The Gifts of the Spirit are Given By The Spirit
Celebrate the good things of God! We who know Jesus as Savior are the ones who receive the gifts of God in abundance. God’s peace be yours as we delve into the rich truths Paul reveals to us today.
Paul has already laid out the purpose of the Spirit Who was sent into the world. Everything about the Spirit of God is motivated by the love of God. The Spirit is present to fulfill all that is in the heart of the Father concerning the blessings He desires to give His children. Even in the opening phrases of this text we have a Trinitarian flow. Paul speaks of the Spirit, the Lord, and God. In other words, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father. God is present and His will is being done even as the Spirit gifts God’s people for service.
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
I don’t have to remind you if you have been around the visible Church for any length of time, that there are many divisions which have taken place because of people’s beliefs concerning the Holy Spirit. The spectrum is wide and varied, ranging from those who all but ignore the Spirit, to those who believe if certain gifts of the Spirit are not manifest in a person’s life, then no real faith is present. As Christians we are real good at drawing our “lines in the sand.”
The two key statements made by Paul are these, A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good and One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills. Let’s look at these two statements and seek God’s guidance on a proper understanding of the gifts of God.
Paul begins by letting us know that when the Holy Spirit gives a spiritual gift to a person, it is not a personal or private thing! The gifts are given for the “common good.” This means that the gifts given are to be exercised by the person receiving the gift, so that others can be blessed by the Spirit’s work.
Examine the list of the gifts given, wisdom, a message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Are any of these gifts intended to be focused upon the person who possesses the gift? Is knowledge just for one person, or is a person with the gift of healing intended to heal themselves? The Spirit of God gives gifts so that the people of God might be used by Him to be a blessing to others. Any other focus on the gifts of the Spirit is in a direction not intended by God!
What is amazing is that many people or churches today focus on only certain gifts and not all the gifts given by the Spirit. There are nine gifts identified in this listing but the one which captivates people to the greatest degree is number seven, the gift of tongues. It is not uncommon for some Christians to even pursue this particular gift as a means of demonstrating the Spirit’s presence in their lives and therefore true faith in Jesus.
What is even sadder is that most misunderstand the gift of tongues all together. In Acts when Luke writes the account of Pentecost he identifies sixteen different groupings of people who are excited that the disciples of Jesus are preaching in their own languages. This means the gift of speaking in tongues was given to more than only the 12 apostles. It also means what the people heard were known languages which were being spoken by the disciples, who themselves did not know the language in which they were speaking.
Let’s go deeper! In Acts 2 there are two terms used for what is happening on the day of Pentecost. Luke writes the statement of those who are being blessed by the gift! The people say, “How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?" 2:8. The word use is the word “dialect.” The native language of a specific region of the world. There were sixteen regions identified by Luke. Then a little later there is the excited statement of the people, “we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues” 2:11. The word for “tongues” is our word “languages.” So, the people were excited that the dialects of the world were being spoken and the people were hearing the good news of Jesus in their own languages. All this through Jews who did not know how to speak these languages.
What was the purpose for which the Spirit gave this gift to all these people? The gift of tongues was present so people who did not know Jesus could hear about God’s love for them through all Jesus had accomplished for them on the cross. The gift was given so the Gospel could be proclaimed.
The second statement Paul makes which is of importance for us in this text is as follows, One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills. The Spirit is God and as God He will watch over and bless His Church in the way He deems is best. The distribution of the gifts of the Spirit is done so that the Church may accomplish its mission in the world. This stands in stark contrast to those who proclaim we are to seek the gift of speaking in tongues. The Spirit gives the gifts where the gifts are needed to accomplish His purposes. And what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit being present in this world? It is to make Jesus known as Savior for the salvation of people and to give glory to the Father.
As Paul moves us deeper in the coming weeks, we need to hold on to these two simple truths which he outlines for us in this text. The purpose of the gifts is to be a blessing to everyone, and the Spirit of God gives the gifts as He pleases. May these two truths guide our understanding as we go deeper.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
Paul has already laid out the purpose of the Spirit Who was sent into the world. Everything about the Spirit of God is motivated by the love of God. The Spirit is present to fulfill all that is in the heart of the Father concerning the blessings He desires to give His children. Even in the opening phrases of this text we have a Trinitarian flow. Paul speaks of the Spirit, the Lord, and God. In other words, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father. God is present and His will is being done even as the Spirit gifts God’s people for service.
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
I don’t have to remind you if you have been around the visible Church for any length of time, that there are many divisions which have taken place because of people’s beliefs concerning the Holy Spirit. The spectrum is wide and varied, ranging from those who all but ignore the Spirit, to those who believe if certain gifts of the Spirit are not manifest in a person’s life, then no real faith is present. As Christians we are real good at drawing our “lines in the sand.”
The two key statements made by Paul are these, A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good and One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills. Let’s look at these two statements and seek God’s guidance on a proper understanding of the gifts of God.
Paul begins by letting us know that when the Holy Spirit gives a spiritual gift to a person, it is not a personal or private thing! The gifts are given for the “common good.” This means that the gifts given are to be exercised by the person receiving the gift, so that others can be blessed by the Spirit’s work.
Examine the list of the gifts given, wisdom, a message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Are any of these gifts intended to be focused upon the person who possesses the gift? Is knowledge just for one person, or is a person with the gift of healing intended to heal themselves? The Spirit of God gives gifts so that the people of God might be used by Him to be a blessing to others. Any other focus on the gifts of the Spirit is in a direction not intended by God!
What is amazing is that many people or churches today focus on only certain gifts and not all the gifts given by the Spirit. There are nine gifts identified in this listing but the one which captivates people to the greatest degree is number seven, the gift of tongues. It is not uncommon for some Christians to even pursue this particular gift as a means of demonstrating the Spirit’s presence in their lives and therefore true faith in Jesus.
What is even sadder is that most misunderstand the gift of tongues all together. In Acts when Luke writes the account of Pentecost he identifies sixteen different groupings of people who are excited that the disciples of Jesus are preaching in their own languages. This means the gift of speaking in tongues was given to more than only the 12 apostles. It also means what the people heard were known languages which were being spoken by the disciples, who themselves did not know the language in which they were speaking.
Let’s go deeper! In Acts 2 there are two terms used for what is happening on the day of Pentecost. Luke writes the statement of those who are being blessed by the gift! The people say, “How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?" 2:8. The word use is the word “dialect.” The native language of a specific region of the world. There were sixteen regions identified by Luke. Then a little later there is the excited statement of the people, “we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues” 2:11. The word for “tongues” is our word “languages.” So, the people were excited that the dialects of the world were being spoken and the people were hearing the good news of Jesus in their own languages. All this through Jews who did not know how to speak these languages.
What was the purpose for which the Spirit gave this gift to all these people? The gift of tongues was present so people who did not know Jesus could hear about God’s love for them through all Jesus had accomplished for them on the cross. The gift was given so the Gospel could be proclaimed.
The second statement Paul makes which is of importance for us in this text is as follows, One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills. The Spirit is God and as God He will watch over and bless His Church in the way He deems is best. The distribution of the gifts of the Spirit is done so that the Church may accomplish its mission in the world. This stands in stark contrast to those who proclaim we are to seek the gift of speaking in tongues. The Spirit gives the gifts where the gifts are needed to accomplish His purposes. And what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit being present in this world? It is to make Jesus known as Savior for the salvation of people and to give glory to the Father.
As Paul moves us deeper in the coming weeks, we need to hold on to these two simple truths which he outlines for us in this text. The purpose of the gifts is to be a blessing to everyone, and the Spirit of God gives the gifts as He pleases. May these two truths guide our understanding as we go deeper.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
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