The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Gifts: Discover Your Own Unique Gifting and Grow in Your Understanding of the Power of God

Storms, Sam. (2002) The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Gifts. Ventura, CA: Regal Books. Dr. Storms stays true to the title and offers an insightful introductory primer on Spiritual gifts, namely the "charismata" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 by the apostle Paul. Storms weaves non-technical exegesis in related texts, personal testimonies of his relation to the exercise of gifts, historical citations of the Spiritual gifts, cautions, and encouragement. At 165 pages, it is not overwhelming and will serve as a very good book for the curious, as well as for an initial study guide for a church that wishes to introduce to its members the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Sam Storms also heads up his own website, which is a tremendous resource for Biblical Studies, Theology, and Church History. At that cite, you will find additional material relating to what he touches on in this book. In relation to my personal thesis research, this book mentions Peter's usage of Joel on two specific occasions: one dealing with the potential for participation in the gift of prophecy and the other dealing with the inclusion of females in the exercise of prophecy. In answering the question, "Is it okay to pursue prophecy?", Storms (2002:87) replies: Not only is it OK, it's mandatory. In 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul commanded us to desire earnestly spiritual gifts, "especially that you may prophesy"....This is truly an astounding statement....The pursuit of prophecy is a moral and spiritual obligation to which we must devote ourselves. The guiding texts behind Storms conclusion not only lays in Paul's desire that the church especially desire prophecy as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14, but also in Peter's quotation of Joel on Pentecost (2002:88): We must also keep in mind Peter's quotation in Acts 2 of Joel's prophecy concerning the outpouring of the Spirit. The result of this effusion of the Spirit is that "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17). The characteristic feature of this present church age is the revelatory activity of the Spirit (dreams and visions), which forms the basis for prophetic utterance. Not all will be prophets...but it would appeal that all may prophesy. On the point of the church age being one of God's presence through Spirit-endued gifts, I am agreed. There is some debate among scholars on whether this epoch began even before Pentecost and is preceded by the revelatory activity Luke records early on in his gospel. Luke begins his gospel with some accounts of prophetic utterance that aren't found in the other gospels, namely Elizabeth's Spirit-inspired speech (Lk. 1:41-45), Zechariah's prophecy (Lk. 1:67-79), Simeon's prophesy that prompted Joseph and Mary to marvel (Lk. 2:25-35), and Anna's ministry to all in the temple (Lk. 2:36-39). It appears that Luke intends to bring attention to God's presence among His people even before and during the birth of Messiah. Zechariah was praying for a child and God responds with revelation. Mary is chosen to bear the Christ-child. Mary utters praise in response to being chosen, which immediately follows Elizabeth's own Spirit-inspired speech. Zechariah later prophesies and then we are introduced to Simeon and Anna. Simeon is said to have received revelation that he wouldn't die before seeing Messiah and to have attended the Temple "in the Spirit" (Lk. 2:27), only to subsequently speak blessing over the Christ. Anna is actually called a "prophetess", whose reputation as such must have preceded the birth of Jesus and continued beyond the birth of Messiah. Luke doesn't restrict prophetic activity solely to John the Baptist, though he plays a pivotal role as such, but Luke wishes to validate the Spirit's revelatory activity beyond John and Jesus. It can be argued that Luke's intent is to show that God was indeed speaking to "normal" people and using them to bless others, as prompted and led by the Spirit. Though only a few are mentioned in Luke's initial narrative, the Spirit's ministry intensifies and culminates in the Pentecostal outpouring, to be viewed now as an immersing of Spirit activity upon "all flesh". I would venture to guess that Storms is led to his conclusion that all may prophesy precisely because of the enduring theological significance Pentecost has for us within the even larger scheme of Luke's theological intent throughout his narrative. Lastly, Storms also mentions Peter's quotation of Joel in relation to the question, "Did Paul allow women to prophesy?". Storms (2002:97) states: I believe women can and should prophesy. In Peter's speech on the Day of Pentecost he explicitly said that a characteristic of the present church age is the Spirit's impartation of the prophetic gift to both men and women. While Storms contends that the office of Pastor/Elder should be held by qualified males, he does believe that women may participate in the congregational worship of the church as gifted by the Spirit, which would expectantly include the speaking gift of prophecy. I think that Luke has already answered the question by calling Anna a prophetess and specifically mention her ministry in the temple to those who gathered. Dr. Storms is a blessing to the church and I have long appreciated his academic contributions to Evangelical scholarship. I highly commend this book to you, as well as the many others he has penned, especially "Convergence", which examines even further Storms engagement with charismatic ministry as well as his theological convictions in the form of Calvinism. I, too, am a Calvinistic Charismatic and belong to a small but increasing number of folks who align themselves as such.

As someone who was brought up in Cessationist churches and schools I was always taught that the miraculous gifts in the Book of Acts and 1 Corinthians had ceased and were no longer in use today. In 1999 I went on a missions trip to India and witnessed several healing miracles, heard several prophecies, and personally experienced the power and presence of the Holy Spirit like I never had before. These experiences didn't jive with what I had been taught about the ceasing of miraculous gifts. Since that time I have participated in several churches that are "open but cautious" and "Charismatic" about miraculous gifts and their usage today. My experience has taught me that the miraculous gifts do indeed exist today. However, what about abuses, and what about sound exegesis and what are the applications today of the relevant biblical texts on miraculous gifts? Is there a theologically sound basis for the usage of the miraculous gifts today, or have these miraculous gifts ceased? Enter in Sam Storms. Following on the heels of another Dallas Theological Seminary grad - Jack Deere - Storms was skeptical of miraculous gifts today. However, Storms', like Deere, was unconvinced of the exegesis of Cessationists and that coupled with his experience of the miraculous gifts through him, and around him changed his course of belief and practice of the miraculous gifting of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Storms defines Spiritual gifts in this manner: "Spiritual gifts are not God bestowing to his people something external to himself. They are not some tangible 'stuff' or substance separable from God. Spiritual gits are nothing less than God himself in us, energizing our souls, imparting revelation to our minds, infusing power in our wills, and working his sovereign and gracious purposes through us...[in summary] Spiritual gifts are God present in, with, and through human thoughts, human deeds, human words, human love." The rest of the book is an expansion and exposition of the miraculous gifts based on this definition of the Spiritual gifts addressed in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Storms does a remarkable job of providing scholarly exegesis and practical insight of the nine miraculous gifts mentioned by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14: (1-2) Words of Wisdom and Knowledge; (3-4) Faith and Healing; (5-6) Prophecy and Distinguishing Spirits; (7) Miracles; and (8-9) Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues. I highly recommend this book to all evangelicals from the spectrum of Pentecostalism to Presbyterianism. I think Storms gives much needed food for thought to Cessationists, those who hold to an "Open but Cautious" view, Charismatics, "Third Wave," and Pentecostals - as well as needed correction to those who practice "counterfeit" and spiritual gifts in an unbiblical manner. Though this is a controversial topic, Storms writes with much love and patience with those who disagree with his views. I found the book to be convincing in many respects, packed with wisdom, and especially helpful in understanding spiritual gifts that I have never personally experienced, but have been the beneficiary of from other believers - especially the gifts of prophecy, faith and healing. Storms has written an easy to read, yet theologically articulate guide to help Christians understand the miraculous gifts; their function in private and in corporate worship, and guidance for their development and application in the light of the Scriptures.

I used this book for a Sunday School study on spiritual gifts, and my class members really liked it. There are many books on spiritual gifts available out there, but what I liked the most about this book is that the author Sam Storms combines sound scholarship with practical guidelines. Sam Storms teaches Theology at Wheaton college and he is the Associate Pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship. If you believe that all the spiritual gifts exist today (including the sign gifts such as prophesying, speaking in tongues, gifts of healing), then this book is for you. If you adhere to the cessationist viewpoint (believing that prophesying, speaking in tongues, and gifts of healing ceased when the apostles died and the church received the full canon of Scripture), then you will not agree with the viewpoint in this book. Sam Storms explains 9 gifts in this book: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment of Spirits, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues. I found his discussion on each of these topics to be biblically based and sound theologically, his practical suggestions are very helpful, and his explanations to be very clear and easy to understand for the layperson. Highly recommended!!

Previously a skeptic and now a reputable proponent, Sam Storms brings a very down-to-earth presentation of what we would call the gifts of the spirit. His heart shines through the early pages of the book when he concludes that “the real problems, the painful struggles and [the church’s] diminishing impact won’t be solved short of a fresh infusion of power— not just any power, mind you, but spiritual power, the kind of power that human flesh can’t produce and education can’t conceive and revamped programs can’t strategize.” He goes on to say that the “Church desperately needs the power of her Lord and the energy and activity of the Holy Spirit.” For Storms, lack of the Holy Spirit, and everything associated with embrace of Him, is the central issue for the impotency of the Church today. With that backdrop, a pastor continues to shepherd his readers to embrace the pursuit of the manifestations of the Spirit including prophecy, tongues, words of knowledge and healing. As many have noted, his treatment is brief yet clear; thorough enough for most readers. This book would serve as a great supplement for a congregation seeking to grow in the things of the Spirit together or a person interested in seeking the gifts as Paul exhorts the Corinthians to do. Like most Calvinists, Storms likes to have answers neatly in order. This is helpful because he tends to cover all the major points, even though his book is brief. At times, however, I was left wondering if perhaps the assertion presented was a bit to narrow. For instance, Storms suggests that the interpretation of a tongue in a church setting should only be in the form of “prayerful adoration, thanksgiving or God-centered celebration”, otherwise “we should be reluctant to conclude that a Spirit-revealed interpretation has been given.” I find this going a bit too far to define our experience of God. The caveat Paul makes about interpretation of tongues in a church setting seems to indicate that there may just be a time when God uses this medium for something other than personal, vertical communication. Overall, minor gripes. My only real complaint is with the cover, which says “Discover your own unique gifting.” This tagline is entirely misleading. From there I would expect something like a “Spiritual Gifts assessment,” but thankfully, Storms doesn’t go anywhere near that (he actually includes a note somewhat discrediting that method of thinking). He simply walks through the various outworkings of the Spirit that we find discussed in the New Testament and encourages readers to pursue the things of the Spirit whenever possible. Overall a great read for an interested Christian from any background.

This is one of the best, most well-written books I’ve read on Spiritual gifts. It treats the subject comprehensively, is biblically grounded and centered, addresses the controversial issues, advises on proper praxis, and has a style that is very readable for the lay person. It presents a solid Scriptural defense of the continuationist view of charismata for believers today. I strongly recommend this to any believer as a resource on the fundamentals of biblical doctrine.

Sam Storms offers a solid presentation of spiritual gifts with an emphasis on looking at the original Greek to help understand key Biblical texts. As a person who spent most of their life taking the Cessationist stance on this topic, I thought Storms did a fair job of representing the arguments from both sides. Most of my interactions with the Holy Spirit have been without a frame of reference since I was taught very little about Him in my fundamental Baptist upbringing. If you’re willing to take an honest look at what Scripture says and can put aside any traditions or preconceived notions you have on the subject, you just may find yourself earnestly desiring spiritual gifts by the end of the book.

Good read. Nothing new to me in this book, and simplistically written for a subject that is theologically complex.

I read this book with the presupposition that spiritual gifts are no longer active and had ceased at the end of the first century. That is the experience I have from the churches that I have attended and actively been a part of. But Sam clearly convinced me otherwise. He describes from his experiences as a church leader, from the texts of Bible scripture and his anecdotal stories to kindled a new flame in my heart, that God is the one who shows up in me doing his work through me through these spiritual gifts, the five ministries as found in Ephesians chapter four, and of course God superintending all of this through His sovereign will to achieve His desired effects. If you are in a church that denies the biblical truths and practice of the spiritual gifts, then you must read this book.

For those who think continuationism is at odds with a solid faithfulness to the Scriptures, this book might be a turning point in their approach of this serious topic.

This is a great book for those who are new to the sign gifts. Storms gives an easy to understand, Biblical explanation of the validity and value of the spiritual gifts.

Sehr hilfreich, liefert einen guten ersten Überblick, wenn man im Cessationism aufgewachsen ist. Absolut biblisch und logisch nachzuvollziehende Argumentation. Auch der Schreibstyl ist sehr angenehm zu lesen und einfach zuverdienen.

The book is a good starting place. Not convincing in it's argument though. If you want a quick understanding of practical charismaticism

I have read almost every author on the subject of prophecy and spiritual gifts and I have concluded that the best writer on this challenging subject is this man Sam Storms, I have been in ministry 20 year's and this book will bring clarity and a Godly understanding on the subject of spiritual gifts and prophecy like nothing on the market today, well done Sam Storms.