Spiritual Gifts

Chapter 1 Introduction to Spiritual Gifts What are Spiritual gifts? The Bible lists some specific gifts as examples of how God’s people are gifted. But is that all there are? How can we know what is a Spiritual, super-natural gift and what is just a natural interest or ability? Most of us have seen evidence of supernatural gifting that is used for ungodly purposes; how can we know what gifts are from God and what is not? These are some of the questions that led me to this study of Spiritual gifts. Perhaps you have some of the same questions. Join me as we discover the working of the Holy Spirit not only in the New Testament Church but in Jesus’ own ministry and even in the days before Jesus was born. We will learn about a wide variety of the Holy Spirit’s gifts, how they can most effectively be used, and how we can help enrich God’s Kingdom as we, and those around us, discover and apply our Spiritual gifts. I encourage you to take time to read in full the passages cited, in whatever translation of the Bible you have. You may also wish to compare translations to consider the variations of wording you may encounter. A different translation may clarify a question you have or provide additional insight into what the writer was trying to express. The deeper we dig into the Word, the better we come to understand what the Lord has to say to us. Let us begin by recognizing that Spiritual gifts represent attributes of the Spirit of God Himself. Since they do, as we ask about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we must also ask ourselves about the Giver of those gifts. What do we know about the Holy Spirit? We are told in Matthew 7:18, 20 that “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them .” So we must ask, “What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?” Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Romans 1:20 tells us that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Therefore, we can expect the Spirit not only to produce His own attributes in the people in whom He dwells but also to express those traits through the gifts He bestows on His people. We can expect the gifts to be an extension of the Spiritual fruit developing in individuals. They should also promote the entire range of ministries needed throughout the world, as a witness to God’s saving grace. For the same reason, we can be assured that if, rather than producing fruit of the Spirit, something is instead producing deeds of the flesh (identified in Galatians 5:19-21 as including sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and things of a similar nature), it is in opposition to the Holy Spirit and is therefore not from Him. The New International Version of Romans 8:5-9 explains it this way: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Does the Spirit of God live in you, or are you living according to your sinful nature? If you try to excuse your sin rather than repenting of it, you are rejecting the work—the conviction—of the Holy Spirit, so the Spirit of God cannot live within you. In our natural state, everyone sins; and that sin will bring about eternal suffering. You can choose to belong to Christ by acknowledging your sinful nature, confessing your sins to Him, and recognizing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, accepted your suffering and death sentence in your place so that you could live through eternity with Him. If you truly believe that and turn away from your sins, He will forgive your sins and you will belong to Him. This does not mean that you will never again sin, but it does mean that you are no longer enslaved by the power of sin. It means that you will have the ability to break away from your sin nature and begin a renewed life in Christ. If you choose to begin—to be reborn—into a new life in Christ, I encourage you to write down (visibly as well as in your mind and heart) your intention to do so, somewhere where you will be reminded of it in times of your greatest difficulties, and share the good news of your salvation with someone else. I rejoice with you!