The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
25th April 2019
In this blog I have provided some basic information about the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we read about in the New Testament. I have done this by providing some quotes from Derek Prince, some scriptures and some principles. I am putting these before you for reflection.
I would like to start with a quote from Derek Prince who was the best bible teacher I have heard on this subject:
‘The New Testament depicts Christianity as a supernatural way of life. To be functioning members of the body of Christ, as well as more effective witnesses for Him in the world, we need an understanding of the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and their operation in our lives’.
The 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit
We read about them in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
We can divide them into 3 groups as follows:
Revelation Gifts
A word of wisdom
A word of knowledge
Discerning of spirits
Power Gifts
Faith
Gifts of healings
Workings of miracles
Vocal Gifts
Different kinds of tongues
Interpretation of tongues
Prophecy
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
Given to a person
Brief manifestations
Not dependant on the character of the person receiving the gift
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the same as the ministry gifts which are found in Ephesians 4:11.
The 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the same as the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit which are found in Galatians 5:22. The fruits of the Holy Spirit take time to grow and mature; they need to be cultivated. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are received instantly.
In 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul tells us to “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts.” Commenting on this, Derek Prince said that, “spiritual gifts are the tools by which love works.”
“We must not be one-sided. We need both gifts and love. We need both gifts and fruit. We need both spiritual gifts and ministry gifts. None of them is a substitute for any of the others. We need all of them.” Derek Prince
‘Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them.’ Romans 12:6
‘Earnestly desire the best gifts’. 1 Corinthians 12:31
‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’. 1 Peter 1:10
‘I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 1:4-8.
The above text from Corinthians shows that the gifts have not come to an end because Jesus has not returned yet.
“The reason why some believers do not have the manifestations (the gifts) is that they have never taken the vital step out of the natural into the supernatural.” Derek Prince
“The New Testament reveals the gifts as part of the spiritual equipment for normal Christian living for believers throughout all ages until Christ returns.” Derek Prince
“Why are the spiritual gifts important? It is because they bring glory to God.” Derek Prince