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4) Ability to know what we are called to and thus know our place in the body
Through the gift of prophecy as well as growing up in the Spirit
(Spirit-in-us as well on-us) we should come to an understanding of what we are
called to. We are to serve the body according to our gifts not according to the
need. That is not to say that we can not fill a need temporally but that we
would be better able to serve the body by ministering in the capacity of our
gifts. This is not just a reference to spiritual gifts but also a calling to an
office. It is an injustice when a "pastor" overlooks a gifted person
because of prejudices and personal feelings about the individual. Many churches
miss out on the benefit of such people because of leaving them in menial tasks
for many years or because of jealousy. In the world today, members of the church
have the ability to grow far beyond the local leadership. With Christian
television and radio, we are able to tap into all the current revelations that
are being understood by the Apostles and prophets of today. We can partake of
anointed ministries that are hundreds or even thousands of miles away and grow
into a mature Christian without much help from the local church. This very fact
causes these anointed and capable people much harm for many are considered
deceived or rebellious because they do not agree with local
"authority." It is true that gifted people are more vulnerable to
spiritual attacks then the ignorant because they are more of a threat to the
devil. It soon becomes overwhelming to the spiritual person when they are
attacked not only from wicked forces of satan but also by the local leadership
and they may give up their fight. They may not know that giving up the fight may
turn out to be an almost fatal mistake. Attacks should not continuously be
lodged against them by the local leadership for much harm can come to the person
as well as the church.The goal of any church should be to have the people become mature in their
God given abilities and exercise them. It is through the anointing that comes
upon us that encourages us to continue to move farther in God. The result of
moving further is a revelation of who we are and what we are called to do. It is
important that people understand that the local authority may not identify with
what you are called to. This doesn't mean that you are wrong. Changes are
happening very quickly within the Body of Christ today and your local authorities may not have
the revelation that you have. We must also be open to the fact that we may have
missed the Lord and are in deception. Satan's goal is for us to believe some lie
about God, our self or someone else. We need to be one hundred percent sure that
we are hearing accurately from God and not believing the devils lies. This is why we should look for
confirmation from a reputable prophetic voice concerning our calling.
Gifts of the Spirit
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