PROF.
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
THE GIFTS OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
Devotional
Text: 1 COR. 12:1-11
Introduction:
In the words of Dr. C. Peter Wagner (1984), the Gifts of the
Spirit are the expression of God’s power at work in the world today. They are
the attestation of the empowering of the Holy Spirit and are vital in a Signs
and Wonders Ministry. In a scholarly contribution, Dr. Russ Spitter of the
Fuller Theological Seminary U.S.A. (1984) refers to the gifts as the charismata
or gracelets of the Holy
Spirit and holds that they are the transactional manifestations of God. This
implies that the gifts are not of natural origin but are divinely given tools
for the purpose of the ministry.
GENERAL
REMARKS
(1) The Gifts of
the Holy Spirit are for those who love Jesus (I Cor. 12:13)
(2) The Gifts of
the Holy Spirit are different kinds, (12 v 4)
(3) The Gifts of
the Holy Spirit are for the common good of the believers (vs. 7)
(4) The source
of The Gifts of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, (vs. 4).
THE GIFTS OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THEIR USES (I COR. 12:8-11).
1.
Word of
Wisdom (vs. 8): A word of Wisdom is an utterance inspired by God and spoken by an
individual. It is an insight into the things “freely given to us by God. It is
seeing what God sees and saying it. It is also applying God’s wisdom to a
special situation.
2.
Word Of
Knowledge (vs.8): A word of knowledge is an utterance inspired by God and spoken by
an individual. It is an insight into the things “freely given to us by God. It
shares the truth the Spirit wishes to declare concerning a specific occasion,
person or thing.
3.
Gift Of
Faith (vs. 9): The Gift of Faith is a mysterious surge of confidence which
sometimes arises within a person faced with a specific situation or need. It
gives that person a transactional certainly and assurance that God is about to
act through a word or action. It is both the irresistible knowledge that God
will intervene at a certain point.
4.
Gifts of
Healings (vs. 9): The Gifts of Healings are used to speed up the process of healing
in a sick person. As there are many kinds of illnesses, so there are different
healing gifts. Healing is that event or progression which a person receives in
the emotional, spiritual or physical areas of life.
5.
Gifts Of
Miracles (vs. 10): They are events in which
people and things are beneficially affected by an extraordinary power of God
working through an individual. They are sometimes referred to as “effects of
miracles”.
6.
Gift Of
Prophecy (vs. 10): Prophecy is the declaring of the message of God to His church for
the purpose of edification. It is not a skill, aptitude or talent. It is the
actual speaking forth of words given by the Spirit in a particular situation
and ceases when the words (given by the Spirit) cease. This may be given in
poetic form and/or song.
7.
Discerning
Of Spirits (vs. 10): The discerning of spirits is the supernatural capacity to judge
whether the spirit operating has a source that is human, demonic or divine. It
is a supernatural perception into the spiritual realm for the purpose of
determining the source of spiritual activity.
8.
Gifts of
Tongues (vs. 10): These are Spirit inspired utterances. It is speaking in a
language (whether earthly or angelic) which the speaker has never learned or
understood.
9.
Interpretation
Of Tongues (vs. 10): Interpretation of Tongues is the God-given inspiration to speak
in the language of the listeners, giving to them the dynamic equivalent of that
which was spoken by the speaker in tongues. (Taken from Sign and Wonders and
Church Growth by Dr. Peter Wagner).
IMPATATION
OF GIFTS
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are received by impartation in the
following two ways:
1.
Sovereignty: God can
directly give gifts or ministries as He desires or wills (See Acts 2:1-4; 4:31;
10:14).
2.
Laying On Of
Hands: God
can equally give gifts or ministries indirectly by the laying of hands, (Acts
13:3; 6:6; 9:17).
PRAY FOR THE
IMPARTATION OF GIFTS.
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