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Series: Holy Spirit
The Gifts of the Spirit
Gifts of the Spirit
''Now about spiritual gifts,
brothers, l do not want you to be ignorant" 1 Corinthians 12:1.
The Apostle Paul placed a tremendous importance on the
operation of ''spiritual gifts'' endowed by the Holy Spirit, and so we will be
looking at this vital part of the Holy Spirit's ministry, through the individual
believer, to the Church and to the world. Our first step is to see the gifts of
the Spirit in their setting.
THE BODY OF CHRIST
''The body is a unit, though
it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one
body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one
body . . . and we were all given the one Spirit to drink'' 1 Corinthians
12:12‑13 (see also Romans 12:4‑6).
All believers are part of the Body of Christ ‑ the Church
(Ephesians 1:22‑23), and ''God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of
them, just as he wanted them to be'' (1 Corinthians 12: 18). Christ is the Head
of the Body, and God's desiøgn is that ''from him the whole body, joined and
held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love,
AS EACH PART DOES ITS WORK" (Ephesians 4:16).
That means that, for this to happen, every believer must have
a part to play, and it is with in this framework that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit are revealed. The Body of Christ is the physical expression of Christ on
earth, and just as the FRUIT of the Spirit is the expression of Christ's
character to the world, so now the GIFTS of the Spirit are the
expression, through the Holy Spirit, of Christ's power and will. These gifts are
not given for ourselves, but so that others in the Body may be built up and
encouraged, and as a witness to the world.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
''There are different kinds
of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the
same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of
them in all men'' 1 Corinthians 12:4‑6.
There are nine gifts of the Spirit actually mentioned in the
Bible, and God has distributed them evenly amongst different members of the
Body, so that each member is dependent on the other. The gifts are not natural
talents, but supernatural ‑ given by the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose.
"Now to each one the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is
given through the Spirit THE MESSAGE OF WISDOM, to another THE
MESSAGE OF KNOWLEDGE by means of the same Spirit, to another FAITH
by the same Spirit, to another GIFTS OF HEALING by that one Spirit, to
another MIRACULOUS POWERS, to another PROPHECY, to another
THE ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SPIRITS, to another THE ABILITY TO
SPEAK IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF TONGUES, and to still another THE
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES. All these are the work of one and the same
Spirit, and he gives them to each man, just as he determines" 1 Corinthians
12: 7‑11.
The gifts fall naturally into three categories:
These gifts embrace the message of wisdom, the message of
knowledge, and the ability to distinguish between different spirits ‑ all three
involve special revelation knowledge straight from the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of power include faith, gifts of healing, and
miraculous powers ‑ they are an expression through the Holy Spirit of the power
and earthly ministry of Jesus.
These three gifts include prophecy, the ability to speak in
different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of those tongues ‑ these are
all divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and are an expression of Christ's will
and direction.
THE ENEMY'S PLAYGROUND
The three chapters of 1 Corinthians 12‑14 are totally devoted
to a proper understanding of spiritual gifts. In chapter 12, the Apostle Paul
defines the gifts, and places them in the context of the Body of Christ. Then
chapters 13 and 14 are respectively devoted to:
BALANCE
''And now I will show you the most excellent way. If
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, l am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a
faith that can move mountains, but have not love, l am nothing'' 1
Corinthians 12:31 ‑13:2 (read also verses 8‑13).
Spiritual gifts, says Paul, are nothing without love ‑
for that is their whole reason for existence. The church in Corinth was
moving in the area of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7), but had obviously
become unbalanced in its understanding of the use of those gifts, and this
needed to be corrected. In 1 Corinthians 14:1, Paul encourages the
Corinthians to "follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts .
. . "
ORDER
"For you can all prophecy in turn so that everyone
may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of tprophets are subject
to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder, but of
peace . . . Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophecy, and do not
forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting
and orderly way'' 1 Corinthians 14:31‑33,39‑40.
The Corinthian church had obviously got into areas of
difficulty with those misusing the gifts. We must understand that when we
enter the realm of spiritual gifts we enter the arena of the supernatural ‑
where the enemy also works. For this reason it is important for the gifts to
operate under the covering of experienced ministries ‑ those mature in the
gifts themselves ‑ for leadership is a God‑given safeguard in the Body
against the misuse of gifts.
THE BASIS OF OPERATION
''What then shall we say,
brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of
instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. ALL OF THESE MUST
BE DONE FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE CHURCH" 1 Corinthians 14:26 (see also
Colossians 3:16).
The reason for the gifts given by the Holy Spirit and the
basis for their operation must be to build the Body of Christ up in love, so
that all may grow into a deeper relationship with the Lord. And so, for this
reason, it is the Holy Spirit's desire that we:
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