by Pastor Mark Cowart
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:14-20 NKJV
In this teaching, I want to help you understand the gifts of the Spirit and why they matter in the life of every believer. Faith begins where the will of God is known, so we have to see what Scripture says about the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit. I often describe it as the five, the seven, the nine, and the nine:
The Five-Fold Ministry Gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher
The Seven Motivational Gifts: Perceiving (Prophet), Serving (Ministering), Teaching, Encouraging (Exhorting), Giving, Ruling (Leadership/Administration), and Mercy
The Nine Gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation
The Nine Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
In the five-fold ministry gifts, God calls individuals into these offices. We cannot appoint ourselves and say, “I think I want to be an apostle,” or, “I think I want to be a prophet.” Only God can do that. Scripture says no man takes that honor unto himself. The five-fold ministry functions in this way: the apostle governs, the prophet guides, the evangelist gathers, the pastor guards, and the teacher grounds us.
The seven motivational gifts are found in Romans 12. Every believer has one or more of these gifts operating in their life. Then there are the nine gifts of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12 and the nine fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. The nine gifts of the Spirit fall into three categories: power gifts that do something, revelation gifts that reveal something, and inspirational gifts that inspire. But alongside those gifts is the fruit of the Spirit, and I believe that fruit is a form of spiritual warfare. Love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruit keep us grounded and balanced as we walk with God.
“Gifts are freely given by God, but fruit must be cultivated.”
A Christmas tree can hold gifts under it, but it doesn’t produce them. A fruit tree produces fruit because it is rooted, planted, watered, and nourished. In the same way, believers cultivate the fruit of the Spirit through obedience and intimacy with God. We have to hunger and thirst after righteousness. That’s why the Great Commission is so important. Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:14), and He promised that signs would follow those who believe. Notice the order: we do not follow signs, signs follow us.
The gifts of the spirit are meant to flow out of us just like the fruit of the spirit; in our intimacy with the Lord and our relationship with him. We must walk closely with Him and get into His word until His word gets into us because at that point we find that we are walking in true light. The good news is that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. If God has placed something in you, it is still there. Like Paul told Timothy, we must stir up the gift of God within us and allow the Holy Spirit to fan it into flame.
DIG DEEPER
- Mark 16:14–20
- Romans 12:6–8
- 1 Corinthians 12
- Galatians 5
- Acts 1:8
- John 3:16
- John 15:1
- 1 John
- Matthew 7:21–23
- Hebrews 5:4
- 2 Timothy 1:6
PRAY
- Pray for wisdom and understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
- Ask God to stir up dormant gifts within you.
- Pray for purity, humility, and integrity as you seek the Lord.
- Pray for boldness to share the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission
REFLECT
- Do I view the Great Commission as central to my Christian life?
- Am I pursuing intimacy with Jesus more than spiritual experiences?
- Have I neglected gifts God has placed inside me?
- Do I compare my calling to others instead of embracing God’s design for my life?
- Am I remaining grounded in God’s Word while pursuing the supernatural?
