THE GIFT OF THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

HIS GLORY REIGNS
B. Childress
Apr 27 2007 08:00AM


Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, And  there are diversities of operations, but it
is the same God which worketh all in all. (1Cor. 12:1. 3-6)

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; (1Cor. 12:7-8)

The gifts of the Holy Spirit ( or manifestations as identified by Paul) are manifested through individual believers as the
Spirit of God wills.  Spiritual gifts are not given for the individual but to 'profit' a whole assembly or body of believers.  
When the gifts of the Spirit are in manifestation, they will always exalt the Lordship of Jesus Christ. TRY THE SPIRITS:
TRY THE SPIRITS -  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this
is that spirit of the antichrist whereof ye have heard that should come... 1 John 4:2-3

First Corinthians 12:3 states, Wherefore I give you to understand that, no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (when the spirit is in
manifestation).

The Gift of the Word of Knowledge is:

  • The supernatural revelation by the Holy Ghost of certain facts in the mind of God.
  • God is all knowing and possesses all knowledge.  A word of knowledge then is a fragmentary part of the entire
    knowledge or counsel of God.  He imparts to us what he wants us to know at a specific time and for a specific
    reason ( such as to meet a need or emergency).
  • A word of knowledge comes by an inward revelation: a word of knowledge may be manifested by the audible
    voice of the Lord (the Spirit of God speaking to you), through the gift of prophecy, through dreams or visions, or
    delivered by an angel.
  • It is possible to receive a word of knowledge through tongues and interpretation of tongues although this event
    is most likely to occur in public assemblies.
  • A word of knowledge might be accompanied by a word of wisdom, as spiritual gifts often work together.
  • A manifestation of  a word of knowledge might be used to reveal sickness or an evil spirit ( as opposed  to the
    Gift of Discerning of Spirits where you would actually see the (evil) spirit with your eyes).
  • The revelation that the word of knowledge brings is NEVER future tense, it is either present or past tense.  The
    gift of a word of knowledge deals with that which exists, either past or present - something that a servant could
    not discern in the natural.


The Gift of the Word of Knowledge is NOT:

  • To be considered a "gift" of knowledge:  a profound increase in natural knowledge.
  • An exceptional knowledge or understanding of the Bible.
  • An exceptional knowledge of God because of your relationship with Him.
  • A gift you can operate without the unction of the Spirit of God.

Examples of the Gift of the Word iof Knowledge from the OLD TESTAMENT:

The word of knowledge was used in the Old Testament to discover a man in hiding.

Although Samuel had already anointed Saul to be king over Israel, when it came time to reveal him as the king, Saul
hid"...among the stuff..."(1 Samuel 10:22).  When the people couldn't find him, they inquired of the Lord instead of
sending everyone to look for him.  The Lord replied, "Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff" (haystack).  And
they ran and fetched him thence..." (1 Samuel 10:22,23).  The people knew that the Lord knew exactly where Saul
was.  When they looked where God told them to look, they found Saul. (p.80)

The word of knowledge as used to warn a king of the enemy's plan of destruction.

"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, sayng, In such and such a place
shall be my camp.  And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place;
for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God  told him and
warned him of, and himself there, not once or twice.  Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this
thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?  And
one of his servants ,said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the
word that thou speaketh in thy bedchamber."  2 King 6:8-12

Every time an enemy would set up an ambush against Israel, the prophet of God would tell Israel their plans.  The king
of Syria met with his servant  (2 Kings 6:11) and said "We must have a traitor among us who is giving us away."  But
the servants replied that it was a prophet of God (Elisha) who would tell the king of Israel all that he spoke in his
bedchamber.  God gave the prophet Elisha a supernatural revelation of the enemy's plans to harm Israel - something
he could not have known in the natural. (p. 82)

Examples of the Gift of the Word of Knowledge from the NEW TESTAMENT:

The Samaritan woman at the well.

Jesus operated in the word of knowledge in dealing with the woman at the well in Samaria.  Jesus asked the Samaritan
woman to 'give him drink.'  She retorted by saying, why would you, a Jew  ask me for a drink of water when Jews have
no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered her by saying, "...If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith
to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water....Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  But  whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."  John 4:7-14  The woman
asked him for some of His water that she should not thirst again.  

Then Jesus said, "...Go, call thy husband and come hither.  The woman answered and said I have no husband.  Jesus
said unto her, Thou has well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is
not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. John 4:16-
18

"The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all
things.  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." John 4:25-26.

The woman was taken aback.  Jesus had received revelation of the woman's past and present lifestyle - she was living
in sin.  Jesus used the gift of the word of knowledge to bring this woman to salvation.

The word of knowledge to Peter regarding Ananias and Sapphira.

In Acts 5:34 the multitude of them that were being saved and filled with the Holy Ghost had come together with one
heart and one soul, and with all things in common.' "Neither was there any among them that lacked:  for as many as
were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold.  And laid them
down at the apostles' feet:...and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." Acts 4:34-35

But Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church and to the Holy Ghost about the amount they received from the sale of
their property.  "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of
the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.  But Peter said,
Ananias, Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?  And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?  Why hast thou
conceived this thing in thine heart:  Thou hast not lied unto men, but UNTO God.  And Ananias hearing these words
fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things." Acts 5:1-5

Ananias and Sapphira did not have to give all their money from the sale of the property to the church, but they lied
about how much they received from the sale.  This entire transaction was revealed to Peter through a word of
knowledge and both Ananias and Sapphira died the same day.  p. 83

Brother Lester Sumrall:

While in Tulsa Oklahoma he was having dinner with an elderly woman who told him that  in a vision she saw her son,
daughter-in-law, and their three children putting all their fishing gear into a boat and push away from shore.  She saw
her son reach over to one of the children  which caused the boat to capsize.  She new immediately that all five had
drowned.  She called  the local fire department, they proceeded to the scene and found her son's empty car and the
boat floating upside down.  They proceeded to drag the lake and found all five bodies.

Brother Kenneth Hagin:

Brother Hagin and another woman were in the process of praying for the woman's sister (who was violently insane)
when the Spirit of the Lord told him to "stand in front of her and say, ' Come out, thou unclean spirit in the Name of
Jesus.'"  She was made whole by this experience.  It was revealed to him  by a word of knowledge that her trouble was
caused by an unclean spirit.

According to Brother Kenneth Hagin, "By the manifestation of the gift of the word of knowledge, the Church can be
purified, the distressed comforted, the enemy's plans defeated, and the Lord Jesus Christ glorified." p. 86


Sources:


The Holy Spirit and His Gifts, Kenneth E. Hagin, Copyright 1991, RHEMA Bible Church.

The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit, Lester Sumrall, Copyright 1982, Lester Sumrall Evangelical Association
(LeSEA).
2010 - HIS GLORY REIGNS
LIFE IN JESUS-MINISTRIES