It's amazing to see how the light dawns among students, pastors, and believers as we study the distinction between the gifts of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Learning to distinguish the source and purpose of the different gifts of the Godhead truly opens up "the eyes of our understanding."
All of us who know the Lord are all filled with a stirring inside that draws us to find our place as a ministering member of the Body of Christ. Some are called to vocational ministry but for all believers, there are gifts to be recognized, cultivated, and then distributed to others. We are learning how to be His hands extended.
Gaining a clear understanding of what the Word of God says about the gifts of the Godhead will help to form in you a basis for the operation of those gifts—not only in yourself, but also as ministry tools for cultivation of His Kingdom.
The Word of God tells us to "covet earnestly the best gifts," but that isn't to collect them as you would fine pieces of art. We are to function as a channel through which the gifts happen, to covet the gift that is most appropriately distributed through you for ministering to any situation, trial, or need. The gifts "profit" the Body of Christ by bringing recognition of our mutual dependency on the grace of God happening through one another.
The distinctive gifts given by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit truly represent the Trinity at work in creation and redemption. It's important to understand their difference
The Trinity in action
The Father who energizes. Father God places multiple possibilities of seven basic traits or inclinations within us that are fundamental to who we were created to be. They are prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy (Romans 12:6-8). The gift of the Father is the gift which stirs you and to which you inherently respond. Finding you have a proficiency in it should never become a source of pride; you were simply created that way.
The Lord Jesus who administrates. The Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, has given to the Church ministries to help people redemptively be recovered from hindrances to living fully in what the Father created them to be. The Father says who I am; Jesus gives people (ministries) to help me understand what I can become. These broad categories with multiple expressions are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers (Ephesians 4:11).
The Holy Spirit who enables. The Holy Spirit then gives us the power and gifts to enhance, expand, and enlarge what we were made to be: Gifts of insight-knowledge—wisdom, discernment; gifts of power-faith—miracles, healing; and gifts of utterance-prophecy—tongues, interpretation (Ephesians 4:8-10). All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit require verbal expression, a release in our understanding, and our ability to know how to operate in them.
Father God tells you what He created you to be; Jesus places in His Church people to help you become a ministering person in that context, and the Holy Spirit brings the gracious enhancement of that gift to enlarge your ministry potential.
There is an infinite variety of multiple expressions of all the gifts the Lord releases in us, and none limit us to only what we will ever be. The Lord is continually transforming us by His Spirit. Our identity is never to become wrapped in up a gift, but in The Giver—Jesus Christ—and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The spirit of the gifts is love
The operation of all these gifts is qualified by discerning the spirit of the gifts, which is love—the love of God manifesting in the life of the Church (1 Corinthians 13). Love means that this gift is not for me; it's for me to deliver to someone else. Love is the fundamental manifestation of the Holy Spirit, apparent in both the person ministering the gift and in the one receiving it. When a gift is delivered or ministered in the spirit of love, it is made understandable and receivable to people. Jesus presents a good example of how the gifts function in a person's life: He did what the Father wanted Him to by the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of love desires to present the gift in the most appropriate and gracious manner; for the person receiving, the spirit of love is an openness to hear what the Lord is saying and to overlook the imperfection of the person delivering it.
God has a distinct place and purpose in His Kingdom for every person. The Bible says that He has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased (1 Corinthians 12:18). Our challenge and joy is to grow into the recognition of what He's made us to be, and then to experience its release in Jesus, enabled by the Holy Spirit.
About Jack Hayford
Jack Hayford knows the awesome power of God firsthand. When he was a baby, he was gripped by a life-threatening illness. But as a result of the earnest prayers of friends and family, he was miraculously healed. The doctors had no other explanation except that the grace of God snatched him back from the brink of death. Several years later, Jack was struck down again by sickness. This time it was polio. The church elders anointed him and prayed for his recovery. God heard their petitions and granted a second miracle. These two extraordinary events ignited in Jack's heart a passion for God and convinced him that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the contemporary church. "Contrary to our preconceptions, God is not economical with healings and miracles. Such wondrous works are frequently attending the proclamation of truth in Jesus' name," asserts Pastor Jack.
Jack Hayford serves as President of The Kings University (formerly The King's College and Seminary) in Los Angeles, which he founded in 1997. From 2004 to 2009, he also served as President of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He is probably best known, however, as "Pastor Jack," founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, where he served as senior pastor for more than three decades. A prolific and best-selling writer, Pastor Hayford is the author (or co-author) of more than 100 books and has composed 600 hymns and choruses, including the internationally known and widely recorded "Majesty."
He is an acknowledged "bridge-builder," helping to forge healthy bonds among all segments of the Body of Christ. He is recognized for his balance in preaching the Word, avoiding extremes while not diluting or compromising the demands of truth. Pastor Jack's heart to bring unity across all denominational and racial boundaries has given him an open door to minister in all kinds of settings
Dr. Hayford and his wife, Anna, have four children, eleven grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren.
http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/covet-the-best-gifts/
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