Understanding The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Part 1).

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Do you know you can be used of God to affect lives? You exist in a time like this because your relevance to God and humanity is unarguable. God needs you. The fields are ripe for harvest but laborers are in short supply. God has been in search of imperfect folks who are ready to make themselves available for His use. Note that I said imperfect men. Whoever you are and however you are is okay by God as long as you are open to change. Jesus picked imperfect men. Some were chronic doubters; some given to greed; a few others were prone to violence and others plagued with competitive spirit. He asked them to follow Him with a solemn promise of MAKING them who they really were designed to be in God’s original plans for their lives.

I don’t know who you are, but I do know for sure that I have a word from the Lord which could turn your life, family and ministry around on this blog page. I have dedicated it to sharing the timeless truth of God’s word as they are delivered to me in my private communion with the Holy Spirit. I see you being transformed into the image of the only true God and Jesus whom He had sent.

Productivity in Christian service lies in grace and a clear understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus demonstrated on earth what he saw his father do. In His ministry, there was no room for failure or unproductiveness because God has got formulas which He operated while on earth. These formulas I prefer to refer to as principles. Strict adherence to these principles has never been known to fail. In this teaching, I intend to show you how to be used of God in the demonstration of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. These gifts are highlighted in our text above and the guidelines for their operation are also given.

People are used of God in proportion to the level of grace, revelation of the Word and faith given by the Lord. In Christian service, no man can function above the level of grace given by God and faith cultivated through the study of the Word. Men are admonished to function in the capacity and dimension of grace and faith given (See Romans 12:3-6). The Apostles saw the great move of the Spirit because Great grace was given to them (see Acts 4:33). It follows therefore that grace is an indispensable tool for Christian service. An understanding of grace is an added advantage to effortless accomplishments in Kingdom service. To this effect, men who understand this excel in their service to God while those who don’t struggle and often are unproductive. What is the role of grace in the demonstration of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

IT BEGINS WITH GRACE

The grace of God which brings salvation has been made available to ALL men (See Titus 2:11). No man is excluded from this package. The offer is open to all. It is however beneficial only to those who tap into it. The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (See John 1:16). Grace ushered in salvation, for by grace we were saved (See Ephesians 2:8). Salvation in this sense means the full redemptive package of Christ. It is an all-inclusive word which embraces healing for the sick, deliverance for the oppressed, liberation from the dominion of sin, financial flourishing, mental creativity, productivity and empowerment, and the exercise of total dominion over satanic manipulations and control. Salvation is a product of grace.

Grace is unmerited, unqualified, and undeserving favor from God. It is demonstrated when God gives to men what they are not qualified by any known natural standard to receive. The only basis for such endowment from God to men is Christ and the price already paid on the cross. Grace is cheaply given on the pedestal of humility (See James 4:6; 1st Peter 5:5), and is multiplied through the knowledge of God (See 2nd Peter 1:2). It therefore follows that men who demonstrate humility and who ardently seek for the revelation knowledge of God never run short of the supply of grace. The measure available to any individual is commensurate to the level of humility one walks in, the extent of revelation knowledge available to a person, the exercise of faith in God and His Word and the specific calling or assignment from God. I have dwelt extensively on grace because of its connection to the gifts of the SPIRIT.

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT


The gifts of the spirit are diverse and given for the maximum profiting of the saints (See 1st Corinthians 12:7). The nine gifts itemized in verses 8-10 of our text are not exhaustive. These by no means aren’t all there is. More mention is made of other ministerial and administrative gifts for the establishment and enthronement of divine order and smooth running of God’s kingdom among men (See Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11, 12).

We began by examining the relevance of grace to the working of the Holy Ghost. The reason is this: the word ‘gift’ is translated ‘charisma’ in Greek and is a derivative of ‘charis’ which means grace. The suffix ‘ma’ written after charis depicts the products or result of grace in man. Every man in Christ is qualified to be used of God. When we truly surrender and make ourselves available to the Lord, He would use us to do His Work on earth. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in confirmation of the gospel is by way of these gifts listed below.

For the purpose of this study, we shall limit ourselves to the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are grouped under the following headings:

Revelation gifts
1. Word of knowledge
2. Word of Wisdom
3. Discernment of spirit

Power gifts
1. Faith
2. Healings
3. The working of miracles

Gifts of utterance
1. Tongues
2. Interpretation of Tongues
3. Prophecy

Each of these gifts shall be discussed in subsequent edition on this blog page. However we need to lay a foundation for this teaching. Firstly, the gifts of the Spirit are for everyone (See 1st Corinthians 12:7). Secondly, these gifts are for individual profiting (See 1st Corinthians 12:7). Thirdly, these gifts are made manifest as the spirit wills (See 1st Corinthians 12:4, 10). Lastly, these gifts can be coveted after (See 1st Corinthians 12:31)

We will proceed in this studies a few days time. Meanwhile click on these links to read more on the subject matter under review in preparation for the continuation of this teaching.

More on the gifts of the Holy Spirit

I will be very pleased to answer your questions and proffer solutions to individual problems. You can write me using the email link provided and I will get back to you within the nearest possible time. Invite family and friend to benefit from the teaching of God’s word. God bless you!