Gifts of the Spirit 2 - 1 Corinthians 12:10-11

Working of Miracles – Miracles have always been an interesting topic to me because I’ve always been able to recognize small thing as miracles and it baffled me that some people could not. I’ve also always wondered why people could see and recognize miracles but then lose their testimony anyway, like when Laman and Lemuel saw an angel, but turned wicked again like 10 seconds later. Over the years of study, I’ve learned that miracles don’t convert, people who are not ready or willing to believe will dismiss miracles as coincidences or happenstance. But miracles are sent by God to strengthen already existing testimony. Like I’m listening to the second volume of the Saints series that the Church put out and there was a time in Winter Quarters where the people were almost starving and then hundreds of quails came and landed in their camp and didn’t fly away so they were caught and eaten. That is a miracle, and was a sign to those who believed of God’s goodness, power, and investment in their journey. But to those who did not believe, it could have been seen as a coincidence. The IM says, “signs of God’s grace, which affirm that divine power is at work. They are a reminder that God assists those who follow the example of the Savior and minister to others.” I’m not sure what the “working” part of Paul’s statement means, like if it implies that one can call on God to provide a miracle, or what. Maybe it’s a faith in miracles and an expectation that God will intervene on your behalf when it is his will.

Prophecy – This is one of those concepts that I consider to be above and beyond my limited scope down here in the peasantry, like this is reserved for the prophets and apostles. But is that true? The IM says, “Personal revelation is the source of testimony, and testimony enables a person to prophecy or testify of God’s work, including His future works. The gift of prophecy does not necessarily mean predicting future events. All members of the Church are to seek for this gift. The gift of prophecy should not be confused with the prophetic office of a prophet, seer, and revelator.” So I guess that answers my question, prophecy is for everyone. I guess the gift of prophecy applies to personal revelation, and I would imagine revelation concerning all those within your stewardship. Like when parents receive inspiration for what they should do for their children, or teachers for their students, etc. The office of a prophet might just expand the number of people who that person would receive revelation for. This really personalizes the gift of prophecy and is pretty empowering to consider. Would bearing your testimony be considered prophesying?

Discerning of spirits – This seems similar to “Diversity of Operations” that we talked about yesterday. The IM says, “the gift of discernment can make known ‘the thoughts and intents of the heart’ of another person. The gift of discernment ‘arises largely out of an acute sensitivity to impressions- spiritual impressions… to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to find the good that may be concealed. The highest type of discernment is that which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good inherent within them.” I love that, I would really love that to be one of my spiritual gifts. How do I help others uncover their better natures? First, I would have to stop assuming the worst about people, I can’t help them with their good, if I don’t see it, and I can’t see it if I’m not willing to look for it. I’m really going to have to think about this because I want this really bad. I also really like the idea of knowing if someone’s intentions are good or evil because I take people at their word most of the time and I get taken advantage of a lot because of that. I would never con someone out of money, so it doesn’t occur to me that someone else would do it to me. I would never steal a purse out of a shopping cart at Walmart, so it doesn’t occur to me that someone would steal mine. It’s that kind of thing.

Gift of Tongues – One of the more well-known gifts of the Spirit, the gift of tongues has some interesting history in Christianity. Interestingly, when the fantastical display is put on, any incoherent, enthusiastic ramblings can be called “speaking in tongues,” and really, who is around to say that what they’re saying isn’t an actual language some where out there. I’m not here to comment on the validity of people’s claim to have used this gift or to have seen it in action, because in the last 2,000 years there have been so many different circumstances which could have arisen that might necessitate the gift of tongues. Remembering on the day of Pentecost many of the believers who received the outpouring of the Spirit began speaking in tongues which allowed many other people from distant lands to hear the gospel in their own language, which prepared them for the time when missionaries would come to their country. The section on the gift of tongues in the Church History section of the gospel library says that there are two types of speaking in tongues. The first is called “glossolalia” which defined as “uttering of unintelligible, language-like sounds while in a state of ecstasy.” The IM notes that this type of speaking “was typically followed by an inspired interpretation.’ The IM gives an example of a woman who was blessed with the “gift of singing inspirationally” in her patriarchal blessing and one day during a service stood up and sang a beautiful song in a language no one had ever heard before. Afterward, Parley P. Pratt stood up and “interpreted her song for other hearers… Joseph Smith Sr, (who was a patriarch himself) believed Whitney sang in the pure language of heaven.”

The second type of tongues is xenoglossia which is “the ability to speak fluently a language the speaker has never learned.” This was what happened at the day of Pentecost, and many people were able to learn the gospel because of it. There are other examples on the church website about George Q. Cannon who struggled with the Hawaiian language while on a mission there, while teaching one evening, “felt a peculiar sensation in my ears’ and ‘from that time forward I had but little, if any, difficulty in understand what the people said.” Additionally, Hyrum Jensen prayed in a forest for the Lord help with his inability to learn Norwegian, despite his own extensive efforts. As he walked out of those trees, “I spoke Norwegian with more ease than I have ever spoken English.”  In our day, it appears that this is the most common way that for the gift of tongues to be manifested, in quick and efficient learning of foreign languages to enable the missionaries to preach the word of God in the learner’s own language.

Interpretation of tongues – The gift of tongues is pretty straight forward and well known, but I never understood the gift of the interpretation of tongues until I listened to the book, “Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites” which is a story where modern day kids ride their bikes through a cave and travel back in time to the era of Amalickiah, who was a Nephite king of the Lamanites. One of the modern day kids wondered what the interpretation of tongues was and when it came time for them to interact with the Lamanites, the kids were astonished that the Lamanites spoke English. One of the characters explained that when the kids spoke English and the Lamanites understood them, that was the gift of tongues, and when the Lamanites spoke their language back to the kids and the kids understood what was being said, that was the interpretation of tongues. I thought that that was a pretty good explanation. This would be just as important to missionary work as the gift of tongues because communication, especially about gospel topics, has to go both ways. We can talk to someone all day long and even if they understand the words we are saying, if they can’t ask questions or explain their perspectives, then they aren’t really understanding the teachings.

Finally Paul notes that “all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” All spiritual gifts come from the same God, from the same gospel, and from the same Spirit. I would imagine that that pertains to those who are not of our faith who also possess spiritual gifts. And every member is entitled to spiritual gifts and given them at the will of God. So I guess I can pray to have the gift of discernment, but it must be the will of God for me to have it to get it. But a desire and work towards the goal of having it would probably be a good start.