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Discover Your Spiritual GiftDavid L. Johnston
Nothing But The Truth, Jacksonville, FL, NothingButTheTruth.orgDiscover Your Spiritual GiftCopyright © 2020 David L. JohnstonAll rights reserved. This book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher or copyright holder in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without prior written permission from the publisher or copyright holder as long as it is kept in its entirety and not sold for a prot.Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE: King James Version.Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.ISBN: 978-1-965799-24-6 (Paperback) ISBN: 978-1-965799-25-3 (Ebook)
IntroductionDon’t you love to receive gifts? More and more, these gifts—birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, Mother’s/Father’s Day gifts—are just gift cards to stores or restaurants. Gone are the days of the handmade gifts that took weeks or months to create. Gone are the days of gifts that have been thought through and perfect. But did you know that God has created a unique gift just for you? No, I’m not talking about the most amazing gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ (that’s the ultimate gift!). I’m talking about your spiritual gift, your “Embedded Natural Ability.”God has given each of His children an internal ability to be used to further His kingdom and for His glory. All of this is explained in the Bible. Over several passages, God shares the various gifts and how they t or function within the Church (see Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 12).This brief ebook will explain the different gifts, how they t in the big picture, the Body of Christ, and how you can discover yours.May you learn to use your gift well. David L. Johnston
Discover Your Spritual GiftThe Theological Context of Spiritual Gifts“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:4-7)If I say the word church today, many will think of organized religion or the building on the corner where we see people going in and out on Sunday mornings. While that is a widely held understanding of what church means, it is not the biblical one.Is church a building? A structure? An organization? Not according to the Bible. In the Bible, the word church represents an assembly of Jesus’ followers. The church is not the building, but the people who gather there. The church is people, not structures or institutions. Each follower is an individual member of that collective body.
2Discover Your Spiritual Gift“Ye (all of you) are the body of Christ, and (each of you) members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27, additions mine)This concept is wonderful in its application. It means that you and I are to Christ today what His body was to Him when He was on the earth. When I view you properly, that is, as a member of Christ’s body, then I will treat you just like I would Christ because you are the body of Jesus. What esteem! What respect! What admiration! What appreciation! What reverence! What a concept!In 1 Corinthians, we discover that there are three different groupings or “diversities” of gifts given to us, the church.“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to prot withal.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)The three groups are gifts of administration, which are ve in number; gifts of operation, which are seven in number; and gifts of manifestation, which are nine in number. These gifts come from the grace of God. The Greek word for both grace and gift are the same word: charis. It is the word from which we get the English word charisma, which refers to a person who has “a miraculously given power.”1 In the Greek, it means something more along the lines of gifts that give us certain predisposed skills and inclinations, or “endowments.”2 (The Greek word charisma is translated as “gifts” in verse 4 above.) This passage also pronounces that there 1 “Charism” Project Gutenberg’s Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, by Various2 W. E. Vine, et al., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 1996), 264.
3David L. Johnstonare three groups of charismas—or twenty-one distinct gifts in all—given to the church, listed in the following chart:Operational Gifts The seven gifts, or ENAs, we’ve been referring to are the gifts referred to in Chapters 17-22 planted by God within us in the rst 270 days of our existence—before anyone had even laid eyes on us. These seven gifts are what 1 Corinthians 12:6 calls “diversity of operations.” They are the abilities, the “how” of God’s Spirit working through us. They are divinely Embedded Natural Abilities.Brie y, let me highlight these seven gifts.
4Discover Your Spiritual GiftMessengers represent God through communicating the gospel, rightly handling His truth. A Messenger is a communicator, a proclaimer, an articulator of a specic message, a declarer, a transmitter. He or she is a person who is gifted in speaking and/or writing with the intent to persuade others to act and live according to truth.Helpers meet needs by doing deeds. The Messenger proclaims the love of God. The Helper demonstrates the love of God through the doing of good deeds. Helpers exemplify the love of God by responding to the needs of those around them, by caring for people as if they were part of their own families—by giving handouts to those in dire emergencies and hand ups to those who need to be pulled out of lifestyles that are dragging them—and often those closest to them— down.Explainers explain truth in order to bring understanding. They are a teacher who explains the love of God and instructs us how to walk in it. Teachers explain. It is the difference between preaching and teaching. Preaching is done to excite the soul towards salvation or godly action. It is primarily concerned with proclaiming the gospel and inspiring the hearers to act on it. Teaching is more how-to. It is not as much to instigate action as to instruct, so that action is taken properly and effectively. The Messenger proclaims, “This is the truth! Respond to God’s love!” The Teacher explains, “This is the Truth, and let me break down why it is true and what it means. Then you will be able to love like God loves. Let me show you how to do this.”Encouragers are motivated to see others reach their God-given potential. They have the natural tendency and ability to encourage others, to stimulate their faith, and inspire action to tackle a cause. The Encourager is a promoter, a cheer-er-upper, an inspirer. When everyone else is ready to quit, the Encourager is just getting started, and their motivation is contagious. Encouragers evaluate where others are at, envision where they should be, and help them get there.Providers acquire and use wealth for constructive purposes. In the King James Bible, the Provider is called a Giver. In contemporary
5David L. Johnstonterms, Providers are better known as philanthropists who seeks the welfare of others by giving generous portions of money to causes they care about. Providers donate, contribute, sponsor, and provide assets to meet needs. They are usually businesspeople who have an uncanny knack for making money. They may be witty inventors, or simply able to make wise purchases and investments that produce wealth.Organizers see the Big Picture and organize others to work together according to their giftings. They can see what the individual parts should be doing, how they should perform; and then organize, direct, control, oversee, supervise, and manage everyone as a team accomplishing specic goals. Organizers are administrative coordinators or “project managers.”Caregivers comfort the distressed. A Caregiver is someone who is sensitive to the emotional, physical, social, and spiritual well-being of others, and wants to reach out to them with support and therapeutic action. The Caregiver can sense the feelings of others and has sincere sympathy toward those in distress, almost any kind of distress.The seven giftings we’ve been referring to are the endowments or “diversities” of operation as outlined in Romans 12:6-8. These giftings are strengths of function—not personality types, but areas in which we have Embedded Natural Abilities and preferences. We each have the ability to operate in one of these seven giftings.Administration GiftsThe Ephesians 4:11-13 list are the “administrations” or positions of servant leadership in the church. They are often referred to as “ofces.”Apostles: We most often refer to apostles as missionaries or church planters. As mentioned earlier in this book, apostolos means “one sent to represent another and made out of the same substance.”3 Thus an apostle or a missionary takes the substance 3 James Strong, “652. Apostolos,” Strong’s Greek: 652. ἀπόστολος (apostolos) -- a messenger, one sent on a mission, an apostle (Biblehub), accessed February 14, 2020, https://biblehub.com/str/greek/652.htm)
6Discover Your Spiritual Giftof the church and are sent out to a different geographical location, often to a different culture or nation.Prophets are Forewarners. They tell of impending dangers by alerting persons, peoples, churches and even nations of spiritual and moral dangers. They give forceful and cautionary advice about conduct and actions. They put people on alert, often after the same blueprint as the Old Testament prophets—with tears, crying out, and what might seem like extreme measures to those who do not understand them or their message.Evangelists are messengers to the unconverted and teachers to all of us on how to reach others. They are the Outreachers with the primary mission of taking the gospel, the good news, to those who have not heard about the great redemption offered to mankind through the death and resurrection of the Son of God and God the Son, Jesus Christ who provided forgiveness, cleansing, and recovery to all who will properly respond.Pastors are Leaders, often referred to as elders, or presbuteros in Greek.4 Generally there is a senior or lead pastor or elder who is accompanied by a plurality of elders who share in the responsibility, care, and oversight of a church, a local gathering of Christians. Their role is analogous to that of an under-shepherd whose responsibilities are to oversee, administrate, teach the Scriptures, and pray for the sick as indicated in James: “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14)Pastors and elders are also responsible for discipline in a local gathering of Christians to assure correct doctrine, moral purity, and unity.Teachers, in an administrative context of a local gathering of Christians, are essentially elders that are specically appointed to 4 James Strong, “4245. Prebuteros,” Strong’s Greek: 4245. πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros) -- elder (Biblehub), accessed February 14, 2020, https://biblehub.com/greek/4245.htm)
7David L. Johnstoninstruct in various specialties of doctrine, principles of life, and life management.It is through these administration gifts that the Holy Spirit administrates the Church. These gifts are not given to persons, but to the assemblies of believers. They are sometimes called the vefold ministry or the ministry gifts, as if the ofces of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher are the real ministers, but they are not. They are the administers, called to release the ministry Christ has embedded in each of His people. These vefold ministers are gifts given to the real ministers in the body of Christ—they are there to instruct the Messengers, the Helpers, the Explainers, the Motivators, the Providers, the Organizers and the Caregivers who are the real ministers, so they can go out into the community and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Look at the longer passage:“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)You may ask, and rightly so, “Where do these come from? And who are they?” The biblical insight that answers these questions is found in Romans 11:29 where the Bible says that the “gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.” Those who occupy administrative positions are simply individuals who possess, like all of us, one of the gifts of Romans 12, but are then called of God to ll these administrative positions. It simply means that they are to take their personal gift and focus them back on the rest of the church members who actually do the “work of the ministry.”
8Discover Your Spiritual GiftThese “called” persons are to focus on the Messengers, the Helpers, the Explainers, the Encouragers, the Providers, the Organizers, and the Caregivers to perfect them, to improve them, to build them up so that they—the Messengers, the Explainers, the Encouragers, the Providers, the Organizers, and the Caregivers—can do the work of the ministry. And what is the work of the ministry? To carry a Message or Help or Explain or Encourage, or Provide or Organize or Give Care. This is the categorical summary of all ministry. In the King James Version the summary of all ministry uses these words: to proclaim, serve, teach, exhort, give, rule, and show mercy.Manifestation GiftsYou’ve got it now. The rst group of gifts, called the “operations” are Embedded Natural Abilities given to people. Although we all can do all of them in part, each of us has been given one of them in particular. The second group of giftings is the Administration gifts which are actually positions in the church lled by certain persons of the rst group who are called to ll the church positions, and the focus of their gift is to help the rest of us to know, develop, perfect and use our personal giftings to help others.As if all of this were not enough, God has also provided nine other giftings available to each of us and all of us to help us fulll our personal mission. These are referred to as the “manifestations of the Spirit.” Of them, it says, they are “given to every man [or woman] to prot withal” (1 Corinthians 12:7). They are resident in the Holy Spirit Himself, as indicated by the repeated phrase, “by the same Spirit” throughout 1 Corinthians 12. As 1 Corinthians 12 tells us, “All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man (and woman) severally as he (the Holy Spirit) will.” (1 Corinthians 12:11, additions mine)
9David L. JohnstonThey are supernatural tools, so to speak, to enhance our effectiveness. The Holy Spirit offers each of us access to all nine of these gifts to use in conjunction with our own Romans 12 gifting as we encounter situations and circumstances in which we need them to assist us in helping others. Here they are (in scriptural sequence):1. The Word of Wisdom: Imparted Wisdom2. The Word of Knowledge: Imparted Information3. Faith (A supernatural faith beyond our day-to-day faith): Imparted Condence4. Gifts of Healing: Curing of Sickness5. The Working of Miracles: Supernatural Achievements6. Prophecy: Empowered Speech7. The Discerning of Spirits: Identifying Spirit Types8. Divers (Different) Kinds of Tongues: Non-Conceptual Prayer or Praise9. The Interpretation of Tongues: Explaining the Prayer or PraiseAnother way of seeing this group of nine is to list them in three groups of three. The rst group are revealing gifts, the second are communicating abilities, and the third are demonstrations of power. Here they are organized in that manner:1. Spoken Gifts• Divers Kinds of Tongues: Non-Conceptual Prayer or Praise • The Interpretation of Tongues: Explaining the Prayer or Praise• Prophecy: Empowered Speech
10Discover Your Spiritual Gift2. Revealing Gifts• The Word of Wisdom: Imparted Wisdom• The Word of Knowledge: Imparted Information • The Discerning of Spirits: Identifying Spirit Types3. Gifts of Power• Gifts of Healing: Curing Sickness• The Workings of Miracles: Supernatural Achievements• Faith: Imparted CondenceThere are entire books that teach about these manifestations, but our primary focus is not these, but exploring and being equipped with the endowments of Romans 12. Nevertheless, it is necessary to give some explanation of these so here goes.The Spoken GiftsDivers Kinds of Tongues: Non-Conceptual Prayer or PraiseThere are three kinds of tongues referred to in the Bible. First there are the tongues of men, which are earthly (known) languages. There are about 6,500 of these. However, less than a thousand people speak about 2,000 of them.5 Then there are the tongues of angels, the languages spoken by angels, whether heavenly or demonic. These are mentioned in the “Love Chapter” of the Bible:“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) 5 Infoplease Staff, “How Many Spoken Languages,” Infoplease (Infoplease), accessed February 14, 2020, https://www.infoplease.com/askeds/how-many-spoken-languages)
11David L. JohnstonLast of all, there are “unknown tongues” referred to in 1 Corinthians 14 throughout the chapter. Speaking in tongues is non-conceptual prayer.“For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 14:2) Note that the speaking is to God, and it is non-conceptual, meaning it is not understood by the one delivering it, but is quite mentally abstract. Here’s more biblical clarication: For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)Notice that a person can even sing and use not-conceptual words. Which of us has never needed to pray and we didn’t know how, or we didn’t have words to express what was in our hearts and minds? It is at those times when we still can pray with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our inrmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in tongues. It was a mixture of tongues for the people on the street were astonished. Note their response:
12Discover Your Spiritual Gift“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:6-8)Interpretation of Tongues: Explaining the Prayer or the Praise Whenever a tongue is spoken as a solo, so to speak, in front of a group of listening others, it must, according to Scripture, be interpreted, so that those listening can understand the essence of what was spoken to God, and derive benet from it. Remember that tongues is prayer or praise to God. Even on the day of Pentecost as referred to above, what was the interpretation of those who heard those tongues in their own language? “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:11) They were hearing the praises of God.When a tongue is spoken and there are others listening, it must always be interpreted. Otherwise, according to the Bible, those listening will think you are either drunk or crazy. Neither of these is a good idea. “Except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signication. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
13David L. JohnstonEven so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.” (1 Corinthians 14:9-13)This gift comes with a warning! The Bible declares that if the person (or someone nearby) does not have the interpretation, they are to keep quiet. “If there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.” (1 Corinthians 14:28)And why? If: “There come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?” (1 Corinthians 14:23)“In the church I had rather speak ve words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” (1 Corinthians 14:19) The answer to the abuse and misuse of tongues is not disuse but rather proper use.Prophecy: Empowered Speech One of the wonderful aspects of each of these manifestations of the Spirit is that they actually are God helping each of us be more effective. You are never alone. “We then, as workers together with him.” (2 Corinthians 6:1)
14Discover Your Spiritual GiftImagine that! God helping each of us, working together with us. What a partnership!This particular gift is God’s Spirit helping us speak and communicate to others. And it has three primary goals: to edify which means to build others up; and exhort which means to encourage others; and comfort which means to provide relief from grief or distress. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edication, and exhortation, and comfort.” (1 Corinthians 14:3)Never, never forget that God is love. Whenever we carry His love message to others, He offers help—big time. He empowers our speech, our message. Truth be told, empowered speech (prophecy) is God reaching through us to others with His message. Tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy are all spoken gifts empowered by God’s Spirit help through us.The Revealing GiftsThe Word of Knowledge: Imparted Information Imagine the wonder of God’s Spirit imparting information to you beyond that which you have studied, read, or learned. It would have been nice if this had happened every time we took a history test or an algebra exam. However, the word of knowledge (or the imparted information from God) is not a substitute for undisciplined learning. It is God transmitting information to us beyond human resources in order to fulll some wonderful divine intent. This is imparted cognizance. Here is the Old Testament prediction regarding this and other Holy Spirit imparted giftings:“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
15David L. Johnstoncounsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.” (Isaiah 11:2-3)The Word of Wisdom: Imparted Wisdom Wisdom is the ability to be guided by sound judgment. It is the ability to act in the best way in a given situation. One may know certain facts or information, but wisdom is the how to apply them in real life. It is the ability to respond to all life situations from an accurate point of view, and no perspective on any subject can be more accurate than God’s.It is true that a measure of wisdom can come from reason, thinking through the details, considering how best to apply actions, and life experience. That’s why God gave us reasoning capability and why He says, “Come let us reason together saith the Lord” (Isaiah 1:8). Experience, our own or that of others, may be helpful, but there are two sources of wisdom on which you can always count. The rst is the Bible which contains a record of God’s points of view on a multitude of life-related subjects. Hence we are instructed, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.” (Proverbs 4:7-8)The second reliable source of wisdom is that which is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit directly. Mind you, this imparted wisdom will never contradict the wisdom of the Bible. God is the Author of both. This imparted wisdom is referred to as one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Note the following instruction:
16Discover Your Spiritual Gift“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him.” (James 1:5 TLB)Whether you are a Messenger, a Helper, an Explainer, an Encourager, a Provider, an Organizer or a Caregiver, imagine the value of getting wisdom from God, so you know how to best use your personal gifting!However, we should all understand that according to the Bible, there are two kinds of wisdom and they can be known by their fruit (their outcome). The following passage will make this crystal clear. “If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is rst pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:15-18)The Discerning of Spirits: Identifying Spirit Types Back of every effect there is a cause. Back of every cause there is a motive. Back of every motive there is a person. A person is a “spirit being” signicantly distinct from an animal. Animals are
17David L. Johnstonlocked into their bodies and ruled by instinct. Beavers build dams; dogs bark; horses neigh, and so forth. People, however have the ability to create, make choices, and decide. Animals will never build automobiles or computers or make moral choices. Persons, however, think and act without the reign of instinct. They are creative. This creativity was part of what God designed in Genesis 1 when He said, “Let us make man in our own image.”It is often important in life to understand what kind of person is behind a certain act or responsible for a particular outcome. Hence, we are given by God, the ability to identify, not only the type of spirit, but the condition of that spirit. There are only four kinds of spirits:1. The Holy Spirit2. Angelic spirits3. Demonic spirits4. Human spiritsMuch can be understood about each of these types of spirits: their characteristics, scope of activities, limitations, and intentions. For our purposes, it is only necessary to understand that God will enable us to discern (or identify) what or who is behind some given activity. Here is a biblical example: Jesus was explaining to the disciples His need to suffer for our sins and be killed. Peter, if you can imagine, spoke up and rebuked the Lord Jesus, saying, “This shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 16:22). Where did Peter get such an idea? Why would he contradict the Lord? We nd the answer in Jesus’ response when He said to Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan!” in Matthew 16:23. Jesus identied the spirit behind Peter’s statements.The Power GiftsThe Gift of Healing: The Curing of Sickness The word manifest means to make evident, show plainly, display, or reveal. Each of these manifestations of the Holy Spirit are visible
18Discover Your Spiritual Giftworkings of God’s Spirit. Our bodies are generally designed by God to heal themselves naturally. However, supernatural (above and beyond the natural) healing of the sick can occur in several different ways.Sometimes a person is healed through the “prayer of faith.” When the leaders of the church are called, and follow the Bible’s instruction, which is to pray over a sick person, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord, and praying the prayer of faith, here’s what happens: “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up.” (James 5:14-15)The Bible contains other instruction about healing too. James wrote about confessing our faults and prayer:“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)Jesus made it plain that those who preached the gospel would have signs following their preaching, and directed that we lay hands on people as we prayed for them to be healed. “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:18)Jesus illustrated this Himself on many occasions. Once, a woman came to Him who had not been able to stand up straight for eighteen years. Obviously, she had a severe back problem, and needed healing. “And He laid His hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and gloried God.” (Luke 13:13)
19David L. JohnstonThe person with the prayer of faith literally prays with the faith of Jesus, which has immediate supernatural effect on the situation at hand.We also exercise faith. Seven times persons were told by Jesus Himself, “thy faith hath made thee whole.” These occasions included the healing of blindness, leprosy, and a woman who was losing blood continually for twelve years. We have long known we are saved by faith, but too few know that they can be healed by faith. Faith in what? Faith that Jesus included healing in His redemptive work on the cross. Isaiah plainly states the four benets of Calvary: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Peter cites the same, saying,“By whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)Unfortunately many uninformed or misinformed Bible teachers have opted to teach that these passages refer to psychological or spiritual healing only, and not physical. The proof that such is not the case is afrmed directly by Jesus.“He cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fullled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our inrmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17)Obviously each of the nine manifestation gifts are available to all of us to help us carry out our personal gifting. It does seem, however, that some of the manifestation gifts are more directly related to some of our personal giftings. For example, a Messenger might have
20Discover Your Spiritual Giftthe greatest need for the empowered speech or imparted wisdom gifts. The Helper might need imparted information and imparted understanding. It is reasonable to also assume that Caregivers may need healing manifestations.The Working of Miracles: Supernatural Achievements All of the manifestation gifts are supernatural. God is supernatural. Often we need the supernatural to meet the needs of ourselves and others. So beyond those already mentioned is this diversity of miracles which God manifests to us or through us. These could include miracles of provision (food, nances, and so forth), a change in the weather; changes in circumstances; deliverances; and many others.It is easy to nd any and all of the above-mentioned miracles in both the Old and New Testaments. The important issue, however, is for us to realize that our loving God still wants to bless others through us, and is not just willing, but eager to do so. Miracles often establish authenticity, and most certainly bring glory to the Lord.The Gift of Faith: Imparted Condence This manifestation, the gift of faith, is God imparting faith and condence to you so you can do what you never thought you could. Primarily faith comes from hearing and hearing and hearing. Advertisers want you to hear of their product until you have faith that you need it, and go and buy it. Jesus made it plain in His warning, “Take heed what you hear.” (Mark 4:24)Proper faith comes from two vital sources. The rst is, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
21David L. JohnstonBelief comes from hearing the message(s) of God’s Word—repeatedly! Repetition is not only the classic method of learning but the mechanism of receiving faith as well. Don’t miss the Master’s message, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4, emphasis mine)What should you do with the Word of God? Know it in your head. Stow it in your heart. Show it on your face, and then sow it in the world. Know It! Stow it! Show it! Sow it!Primarily faith comes from hearing the Word of God. In addition, there are times when each of us faces issues and challenges, and doubts our ability to meet them. When that happens, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to impart condence, and give us faith to do what we thought we could not do. This is delightful. Imagine the Messenger receiving imparted condence. Faith! The Helper, the Explainer, the Encourager, the Provider, the Organize, and the Caregiver all receive faith when they need it. How we are empowered to change the world!How the Church Is Designed to WorkChrist is the Head of the church. The Head is the leader, the brains. The rest of us are His body designed to do today, in His physical absence, what He did when He was here. He was perfect. He performed all the gifts perfectly. Wasn’t He a great Messenger? And didn’t He serve? He even washed feet. And didn’t He explain and teach? Didn’t He motivate and exhort? Men forsook all to follow Him. And didn’t He provide and give? He paid the bills and gave food for thousands. And didn’t He administrate and rule? He organized not merely the Twelve, but the seventy and the ve hundred and the thousands that came to Him. And didn’t He care and show mercy? He healed the sick, cast out evil spirits, and blessed the children. And He did all of these perfectly.
22Discover Your Spiritual GiftNow we are commissioned to take His place, performing the same seven basic functions—each of us doing our part to His glory. Jesus, by His Spirit, calls and installs leaders in His church to train us, develop us, lead us, and take us forward like a mighty army. Apostles are sent on behalf of us to take the same substance of who we are to other peoples and lands. They are the “sent ones.” (Remember that apostalos literally means, “out of the same substance as” to indicate that God sends them out like ambassadors of heaven—made “of the same substance as” the kingdom.) Prophets give us (and whole groups of churches) godly direction. Evangelists reach the lost and teach us how to reach the lost. Pastors are Jesus’ under-shepherds, called to care for the local church body, and teachers are in those bodies to explain God’s Word to all of us. (The terms, standards, and qualications for these “called ones” in the local churches are clearly listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9.) The Holy Spirit also manifests Himself through us—through the “gifts of the Spirit,” to help us. For example, a Caregiver may need a word of wisdom—a supernatural understanding of what to do specically in a situation—on how to best heal another’s wounds. A Proclaimer may need supernatural faith to pray for a person in a special way. (I’m sure you can think of various other examples of how the gifts of the Spirit operate.)All of these gifts (those in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 12) are meant to work together in perfect order, each of us contributing its part as each of us are enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit. Oh, the power of a church functioning in their giftings, roles, and being open to the manifestations of the Spirit! What a wonderful picture of the kingdom of heaven being spread across the earth.Far too many think of the church only as a place to meet for worship services, sermons, prayer meetings, and Bible studies. While those are good things, where are our meetings to manifest the body of Christ to our communities? Where are our meetings to gather together and do God’s work?Small ministry groups responsible to the administration gifts should cluster with their diversity of giftings to plan how to best serve and meet the needs of the people around us, both inside and
23David L. Johnstonoutside the church. Sure, we should all be functional with our personal gifts all the time, but that shouldn’t preclude us from gathering lists of needs (of people in need), and then assigning each church member to answer these needs according to his or her gift. We should send the Messenger to the lost or wayward, enlist Helpers and Servants to serve the deprived or disadvantaged, and commission the Explainer to bring understanding to the bewildered, the puzzled, the perplexed, and the confused. We should seek out the discouraged and dispatch the Encourager, and send the Provider to take food and meet the basic needs of the poor among us. To the hurt, damaged, and distressed, let’s designate the Caregivers. And to make all this happen, let’s yield to the leadership of our Organizers.Then let’s gather together on Sunday to worship, fellowship, learn, and rejoice that we have been part of the glorious church, the functional body of Christ bringing the real Jesus to humanity. Then let’s also go the extra mile to be Jesus to our neighbors, just as Jesus instructed us to do in Matthew 5:41. And remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? Let’s do it all.But What If We Don’t?Some think I go too far when I say such things. “God is in control,” they tell me. “Why does it matter what we do?” They don’t seem to understand the crucial role and obligation God gave each of us when He gifted us. That is why the parable of the talents is so important (Matthew 25:14-30). It doesn’t ask the questions, “How much have you prayed?” “How much have you studied the Bible?” “How large have you grown your church?” or “How many meetings have you attended at the church this month?” in order to judge who is the “good and faithful servant.” Instead, it asks, “What have you done with the crucial gift(s) I have given you?”Crucial means that the gifts are very important or vital to your life. Do you have any idea how important you are to others? If you don’t exercise your gifting, what a loss! The whole universe will miss the good you could have done. Persons you would have inuenced (even salvaged from the world system which is actively
24Discover Your Spiritual Giftdetermined to destroy them) would be robbed of your blessing. And what about God? Would God miss you? Would God miss the good of you?Contrary to what theologians might tell you, the answer is yes. I want to give the theologians credit for being well-meaning, however many of them are wrong—dead wrong—at least about this. I will never forget a class in seminary where this controversy came up. The professor, a respected and wonderful man whose legacy lives on in many of us, became quite upset with yours truly for saying each of us has an irreplaceable part to play in the plans of God.The text under question was this one:“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30)When my professor asked me what I thought of the passage, I answered, “Respectfully, sir, God was stuck.”For that I received the biggest theological whipping of my life. “God is never stuck!” he shouted. Then a tirade ensued. Ouch, I took a beating! But remember the adage, “He that is convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”Sometimes God nds a “work-around.” Sometimes, it seems, He doesn’t. The fact is there is no substitute for you. Let me repeat: You are not a copy, or a clone. You are an original, a rst edition. There is no one like you. No one can ever take your place. You are indispensable, crucial, all-important, essential, and necessary. Without you, without you functioning in your God-given capacity, others will not receive life-sustaining ministry God intends to give them through you.If the Messenger does not preach the gospel—and preach it accurately—men, women, and children may be lost forever. If the Helper doesn’t serve, many could drown in loss and despair. If the Explainer doesn’t teach, many will never understand their place in
25David L. JohnstonGod’s overall plan for the earth. If the Encourager doesn’t motivate and encourage, lives could be wasted in timidity and fear of failure. If the Provider doesn’t give, underfunded ministries will be crippled, if not aborted. If the Organizer does not administrate and lead, confusion will reign. If the Caregiver does not reach out, oh, the loss! So many would not be cared for, would remain unattended. Oh, the plight of the wounded and unhealed. If there is no one willing to step into the gap and intercede as God has called us to do, if we are not obeying His callings, how is it that He is responsible when bad things happen on the earth?Eternity literally hangs in the balance. Once you discover your gift, heed the same urgency Jesus had when He said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5)Did He not turn His mission over to us? Did He not declare,“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)Please, please, never underestimate the importance of your mission. Humanity is waiting.
Why we give YOU all our books for FREE:“Get the Truth, but do not sell it;Also get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”(Proverbs 23:23)Why YOU should give all our books for FREEto all your friends and family:“Freely you have received, freely give!”(Matthew 10:8)Find our books here. Share the link with others!
Imagine You—In The Ministry! Yes, that is right, you are in the ministry! Christian ministry is imparting the gospel and biblical truths to others. Anyone can do this with the help of the Holy Spirit.You know people within your scope of infl uence who need to be ministered to. Since we are all under biblical command to tell or publish the truth, it’s about communicating that truth with them.“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it.” (Jeremiah 50:2a)The vital truths of the Bible are explained in detail in our publications, which we provide you without charge. You can share this material to everyone you know.There is a proper sequence to learning truths. On the following pages is our suggestion of the sequence of our material, along with links and descriptions. We must be careful not to dump too much at a time.You’re in the ministry now! The Lord will bless your endeavors! Your rewards will be eternal! “We are workers together with God!”
Why You Were Born - A Blueprint for Discovering Your Life PotentialWhy are you here on planet earth? Once you know why you were born you will have a new appreciation for your true self and a known purpose in life. Then, and only then, can you choose a life path, a course of action and eventually a fulfi lled life … no disappointments, no pressure to conform to the ideas and expectations of others. You will be free to be you, the real you.In the second part of this book you will learn how to discover your ENA, your Embedded Natural Ability. How tragic that some will cross the stage of time, be standing at the exit sign, and look back only to see a wasted life of insignifi cance. None of us can run a good race on the wrong track. “My Way,” only counts if it’s the right way—God’s way. This book is also available as a 12-week group study with a Study Guide, Facilitator’s Guide, Lesson videos, and promotional material. Book Study Guide Facilitator GroupBook: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbStudy Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbsgFacilitators Guide: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbfgGroup Package: NothingButTheTruth.org/wywbkitThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.have a new appreciation for your true self and a known purpose in life. Then, and course of action and eventually a fulfi lled conform to the ideas and expectations of
How You See Yourself -The Source of Your Struggle and How to Conquer ItHave you ever gone to a carnival and looked into one of those distorted mirrors, you know, the ones that make you look three feet tall and fi ve feet wide? The image of yourself that you see back is distorted. It can produce a good laugh. But many of us struggle with a similar condition – we don’t see ourselves accurately. We are hindered from being the best version of ourselves by this insidious thing called iniquity.Iniquity is mentioned 334 times in the Bible, yet so many remain oblivious to its signifi cant and negative impact on everyday living. Iniquity is the ancient term for narcissism. It’s one of the four reason Jesus went to the cross … “He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5). In this book you will not only identify the problems iniquity imposes upon us, but you will also discover the solutions.This book will help you discover:• How iniquity contributes to mental illness• How iniquity causes divorce and destroys households• How conquering iniquity will cause your prayer life to fl ourish• How you can fi nally live without fear and regret• How to embrace the benefi ts that come from being free from iniquity and the way it robs you of your God-given potential!• How iniquity is different from sin NothingButTheTruth.org/hysyThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.Have you ever gone to a carnival and you know, the ones that make you look of yourself that you see back is distorted. It struggle with a similar condition – we don’t see ourselves accurately. We are hindered
Your Ultimate Life Management System - How Jesus’s Inaugural Address (The Sermon on the Mount) Can Change Your LifeThe prophet Jeremiah lamented (Jeremiah 10:23) “I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” How can we manage our own path, and live life effectively? Could anything be more important than an effi cient, effective, and trustworthy life-management system? We need a life-management system!A life manager must be faithful, smart enough, wise enough, caring enough, and love you suffi ciently to be trusted to direct your life. Hence, Jesus! He loves you, which means He is relentlessly choosing your highest good without any personal profi t or benefi t as a motive of His own. In addition, Jesus is a life manager who never quits, and never gives up on you no matter what. He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you; I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”In His fi rst and possibly most compelling discourse, known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus outlines a practical, yet powerful life plan for you. Don’t miss it! He is for you. Follow Him. You will never be ashamed.NothingButTheTruth.org/yulmsThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.I know that the way of man is not A life manager must be faithful, smart enough, wise enough, caring enough, and
High Value Target - When the Good Guys Become the TargetsIf you are a good person, watch out. The bad guys have you in their sights. Our culture has experienced a paradigm shift. It’s popular now to be immoral; and evil is promoted as preferred and desirable. It is objectionable enough that evil is put for good but now the good are put for evil... targeted! You targeted! And so are your children.In High Value Target you will discover the tactics arrayed against you and yours; tactics designed to steal your destiny, kill your dreams, destroy your moral intelligence, and demonize life. You will learn practical and powerful tactics, not only to fend off attacks but how to conquer, what to do of you are targeted as one of the good guys.NothingButTheTruth.org/hvtThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.bad guys have you in their sights. Our is promoted as preferred and desirable. It is objectionable enough that evil is put for targeted! You targeted! And so are your
Personal Digital Discipleship - How to think, feel, and live truthfullyAs believers we are called to grow and mature in our faith and understanding of what it means to be followers of Christ. Certainly being part of a life-giving church is a key component. But not everyone has access to that.Personal Digital Discipleship is a powerful resource you can use to gain insight and understanding, teaching and training in the ways of God and how to effectively live out your Christian life.Walking you through the steps of being reborn, helping you change the way you think, shifting your emotions to follow God’s direction, replanning your life to align with God’s desires, and helping you reproduce these steps in others, this study can literally change your life.Each of the 30 full-color lessons contains a video component, lesson notes, additional study, application, and steps to share with others. Grow in your Christian walk by going through these insightful lessons.The book can be used for individual or group study. Group helps are listed in the book.NothingButTheTruth.org/pddThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.
The Virtuous Woman - Your Guide to True FeminismIt is virtue that makes all that is good possible.The most infl uential people in any culture are the women!That’s where you can enter as the heroine! YOU, a Virtuous Woman!In the book of Proverbs (called the Book of Wisdom), God speaks of the characteristics of a virtuous woman. Chapter 31 uncovers many of the beautifully illustrated facets of love, virtue, and strength that a woman can possess.As you work your way through this book, the pages unpack each aspect of this amazing woman. Discovering and applying these truths can help you to become a woman of infl uence, strength, and character—a motivator, trendsetter, infl uencer, and advocate for virtue.This book is designed to celebrate the incomparable gifts and qualities of a virtuous woman and makes a good gift for any woman in your life.NothingButTheTruth.org/virtuousThis book is free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.It is virtue that makes all that is The most infl uential people in That’s where you can enter as the heroine! YOU, a Virtuous In the book of Proverbs (called the Book of Wisdom), God speaks of the
Other Helpful ResourcesHow to Have Peace in Diffi cult TimesWe live in turbulent times. Society sometimes seems like it is teetering on the brink of chaos.This powerful book will give you keys to experiencing peace and staying calm no matter what may be happening to you or around you. When everyone around you is leaning into fear, panic, tension and worry – YOU have the power to walk in peace, even in diffi cult times.NothingButTheTruth.org/peaceFor Every Soldier There Is A Time to Kill and a Time to Heal“To every thing there is a season,And a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…A time to kill and a time to heal.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)This vivid gift book is written for Veterans. In it they will discover the way to genuine healing. NothingButTheTruth.org/soldierThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.
Con dence Knowing It Will Go Well With YouWe all want to know if things will turn out ok for us. We desire assurance that all will be well for us and our loved ones. “Can you know this for sure?” at is the question!NothingButTheTruth.org/confidenceCrush the Hidden Power at Defeats YouWe are hindered from being the best version of ourselves, the version God intended. We are prevented by this insidious thing called iniquity.NothingButTheTruth.org/crushpowerDiscover Your Spiritual G i is brief ebook will ex-plain the di erent spiritual gi s, how they t in the big picture, the Body of Christ, and how you can discover yours.NothingButTheTruth.org/spiritualgiftThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.
How to Handle Di cult PeopleI wrote this short e-book to give you some practical, helpful and biblically-based insights on how you can work with people who are, well, challenging.NothingButTheTruth.org/peopleKeys to a Meaningful LifeDo you desire a meaning-ful life? If so, the informa-tion in this ebook should encourage you and help you move toward the ful llment, peace, and joy that a meaningful life brings! NothingButTheTruth.org/keysWords Matter - Speaking Peace to Calm the Storms of LifeChaos shows itself as anger, depression, panic, worry, or mistrust. Peace is the absence of these. So how do we get it?NothingButTheTruth.org/wordsThese books are free to you and for you to send without charge to any and all others as part of your ministry to them.
Nothing But The Truth MinistriesDedicated to the single task of explaining the truth in its simplest and purest form to all peoples of the world.People matter. YOU matter! Truth is the substance of all wise decision-making. So it’s important to know the truth – about you, about why you were born, about every aspect of your life. Truth is wonderful, even when sometimes it may not seem comfortable.This site is dedicated to sharing God’s truth with you – truth that you can apply to your daily life, your relationships, your fi nances, your choices, your future.Visit our website at www.NothingButTheTruth.orgAll our resources are available free of charge in digital form. Printed copies are available at our cost of printing plus shipping. WE DO NOT SOLICIT FUNDS, but we give opportunity if it is in a person’s heart to give. We are a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization. All contributions are tax deductible. Contributions to the mission can be made on our website.