Gift of Revelation

A. The Word of Wisdom

1 Corinthians 12:8 (NKJV)

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit…

1. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes the decisions.

2. Wisdom edifies the body of Christ.

Examples of the word of wisdom in the Old Testament:

• In Genesis 6, God revealed to Noah about the coming flood and instructed him to build an ark.

• In Genesis 15, God revealed to Abraham that his future decedents would be enslaved for 400 years. And then He would deliver them miraculously.

• In Psalms 2 & 23, God revealed to David about the coming Savior. And in Isaiah 53, God revealed this to Isaiah.

Examples of the word of wisdom in the New Testament:

• In Matthew 24, Jesus foretold the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

• In John 21, Jesus tells Peter that he will die as a martyr.

• In Acts 23, when Paul thought he would lose his life at the hands of an angry mob, the Lord revealed to him that he wouldn’t die and that he would preach in Rome.

As we’ll see in a later lesson, the word of wisdom and the gift of prophecy are very different. The word of wisdom is a gift of revelation, in that it reveals information, specifically information about the future. The gift of prophecy is an inspiration gift. It doesn’t reveal information. It provides encouragement.

B. The Word of Knowledge

1 Corinthians 12:8 (NKJV)

…to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit…

1. The gift of knowledge gives us protection.

2. The gift of knowledge advises us so that we can be an effective help.

Examples of the word of knowledge in the Old Testament:

• In 1 Kings 19, Elijah was discouraged because he believed he was the only person alive who was serving the Lord. But God revealed to him that there were still 7,000 people who were still faithfully serving Him.

• In 2 Kings 5, God revealed to Elisha that Gehazi had deceitfully taken Naaman’s money.

Examples of the word of knowledge in the New Testament:

• In John 4, when speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus knew that she had 5 previous husbands and the man she was with at the time was not her husband.

• In Acts 10, God revealed to Peter that 3 men work looking for him, and that he was to meet with them and share the gospel.

C. Discerning of Spirits

1 Corinthians 12:10 (NKJV)

...to another the discerning of spirits…

1. Seeing through the enemy's deceit

2. Discernment builds up the body of Christ

Examples of the discerning of spirits in the New Testament:

• In Acts 8, a man named Simon witnessed Peter and John praying for people.

Simon approached them wanting to purchase that power. But the Holy Spirit reveled to Peter that Simon’s heart was motivated by bitterness and iniquity.

• In Acts 13, Paul confronted a man named Elymas. Elymas may have looked normal to everyone else, but by the Holy Spirit, Paul could see right through him.

• In Acts 5, Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira who had lied about what they had given to the church. He understood that it was pride that motivated them.