Spiritual gifts are divine attributes given to you by the LORD to attract unbelievers to the gospel. Gifts from the LORD are for evangelism, while gaining heaven is about living a holy life embedded in the Salvation of the LORD.

Today’s message would explain how spiritual gift is not enough to secure one’s entry to eternal enjoyment in heaven. 

What is the Essence of Spiritual Gifts?

Spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given to you by God. The main significance of spiritual gifts is to uphold the expression of God’s love for humanity.

God is the Sole Giver of spiritual gifts. There is abomination going on in some School of Theology and churches where the teachers teach their members the alphabets of speaking in tongues. It is the duty of the LORD to decide the suitable spiritual gifts for you, and He ordains you to exhibit the gifts for the physical or spiritual need of the people you meet.

Matthew chapter 25 verses 15 says: “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability…”

Which Spiritual Gift is the Superior?

The Lord did not bless us with divine gifts for boastful classification. I discovered that some spiritual gifts are exhibited by some unbelievers too, thus, the role of spiritual gift is different from the role of holy spiritual lifestyle.

First Corinthians chapter 12 says: “…There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit… But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge… faith… gifts of healings… working of miracles… prophecy… discerning of spirits… different kinds of tongues… interpretation of tongues…”

None of these nine gifts is superior because they are been controlled by the same Holy Spirit.

Paul boasted as the chief speaker of tongues confessed that without love the gift is useless. So, everyone must be careful not to bastardize the gift of tongues. First Corinthians chapter 13 verse 1 says: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Speaking in tongues had caused a lot of disorderliness in the church, and we expect the presence of God in such gathering?

It is quite unfortunate that the teachings of Paul on spiritual gifts were not obeyed. Many Christians attach superiority to the gift of speaking in tongues. I don’t know if you are aware that Paul prefers the gift of prophecy to tongues.

First Corinthians chapter 14 verse 18 and 19 says : “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Spiritual Gifts and Heaven

I won’t hesitate to tell you that the acquisition of many spiritual gifts is not directly proportional to gaining heaven. The false Prophets and Pastors deceived the church with deceptive teachings such as: “Speaking in tongues is the only proof of a genuine Christian”… “Heaven is certain for those that speak in tongue”.

The careful study of the Bible shows that exhibition of spiritual gifts alone is not enough to gain heaven.

Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 to 23 say: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Your spiritual gifts have significant effect in the lives of people, while your spiritual fruits have significant effect in your eternal life. For instance, a tongue-speaking Evangelist with gifts of miracle and discerning of spirits confessed before the congregation of his many years of adultery. His spiritual gifts were good and at the same time, his spiritual fruits were unholy. Thank God he came back to Christ before it was too late…

I have heard about some ministers who performed various spiritual gifts to bless souls, but their spiritual life is not right with the LORD. Though, I am happy some of them confessed their sins when they discovered that spiritual gifts without spiritual fruits is dangerous to eternity.

You cannot continue to break the commandments of Jesus and expect your spiritual gifts to heal the second crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Someone asked me: “Why do we have a lot of adamant Christians in the Church of this generation?” The answer is not far fetch, let’s read Hebrew chapter 6 verse 4 to 6: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

For examples;

Judas Iscariot had the spiritual gift of service but his spiritual life was not guided by the teachings of Jesus. So, his greedy lifestyle ended up killing him.

Matthew chapter 27 verse 3 to 5 says: “Then Judas…brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

King Solomon had spiritual gifts of wisdom, knowledge and leadership. But at a point in his life, he abandoned the commandments of the Lord. So, he fell away from the presence of the Lord and his spiritual gifts could not save him.

First King chapter 11 verse 11 to 14 says: “Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant’… Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom.”

The church of the Laodiceans was blessed with the spiritual gift of giving. But they worshiped their wealth instead of God. Their spiritual gifts could not save them because the Lord spills them out of His mouth.

Revelation chapter 3 verse 14 to 22 says: “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…”

Don’t be deceived by the end-time false preachers who spread the erroneous teaching on the pulpits and the internet. Your spiritual gifts only cannot qualify you to gain heaven, unless your physical and spiritual lifestyles are holy and controlled by the Word of God.