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lesson 8 THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4:11 Introduction Several problems have surfaced with respect to the doctrine of the
Holy Spirit. At one extreme are those that deny or ignore
the existence of the gifts of the Spirit. The result is that they tend to
praise the human side for the good that a Christian
does, rather than recognize that it was due to a gift given by God, the
Spirit. At the other extreme are
those that
place so much emphasis on the gifts that they equate the possession of such
gifts with spirituality. Another problem is
that some recognize a gift (or gifts) that they have and give it so much
emphasis that they ignore other responsibilities they
have as Christians, excusing themselves claiming, "It is not my
gift.." 1. What is a spiritual gift and for what is
it used? A spiritual gift is an ability or power given by the Holy Spirit to
the believer to edify (build up) or serve the body of Christ,
the church (or help it to grow) - Eph 4:12; 1Cor 12:7 2. Who has spiritual gifts? Each Christian has received at least one spiritual gift - Romans
12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7,11 3. How many spiritual gifts are there? a. There are several different lists of
spiritual gifts: 1 Cor 12; Rom 12:3-8; Eph 4:11. All totaled there are 16
listed - of
course there may be spiritual gifts not found on a list - the lists
are perhaps to give examples. b. There are several ways of classifying
spiritual gifts, but none of these systems is found in the bible. One of these
Classification systems is found in the next lesson. What follows is another system based on
the idea that not all the
gifts exist today. There is no universal agreement on which gifts were
temporary. c. Temporary gifts - these
were to authenticate or confirm the message or the messenger - 2 Cor 12:12;
Heb 2:1-4;
Jn 10:37-38. John implies in
John 20:30-31 that the miracles mentioned in
his gospel account are sufficient to create
faith, even as the miracles themselves were 1.
Performing miracles - 1 Cor 12, 2.
Healing - 1 Cor 12 3.
Message of wisdom & knowledge 1 Cor 12:8 4.
Speaking in tongues - 1 Cor. 12 5.
Interpretation of tongues - 1 Cor 12 6.
Apostle - Eph 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:29 7.
Prophet - Eph 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:29 (Many
times the gifts of Apostle and Prophet are also considered to have been
temporary revealing God's message
Eph. 2:20; 3;5. Since the church
already has its foundations laid and God's message revealed in
the Bible, these gifts are no longer considered necessary.) d. Permanent gifts - not everyone is in agreement
concerning the number of such gifts 1. Evangelist - Eph 4:11 2. Pastor/administration - Eph 4:11; Rom 12:8, 1 Cor 12:28 3. Teacher - Eph 4;11 4. Encourager - Rom 12:8 5. Service and help - Rom 12:7, 1 Cor. 12:28 6. Faith (faithfulness) - 1 Cor 12:9 7. Giving - Rom 12:8 8. Showing mercy (compassion) - Rom 12:8 Conclusion The Holy Spirit gives gifts to Christians today. These are to edify, serve, and help the
church to grow. If all these gifts
do not exist today, nevertheless a sufficient number do exist to accomplish
the work that God has for us. Therefore,
we should use whatever ability (or abilities) that the Spirit has given us to
bless the church. Memory
Verses: Eph 4:11-12 Questions 1. T
F Probably
all the gifts that existed in the first
century still exist today. 2. What are the 8 gifts that exist today? 3. In general, what is a gift of the Holy
Spirit? 4. Who has a gift of the Holy Spirit? 5. What are the 6 gifts that seem to have
been temporary? Lesson 8 - Chart The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit Gifts which Instruct Explanation of the Gift Apostle -
This was a special gift of the 12, Matthias and Paul; in a general sense it
is one sent to evangelize an unbelieving world;
a missionary. Prophet -
Basically the ability to proclaim God's message; it does not necessarily
include predicting the future - Acts 13.
Until
the NT was completed, some men had to receive and proclaim messages directly
received from God. Evangelist - This is the gift of preaching
and teaching the gospel to unbelievers in order to lead them to Christ. We all have
the responsibility to be involved in evangelism, but only some have the gift
of "evangelist." Teacher -
Basically it refers to the ability of leading new Christians towards
perfection in Christ. Encouragement - This has to do with the ability to encourage and motivate others
to become more active in the Lord's work. Message of
Wisdom - The gift of applying one's knowledge of God's will to build
up the people of God. Message of
Knowledge - The special ability to discover God's truths as found in
His Word to edify the Body of Christ. Gifts which Serve Serve & Help - A special ability to relieve the burdens of another, to
minister to a necessity, or help someone in other ways. Faith (Faithfulness) - The ability to trust completely in God's
power and love to work His will in our lives and in the world. Giving -
To give generously; to give just because one sees a need, nothing more. Administration/ Shepherding - This probably
focuses on the elders of the church; but it also likely includes those having
the gift of guiding others, inspiring them to reach their goals. Showing Mercy - The ability to sympathize
with someone that is hurting and to say, or possibly do, & Compassion something
to alleviate the situation. Gifts which Confirm Perform Miracles - The ability to show divine and supernatural power in order to
confirm the gospel or a
divine commission, such as an apostle's. Perform Healings - The power to restore miraculously a person's health, physical,
emotional or spiritual. Speak in Tongues - The power to speak in a
language not previously known or studied by an individual. Interpretation of Tongues - The ability,
given by the Holy Spirit and not due to study, of interpreting what one with
the gift
of tongues is saying. |