicators: desire (what do you love doing for God?), effectiveness (where does God use you with fruit?), and confirmation (do others recognize this gift in you?). Pray, serve in different areas, and observe where the Spirit flows.
- Can I have more than one gift? Yes. The Bible does not limit it. Paul encouraged seeking more gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). Start using what you already have and keep seeking more.
Practical tips
- Do a practical exercise: ask each member of the Small Group to write down which gift they see in each other. Often others see our gifts before we do.
- Balance the lesson: if the group is very 'head-oriented,' highlight the power gifts. If they are very 'experience-oriented,' highlight order and service.
- Do not create the expectation that miracles will happen every time you pray. Create the expectation that God is faithful and acts as He wills.
- Connect with the Small Group: the Small Group is the ideal environment for gifts to be discovered and exercised safely.
Extra material
- Leitura: Discover Your Spiritual Gifts -- C. Peter Wagner (summary)
- Video: Service Gifts: the power behind the scenes -- Pr. Luciano Subira