SPIRITUAL GIFTS
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. What are the spiritual gifts God gives to believers through his Holy Spirit? How many of them are there? What are the fruitful gifts?
a) Beginning with your second question about fruitful gifts, there is one Scripture that gives us a general answer. In the book of Colossians Paul tells us we should live our lives worthy of our calling, "being fruitful in every good work" (Colossians 1:10). This has a connection to the subject of your first question which is broadly covered in many Scriptures.
b) The first and most important spiritual gift is actually available to all truly converted people. This gift is GRACE (2Corinthians 9:14, see also Ephesians 2:8).
c) Because of conversion and grace God uses the individuality of each person to impart some particular gifts, skills or aptitudes. They don't have to be great qualities, as humans would view them, but God sees them with the perspective of the Master Builder.
i) 7 Actually I would prefer that all of you were as I am; but each one has a special gift from God, one person this gift, another one that gift. (1 Corinthians 7:7)
d) God's spirit, the Spirit of grace, should manifest in the believer the 'fruitful gifts' or what is called the "fruit of the Spirit" in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 to 23. When you read these verses you will notice that LOVE is first on the list. Love, then, is the greatest gift, the result of God's work in a Christian. Without it, everything else is to no avail.
e) The fruits of God's Spirit, with love at the head of them all, are also labeled the "gift of righteousness" in Romans 5 verse 17.
f) By combining the gifts listed in 1Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and Romans 12 we have the following fruits generated by God's Holy Spirit within a person.
i) Ability to organize projects and lead others
ii) Ability to teach and encourage others in the Bible
iii) Discerning of Spirits
iv) Evangelism
v) Faith
vi) Generosity
vii) Gifts of Healings
viii) Helping Others (generally known as the gift of ministry)
ix) Interpretation of messages given in different languages
x) Mercifulness
xi) Miracles
xii) Prophecy
xiii) Speaking in different languages
xiv) Word of Knowledge
xv) Word of Wisdom
g) No matter what spiritual gifts a Christian is given, it should always be remembered that God gives them so that they can be used to serve OTHERS, not our own egos or how other people view us.
The End ...
1. What are the spiritual gifts God gives to believers through his Holy Spirit? How many of them are there? What are the fruitful gifts? a) Beginning with your second question about fruitful gifts, there is one Scripture that gives us a general answer. In the book of Colossians Paul tells us we should live our lives worthy of our calling, "being fruitful in every good work" (Colossians 1:10). This has a connection to the subject of your first question which is broadly covered in many Scriptures.
b) The first and most important spiritual gift is actually available to all truly converted people. This gift is GRACE (2Corinthians 9:14, see also Ephesians 2:8).
c) Because of conversion and grace God uses the individuality of each person to impart some particular gifts, skills or aptitudes. They don't have to be great qualities, as humans would view them, but God sees them with the perspective of the Master Builder.
i) 7 Actually I would prefer that all of you were as I am; but each one has a special gift from God, one person this gift, another one that gift. (1 Corinthians 7:7)
d) God's spirit, the Spirit of grace, should manifest in the believer the 'fruitful gifts' or what is called the "fruit of the Spirit" in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 to 23. When you read these verses you will notice that LOVE is first on the list. Love, then, is the greatest gift, the result of God's work in a Christian. Without it, everything else is to no avail.
e) The fruits of God's Spirit, with love at the head of them all, are also labeled the "gift of righteousness" in Romans 5 verse 17.
f) By combining the gifts listed in 1Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and Romans 12 we have the following fruits generated by God's Holy Spirit within a person.
i) Ability to organize projects and lead others
ii) Ability to teach and encourage others in the Bible
iii) Discerning of Spirits
iv) Evangelism
v) Faith
vi) Generosity
vii) Gifts of Healings
viii) Helping Others (generally known as the gift of ministry)
ix) Interpretation of messages given in different languages
x) Mercifulness
xi) Miracles
xii) Prophecy
xiii) Speaking in different languages
xiv) Word of Knowledge
xv) Word of Wisdom
g) No matter what spiritual gifts a Christian is given, it should always be remembered that God gives them so that they can be used to serve OTHERS, not our own egos or how other people view us.
Comments
Post a Comment