The Power Gifts

Part Three - The Power Gifts

These are the ‘doing’ gifts (1 Peter 4:11) that demonstrate the power of God.

There are three power gifts:

1)   The gift of Faith.

2)   The gift of Working of Miracles.

3)   The gifts of Healings.

When we remember that the whole purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to build up the church, we can see why we must take great care how to use them and not bring confusion into the church by unseemly behaviour or presumption.

The Gift of Faith

The gift of Faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer in order that he might receive supernatural faith in God for mighty miracles and works of God.

As with the other Manifestation gifts mentioned this gift of the Spirit is supernatural. In the Amplified Bible this gift is called wonder-working faith. It is more than general faith (a Fruit of the Spirit) or saving faith. It is mountain-moving faith:

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.” Matthew 21:21

The gift of Faith is received by the operation of one of the revelation gifts and is often manifested as another power gift (Mark 4:37-41). For example, one may have a Word of Knowledge that someone has cancer, and then the gift of Faith comes to speak forth and operate in the gift of Physical Healing for God to heal the person.

The gift of Faith is given as part of a process and is manifest by the Holy Spirit to enable a person to receive a miracle beyond the capacity of ordinary faith. It could be mountain-moving faith for healing and miracles (Acts 3:6; 6:8), for miraculous provision (Matthew 14:13-21), for resurrection (Luke 7:12-15), for casting out demons (Matthew 17:19-20), for speaking judgments (Matthew 21:19; Acts 5:9-11; 13:8-12), for protection and victory (Daniel 3:16-18; 20-26) and so forth. The operation of this gift will always bring glory to God, causing others to believe and fear.

For myself, I have especially experienced miraculous faith for provision in my walk with God.

As I mentioned earlier, when I first launched into ministry and joined World Horizons missions organization I heard the clear call of God to “live by faith” and tangibly felt the gift of Faith coming on me every time I needed finance to do what God was asking of me. When I knew I would be going to Singapore for Bible School a tremendous faith came upon me for the provision of air tickets, the Bible School fees and all that was needed to do His will.

At Tung Ling Bible School, the deadline was just a day away for me to pay my first term fees and the principal, Dr. Neal Patterson, called me to his office. My first thought was that because I could not pay the fees, I had to leave the school, but then I remembered the Word of the Lord and tremendous faith rose in me. Dr. Neal smiled as I entered his office and informed me that someone had anonymously paid all my fees - not just one term but every term!

The Gift of the Working of Miracles

A miracle can be defined as a supernatural intervention by God in the ordinary course of nature. They come through the power of the Spirit over the material creation in ways other than healing.

The Motivational gift of Miracles is a ministry where the person sees many miracles, especially in an apostolic context. However, this is a Manifestation gift that all Spirit-filled believers can use.

This is called the Working of Miracles (plural) as there are many kinds of miracles from God miraculously causing a car to work that has a broken part or an empty tank to miraculously providing food in a cupboard that was empty. Raising the dead is a miracle as it changes the natural order, as does the growing back of a limb that was not there.

There are six basic categories of miracles – they are creative provision miracles (water to wine), resurrection from the dead, miracles of movement (Jesus walking on the water, Philip’s Transport), deliverance (Peter miraculously set free from prison), protection (Paul bitten by Viper but unaffected) and judgment (Ananias and Sapphira miraculously struck dead in judgment).

The gift of Working of Miracles could also be called the working of acts of power. The Greek word is "dunamis", translated into such terms as acts of power, explosions of almightiness or impelling, staggering wonders or astonishments. It is the mighty power of God flowing through a person, the same power that created the universe. It often begins with a Word of Knowledge and needs a Word of Wisdom which releases the gift of Faith which causes us to boldly do what was revealed.

The purposes of this gift are deliverance from danger, protection, provision, judgment, confirming a call, confirming a preached word and so forth.

One miracle I have experienced is when I was teaching in a children’s camp in Malaysia. I was minutes away from leaving my house in Singapore to go to the camp and had some last-minute printing to do that was very important. As I was printing the ink ran out in the printer and the notification came up that I had to buy some more. It was late and the printing shop was closed and there were no more printers or ink nearby. I had a prompting to pray for a miracle, so I laid hands on the printer and prayed. Immediately it started printing the notes! Even when I returned home after the camp the printer worked for another month before I needed to buy any ink. The Lord supernaturally filled the ink in the printer. It was a Working of Miracles.

I do not have a ministry of Miracles (the Motivational gift) but I am able to move in this Manifestation gift as needed, especially in helping me in my main gifting of Teaching.

The Gifts of Healings

The gifts of healings are manifested for the supernatural healing of sickness and diseases, emotional hurts and demonic oppression or possession without any natural source or means.

There are the Motivational gifts of Healings that a person will move in as a ministry, but these are the Manifestation gifts that all Spirit-filled believers have available to them.

These are in the plural tense. There are three categories that’s why the term ‘gifts’ is used - It could manifest as a physical healing or emotional healing or as a deliverance from demonic oppression or possession. Even within each of these categories there are many types of manifestations of healing. That why the term ‘healings’ is used. For example, in physical healing it could be one of at least five types of sickness or disease  (terminal, crippling, demonic, reoccurring or comatose).

Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). The gifts of healings are supernatural Divine healings. As we receive of the Holy Spirit let us freely give to those who are in need. Healings were in prominence in Jesus' ministry and Jesus said we would see greater healings in our own ministries:

“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.” John 14:12

This could be interpreted either as we will do greater healings and miracles in quality (but what could be greater than raising the dead?) or in scope and quantity. The best meaning seems to be that Jesus means greater in the scope and quantity, not of individuals but in the Church going forth into the nations, performing miracles and healings further afield and in greater numbers than Jesus did in Israel.

Some people have a greater success in some areas of healing than others.

Paul asks; "Have all the gifts of healings?" (1 Corinthians 12:30). The answer of course is no, in the sense that not all have the ministry of healing, but all can be used to pray for the sick and they will be healed as the Lord wills.

This gift operates as the Word of Knowledge comes as a feeling, word, thought, vision or by location of the person, then the Word of Wisdom comes to know how to pray for the healing, followed by the Gift of Faith to boldly rise up and pray for the healing so that the Gift of Healing is released. The Distinguishing of Spirits will show what spirit is behind the sickness. The following diagram shows this process:

It is important that we pray for healing only in conjunction with a Word of Knowledge. We can always pray a person can be healed generally as part of their salvation (“By His stripes they are healed” – Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24) but we can only pray with great faith for a specific healing when we have received the rhema word of God about that situation.

There is no set formula for healing! In the Bible we see healing come in response to:

-         The spoken word (John 4:46-54; 5:1-15; Matthew 10:46-52; 12:9-13).

-         Touching (Matthew 8:1-17; 9:27-38; Mark 5:25-34).

-         Commanding (Matthew 9:1-22).

-         Spitting! (Matthew 18:22-26).

-         Putting unbelievers out (Mark 5:40).

-         Shadows and handkerchiefs! (Acts 5:15; 19:12).

Note that these methods will come as a Word of Wisdom.

The Elders, or the Ministerial Gifts of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, have a special anointing in praying for the sick:

“Is anyone among you sick? 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. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” James 5:14-15

Though I do not have the Motivational gift of Healings I do move in the Manifestation gift occasionally. I can vividly remember one time soon after being released in speaking in Tongues, I was in Holy Trinity Brompton church on Sunday and worshipping the Lord. Halfway through the songs the worship leader said that the Spirit was moving mightily in the building and we should all allow the gifts of the Spirit to flow. As they said this, I felt a warm sensation in my hand, a gentle burning. Being new to the move of the Spirit I asked the person next to me what this meant, and they said it was often a sign that the gift of healing was being released. The person on my other side heard this and said they had a bad back that needed healing. I laid my hand on her back and prayed for healing in the name of Jesus. The lady I prayed for leapt up to her feet saying she felt something like electricity run down her back. Then she smiled gleefully and said that the pain had gone!

If no healing occurs do not be discouraged. We can all make mistakes in our hearing from the Lord, but He will teach us and train us, so we learn from these mistakes. Keep praying in faith and do not blame anyone’s lack of faith for the lack of a healing. God is sovereign and will heal in His time and His way, giving His Words of Knowledge and Wisdom as the Spirit wills.

Let us pray for the release of the power gifts in our lives.