THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - An Introduction

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The Holy Spirit recreates our spirits when we are Born Again, that is when we believe in Jesus and what He has done to save us and confess Him as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit then takes residence in us. Our spirits become one with Him, but that is not enough for effective service. The early disciples believed in Jesus but still needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be effective in fulfilling their callings.

If the early disciples who spent three years with Jesus preaching, healing the sick and casting out devils were commanded not to do anything until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, what makes some Christians today think we don’t need the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Or that we “got it” at salvation, when salvation and baptism in the Spirit are two distinct events.

If baptism in the Spirit happens at salvation, why then did Peter and John go down to Samaria after they heard people were saved and were instrumental in getting the Samaritan believers baptized in the Holy Spirit? (Acts 8:14-17) Or, why would Paul ask the Ephesians believers if they had received the Holy Spirit after they believed? And when they said no, He got them baptized in the Holy Spirit? (Acts 19:1-6)

Beloved, if you are Born Again, and haven’t been baptized in the Holy Spirit, don’t delay any longer, the promise of the Holy Spirit is for you and the Lord Jesus is the One who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit just as John the Baptist said “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16) Jesus Himself said He will send the Holy Spirit when He ascends to the Father and that the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us forever. Jesus promised us the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today we are baptized in the Holy Spirit because Jesus has already been glorified. There is nothing we can do to earn it, it doesn’t depend on our performance but on Jesus’ promise to us. Jesus said:

¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13 NRSV

When we ask the Lord to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, He gladly answers “Yes”. And once we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are ready to be used in any and all of the nine Gifts of the Spirit as He sees fit.

The Gifts of the Spirit are essentially manifestations of the Holy Spirit; they are expressions of God the Holy Spirit in, to, through and for His people. It is the will of God that we know and receive these Gifts, for through each gift we get to experience His love and see His supernatural power demonstrated in our midst.

There are Nine Gifts of the Spirit recorded in the New Testament and by God’s grace we will endeavor to study each one of them. The Word of God encourages us to not only know these gifts but to also avail ourselves as vessels through which the Holy Spirit can manifest these gifts to impact us and others today.

Our main text as we go through these gifts is 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NKJV

We will divide these nine gifts into three groups of three gifts each as follows:

1. Speech Gifts – Prophecy, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues
2. Revelational Gifts – Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom and Discerning of Spirits
3. Power Gifts – Faith, Gifts of Healings and Working of Miracles

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The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are for building up the Church and Jesus is the one who said “I will build my Church…” (Matthew 16:18) I submit to you that He manifests Himself through these Gifts using His Body – the Church, to do just that. We do not own any Gift, the Spirit uses us as He wills but we have to be willing as well for He will not force Himself upon anyone, neither will He coerce or manipulate anyone into submitting to being used by Him in any of His Gifts.

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