9 Powerful Gifts of the Spirit From the Bible

By -
What are these gifts of the Spirit? How can you know that you have particular gifts of the Spirit? Can others give us an indication of what our gift is? What does the believer do with these gifts in the church? Are some gifts more important than others? Are the gifts of healing still being accessed today by believers? Is the gift of miracles still existent in the church today?
Each and every believer has been given by the Spirit of God, gifts of the Spirit. They are not gifts that they have developed my human capacities, therefore the believer has absolutely no right to brag on these gifts. If we exalt in our gifts, we are taking credit for something that we have not earned ourselves. It is like taking credit for a gift you receive on your birthday. It is just that; a gift that was not yours but given to your freely and it is given apart from any inherent capabilities that you have within you. It is not like changing the old hymn from How Great Thou Art to How Great I Am.
No believer can say that they have no gift of the Spirit from God. God has given all believers gifts; some have several but everyone has these gifts. These gifts of the Spirit are given not for the believer but for the Body of Christ. It is to make the Body complete. These gifts are intended for the church to edify it, to strengthen it, to feed it, to exhort it, to encourage it and to have the Body of Christ empowered to do the work of Christ. These gifts are always to exalt Christ, to witness of God’s power, to build up the Body, and to work to enlarge the Body of Christ by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost. There are several biblical tools and surveys that believers can use to discover their own gifts of the Spirit. These are helpful applications to allow the Christian to see what their gifts are and therefore how they can best help the church. No believer in Christ has any gift of the Spirit.
Isaiah 11:2-3 speaks of seven different spirits or gifts: “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay (called discernment).” These are important gifts and some of them are similar to but different from the gifts of the Spirit that Paul talks about in the New Testament in I Corinthians chapter twelve. There are nine gifts of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians chapter twelve:

1) Word of Wisdom
2) Word of Knowledge
3) Faith
4) Gifts of Healing
5) Working of Miracles
6) Prophecy
7) Discerning of Spirits
8) Divers (or different) kinds of Tongues
9) Interpretation of (different) Tongues
 
This is not an exhaustive list of the gifts of the spirit, for example some are said to have the gift of mercy which is a person who is quick to forgive and not judge others who have sinned while others are not so quick to do so. God gives these gifts as He sees best and not what we think they are for (v 11). We can not receive gifts we are not intended to receive but we can desire certain gifts, indicating that we can receive gifts of the Spirit that may fulfill the desires of our hearts while still fulfilling God‘s purpose for them (v 31). Let’s examine what these gifts are and what is their intended use is for in the church today.
Romans chapter twelve has a similar listing of the gifts of the Spirit but I Corinthians chapter twelve is more comprehensive in nature. I Corinthians chapter twelve begin with Paul telling the Corinthian church, and for the most part, all believers in the church today. Paul wants to make these gifts crystal clear to us and so we will depend upon the inspired Word of God to reveal them to us (v 1).
Paul tells us that “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (v 4). No two gifts are the same and generally no two believers have exactly the same gifts but always these gifts are given for the common good of the church (v 7).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Do We Pray Effective Prayers?

By -
Image
In these uncertain times, prayer is essential. It is our greatest form of communication with a holy God, who has provided a way for us to not only worship Him but to know Him personally. Through prayer, we discover the depths of God’s mercy and love for us. It is also where we confess our sin and receive His forgiveness. . Still, many avoid prayer. Rather than becoming an opportunity to be cleansed and to fellowship with God, prayer becomes a joyless duty. Perhaps this is because some have never learned the secret of powerful and effective prayers. The question then becomes, “How do we pray effective prayers?” . The Bible tells us, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James  5:16 ).  If being a righteous man or woman is the key to powerful and effective prayer, what are the characteristics of a righteous person? . A righteous person is a person who is in right-standing with God. A righteous person has a personal relationship with Jesus as his or her personal Sa
Read more

Principle Of Multiplication

By -
http://theblessedlife.com/index.php?a=20120503_theprinciplesofmultiplication ( CLICK THIS LINK TO UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPALS OF MULTIPLICATION) Key Scripture :- Luke 9:12-17 Points to ponder:-  Something must be blessed before it can multiply. Only what is given away can be multiplied. Food for thought:- do u agree that worry is our way of trying to figure out in advance how god is going to provide for us? Is God always absent from the equation when you worry? In Luke 9:12-17, there was not only enough to feed the multitude, but there was also a lot left over. Consider the followings passage and how it applies to a mind-set of abundance. What can you  do to help yourself maintain a mind-set of abundance through-out the day?
Read more

Different Forms of Crucifixions

By -
Image
Crucifixion was an ancient method of execution in which the victim's hands and feet were bound and nailed to a cross . There was a strong social stigma associated with crucifixion, a punishment reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals. Detailed descriptions of crucifixions are few, perhaps because secular historians could not bear to describe the gruesome events of this horrible practice. However, archaeological finds from first century Palestine have shed a great deal of light on this early form of death penalty.   Four basic structures or types of crosses were used for crucifixions: Crux Simplex Image: Justus Lipsius (1547-1606) Crux Simplex was a single upright stake or post upon which the victim was tied or impaled. It was the simplest, most primitive cross used for capitol punishment of criminals. The victim's hands and feet were bound and nailed to the stake using just one nail through both wrists and one nail through both a
Read more