Z
Zephyr
Guest
2 Corinthians 7:1
Scripture speaks of the gifts Of The Holy Spirit, in various places and various ways. My understanding of the Greek word, Charisma, refers to a gift given by someone of high status to someone of lower status. So our first consideration is the Giver, Jesus Christ. In the church environment and, indeed in human culture, the Lord is so familiar, He is badly underestimated. We are far more likely to think of Him on the Cross, far less conditioned to think of Him on His throne. Salvation is rooted in the Cross, but very deep truths are also found in His throne. I have reason to believe that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit come down from His throne. They certainly come from His heart, the very essence of Who Jesus Christ really is and why He is so deeply precious.
Most Christians readily recognize the list of these Gifts from 1 Corinthians, but there are actually several references to Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, so I will first *list all Scripture references in the order they are found in our Bibles:
I think the first question should be why then these Gifts? Our answer is given in the same Scriptures that discuss these Gifts, so our answer is quite clear:
For “the common good”
“So that the body of Christ may be built up “
“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God “
“And become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
These are such important goals. When a Christian starts to get to a point where he or she is coming to really understand how “the fullness of Christ” heals, guides, teaches, and fulfills, each person becomes full of grace and peace, confident without being overbearing. In other words, Christians who are reaching the magnificent goal of “the fullness of Christ” are really good people who are a pleasure to be around! Now more than ever, we need good Christians to offset the agonies and horrors we see all around us! Now more than ever, we need each other to strengthen and encourage each other that we may stand together in faith as we await the Rapture and the hope we have in the Lord. So let us carefully consider these precious Gifts of the Holy Spirit and what it means to seek them and to operate in them in a way that reveals and glorifies Jesus Christ.
The foundation of everything we Christians say and do absolutely must be love. Without love, anything we say and do is effectively worthless. So the first Gift I am going to discuss is Encouragement. That wasn’t obvious, now was it? In my experience, both in growing in Christ and in helping other people grow in Christ, Encouragement has been the most valuable help I have ever seen and personally known. Encouragement, the truth spoken in love strengthens us, heals us and builds the deep faith we need to handle the challenges of doubt and fear that are hammering so many people, especially these days. Encouragement is precious indeed, and when we seek this Gift in our speaking and everything else we do, it becomes the foundation of all of the other Gifts.
Next, let us consider Teaching, since this is the foundation of the Church. It is absolutely tragic that this Gift, this profound responsibility is taken so lightly by so many Pastors, but that has always been the case throughout history. The focus of attention by so many people makes teaching and preaching one of the most difficult things anyone could set out to do! It seems that no matter what anyone who has ever tried to preach has tried to give, misunderstandings and criticism tear them to pieces and confusion scatters the Body of Christ like nothing else can! Let us be patient with our Pastors then and if we doubt what they are saying, study their ideas in the Bible, being careful to keep the messages in context. Far too many people want to take a verse or statement in isolation when a proper message can only be understood in context of the whole Bible as one Scripture refers to and is understood through the connected ideas found in other parts of the Bible and nowhere else. This is why it is important to study with a Bible that has cross references.
Close to Teaching is Leadership. This may be discussed as Church elders, message board moderators, group leaders etc. In other words, Christian leaders who are not Pastors. These important responsibilities, such as Church elders, deacons, etc should be sought with deep prayer because people who seek these responsibilities will stand before the Lord Himself and give an account for how they handled the difficult and often confusing issues that come up when someone is trying to sort out the conflicts that always come up when groups of people try to do things together. For this very reason, we should try very hard to treat our leaders with dignity and respect, but we also have a right to expect them to treat us with dignity and respect. None of these things are easy to achieve, so we should treat all things involving Leadership (both leading and being led) with love, caution and especially prayer.
Next, let us consider Message Of Knowledge, also called Word Of Knowledge, as this Gift is connected to both Teaching and Leadership. The misunderstanding of this Holy Gift is a source of pride in just about anybody who has ever received it. No one knows everything, but many people are very good at something. Knowledge comes from learning. Learning comes from study. Study comes from self discipline. And sharing what someone has studied and learned comes from intelligence which comes from God which is why it is properly considered a Gift. When knowledge of any topic is used responsibly, it is a genuine fountain of blessing from the Hand Of God Himself. It is knowledge that gives us every good thing we have from such seemingly mundane tasks as farming to life giving tasks such as medicine. When used properly, knowledge builds, heals, makes everything easier and better. When used wrongly, knowledge kills, steals and destroys. So I firmly believe that Word Of Knowledge is a Gift Of The Holy Spirit when it is handled correctly with respect for God, handled in love and in truth. Whatever we know should be treated as a Gift and used to help everyone as the Lord would have us do for the Glory of His Name.
The Message Of Wisdom, also called Word Of Wisdom, can also, but not always come from experience and learning. The misunderstanding of this precious Gift can also be a source of pride, and must be treated with caution. It is so important to understand that wisdom also comes from God. It is also important to understand that all too often, wisdom comes from suffering. If anyone has ever been in the horrible place of “Why me Lord” cried out in the worst of trials, they are probably in the process of receiving the Gift of Wisdom. I am absolutely not trying to be funny here. This statement comes from lived experience, both my own and that of people I have every reason to trust as mature Christians.
Which brings me to the Gift Of Faith. This precious, very precious Gift can also, in some people be a source of pride. Deep faith nearly always comes from deep suffering. This is because we are most likely to really seek the Lord when we need Him most and in such seeking see things about Jesus Christ we would never have seen any other way. Many churches seem to love to promote the testimonies about what an exciting sinner someone was before they repented into Christ. Maybe some folks find that entertaining, but the really important testimonies speak of incredibly difficult life experiences and how Jesus Christ got them through it. The testimonies of trials overcome reveal the hope, love and Holiness of Jesus Christ like nothing else outside of the Bible can.
Next, let us discuss the Gift Of Healing. This is a thorny topic, especially for anyone with health problems. Healing is also probably the Gift most often faked in churches… Floods of tears have been cried and still are because in the Gospels, Jesus healed people again and again. But ever since He ascended to Heaven, He almost never genuinely heals anybody. The question of why is very painful, and I am afraid I don’t have a good answer. I do know that Jesus Himself spoke of His miracles as “signs and wonders”. I think the Lord does not want to be reduced to a means to an end, in other words, a tool to be used to get what we want, really even need in some cases. I think He wants us to have faith in spite of our circumstances, not because of them. This is really hard to accept, and I don’t say these things lightly. I have myself had a horrible hospital experience in the past. My husband and myself both personally deal with chronic pain daily, some days being much worse than others. Many Christians suffer constant pain, and it is not unusual for devoted Christians to dies painful, lingering deaths from cancer and other afflictions. If we are to honestly believe that God really is Love, we need to reach for a very deep faith in the experience of affliction, but that is another discussion I have worked up in different articles.
Does this mean that the Gift Of Healing is no longer valid? Actually no. There is a Gift Of Healing that is actually far more profound that physical healing. This is the healing of the way we think and feel and this Healing is precious indeed. Also known as Sanctification and spoken of in Scripture (Romans 12:2) as being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” this Healing is critically important. All too often, the world teaches us to hate ourselves and hate each other. Some of the worst is how we see ourselves as worthless failures who never can and never will measure up. This self image is toxic and corrosive and destroys us from the inside. I am now in my 20th year as a Christian! (I was 42 when I repented into Christ.) It took Him a full 6 years to convince me that I could be loved, and even now sometimes I have my doubts. The Holy Spirit Gift Of Healing is a Gift that brings peace. Peace in the Lord, peace in myself, peace with other people. Combined with Encouragement, Teaching, Knowledge and Wisdom, I have had the honor of having the Gift Of Healing flow through me to other people I have known, which has been a deep honor.
The Gifts Of Serving and Prophesying should probably be addressed together. Prophesying, or the appearance of prophesying is one of the most confusing Gifts of all, and is very often faked. These days, more than ever, I think it is safe to say that just about everybody desires with our deepest hearts for a genuine prophecy to help us cope with current events. We have been longing for and hoping for the Rapture for over 100 years now. Many people have given up the hope for a Pre Trib Rapture, and I think many people very understandably think that the Tribulation began a few years ago. I have reason to believe that genuine Prophecy is often (but not always) combined with Speaking In Tongues and Interpretation Of Tongues. I have seen genuine Tongues and Interpretation once in a church, and the message was not exactly flattering. I know of a very well known Pastor who had a very genuine Prophetic vision over 45 years ago, but he insisted for his entire life that he was not a prophet. I know the vision was genuine because at the time he had the vision, some details were utterly unthinkable, but are common now. Very nearly everything he saw has happened, Biblical proof positive that it was a genuine prophesy. Any genuine prophecy is going to serve and edify the Body Of Christ. But the Bible also warns us to treat any seeming prophecy with caution. It is best to just trust in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.
Serving, Contributing To The Needs Of Others and Giving are fairly obvious. One thing that may be less obvious is the fact that Christians are very nearly the only people in the whole world who come to the aid of other people in emergencies. I know that there are a lot of charities, and that the UN still provides emergency assistance, but every time there is a natural disaster, at least in America, Christians mobilizing to help are so common, they are actually taken for granted! Christians who give of their time, money and other resources are a precious living Gift sent by Jesus Christ to bless and bring precious relief when disaster strikes.
Next is the Gift of Distinguishing Between Spirits, also known as discernment. This is a Gift that is also largely misunderstood and fairly often faked (think deliverance ministries). An atheist once asked that if demons were real, and if Christians really have the Holy Spirit, why don’t demon possessed people react when they pass a Christian on the street. That was a really good question too. First of all, we are representatives of Jesus Christ, which is far different than being the Lord Himself. Demons panic when Jesus confronts them directly. But they only barely acknowledged even the original Apostles. That being said, there is a very genuine operative Gift of Discernment. Some Christians, for example, can walk into a shop and get a sense, sometimes a very strong sense of evil. That being said, other times a Christian can be near very genuine demonic activity and not notice a thing. Distinguishing Between Spirits is a Gift that I really don’t recommend seeking or asking for because it takes a lot to handle it responsibly let alone calmly.
This next point is critically important. I repeat, this is critically important! Never Ever credit someone’s behavior as demonic or a situation as caused by demons unless there is Absolutely No Other Possible Explanation! Some of the most harmful, terrible, heartbreaking mistakes some Christians have ever made have been trying to drive a demon out of someone who was never demon possessed in the first place! On the personal level, assuming that when things go wrong it is because a demon is manipulating things just adds to a feeling of helplessness and fear. There is genuine spiritual discernment, but trust me, that is not a happy Gift to carry. If anyone has further questions on this matter, please contact me privately.
Finally, let us consider the Gift of Miraculous Powers. This Gift is the most rarely given, and from what I understand, is almost only ever seen in missionary situations where a sign from the Holy Spirit is given so that people can tell the difference between the missionary and the living Christ. I have also heard reports of miracles being given in places like prisons in foreign countries and other places where only The Lord can get into because of severe persecution.
I dearly hope that this discussion helps people understand what the Gifts Of The Holy Spirit are and what they are not. A famous Pastor once said “God gave everybody something, but He didn’t give anybody everything”. Jesus Christ loves us deeply. He does indeed give each and every genuine Christian Gifts Of The Holy Spirit so we may serve Him and each other. Let us treat these inestimably precious Gifts with the dignity and respect that Jesus Christ Himself deserves.
In Christ, Z
*Special thanks to The Barna Group for compiling the list I used
Scripture speaks of the gifts Of The Holy Spirit, in various places and various ways. My understanding of the Greek word, Charisma, refers to a gift given by someone of high status to someone of lower status. So our first consideration is the Giver, Jesus Christ. In the church environment and, indeed in human culture, the Lord is so familiar, He is badly underestimated. We are far more likely to think of Him on the Cross, far less conditioned to think of Him on His throne. Salvation is rooted in the Cross, but very deep truths are also found in His throne. I have reason to believe that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit come down from His throne. They certainly come from His heart, the very essence of Who Jesus Christ really is and why He is so deeply precious.
Most Christians readily recognize the list of these Gifts from 1 Corinthians, but there are actually several references to Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, so I will first *list all Scripture references in the order they are found in our Bibles:
I think the first question should be why then these Gifts? Our answer is given in the same Scriptures that discuss these Gifts, so our answer is quite clear:
For “the common good”
“So that the body of Christ may be built up “
“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God “
“And become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
These are such important goals. When a Christian starts to get to a point where he or she is coming to really understand how “the fullness of Christ” heals, guides, teaches, and fulfills, each person becomes full of grace and peace, confident without being overbearing. In other words, Christians who are reaching the magnificent goal of “the fullness of Christ” are really good people who are a pleasure to be around! Now more than ever, we need good Christians to offset the agonies and horrors we see all around us! Now more than ever, we need each other to strengthen and encourage each other that we may stand together in faith as we await the Rapture and the hope we have in the Lord. So let us carefully consider these precious Gifts of the Holy Spirit and what it means to seek them and to operate in them in a way that reveals and glorifies Jesus Christ.
The foundation of everything we Christians say and do absolutely must be love. Without love, anything we say and do is effectively worthless. So the first Gift I am going to discuss is Encouragement. That wasn’t obvious, now was it? In my experience, both in growing in Christ and in helping other people grow in Christ, Encouragement has been the most valuable help I have ever seen and personally known. Encouragement, the truth spoken in love strengthens us, heals us and builds the deep faith we need to handle the challenges of doubt and fear that are hammering so many people, especially these days. Encouragement is precious indeed, and when we seek this Gift in our speaking and everything else we do, it becomes the foundation of all of the other Gifts.
Next, let us consider Teaching, since this is the foundation of the Church. It is absolutely tragic that this Gift, this profound responsibility is taken so lightly by so many Pastors, but that has always been the case throughout history. The focus of attention by so many people makes teaching and preaching one of the most difficult things anyone could set out to do! It seems that no matter what anyone who has ever tried to preach has tried to give, misunderstandings and criticism tear them to pieces and confusion scatters the Body of Christ like nothing else can! Let us be patient with our Pastors then and if we doubt what they are saying, study their ideas in the Bible, being careful to keep the messages in context. Far too many people want to take a verse or statement in isolation when a proper message can only be understood in context of the whole Bible as one Scripture refers to and is understood through the connected ideas found in other parts of the Bible and nowhere else. This is why it is important to study with a Bible that has cross references.
Close to Teaching is Leadership. This may be discussed as Church elders, message board moderators, group leaders etc. In other words, Christian leaders who are not Pastors. These important responsibilities, such as Church elders, deacons, etc should be sought with deep prayer because people who seek these responsibilities will stand before the Lord Himself and give an account for how they handled the difficult and often confusing issues that come up when someone is trying to sort out the conflicts that always come up when groups of people try to do things together. For this very reason, we should try very hard to treat our leaders with dignity and respect, but we also have a right to expect them to treat us with dignity and respect. None of these things are easy to achieve, so we should treat all things involving Leadership (both leading and being led) with love, caution and especially prayer.
Next, let us consider Message Of Knowledge, also called Word Of Knowledge, as this Gift is connected to both Teaching and Leadership. The misunderstanding of this Holy Gift is a source of pride in just about anybody who has ever received it. No one knows everything, but many people are very good at something. Knowledge comes from learning. Learning comes from study. Study comes from self discipline. And sharing what someone has studied and learned comes from intelligence which comes from God which is why it is properly considered a Gift. When knowledge of any topic is used responsibly, it is a genuine fountain of blessing from the Hand Of God Himself. It is knowledge that gives us every good thing we have from such seemingly mundane tasks as farming to life giving tasks such as medicine. When used properly, knowledge builds, heals, makes everything easier and better. When used wrongly, knowledge kills, steals and destroys. So I firmly believe that Word Of Knowledge is a Gift Of The Holy Spirit when it is handled correctly with respect for God, handled in love and in truth. Whatever we know should be treated as a Gift and used to help everyone as the Lord would have us do for the Glory of His Name.
The Message Of Wisdom, also called Word Of Wisdom, can also, but not always come from experience and learning. The misunderstanding of this precious Gift can also be a source of pride, and must be treated with caution. It is so important to understand that wisdom also comes from God. It is also important to understand that all too often, wisdom comes from suffering. If anyone has ever been in the horrible place of “Why me Lord” cried out in the worst of trials, they are probably in the process of receiving the Gift of Wisdom. I am absolutely not trying to be funny here. This statement comes from lived experience, both my own and that of people I have every reason to trust as mature Christians.
Which brings me to the Gift Of Faith. This precious, very precious Gift can also, in some people be a source of pride. Deep faith nearly always comes from deep suffering. This is because we are most likely to really seek the Lord when we need Him most and in such seeking see things about Jesus Christ we would never have seen any other way. Many churches seem to love to promote the testimonies about what an exciting sinner someone was before they repented into Christ. Maybe some folks find that entertaining, but the really important testimonies speak of incredibly difficult life experiences and how Jesus Christ got them through it. The testimonies of trials overcome reveal the hope, love and Holiness of Jesus Christ like nothing else outside of the Bible can.
Next, let us discuss the Gift Of Healing. This is a thorny topic, especially for anyone with health problems. Healing is also probably the Gift most often faked in churches… Floods of tears have been cried and still are because in the Gospels, Jesus healed people again and again. But ever since He ascended to Heaven, He almost never genuinely heals anybody. The question of why is very painful, and I am afraid I don’t have a good answer. I do know that Jesus Himself spoke of His miracles as “signs and wonders”. I think the Lord does not want to be reduced to a means to an end, in other words, a tool to be used to get what we want, really even need in some cases. I think He wants us to have faith in spite of our circumstances, not because of them. This is really hard to accept, and I don’t say these things lightly. I have myself had a horrible hospital experience in the past. My husband and myself both personally deal with chronic pain daily, some days being much worse than others. Many Christians suffer constant pain, and it is not unusual for devoted Christians to dies painful, lingering deaths from cancer and other afflictions. If we are to honestly believe that God really is Love, we need to reach for a very deep faith in the experience of affliction, but that is another discussion I have worked up in different articles.
Does this mean that the Gift Of Healing is no longer valid? Actually no. There is a Gift Of Healing that is actually far more profound that physical healing. This is the healing of the way we think and feel and this Healing is precious indeed. Also known as Sanctification and spoken of in Scripture (Romans 12:2) as being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” this Healing is critically important. All too often, the world teaches us to hate ourselves and hate each other. Some of the worst is how we see ourselves as worthless failures who never can and never will measure up. This self image is toxic and corrosive and destroys us from the inside. I am now in my 20th year as a Christian! (I was 42 when I repented into Christ.) It took Him a full 6 years to convince me that I could be loved, and even now sometimes I have my doubts. The Holy Spirit Gift Of Healing is a Gift that brings peace. Peace in the Lord, peace in myself, peace with other people. Combined with Encouragement, Teaching, Knowledge and Wisdom, I have had the honor of having the Gift Of Healing flow through me to other people I have known, which has been a deep honor.
The Gifts Of Serving and Prophesying should probably be addressed together. Prophesying, or the appearance of prophesying is one of the most confusing Gifts of all, and is very often faked. These days, more than ever, I think it is safe to say that just about everybody desires with our deepest hearts for a genuine prophecy to help us cope with current events. We have been longing for and hoping for the Rapture for over 100 years now. Many people have given up the hope for a Pre Trib Rapture, and I think many people very understandably think that the Tribulation began a few years ago. I have reason to believe that genuine Prophecy is often (but not always) combined with Speaking In Tongues and Interpretation Of Tongues. I have seen genuine Tongues and Interpretation once in a church, and the message was not exactly flattering. I know of a very well known Pastor who had a very genuine Prophetic vision over 45 years ago, but he insisted for his entire life that he was not a prophet. I know the vision was genuine because at the time he had the vision, some details were utterly unthinkable, but are common now. Very nearly everything he saw has happened, Biblical proof positive that it was a genuine prophesy. Any genuine prophecy is going to serve and edify the Body Of Christ. But the Bible also warns us to treat any seeming prophecy with caution. It is best to just trust in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.
Serving, Contributing To The Needs Of Others and Giving are fairly obvious. One thing that may be less obvious is the fact that Christians are very nearly the only people in the whole world who come to the aid of other people in emergencies. I know that there are a lot of charities, and that the UN still provides emergency assistance, but every time there is a natural disaster, at least in America, Christians mobilizing to help are so common, they are actually taken for granted! Christians who give of their time, money and other resources are a precious living Gift sent by Jesus Christ to bless and bring precious relief when disaster strikes.
Next is the Gift of Distinguishing Between Spirits, also known as discernment. This is a Gift that is also largely misunderstood and fairly often faked (think deliverance ministries). An atheist once asked that if demons were real, and if Christians really have the Holy Spirit, why don’t demon possessed people react when they pass a Christian on the street. That was a really good question too. First of all, we are representatives of Jesus Christ, which is far different than being the Lord Himself. Demons panic when Jesus confronts them directly. But they only barely acknowledged even the original Apostles. That being said, there is a very genuine operative Gift of Discernment. Some Christians, for example, can walk into a shop and get a sense, sometimes a very strong sense of evil. That being said, other times a Christian can be near very genuine demonic activity and not notice a thing. Distinguishing Between Spirits is a Gift that I really don’t recommend seeking or asking for because it takes a lot to handle it responsibly let alone calmly.
This next point is critically important. I repeat, this is critically important! Never Ever credit someone’s behavior as demonic or a situation as caused by demons unless there is Absolutely No Other Possible Explanation! Some of the most harmful, terrible, heartbreaking mistakes some Christians have ever made have been trying to drive a demon out of someone who was never demon possessed in the first place! On the personal level, assuming that when things go wrong it is because a demon is manipulating things just adds to a feeling of helplessness and fear. There is genuine spiritual discernment, but trust me, that is not a happy Gift to carry. If anyone has further questions on this matter, please contact me privately.
Finally, let us consider the Gift of Miraculous Powers. This Gift is the most rarely given, and from what I understand, is almost only ever seen in missionary situations where a sign from the Holy Spirit is given so that people can tell the difference between the missionary and the living Christ. I have also heard reports of miracles being given in places like prisons in foreign countries and other places where only The Lord can get into because of severe persecution.
I dearly hope that this discussion helps people understand what the Gifts Of The Holy Spirit are and what they are not. A famous Pastor once said “God gave everybody something, but He didn’t give anybody everything”. Jesus Christ loves us deeply. He does indeed give each and every genuine Christian Gifts Of The Holy Spirit so we may serve Him and each other. Let us treat these inestimably precious Gifts with the dignity and respect that Jesus Christ Himself deserves.
In Christ, Z
*Special thanks to The Barna Group for compiling the list I used
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