The Holy Spirit and His Gifts | Page 72

If a person is a New Testament evangelist, he will be equipped with supernatural gifts such as working of miracles and gifts of healings. In fact, it takes at least those two gifts to constitute the office of the evangelist. Many times we call people evangelists who are really exhorters. In other words, they just exhort sinners to get saved, but they are not really New Testament evangelists; they are exhorters. Exhorters do not have the gifts of healings or the gift of the working of miracles operating in their ministries. They are exhorters; that is their function in the Body of Christ. And they can exhort people to get saved, but there is no manifestation of supernatural gifts operating in their lives or ministries on a continual basis. Paul speaks of exhorters in the Book of Romans (Rom. 12:8). Helps The ministry of helps is included in this passage in First Corinthians 12:27-30 too. These are people in the Body of Christ who are divinely called and anointed by God to help those in the fivefold ministry. Verse 28 calls this ministry, "helps." Their function is as a supportive role to those called to the ministry. Governments Also, the ministry or the office of the pastor is not listed in this verse either, as such. However, the office of governments is listed which indicates the pastoral office because the pastor is the head of a church. He "governs" or shepherds the local body. Diversities of Tongues Another ministry gift we see listed in First Corinthians 12:28 is diversities of tongues. Paul has not changed his subject in this verse. He is still talking about ministry gifts, or fivefold ministry offices, not gifts of the Spirit. In other words, in this passage, Paul isn't talking about being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues as a devotional gift because he said, "Are all apostles? [No!] are all prophets? [No!] are all teachers? [No!] are all workers of miracles? [No!] Have all the gifts of healing? ..." The answer is no (1 Cor. 12:29,30). Then Paul said, ". . . do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (1 Cor. 12:30). The answer is no, all do not speak with tongues as a ministry gift. Paul was not talking about believers being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues in their private devotional prayer lives. However, all believers are encouraged to speak in tongues to themselves and to God (1 Cor. 14:2,4). Paul was talking about ministering in tongues in a public assembly with interpretation as a ministry gift, and not everyone does that. Ministering in tongues in public assembly with interpretation on more of a continual basis denotes the ministry gift of diversities of tongues most closely related to the office of the prophet, and not every believer has that gift. This is not referring to a believer who is used in tongues or interpretation of tongues on an occasional basis.