PHINN

Rev. Dr. Phillip S. Phinn, Contributor

"Jesus saith unto her, go call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, thou hast 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 4:16-19).

In the above quoted scriptures, Jesus illustrates that he possessed the revelation gift called word of knowledge. He had supernatural insight, understanding of this woman's circumstances without assistance from human resource, but solely from divine revelation. A word of knowledge, will be a fragmentary part of all that God knows but chooses to reveal at a given point to elevate one's position through truth. This spiritual gift is the raw material upon which the word of wisdom is built and allows a prophet to see into the past or the present. The word of wisdom, on the other hand, gives direction for the future.

The word of knowledge tells of whereabouts, conditions, nature or thoughts of persons, animals, places or things, which may not even be facts one can easily acquire through the natural realm. The purpose of this spiritual gift, as it relates to the gift of prophecy, is to direct the heart, mind and nature of man, his secrets and intention into the will and way of God. It's a deep conviction, impression or knowing and may be revealed through a dream, vision or scripture that quickens man's spirit. It involves moral wisdom for right living and refers to the knowledge of God or things that belong to Him, as evident in scripture.

Assisting his disciple

In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus is seen assisting his disciple Peter, since the tax collectors had confronted him about paying tribute. Jesus told Peter to cast a hook into the sea and that the very first fish that would be caught, would carry in its mouth, the money required for the tax collectors. So it was, as Jesus had spoken. How did Jesus know this? The Holy Spirit had revealed it through the spiritual gift: the word of knowledge.

Currently, the word of knowledge is a gift which is evident within the prophetic ministry, as it was in the days of prophet Samuel. Prophet Samuel was shown by the Lord through the word of knowledge, all that was in the heart of a man called Saul. Saul was told many things about himself by the prophet concerning his past, his present situation and of that which was to come. Indeed, Saul was lost for three days and his father was deeply worried about him. Saul was told that in time to come he would reign as king and that the people would be saved from the Phillistines.

Word of knowledge is similar to the word of wisdom, yet different in operation, but these two gifts always accompany each other. They are called "the twin gift", used with the gift of prophecy to give God's truth, which brings direction. In Acts 5:1-12, Ananias and Sapphira purposed in their hearts to lie to the disciples and held back a portion of their blessings from the Lord.