The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

What's the purpose of spiritual gifts? Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the same Holy Spirit who empowered and gifted Him during His sojourn on Earth. Let's look at how the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit can revolutionize our lives and help advance the Kingdom of God.

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts for the Gospel of the Kingdom

By Don Bell | Reading Time: 15 minutes.

When a loved one is relocating to another country, we carefully consider their last words and instructions when bidding them goodbye at the airport. So, let's consider the last words and instructions spoken by Jesus to His followers, moments before His ascension into Heaven.

Jesus says, "'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 16:15-18).

Mark records, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the ACCOMPANYING SIGNS. Amen" (Mark 16:19-20, emphasis added).

Jesus promised his followers that supernatural signs would follow those who believe, so in His Name they shared the good news of Jesus's purpose on Earth to those around them, and the Lord confirmed the Word through accompanying signs.

One main purpose of spiritual gifts is to confirm the spoken Word with accompanying signs. What do signs do? They point people to Jesus, and Jesus is the entrance key to the Kingdom of God. But, can we still count on that happening today?

Yes, you can rest assured that Jesus still works with us to confirm the Word with signs following. Otherwise, He would not have said, "'And these signs will follow those who believe …'" (Mark 16:17).

The key word is BELIEVE.

If you don't believe, and you don't exercise the gifts of the Spirit, there's unlikely to be any signs following you to confirm the Word.

Scripture says, "Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent'" (John 6:28-29).

It's really that simple. BELIEVE in Jesus, exercise the gifts of the Spirit to DO the works of God, and EXPECT that supernatural signs WILL follow you.

Why Jesus Performed Signs and Wonders

There has always been a direct connection between signs and wonders and the Kingdom of God. For instance, the Prophet Daniel reported how the evil King Nebuchadnezzar became convinced of God's supremacy after witnessing the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace.

We read in Scripture the words of King Nebuchadnezzar, "How great are His SIGNS, and how mighty His WONDERS! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation" (Daniel 4:3, emphasis added).

Jesus didn't view Himself as a miracle worker. After all, individuals in The Old Testament had also performed miracles. However, whenever Jesus had performed miracles, He was proclaiming Himself the One through whom the promise of the Kingdom had come to pass.

Jesus says, "'But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you'" (Luke 11:20).

Jesus made it clear that He was performing miracles with the finger of God, the unmistakable power of the Holy Spirit, and that neither people nor devils could prevent it.

Moreover, He made the purpose of spiritual gifts clear. Miracles were a validating sign of the present reality of the Kingdom of God to those believing in Him, and of the future reality of the Kingdom when He would return to Earth and establish God's dominion at the end of this present age.

Jesus says to us, "'And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give'" (Matthew 10:7-8).

The Greek word κηρύσσω (kēryssō) means to preach, to publish, to proclaim openly something which has been done.

As we exercise the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit — the same Holy Spirit whom Jesus depended on — we can be confident that signs and wonders will follow us, so that the Name of Jesus will be lifted up, and the Kingdom of God will be proclaimed.

This is the purpose of spiritual gifts; they produce signs and wonders that point to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

John the Baptist Expected Signs

Scripture says, "And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" (Matthew 11:2-3).

John the Baptist had been imprisoned by King Herod and in his confinement he wanted assurances that his cousin Jesus was the promised Messiah. So what "works of Christ" do you think John was expecting to hear about?

• Reports of large crowds overflowing the local amphitheater?
• Reports of amazing praise and worship with lively bands, mood lighting, and pyrotechnics?
• Reports of inspiring sermons resulting in huge altar calls?

Aren't those the "works of Christ" that Christians typically expect at church conferences and Holy Ghost meetings today? Hmm.

What did Jesus do? He exercised the gifts of the Spirit and ministered to the people as the two disciples watched, and then He told them to go back to John and report the supernatural signs (works) they had witnessed.

We read in Scripture, "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me'" (Matthew 11:4-6).

Natural Versus Supernatural

Everything comes down to natural versus supernatural, and God planned it that supernatural signs always capture people's attention and point them to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

However, the power of God is neither recognized nor present in many of today's church gatherings. God's message of hope for the world is preached, and there's often lively anointed singing, but there are no accompanying signs to confirm the Word.

It's easier to keep services within strict time limits and "decent and in order" when there are no manifestations of the Spirit. However, there's an awful tradeoff: the Shekinah glory of God is no longer present, so church services are left scripted and lukewarm, having very little substance.

Sadly, people in desperate need of life's answers are hungry and thirsty for spiritual truth, and they are increasingly viewing churches as powerless and irrelevant, so they choose to remain at home and seek answers elsewhere.

Meanwhile, exhausted and disillusioned church leaders attend church-growth conferences featuring Christian motivational speakers, popular worship bands, and workshops on how to use today's technology to plant and grow a church.

Afterwards, they return home and on Sunday mornings, like Samson of old, they go though the familiar motions without realizing that the Holy Spirit has departed.

Scripture says, "And she said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' So he awoke from his sleep, and said, 'I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!' But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him" (Judges 16:20).

How can you tell whether the presence of God has departed from your church? That's easy. You won't see supernatural signs confirming the spoken Word nor will you see signs and wonders following the people in the pews!

Signs and wonders burst into our comfortable world and confront us with the awesome evidence of God's Kingdom.

The Shekinah glory of the Lord MUST return to churches with accompanying signs and wonders. That's the purpose of spiritual gifts. Otherwise, we can never expect to complete the Great Commission and advance the Kingdom of God!

God Wants Us to Be "Beyond Special"

Paul writes that God has called us to be His own special people:

Yes, we are called to be Jesus's own "special people." Special in the Greek περιούσιος (periousios) also means "peculiar" and "being beyond usual."

So what's "peculiar" and "beyond usual" about the Christians attending many of today's churches?

• Christians profess to be loving and kind, but so are many people of other faiths.
• Christians profess to be generous in their giving, but so are many people who contribute generously to disaster relief funds and community food banks.
• Christians profess to be joyful and happy, but so are many people who frequent pubs, sporting events, concerts, and family gatherings.

Do Christians act "beyond usual" in their neighborhood? Not so much that anyone would notice these days, they enjoy the same entertainment, and they attend the same protests.

However, many believers do attend church regularly or on occasion, but then Jews attend synagogues and Muslims attend mosques.

Consider this:

Jesus didn't appear different or "beyond usual" from other men around him when He walked the streets of Jerusalem. If His appearance had been in any way remarkable, The New Testament writers would have mentioned it.

That said, whenever Jesus ministered the gifts of the Spirit, He DID appear "beyond usual" for He performed miracles, and He spoke with accompanying signs and wonders.

And guess what? Jesus wants us to appear "beyond usual" too by doing the same works that He did! Again, that's the purpose of spiritual gifts.

We Are Called to Do the Works of Jesus

Jesus says, "'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it'" (John 14:12-14).

When Jesus had said, "most assuredly," He was strongly declaring that if we believe in Him, we will do the SAME works that He did! So what were the "works" that Jesus was referring to?

Did He lead worship services, organize food banks for the hungry, hold fund raising events for charity, collect clothing for foreign missions, build housing for the homeless, or help to convene fellowship suppers?

No, but we know from the Scriptures that Jesus cared for the hungry since He fed them, and it's inferred by Judas that funds from their common purse were sometimes given to the poor.

And the Early Church didn't neglect what we call charitable good works either. Paul writes, "But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things" (Romans 15:25-27).

Note the debtor relationship in verse 27: "For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things."

James, brother of Jesus writes, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).

It's a given that followers of Christ should be doing good works as part of their faith and lifestyle. So, let's not neglect good works. BUT, those are NOT the "works" that Jesus was referring to when He said in John 14, verse 12, "the works that I do [you] will do also…."

For instance, a woman poured an expensive flask of perfume on Jesus's head at the house of Simon the leper, and some criticized her, saying that it should have been sold and the money gave to the poor.

But read what Jesus said: "'Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always'" (Mark 14:6-7).

The point Jesus made concerns priority and timing. We can choose to volunteer and do good works whenever we wish, but we won't always have an opportunity to manifest a supernatural ability (work) to advance the Kingdom. We must seize every opportunity when prompted by the Holy Spirit!

Jesus demonstrated a ministry that was "peculiar" and "beyond usual" with signs and wonders following, and He has made it possible for us to do the same works.

Are you doing the works that Jesus did? You can, by activating the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Consider this:

Jesus was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and He manifested the supernatural abilities (gifts) of the Spirit, so how could He expect us to do the SAME works without equipping us with the SAME supernatural abilities (gifts) that He had?

As we closely examine the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will see that often several gifts will work in concert to meet a specific need, so Jesus had expected us to exercise ALL nine gifts.

Frankly, it's IMPOSSIBLE for us to do the works of Jesus without exercising ALL nine gifts! Don't worry, it will all become crystal clear once we dig deeper into the supporting Scriptures.

What Is Meant By Greater Works?

People have often wondered what Jesus meant by "greater works," and there are many opinions, and it's not something that we need to get sidetracked with.

However, I believe that He might have been prophesying about the multiplying effect of numerous believers exercising the nine gifts of the Spirit and pointing people to Himself and the Kingdom.

For instance, after Pentecost and the manifestation of tongues, about 3000 people were added to the original 120 who had met in the Upper Room (Acts 2:41).

And later, after Peter and John had healed the lame man at the temple, Peter shared the Word of God to the crowd that had gathered, and the Scriptures record that about 5000 men were added, and likely several thousand women as well (Acts 3:1-26; 4:1-4).

As we begin to realize the importance and purpose of spiritual gifts, it's no wonder the Early Church experienced exponential growth as a growing number of believers began to do the works of Jesus and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being delivered from despair.

We Are Equipped to Do the Works of Jesus

As redeemed believers, we are all called to do our part in advancing the Kingdom of God. We can exercise the gifts of the Spirit and do the works of Jesus in our family, in our neighborhood, in our workplace, and in our gatherings of believers.

God in His wisdom has designed it so ordinary believers — that's us — can do extraordinary things and be His own "special" people.

Paul explains:

Luke writes in Acts, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. AND THEY REALIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS" (Acts 4:13 emphasis added).

Unlike today's non-biblical ministry requirements, Peter and John had NO university degrees, NO Bible college diplomas, and NO ordination papers, but just like us, they DID have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they DID have the nine gifts of the Spirit, and signs and wonders followed them.

And what was the people's reaction? They marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus!

Seriously. As we consider the purpose of spiritual gifts, we need to ask ourselves this question: "Do people realize that we have been with Jesus?"

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By Don Bell, follower of the Christ.

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Hi, I'm Don, and my prayer is that Kingdom Anointing™ will help you build faith, walk confidently in the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, and realize your full potential in the Kingdom of God.