The Nine Gifts Are Your Eagle Eyes
Adapted from the sermon “Eagle Eyes: Claim Your Power and Authority,” preached by Pastor Donald Gray on .
An eagle sees what nothing else on the ground can see. 1 Corinthians 12 says the Spirit gives a manifestation to each of us — and manifestation means to see it.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
Go and read all nine of them. First Corinthians 12. Nine gifts of the Spirit. Nine weapons. I want to give you a way to think about them that I believe will change how you carry them.
What does 1 Corinthians 12:7 actually say?
That the gift comes to each one, and it comes to be seen.
1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all."
Come on and say that word with me: manifestation.
Now, I am more of an engineering man than an English man, so help me — what does manifestation mean? To see it. To make known. Say it again: see it.
That is what the gifts are for. Something that was hidden becomes visible. A situation that everybody was guessing about becomes clear. That is manifestation.
Why call the gifts eagle eyes?
Because of what an eagle can do that nothing else on the ground can.
These nine gifts are the eagle's eye. An eagle sees from a distance. It is up where the view is, and it picks out what is moving long before anything on the ground has any idea it is being watched.
That is what the Spirit gives you. Not a feeling. Sight. The ability to see what is actually going on when everyone around you is working from appearances.
Say it with me: to have the eye of an eagle.
Who are they for?
Each one — and then all of us.
Read the verse again and do not skip the last phrase. Given to each one, for the profit of all.
Each one means you are not exempt. You do not get to sit in a room like this and assume the gifts were handed out to somebody more spiritual. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one.
For the profit of all means it was never given to you for you. Eagle eyes are not so you can admire the view. They are so that when this house is in something and nobody can see clearly, somebody in the room can.
So go and read all nine of them this week. Not as a doctrine to agree with. As an inventory of what you are carrying.
Questions from this reading
- What does manifestation mean in 1 Corinthians 12:7?
- It means to make known — to see it. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one, which means the gifts exist so that something otherwise hidden becomes visible.
- Who receives the gifts of the Spirit?
- Each one. The verse says the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. It is not distributed to a select few and it is not given for private benefit.
- Why compare the nine gifts to an eagle's eyes?
- An eagle sees from a distance what nothing on the ground can see. The gifts function the same way — they let you perceive what is actually happening before it is obvious to everyone else.
Watch the full sermon
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