The gifts of the Spirit can be divided up into three groups, each containing three gifts. Three gifts of revelation, three gifts of power, and three vocal gifts.
The second gift of revelation is the word of knowledge. There’s a close relationship between wisdom and knowledge, and yet they’re distinct. Wisdom is directive, knowledge is informative.
The word of knowledge gives us the facts; the word of wisdom tells us what to do about the facts.
In each case, it’s a word, a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge. God has all wisdom and all knowledge, but He just gives us a word, and we need to speak it, and then the revelation of it will begin to flow.
When we’re in a situation where we need to know something or need direction, and it’s not available to us through our natural ability or education or through our senses, then God in His sovereignty gives us a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge, just a little part of His total wisdom or his total knowledge.
Now I want to give you an example of the operation of the word of knowledge in the ministry of the Apostle Peter.
Acts 4: 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
This is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. I want you to notice carefully how the Holy Spirit, through Peter, dealt with that situation.
Acts 5: 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
Peter told them they were free to keep the whole price, but what they were not free to do was to try to deceive God.
And so, by this supernatural word of knowledge, he made it clear first to Ananias and then to Sapphira that he knew that they were lying, they were not telling the truth about the price.
Let me just point out certain things about this to illustrate the operation of the word of knowledge.
First, Peter received his knowledge directly from the Holy Spirit. There was no human source. He didn’t have a detective agency. He didn’t carry out investigations. He got it directly from the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, the results were dramatic and powerful. There were two main effects.
First, the operation of this gift in this context, preserved the church from being infiltrated by hypocrisy. It kept the church pure and honest and upright before God.
Secondly, it brought tremendous conviction upon the unbelievers. And one of the things that’s fearful and awesome about that army is its banners. And some of the banners that make the church so awesome to the enemies of God are these supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
It was the word of knowledge there through Peter that brought fear not only upon the church, but upon the whole surrounding community.
This is one of the functions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable us to deal effectively with God’s enemies and to make the church indeed awesome as an army with banners.
It also helps people deal with personal problems in their own lives.
In the Gospels, the Holy Spirit is called the Finger of God. That’s one of the titles. God, through that Holy Spirit finger, through the word of knowledge, reaches out and touches an area in a person’s life or background that is just the key area which must be opened before real help can come.
The word of knowledge creates faith in people to receive healing, deliverance, forgiveness or whatever God wants the person to receive.