In a small group meeting on 5/20/14 a question was asked about the difference between spiritual gifts and natural gifts. During the message given at church on 5/25/14 the Pastor referred to the below scripture in John. As he did the Lord reminded me of a question about spiritual gifts. I had one of those “Wow I could have had a V-8” moments. Some verses that mention the spiritual gift of knowledge are 1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Corinthians 13:2 and 1 Corinthians 13:8. These scriptures speak of the spiritual gift of knowledge, the spiritual and supernatural gift of knowledge that is from God and used through some, but not all. It is available to all, but this gift is used in ministry as God Himself decides. The “gifts of the Spirit (of God)” are just that, from God, which mean He gives them to us as He determines.
Pastor was referring to John 1:43-51 “43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
In these verses we see that Jesus told Nathaniel where he was when Philip found him. This is not something that can be done outside of this “gift of knowledge” that is from God. Nathaniel recognized that Jesus was telling him something that Jesus should not have known, except that Jesus had supernatural knowledge. Nathaniel then realized that Jesus was indeed, as Philip had said, “the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote.” So, here is the supernatural gift of knowledge that through the Spirit of God is available for us.
Jesus did not only tell Nathaniel where he was, but He let Nathaniel know that Jesus knew Nathaniel even before Nathaniel had walked up to Him. Jesus called him “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Again we see the spiritual gift of knowledge as Jesus knew Nathaniel before He had physically met Nathaniel.
Why is this gift available? For the purposes of God. These supernatural revelations are meant for a purpose of God. They must be used as God leads or we are rebelling against what God would have us do. The gifts of God are for His purposes.
I pray that you never disobey, as I did about thirty years ago: At work there was a very attractive lady who unfortunately also had a bit of a “reputation”. While I would say hello and exchange pleasantries with her, sometimes even witnessing to her, I tried not to take too much time talking to her. I didn’t want the others to whom I was witnessing to think I was making advances toward her.
One day the Lord clearly let me know that she was in search of Him and I was to share Him with her. Tragically I guarded my witness and didn’t share the gospel.
After the weekend this lady, with her face beaming, came running up to me. She excitedly told how she had went to church with a friend and was very happy as they were talking about Jesus. She told me the name of the church she had attended and I recognized it as a cult. I was now in a very bad situation as I tried to tell her that there are a lot of good Christian churches, but that the one she was going to was not one of them. She was hurt by what I tried to tell her. She went home and talked to the people of the cult church she had visited with. They told her not to talk to me and she, for the most part, didn’t.
I had lost the opportunity to minister to this soul after God had given me a word of knowledge about her. I was devastated and the pain and shame of my disobedience to God remains with me. I hope to never disobey in such a way again.
We always pray that we don’t disobey God. I pray that after receiving a word of knowledge from the Lord I never again disobey.
What I intended to share is that the gifts of the Spirit are supernatural, and not natural gifts. What the Lord exhibited to Nathaniel is the gift of knowledge. That gift is still available to us today, for God’s purposes.
IHS 5/26/14