Two Dangerous Questions: Case Study
Yesterday, in my Quiet Time, I read Acts 11:27-30 about a prophet named Agabus. Verse 28 says that he, “stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.).” I noticed that this was the first time in Acts that I had read about the spiritual gift of prophecy.
As usual, at the end of my Quiet time, I asked God the dangerous question, “What do You want me to do today?” Immediately a thought popped into my mind that I should write a blog showing that all of the spiritual gifts are mentioned in Acts 1-11.
At the time I had no idea if, in fact, this was true. But I’ve learned that when a sudden thought occurs it usually is a whisper of God, as long as it agrees with Scripture. So I went back to chapter 1 and started looking for examples of spiritual gifts being used in the events through chapter 11. And, of course, every single spiritual gift is illustrated in these 11 chapters. So today’s blog is presented in obedience to God’s answer to my dangerous question.
| Chapter | Verse | Spiritual Gift | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercession | The 11 prayed to select a new 12th apostle | ||
| Leadership | Peter led the apostle selection process | ||
| Administration | The 11 first determined the selection criteria | ||
| Tongues | The Holy Spirit enabled the 12 to speak in tongues | ||
| Interpretation | People heard the apostles in their own languages | ||
| Teaching | Peter preached the first sermon to a large crowd | ||
| Healings | Peter healed a lame beggar | ||
| Giving | Barnabas sold land and gave money to the apostles | ||
| Miracles | The apostles performed many miracles | ||
| Wisdom | The apostles decided to delegate a task to 7 men | ||
| Knowledge | Stephen knew and used Scripture in his speech | ||
| Faith | Stephen saw Jesus awaiting him in heaven | ||
| Evangelism | Philip evangelized Samaria | ||
| Apostleship | Peter and John investigated the situation in Samaria | ||
| Discernment | Peter saw bitterness in Simon the sorcerer | ||
| Mercy | Dorcas continually helped the poor | ||
| Helps | Dorcas made robes and clothes for the poor | ||
| Hospitality | Simon the tanner had Peter stay in his home | ||
| Encouragement | Barnabas sought out Saul in Tarsus | ||
| Shepherding | Barnabas and Paul were Antioch’s pastors for a year | ||
| Prophecy | Agabus accurately predicted worldwide famine |
© 2012 Designed to Serve
Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.
