Each and every
believer has been given by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, gifts of the
Spirit (Acts 2:38). In Acts chapter 8 and in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14
we see external gifts of the Holy Spirit. They were not gifts that they have
been developed by 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. There is no believer in Christ that does not have the 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:
They include:
Word
of Knowledge
Word
of Wisdom
Gift
of Faith
Gift
of Healing
Working
of Miracles
Gift
of Prophecy
Discerning
of Spirits
Divers
of Tongues
Interpretation
of 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 fulfil 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).
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