Word of Knowledge as a Power Gift

The modern use of “words of knowledge” turns it into a sign gift, which is harmful.

Analysis of the spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12 often groups them into three broad categories: revelation gifts, speaking gifts, and power gifts.

Power gifts (in this context) are gifts that demonstrate God’s power in action. They are about action and impact, not information or persuasion.

• They change situations directly

• They are externally observable (even by non-believers)

• They point attention to God’s power, not human skill

There are two main power gifts:

1. Working of Miracles (1 Cor 12:10)

• When Jesus fed the four thousand, everyone saw the miracle, even those who were still assessing him to decide if they would follow him.

• When Paul shook off a viper that bit his hand and was not harmed, the people of Malta could see the miracle worked by God (Acts 28:3-6).

2. Gifts of Healing (1 Cor 12:9)

• When Jesus healed the sick people that he encountered, the power and grace of God was visible to everyone, even the Jewish leaders who opposed him.

• When Peter and John healed the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, everyone could see him walking around. They were filled with amazement at what God had done (Acts 3:1-10).

These two gifts are very important for evangelism as they demonstrate the power and grace of God to people who don’t know him. If you have been healed of a sickness, it is hard to argue that God does not love you.

The Word of Knowledge is a Revelation Gift

These spiritual gifts reveal information from God that a person could not know by natural means. A Word of Knowledge is revelation (not a permanent ability) where God discloses information about the past or present that explains what is going on in a tricky situation.

• Jesus knew by a Word of Knowledge what the Teachers of the Law were thinking when the paralysed man was lowered through the roof for him to be healed (Mark 2:8).

• Ananias was given Saul’s exact street address in Damascus and told what Saul was currently doing (Acts 9:10–12).

• When Peter was on the rooftop, the Spirit informed him that three men were downstairs looking for him before he saw them (Acts 10:19–20).

These words of knowledge were given to help the apostles minister to people in need.

Modern Use

The main use of the Word of Knowledge in the modern church is to identify people in a church meeting to be called forward to receive prayer for healing or a prophetic word. The speaker gives out some titbits of information about the person they want to minister to. If the person is sick, they might say something about the sickness. When they come forward, the speaker will pray for them. If the speaker wants to give a prophetic word to the person, they say something about the person that will identify them. When the person comes forward, the speaker will give them a prophecy of some kind.

There are several problems with this shift in use of the word of knowledge gift

• Lack of Biblical Precedent:
  I have searched the New Testament for an example of a word of knowledge to identify people at a meeting who will receive prayer for healing or a prophetic word, and I could not find one. Jesus and the apostles did not use the Word of Knowledge in that way. I am uncomfortable about using a spiritual gift in a way that it is not used in the New Testament.

• Turning Revelation into a “Sign”:
  The modern use of the words of knowledge turns it into a sign gift, which it is not. Its purpose seems to be to demonstrate that the person speaking has God’s anointing and blessing.

• Human Focus:
  Power gifts are supposed to demonstrate the power of God for everyone to see. Using the word of knowledge to call out people at a meeting for prayer or a prophecy points to human skill more than to God’s power. It builds up the status of the person speaking.

• Difficulty in Testing:
  • Testing words of knowledge given in this way is almost impossible. The fact that someone comes forward indicating that the word fits them does not prove it came from God. The inability to test these words means that there is very little accountability. The modern church just assumes that these words of knowledge are correct, even if no one comes forward. Since these words are rarely tested, there is potential for cheating using information from social media or from other sources.

• Private vs. Public:
  A word of knowledge is usually directed towards a person who needs help. They are the only one who needs to hear it. This means that the Holy Spirit will usually prefer to give the gift in private, rather than in big meetings. Using the gift for a different purpose takes it into an environment where it does not fit easily.

• Performance:
  The modern use of the word of knowledge turns it into a performance before spectators, but the Holy Spirit does not like operating this way. He likes to work in public places, but only when he can clearly manifest the power of God.

The word of knowledge is a wonderful gift. We need it more than ever to deal with numerous problems and situations that never seem to be resolved. However, I believe that we have devalued the gift by using it as a tool to identify people to come forward for ministry in church meetings. This has probably grieved the Holy Spirit, which has prevented us from receiving the gift in situations where we really do need it to help people.

When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, he encouraged to jump off the highest point of the temple. Performing this dazzling sign would cause people to worship and honour him (Luke 4:9-12). Jesus responded by warning against testing God. He faced a temptation to build up his ministry by manipulating signs. Turning a revelation gift into a sign gift that will glorify the ministry of the person up the front is a similar temptation. Followers of Jesus should avoid this practice.