A Final Word about the Gifts by Smith Wigglesworth

A Final Word about the Gifts

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. —1 Corinthians 14:12

This Scripture is the Word of God, and it is most important that when we read the Word, we do so with hearts that have purposed to obey its every precept. We have no right to open the Word of God carelessly or indifferently. I have no right to come to you with any message unless it is absolutely in the perfect order of God. I believe we are in order to consider further the subject that we greatly need to be informed about in these days. So many people are receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but then they do not know which way to go. We have a great need today. It is that we may be supplied with revelation according to the mind of the Lord, that we may be instructed by the mind of the Spirit, that we may be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), and that we may not be novices, considering the fact that the Spirit of the Lord has come to us in revelation. We ought to be alert to every touch of divine, spiritual illumination.

We should carefully consider what the apostle Paul said to us: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). The sealing of the Spirit is very remarkable, and I pray to God that not one of you may lose the divine inheritance that God has chosen for you, which is greater than you could choose if your mind had ten times its normal faculties. God’s mind is greater than yours. His thoughts are higher than the heavens over you (Isa. 55:9), so that you do not need to be afraid.

I have great love for my sons in England, great love for my daughter here; but it is nothing in comparison to God’s love toward us. God’s love wants us to walk up and down the earth as His Son did: clothed, filled, radiant, with fire beaming forth from our countenances, setting forth the power of the Spirit so that the people jump into liberty. But there is deplorable ignorance among those who have gifts. It is not right for you to think that because you have a gift, you are to wave it before the people and try to get their minds upon that, because, if you do, you will be out of the will of God. Gifts and callings in the body of Christ may be irrevocable (Rom. 11:29), but remember that God calls you to account for properly administering the gift in a spiritual way after you have received it. It is not given to adorn you, but to sustain, build, edify, and bless the church. When God ministers through a member of the body of Christ and the church receives this edification, then all the members will rejoice together. God moves upon us as His offspring, as His choice, and as the fruit of the earth. He wants us to be elegantly clothed in wonderful raiment, even as our Master is.

His workings upon us may be painful, but the wise saint will remember that among those whom God chastens, it is the one who is trained by that chastening to whom “it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). Therefore, let Him do with you what seems good to Him, for He has His hand upon you; He will not willingly take it off until He has performed the thing He knows you need. So if He comes to sift you, be ready for the sifting. If He comes with chastisement, be ready for chastisement. If He comes with correction, be ready for correction. Whatever He wills, let Him do it, and He will bring you to the land of plenty. Oh, it is worth the world to be under the power of the Holy Spirit!

If He does not chasten you, if you sail placidly along without incident, without crosses, without persecutions, without trials, remember that “if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons” (Heb. 12:8). Therefore, “examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). Never forget that Jesus said this word: “They who hear My voice follow Me.” (See John 10:27.) Jesus wants you all to follow; He wants you to have a clear ring to your testimony.

You are eternally saved by the power of God. Do not be led astray by anything; do not mistake your feelings for your salvation; do not take anybody’s word for your salvation. Believe that God’s Word is true. What does it say? “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

When your will becomes entirely the will of God, then you are clearly in the place where the Holy Spirit can make Jesus Lord in your life, Lord over your purchases, Lord over your selling, Lord over your eating and your drinking, Lord over your clothing, and Lord over your choice of companions.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. (1 Cor. 12:4–7)

The variation of humanity is tremendous. Faces are different, so are physiques. Your whole body may be put together in such a way that one particular gift would not suit you at all, while it would suit another person. So the Word of God deals here with varieties of gifts, meaning that these gifts perfectly meet the condition of each believer. That is God’s plan. It may be that not one person would be led to claim all the gifts. Nevertheless, do not be afraid; the Scriptures are definite. Paul said that you do not need to come short in any gift (1 Cor. 1:7). God has wonderful things for you beyond what you have ever known. The Holy Spirit is so full of prophetic operations of divine power that it is marvelous what may happen after the Holy Spirit comes.

How He loosed me! I am no good without the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit loosed my language. I was like my mother. She had no ability to speak. If she began to tell a story, she couldn’t finish it. My father would say, “Mother, you will have to begin again.” I was like that. I couldn’t tell a story. I was bound. I had plenty of thoughts, but no language. But oh, after the Holy Spirit came!

When He came, I had a great desire for gifts. So the Lord caused me to see that it is possible for every believer to live in such holy anointing, such divine communion, such presseddown measure (Luke 6:38) by the power of the Spirit, that every gift can be his.

But is there not a vast and appalling unconcern about possessing the gifts? You may ask a score of believers, chosen at random from almost any church, “Do you have any of the gifts of the Spirit?” The answer from all will be, “No,” and it will be given in a tone and with a manner that conveys the thought that the believer is not surprised that he does not have the gifts, that he doesn’t expect to have any of them, and that he does not expect to seek them. Isn’t this terrible, when the living Word specifically exhorts us to “earnestly desire the best gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31)? So in order that the gifts might be everything and in evidence, we have to see that we cease to live without His glory. He works with us, and we work with Him— cooperating, working together. This is divine. Surely this is God’s plan.

God has brought you to the banquet, and He wants to send you away full. We are in a place where God wants to give us visions. We are in a place where, in His great love, He is bending over us with kisses. Oh, how lovely is the kiss of Jesus, the expression of His love!

Oh, come, let us seek Him for the best gifts, and let us strive to be wise and to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), giving it forth in power so that the church may be edified and sinners may be saved.