©2002 Charles Darby
Special Guest Pastor Thomas Miles

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Spiritual gifts are the talents and capabilities, which God gives through His Spirit to every believer ready and willing to accept.  These gifts help the believer in their daily walk with God.  The gifts now given to God's children are different than Old Testament days.  Today the gifts are given to all of God's children freely, in the days of the Old Testament the gifts were only given to specific godly leaders.  The Spirit in the days before Christ would come to an individual and equip them to serve God and Israel.  Gideon for example was given great military skills, Samson was given great physical strength, and the 70 elders were given the gift of prophecy.

(Gideon) Judges 6:34 “But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.”

(Samson) Judges 14:5 “Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.”

Judges 14:6 “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”

Judges 14:19 “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.”

(70 Elders) Numbers 11:25 “And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.”

There are many more instances of gifts of the Spirit of the Lord being given in the Old Testament and these passages lay a foundation for the believer today to understand Spiritual Gifts.  The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus when He came up out of the water in Mark chapter one.  The Holy Spirit stayed with Christ throughout His ministry.  Jesus also promised the disciples that they would soon receive the Spirit.  Jesus told them that the Spirit would be their source of power, strength, and direction.  We also are disciples and so that same Spirit is available to us.  John chapter 14 tells us that we will receive the power of the Spirit.  This power was fulfilled for the believers on the day of Pentecost.  At this time the Holy Spirit came down upon all believers not just a select few as in the Old Testament.  And this power is available to us today when we accept Christ as our Savior.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

As we continue to read Paul's writings we find that the Holy Spirit was a sign of Christ being in the believer.  All believers received this gift of the Holy Spirit.  For all that confessed Christ as Lord and Savior the gift of the Holy Spirit was available unto them.  If the Holy Spirit was not in them they did not belong to Christ.  This is the same for believers today--if the Holy Spirit is not within you--neither is Christ!

Romans 8:6-17 “for the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be:  and they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (emphasis added).  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.   But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (emphasis added). For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God:  and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, (emphasis added) that we may be also glorified with him. (emphasis added).”

The Holy Spirit is a gift that comes with Salvation.  We simply need to receive it, accept it, act on it, walk in it, and allow it to empower us.  When the Spirit comes to a person it brings along with it the gifts or gift of the Spirit that each individual will use in their service to God and the body of Christ.  It may be different gifts at different times. It may be multiple gifts at the same time.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 “now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord.  And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.”

Each of us are members of the Body of Christ.  Every gift  whether it is mowing a yard, leading song service, ushering, teaching Sunday school, evangelizing, preaching, discernment, tongues, prophecy, or a combination of all gifts, makes no difference they must all work together for the glorification of God.  If it glorifies God it will edify the body!

Romans 12:4-8, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Of all the gifts available to the believer one gift stands above them all--LOVE!
1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abide faith, hope, love; these three things; and the greater of these is love.”

John 15:10-13, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Love is the supreme spiritual gift. It matters not how many gifts or abilities we have if we do not have love we have nothing.

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