The Gift of Knowledge (11)
A Gifted Story: He was not particularly interested
in religion, but the campus Christian group gave him a chance to
make some friends. They were all talking about the Bible, and he
really couldn't offer anything on the subject because he had never
even touched a copy. Curtis figured he'd better take a look at
it before the next meeting. He began reading the Bible one evening,
and he literally couldn't put it down. All through the night he
poured over the pages and on through the next day. Day after day
he lived and breathed scripture. His thirst for the Word of God
was insatiable from that day on. Curtis has the gift of knowledge,
and today he is a publisher of Christian books.
Biblical references:
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world,
but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then
you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to
him and is perfect. .
Col. 1:10 - Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will
always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds,
and you will grow in your knowledge of God.
1 Cor. 12:8 - The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while
to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge.
1 Cor. 14:6 - So when I come to you, my brothers, what use will I be
to you if I speak in strange tiongues? Not a bit, unless I bring some revelation
from God or some knowledge or some inspired message or some teaching.
Definition and comment:
The gift of Knowledge: the special ability that God gives to certain members
of the Body of Christ to discover, accumulate, analyze, and clarify information
and ideas which are pertinent to the growth and well-being of the Body. This
gift builds understanding in an exceptional way of the great truths of God’s
word and gives insight into their relevance to specific situations in the
church. A person with this gift will be driven to learn, analyze and uncover
new insights with regard to the Bible and faith.
The spiritual gift of knowledge may well be revealed through certain characteristics
- a bent for scholarship, a love of reading, contentment with study, at home
wrestling with ideas and engaged in problem-solving. Undoubtedly people involved
in Bible translation have this gift, as do those who often find revelation
in the words of scripture. The particular kind of knowledge inherent in this
gift is tied to God’s revealed word and it’s applicability to
the moment at hand.
Since the major source of knowledge being employed by this gift is the Bible,
there will most certainly be a high level of comprehension and internalization
of scripture. It is said that immersion in God’s word readies a person
for most any circumstance as the Spirit will then call forth a message of
truth as needed from the storehouse of passages held in the heart. The person
with the gift of knowledge will understand the living nature of God’s
word.
Affirm that you have this gift; questions to ask yourself:
-
Have you been able to help others distinguish
key and important facts of scripture?
-
Do you enjoy studying and reading material that
expands your understanding of the Bible?
-
In your personal study do you frequently discover
new insights in scripture?
-
Do you feel compelled to share with others the
biblical insights you discover?
-
Do biblical passages come to mind when you seek
to know God’s will in a particular situation?
Areas for study and personal growth:
-
Full familiarity with the Bible is critical for
effective exercise of the gift of knowledge. More than likely you
will be at home with scripture for the rest of your life. A regular
disciplined excursion through the pages will become an on-going
visit with a friend. A rule of life of daily scriptural reading
will help to develop your gift of knowledge.
-
Seek to build a library of biblical reference materials
(such as Barclay’s daily study Bible series; guides to help
with interpretation of idioms, parables and allegories, symbolism
and figures of speech; and a concordance to assist in the finding
of passages).
-
Develop a regular prayer discipline that you might
be led by the Spirit to the knowledge that is needed for situations
that arise. Trust not in your own intellect for God’s knowledge;
instead, trust him to give you knowledge through prayer.
-
If your ministry calls you to work with others
as you impart knowledge, strengthen your skills for presentation,
whether teaching, mentoring or reading - all of these areas require
skills of message delivery that can be learned. Consider attending
appropriate workshops. For example, a workshop on techniques for
being a lector could help you maximize your effectiveness in oral
reading; a workshop on storytelling could help you relate the Gospel
stories more dynamically.
-
Discover ways to share your knowledge with others,
and be sensitive to where a message of knowledge may be helpful
in the building up of the church. For instance, you may become
better equipped than most to lead a bible study or to help develop
a good curriculum.
General ways to use the gift of knowledge:
-
Personally: share biblical truths with family and
friends; tell stories from scripture whenever they seem applicable.
-
Within the church: find ways to offer the knowledge
you have gained in decision-making, instruction, and through writing
(see more specific church service opportunities in the Booklet Channels
for Using the Gifts)..
-
Within the wider community: seek ecumenical involvement
and help reveal Christ’s hope “that we all may be one.”
For reflection:
We Christians grow in our faith by many avenues, and the best spiritual growth
occurs when we build up our faith in multiple ways. Tradition, the sacraments,
heartfelt belief, and reason all combine to enrich our experience as children
of God. All of these together complete our armor against the dark forces
of this world and set us in forward movement on our pilgrimage as we seek
to know our Maker.
Sometimes, through ill preparation or lack of opportunity, we fall short
in our reasoning powers when it comes to our faith. Many feel that faith
can only truly be known by sheer belief. The thought is that reason should
not be employed because one cannot absolutely prove the existence of God.
That, however, leaves the believer vulnerable to a loss of faith in a time
of trial or attack of disbelief in depression. Actually, reason is as important
as any other component in faith building, and the gift of knowledge is the
chief gift that can be employed to help Christians see their faith in reasonable
terms.
Your gift of knowledge is crucial in helping others to see and understand
God’s truths in intellectual ways that will stand the test of dispute.
Knowledge of our faith holds us together when weakness cools our hearts.
We stay the course because our minds tell us with surety that the path we
are on is correct, despite any feelings of despair that may grip us. Our
grounding in knowledge and our consequential reasoning give us mental as
well as heartfelt conviction. It is a case where our minds carry our hearts
through the turbulent periods of our lives until our hearts can be rekindled
again. Use your gift to help strengthen our minds for Christ in the certain
and reasonable knowledge of the enduring quality of his love.
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