Gifts of the Holy Spirit

[edit] What is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God's Spirit and since God is Holy therefore so is His Spirit. Christianity states that when anyone sincerely puts their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior that the Holy Spirit will enter and the ministry of the Holy Spirit will help guide them in the right direction. It is usually mentioned last in the recitation of the Trinity, though all three are considered God and not separate beings or spiritual entities.

[edit] What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Gifts of Holy Spirit are outlined well in 1 Corinthians chapter twelve. These gifts are always used to glorify God. They are:

• The message of wisdom
• The message of knowledge
• Faith
• Gifts of healing
• Miraculous powers
• Prophecy
• Ability to distinguish between spirits
• Speaking in tongues (or other languages)
• Ability to interpret tongues (or other languages)

The message of wisdom

• Wisdom is knowing what is true and right and putting it into one's actions.
• Matthew 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”' But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
• Judging the outward appearance of someone in order to determine how wise they are is not correct. While Jesus was condemned for eating with lowly people and enjoying wine, He was setting an example of how to be responsible with food and wine and loving with all those around him, not just those of high stature. His actions showed His wisdom.

Wisdom as a gift from the Holy Spirit will always be in agreement with the Bible.

The message of knowledge Knowledge is the knowing of facts and truths. It can be a downfall if someone becomes prideful of what he knows. The Holy Spirit gives the knowledge of God. This kind of knowledge is considered the richest knowledge of all to Christians and can be used to enrich other people's lives.

• Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

Faith To have faith is to trust in a person or thing and give them your full confidence. When it comes to gifts the Holy Spirit, the gift of faith means having faith in Christ and God who are seen as One because Christ is God. This includes trusting God and following what He wants you to do via direction and ministry of the Holy Spirit. For Christians the lack of faith is attributed to fear:

• Matthew 8:26 “He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”

Gifts of healing If someone has the gift of healing then he is, in essence, able to cure someone or rid someone of his or her ailment whether it is mental, physical, emotional or spiritual. In the Bible Jesus healed many people, as did his disciples. The Bible states the difference in gifts of Holy Spirit for healing and those in other religions has to do with the intent behind the act. Through the Holy Spirit, healing is used to glorify God and bring people to faith in Christ and, according to Christianity, that is the only true healing.

Miraculous powers These are powers not seen in most people. They are powers used by people considered to do miracles.

• Matthew 13:58 “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

While miraculous powers are a gift of the Holy Spirit, through ministry of the Holy Spirit it may not be used if there is a lack of faith surrounding the person with the gift.

Prophecy Prophecy is considered the greatest spiritual gift in the Christian faith. It is the foretelling of what is to come through God's guidance by means of the Holy Spirit. Prophecy was one of the primary ways God spoke to people in the Old Testament.

• 2 Peter 1:20 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.”

Ability to distinguish between spirits

• 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

The scripture warning applies to everyone, but someone with the gift to distinguish between spirits will probably have an easier time in doing so. They will be able to recognize the character of the spirit and know whether it is of God or not.

Speaking in tongues This is the ability to speak in another language that the person does not know.

• Mark 16:17 “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;”

This gift is of no use and no good if there is no knowledge contained in the message and no one available to interpret what is being said.

Ability to interpret tongues This gift is needed to give credibility to those who are truly speaking in tongues. The interpretation is no good and of no use if there is no knowledge contained in the message itself.

• 1 Corinthians 14:6 “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?”

[edit] Who has the gifts of Holy Spirit?

Those who have faith in Christ can receive one or more of these gifts. Not everyone will have all the same gifts and the gifts can be used to complement each other.