When I was a theological student, my professors taught me that some spiritual gifts were supernatural, like healing and prophecy, while others—like teaching and serving—were not. They insisted that the supernatural gifts were given only to the apostles and a few of their close companions to validate their authority as teachers of doctrine. Once the last apostle died and the Bible was complete, these gifts supposedly disappeared.
I believed them.
It never occurred to me to question it. I trusted my teachers and their interpretations, assuming they were correct. What I didn’t realize was that I was so close to elevating the Bible above God Himself—treating it as if it replaced His active presence and voice. Then one day, I decided to search the New Testament for myself. I looked up every reference to spiritual gifts and supernatural ministry.
What I found completely changed my understanding—and my life.
The first thing I realized was that my professors were wrong to divide the gifts into“supernatural” and “ordinary.” Every gift given by the Holy Spirit is supernatural by nature—because every spiritual gift originates from God Himself.
Think about it: Which is harder—to heal a broken bone or a broken heart? A bone doesn’t resist healing. But the human heart? It’s wounded. It’s deceived. It resists truth. The gift of teaching—the ability to illuminate Scripture and transform hearts—is just as much a miracle as physical healing.
Since I started praying for people to be healed, I’ve seen far more physical healings than inner healings. But that doesn’t mean the miracle of a changed heart is any less significant.
The second thing I discovered was that spiritual gifts weren’t just for the apostles—they were for every believer.
Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11:
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… to one there is given the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing… to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in dierent kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
This passage makes it clear: spiritual gifts were never meant for just one group of people. They were widely distributed across the body of Christ, and there is no biblical evidence that they were ever meant to stop.
Many people argue that once we had the completed Bible, we no longer needed prophecy, healing, or any form of supernatural guidance. But here’s the reality: There is no verse in Scripture that teaches that spiritual gifts will disappear before Jesus returns.
Yes, the Bible is our final and ultimate authority—but that does not mean God has stopped speaking. In fact, the best way to learn to recognize God’s voice is through the very Scriptures that people use to deny His activity. There is nothing in the Bible that says God will stop communicating personally with His people—only that His voice will never contradict what He has already revealed in His Word.
If spiritual gifts are still active today, the question becomes: Where do we learn to recognize them and use them properly?
The answer isn’t Sunday morning.
Think about it—on a Sunday morning, no one stands up and says, “Who would like to give the sermon today?”
We expect the teaching to come from someone mature in the faith. The same should be true for spiritual gifts. The Sunday service is for the mature expression of the gifts, not the training ground.
When I lead a home group, we:
Worship together, focusing our hearts on God.
Share testimonies and needs, celebrating what God has done
Learn a practical teaching on the Christian life and ministry.
Practice hearing God’s voice—whether through words of knowledge, prophecy, or prayer for healing.
Pray for one another, whether someone received a prophetic word or simply wants to be ministered to.
These small, Spirit-filled gatherings are where people learn, grow, and practice walking in the power of the Holy Spirit in a safe, biblical way.
For years, I believed that the gifts had ceased. I was taught that supernatural encounters with God were a thing of the past. But when I studied Scripture for myself, I realized the truth: God is still speaking. He is still healing. He is still empowering His people.
The only question is: Will we step into what He has for us?
It’s both biblical and possible to have conversational friendship with God, marked by regular moves of His power
©2025 Jack Deere. All Rights Reserved | Website & Branding by /Fraktion