God — specifically the Holy Spirit — controls the distribution of spiritual gifts, not the individual believer.
Les Feldick is explicit that no believer is to beg for or ask for a particular gift — "that has to be discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills it, not as we determine it" [Clip 1]. Scripture shows the same Spirit dividing gifts "to every man severally as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:11), and God giving gifted men to the Church (Ephesians 4:11-12). The believer's part is not to choose but to serve in the capacity God has given, whether visible like a hand or unseen like a little toe [Clip 0].
1 Corinthians 12:11 — States directly that the same Spirit divides out gifts to every man individually as He wills — the clearest biblical answer to who controls distribution.
1 Corinthians 12:5 — Shows that although administrations differ, the same Lord is over all — gifts are not distributed by any human agent.
Ephesians 4:11 — God is the subject who 'gave' evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the Church — the giving of gifted men is His action.
Scripture attributes the giving and dividing of spiritual gifts to God Himself. First Corinthians 12:5 says, "And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord." Verses 8-10 show the Spirit distributing specific gifts: "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit... To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit... To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits." The most direct statement comes in verse 11: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." The Spirit decides the gift and the recipient. Verse 13 adds, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Ephesians 4:11-12 likewise presents God as the Giver: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
Les Feldick teaches that the distribution of spiritual gifts is entirely in God's hands, not the believer's. He states plainly, "We are not to beg for a particular gift. We are not to ask for it. That has to be discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills it, not as we determine it" [Clip 1]. He repeats the point when walking through the gifts: "to just simply go to God and say, 'I want the gift of such and such'... no, I don't think this is what the Bible permits. We are to leave that up to the Holy Spirit" [Clip 3]. Les also emphasizes that God is the One doing the giving. The wisdom, knowledge, and faith that believers exercise are all supplied by the same Holy Spirit, and "God is providing men with these particular abilities" [Clips 2, 3]. God gave the Church gifted men — evangelists, pastors, and teachers — "for the perfecting, the maturing, to bring the saints from infancy, from carnality and being fed on the milk bottle, up to meat eating believers" [Clip 4]. At the same time, every believer receives a unique capacity to serve. Using the human body, Les shows that all believers are placed into the one body by one Spirit — from the visible hand to the unseen little toe [Clip 0]. An unseen believer can be a prayer warrior who "can accomplish more for God without ever being seen than many evangelists who go from pulpit to pulpit" [Clip 1]. God leaves each of us here "to serve in whatever capacity that may be," whether visiting the sick, prayer, giving, administration, or teaching [Clip 6].
Les Feldick is unambiguous: believers should not beg for or request a particular gift. "We are not to beg for a particular gift. We are not to ask for it. That has to be discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills it, not as we determine it" [Clip 1]. He adds that going to God and saying "I want the gift of such and such" is not what the Bible permits — "We are to leave that up to the Holy Spirit" [Clip 3].
Yes. Les points to 1 Corinthians 12:13 — "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" — and stresses that all believers, "not just the most spiritual, not just a chosen few," are placed into the body of Christ [Clip 0]. He uses the physical body to illustrate that no member is disposable: the foot is still part of the body even if it is not the hand, and the "little toe which is usually unseen" would be missed if lost [Clip 0]. Every believer has "that unique capability of serving God as He intended" [Clip 1]. An unseen believer can be a prayer warrior who accomplishes more for God than many visible evangelists [Clip 1].
Les identifies the three basic gifts the Church needs today: men who are evangelists, gifted pastors, and teachers. These gifted men were given "for the perfecting, the maturing, to bring the saints from infancy, from carnality and being fed on the milk bottle, up to meat eating believers" [Clip 4]. The New Testament also lists gifts given to some in the church — working of miracles, prophecy, and discerning of spirits, where discerning means "to analyze it and put it in its right category" [Clip 7] — as well as wisdom, knowledge, and faith given by the same Spirit [Clip 3]. Beyond these, Les mentions the everyday gifts believers exercise: visiting the sick, prayer, giving, administration, and teaching [Clip 6].
Les teaches that gifts of healing and miracles were real in the early church and that "even Paul himself probably exercised these gifts... in the book of Acts he performed miracles." Yet by the time of his later letters there is not a word about such miracles, and Paul could not heal one of his closest fellow laborers who was sick nigh unto death [Clip 2]. Similarly, the gift of proclaiming the Word of God was "by far the most important thing the local church could have" in an age before the Bible was in print, but "the time would come when that gift would fade away... now we have the printed page" [Clip 5].
One Spirit Places All Believers into One Body
Les teaches that by one Spirit all believers — Jew or Gentile, bond or free — are placed into the body of Christ, using the human body with its many members, including the unseen little toe, to show that every member belongs and matters.
Gifts Are Given as the Holy Spirit Wills, Not as We Choose
Les directly answers the question: believers are not to beg or ask for a gift, because it "has to be discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills it, not as we determine it"; he also shows that even an unseen prayer warrior can serve God uniquely.
Early Church Gifts of Healing and Faith
Les shows that faith is itself a gift from the Holy Spirit and that gifts of healing were exercised in the early church — even by Paul — but were no longer in evidence by his later letters, since he could not heal his sick friend.
Leave Gift Selection Up to the Holy Spirit
Les repeats that asking God for "the gift of such and such" is not what the Bible permits — "we are to leave that up to the Holy Spirit" — and notes that God is the One providing men with these abilities.
God Gave Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
Les explains that God gave the Church its three basic gifted categories of men — evangelists, pastors, and teachers — for the perfecting and maturing of the saints.
The Gift of Proclaiming the Word
Les teaches that gifted men who could proclaim the Word of God without print were the most important gift the local church could have, but that this gift faded once the printed page was available.
Every Believer Has a Particular Capacity to Serve
Les teaches that God leaves believers here to serve in whatever capacity He has given — visiting the sick, prayer, giving, administration, or teaching — and that each person can determine what they are comfortable with.
Gifts Given to Some in the Church
Les notes that gifts such as working of miracles, prophecy, and discerning of spirits were given to "some in the church," not to all, and that discerning means to analyze something and put it in its right category.
1 Corinthians 12:5: And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
Quoted by Les in Clip 1 to show that although gifts and services differ, the same Lord is behind them all.
1 Corinthians 12:8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
Shows the Spirit is the Giver of wisdom and knowledge to individual believers (Clip 3).
1 Corinthians 12:9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
Even faith and gifts of healing come from the same Spirit (Clips 2-3).
1 Corinthians 12:10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
Les references this list in Clip 7, noting these gifts were given to some in the church, not to all.
1 Corinthians 12:11: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The Bible's most direct statement that the Spirit distributes gifts to every believer as He wills — the truth Les summarizes in Clip 1.
1 Corinthians 12:12: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
The body-of-Christ analogy Les builds on in Clip 0 to show many members in one body.
1 Corinthians 12:13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Quoted in Clip 0 — one Spirit places all believers into the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
God is the Giver of gifted men to the Church — the passage Les is teaching in Clip 4.
Ephesians 4:12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
The purpose of these gifted men — to perfect and mature the saints (Clip 4).
God decides, through the Holy Spirit. Les Feldick teaches that a believer's gift "has to be discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills it, not as we determine it" [Clip 1], and that "we are to leave that up to the Holy Spirit" [Clip 3].
No. Les is explicit: "We are not to beg for a particular gift. We are not to ask for it" [Clip 1]. Simply going to God and saying "I want the gift of such and such" is not what the Bible permits [Clip 3].
It is still important. Les compares the unseen believer to the "little toe which is usually unseen" — lose it and you miss it [Clip 0]. A believer who can only pray "can accomplish more for God without ever being seen than many evangelists who go from pulpit to pulpit" [Clip 1].
Yes. All believers are placed into the one body by the Spirit [Clip 0], and God leaves each believer here to serve "in whatever capacity that may be" — whether visiting the sick, giving, prayer, administration, or teaching [Clip 6].
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