Gifts of the Spirit by Peter Tan [Summary]

Main Summary: Gifts of the Spirit by Peter Tan is a book that provides a practical guide to operating the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. It distinguishes between instantaneous gifts and gradual spiritual growth, equipping believers to flow in revelation, power, and vocal gifts while maintaining order and sensitivity to the Spirit.

Lessons You’ll Learn From This Post 

• The Operation of the Gifts
• The Revelation Gifts
• The Power Gifts
• The Vocal Gifts
• How to Flow in the Gifts

The Holy Spirit manifests as He wills. He reserves the right to choose not to manifest or to manifest. He is still the Boss.

The Operation of the Gifts

• The operation of spiritual gifts is taught so that believers are not ignorant of them.
• When operating in the gifts, you must distinguish between unbelievers and the unlearned (untaught believers).
• The nine gifts are divided into three categories: Revelation (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits), Power (gift of faith, working of miracles, gifts of healings), and Vocal (prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues).
• The Holy Spirit manifests as He wills, not at your command. 
• To be a vessel of use, you must yield your free will to the Holy Spirit; He will not bypass or violate it.
• Understand that manifestation flows from the spirit, through the soul (mind and emotions), and then through the body.
• The nine gifts are related to ministry offices; prophets typically operate in revelation and vocal gifts, while apostles combine revelation and power gifts.
• To invite manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit, you must create the right atmosphere with high levels of prayer, worship, and faith.
• Avoid grieving the Holy Spirit by doing what He does not want, and quenching Him by neglecting what He commands.
• There is a difference between spiritual gifts (instantaneous) and spiritual fruits (developed over time).

The word of wisdom is a revelation of the mind of God about things in the future. A word is a part of a sentence. A word of wisdom is a part of the total knowledge of God concerning the future.

The Revelation Gifts

• The Word of Wisdom
  • Receives a revelation of God’s mind concerning future events.
  • Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, often introduced by “thus says the Holy Spirit.”
  • Distinguish this from spiritual wisdom, which develops through growth and deals with applying God’s commandments.
  • Apply spiritual wisdom to interpret and act on a word of wisdom correctly.
• The Word of Knowledge
  • Receives a supernatural revelation of God’s mind concerning past or present events.
  • Operate this gift when natural access to information is impossible.
  • Differentiate it from spiritual knowledge, which grows through the development of your spirit man.
  • Avoid declaring inner impressions as “thus says the Lord”; instead, learn to say “I perceive.”
• Discerning of Spirits
  • Receives the supernatural ability to see into the spiritual realm, including angels, God, or demons—not just demons.
  • Experience this gift through three types of vision: close vision (trance-like, senses suspended), open vision (seeing both spiritual and physical realms simultaneously), and spiritual vision (inner mental imagery, the highest type of revelation).
  • Recognize three categories of vision: allegorical (symbolic, needs interpretation), message (imparts a key message), and plain (fulfilled exactly as seen).
  • Develop spiritual discernment gradually through spiritual growth, prayer, and meditation on the Word.

If God has to wait until we develop the faith to do some of the things that He wants done, it may take an eternity for some work to get done. For that reason, when He has a special work to be done, He imparts the gift of faith.

The Power Gifts

• The Gift of Faith
  • Receives a supernatural, instantaneous infusion of faith to receive a miracle impossible by natural means.
  • Operates in four areas: preservation (e.g., Daniel in the lions’ den), provision (e.g., Elijah fed by ravens), proclamation (casting out demons with a word), and transportation (being carried supernaturally by the Spirit).
  • Remain at rest while this gift operates; the work is done through you, not by your effort.
  • Distinguish this gift from growing in faith, which develops gradually through hearing the Word.
• The Working of Miracles
  • Receives the supernatural ability to actively work a miracle, engaging in the process.
  • Operate in five areas: transcending natural laws (e.g., walking on water), instantaneous healings with restored strength, creative miracles (multiplying food, restoring lost limbs), special demonstrations of anointing (shadows, handkerchiefs), and performing signs and wonders (judgments, supernatural signs).
  • Expect creative miracles to restore maimed limbs and missing body parts in this last great move of the Spirit.
• The Gifts of Healings
  • Receives the supernatural ability to heal both the soul (brokenhearted, wounded emotions) and the body.
  • This gift applies God’s power to three causes of sickness: organic (deformities, chemical imbalances), microscopic invasions (germs, viruses), and demonic oppression.
  • Recognize specialization; different ministers receive anointing for different types of healing (e.g., deafness, cancer, bone disorders).
  • Flow with great compassion, which is usually released through this gift.

All prophecy is only to confirm and not to lead. New Testament Christians are to be led by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and not by any self-proclaimed prophet.

The Vocal Gifts

• The Gift of Prophecy
  • Receives a supernatural utterance from God in a known language.
  • Operates in three ways: edify (supply details to the architectural blueprint of a person’s life), exhort (encourage by bringing a sense of God walking alongside), and comfort (console and soothe pain after stumbling).
  • Function as confirmation, not guidance; New Testament believers are led by the Holy Spirit within and the Word, not by prophets.
  • Distinguish this gift from the spiritual growth of exhortation, which develops gradually through being filled with the Word.
• The Gift of Tongues
  • Receives a supernatural utterance from God to men in an unknown language, requiring interpretation for edification.
  • Differentiate this gift from praying in tongues, which is your spirit praying to God and does not require interpretation.
  • Limit messages in tongues to three per meeting unless interpretation follows.
  • Recognize praying in tongues as the starting place and major key for moving into the operation of all the gifts.
• The Interpretation of Tongues
  • Receives the supernatural ability to interpret a message given in an unknown tongue.
  • Understand this as interpretation, not translation; the length and wording may vary while conveying the same gist.
  • Allow the interpretation to bring forth application of the message, not just a literal rendering.
  • Develop private interpretation as a growth of the anointing within, enabling you to understand the gist of your own prayer language.

To allow the Holy Spirit free rein to manifest His gifts, the meetings where He is to manifest must be fluid and not under time pressure. The Holy Spirit takes His own time to manifest as He wills.

How to Flow in the Gifts

• The Principle of Faith
  • Exercise boldness to operate any gift; spiritual sensations alone are not enough.
  • Step out in faith even when questioning the genuineness of what you are receiving.
  • Gain confidence through experience and establishing yourself in the Word.
• The Principle of the Unction
  • Recognize that all gifts operate with an anointing upon, distinct from the anointing within.
  • Wait for the unction before operating; otherwise, you risk speaking from your human spirit rather than the Holy Spirit.
  • Give grace for “honest mistakes” in services, but expect mature believers to avoid wasting the congregation’s time with stale words.
• The Principle of Desire and Expectation
  • Covet earnestly the best gifts; the Holy Spirit works where He is welcomed.
  • Structure meetings with fluidity and freedom, not rigid time pressures, allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest as He wills.
  • Cultivate tremendous hunger and expectation, accompanied by praise and worship while waiting upon God.
• The Manifestation is for All
  • Recognize that each believer receives a manifestation for the profit of the whole body.
  • Discern which type of anointing is present—revelation, power, or vocal—to operate the appropriate gift at the right time.
  • Operate all gifts in an orderly manner, understanding the proper time and place for each.

You now have a clearer understanding of how the gifts operate. Do not stop here. Cultivate your hunger, pray earnestly in the spirit, yield your will, and step out in faith. Let the Holy Spirit flow through you—not just for your sake, but for the profit of all.

Finally, here is a question we’d love you to answer.

Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit stirring in you but held back because you weren’t sure if it was truly Him?

We would love to hear from you. Please leave your answer and comment in the comment box below.

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