Foundation Lesson 14

What is the Gift of the Word of Knowledge?

To another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:8

Over the next few lessons we will be looking at the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we have a better
understanding of them, how they work and how we can from them benefit as a body. By the end of
the lessons we want to be driven to pray to ask for the gifts because we are missing out on so much.
Some of the gifts may use the same Scriptures in acting them out but each gift has its own working.
Please study them again and again we want the Holy Spirit to pour out the fullness of the gifts so we
can serve the Lord better and each other and be a better testimony to the lost.

What is the Word of Knowledge

Knowledge and wisdom are not the same things as people who can know a lot, can do a lot of
stupid things. You see knowledge is knowing a fact, wisdom tells you the best way to act it out.
Knowledge says that there is a bee hive in that tree, wisdom says don't put your hand in it to get the
honey or you will get stung!

The word of knowledge is a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit for use into speaking into people
lives. You will not know about the thing that is going on with this person but the Holy Spirit will
give you special knowledge from above to give them. This does not mean you can act this gift out
all the time only when the Holy Spirit tells you speak. Sadly there is a lot of people out there that
say that they have a word from the Lord when they don't they make it up in the flesh.

Ways in the word of knowledge can be used

The word of knowledge can be used in lots of ways. If someone is praying for something that is
going on in their life like a healing that only person will know about or a situation or a situation
you have been praying for maybe where does the Lord want me to serve, the Holy Spirit will give
someone the knowledge to tell you or that person the answer to that prayer you may not even that
you have given someone that answer they was looking for, Peter was given special knowledge
about Jesus Matthew 16:15-17 he didn't even know what he said was from above.

There was a situation I know about a brother and sister was praying for a situation in their life, and
the Lord used me to tell them that everything will be alright, the sister said we have been asking the
Lord for months for an answer and He's answered, I was in complete shock because I knew nothing
of what they were praying for and the Lord used me to speak to them.

Maybe the Lord wants someone to repent of some ongoing sin in their walk and the Holy Spirit will
give someone the knowledge of that to tell them. Or that there could be something that is going to
happen in a situation that they are in maybe out on a site witnessing and something is happening the
Holy Spirit will give someone the knowledge to tell the others with him to trust in the Lord because
this is going to happen.

Or it could happen when someone is giving a Bible teaching and is on a subject and there is a
person who hears and thinks that the preacher knows about them and is telling everyone, but the
Lord has used that preacher to bring the message that week to speak to someone. A word of
knowledge is not a preacher getting up and saying the Lords told me someone needs a touch from
the Lord or they feel down or someone has a secret sin come to the front and we will pray, the fact
is most in the meeting need a touch from the Lord or feel down or has a secret sin thats not the
Foundation Lesson 14

word of knowledge, thats a preacher covering all corners. The word of knowledge is spot on and
speaks direct.

Ways the word of knowledge is used in Scripture

There is a few ways the word of knowledge Elisha the prophet shows how this gift was used
because there was a time he used this gift when his servant went and and got gifts after Namaans
healing from leprosy after Elisha said he would receive nothing 2 Kings 5:25-27. In 2 Kings 6 the
king of Syria was making war with Israel and was telling his servants where they would camp,
Elisha was given this knowledge of the king of Syrias plan and told the king of Israel, so much so
the king of Syria thought he had a spy in camp until his servants says it's Elisha the prophet doing
this 2 Kings 6:8-12.

Elisha didn't have this gift all the time when a woman came to him he knew something was up but
he knew the Lord wasn't giving him that knowledge 2 Kings 4:25-27.

In the New Testament Peter was given this knowledge in Acts 5:1-11, when Ananias and Sapphira
lied to the Holy Spirit and Peter told them what they had done was wrong and they died.

Also in Acts 21:4 people told Paul through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem. Abagus later in Acts
21:10-11 bound his own hands and feet with Pauls belt and said this what is going to happen to
Paul here we have gifts happening together the gift of the word of knowledge and prophecy. A
Christian could have someone on their heart who is sick that is the knowledge to go and pray and
speak with them is gift of faith and if they get healed that is the gift of healings, so the gifts can
operate more than one at any one time remember keep this in mind.

Questions

1) Read Acts 5:1-11. Peter was given knowledge about someones situation to bring it to light. Do
you desire to be used by the Lord with the gift of knowledge?, not to gossip or learn peoples secrets
but to help our brothers and sisters being used by God to speak into there lives to build others up, to
comfort and to help. If so pray and ask God if this is this is the gift you can be used in to serve Him
and others in your walk better.

2) Read Matthew 16:15-17. Do you confess Jesus as your Messiah? Does your life and walk with
the Lord live up to that confession? If it does praise God, if your living in sin or not worried about
living a life that runs Christ's name through the dirt you need to repent and put yourself right,
maybe the Lord will use someone with the word of knowledge to speak to you! Talk to your pastor
so he can help you as well.

Things to do

Memory verse Matthew 16:15

Pray that the Lord to give you the gift which you can be best used to build up the church