TEACHING SERIES - THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ©
PASTOR: JOHN T CENTO
They are special gifts or abilities provided by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but of the same spirit. Their purpose is to build up the body of Christ. We have provided an overview of each one of the Gifts of the Spirit. We bless you and pray for spiritual revelation as you study these truths.
As you learn what these gifts of the Holy Spirit mean and what they do, call upon the Lord and pray to receive the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit, once you receive this outpouring both outside and inside, you will have become one mighty sanctified soldier of Jesus Christ, as the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit will give you some serious heavy ammunition to have at your disposal as you walk with God’s anointing in your daily life.
I call the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit supercharger gifts, as the Holy Spirit can manifest any one of these 9 gifts through any believer anytime that He will want to do so.
Each one of these gifts are major power gifts, and they are all direct, supernatural, miraculous manifestations direct from the Holy Spirit Himself. Any Christian can get themselves in proper place to receive these 9 gifts, as the apostle Paul himself tells us not to be afraid to try and stir up these 9 specific gifts from the Lord.
9 GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Click on each title to learn more about a specific gift!)
#9 The Interpretation of Tongues
Here is the direct verse from our Bible on the 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
(1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
WANTING THE GIFTS!
Not only does the Bible tell us that these 9 gifts of the Spirit are available to all believers, but then it takes it one step further and tells us that we can actually try and stir these 9 gifts up with the Lord.
Here are 5 very good verses telling us to not only desire spiritual gifts, but to also not be afraid to try and stir these gifts up with the Lord:
1. “Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:39)
2. “… and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)
3. “Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecies.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
4. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you … Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1 Timothy 4:14)
5. “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)
As such, every believer should go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to release these 9 gifts through them anytime that He will want to do so. Let God know that you will be a willing vessel for the manifestations of these gifts, and that you will give Him a full and solid green light to manifest these gifts though you at anytime that He will want to do so.
These 9 gifts are a tremendous help and aid to not only you in your own personal walk with the Lord, but many of them can be also used to help other people out as special needs and circumstances arise in their lives. Notice the very first line in this verse says that these 9 gifts are given to each one for the “profit of all.”
When the apostle Paul, who I believe was the greatest of all of the New Testament apostles, tells us to “desire earnestly” these spiritual gifts and not to be afraid to try and stir these gifts up with the Lord, then you know God the Father is giving all us a big, fat, whopper green light to come after these 9 specific gifts.
Just think how many more people you can help and save if you will allow the Holy Spirit to manifest some of these 9 gifts through you from time to time.
Each one of these 9 gifts are major power gifts, and most of them are allowing the Lord to come in and manifest Himself to help someone else out.
Though Jesus is in heaven right now with His Father, we all still have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. And through the Holy Spirit, both God the Father and Jesus Christ can still manifest Themselves into our daily lives and any situations that we will need Their help on.
God and Jesus are still in the rescue, help, and deliverance business – and if you will allow God to manifest these 9 gifts through you from time to time, you yourself can become an actual partaker in some of Their divine, rescue, deliverance missions.
You yourself can help carry on the divine supernatural ministry that Jesus left behind when He ascended to His Father.
Let us look to the various passages in the New Testament where the baptism in the Holy Spirit is described. Where we are told what actually happened to the people who received this experience, and let's see what the outward manifestations that accompany the Holy Spirit operations.
There are 3 places in the New Testament where we are told what happened when people were baptized in the Holy Spirit. These three places are: Acts 2:2, 3 & 4; Acts 10:44, and Acts 19:16.
FIRST, Acts 2:2, 3 & 4. This is the record of what happened to the first disciples on the day of Pentecost.
"and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting".
"and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sat upon each of them".
"and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance".
SECOND, Acts 10:44, 45, & 46. This the record of what happened when Peter first preached the gospel to Cornelius and his household:
"while Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word" and they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the Holy Ghost.
"for they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God".
THIRD, acts 19: 6. This describes what happened to the first group of converts, to whom Paul preached at Ephesus:
"and when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied".
If we now carefully compare these three passages, we shall find there is one and only one outward manifestation, which is common to all three occasions where people received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In each case, the scripture clearly states that those who received this experience "spoke with" or " spoke with other tongues".
Other super national manifestations are also mentioned, but none are mentioned as having taken place on more than one of the three occasions. For example, on the day of Pentecost there was the sound of rushing wind, and visible tongues of fire were seen. However, these manifestations were not repeated on the other two occasions.
Again, at Ephesus we read that the new converts not only spoke in tongues, but also prophesied. However, this manifestation of prophesying is not mentioned as having taken place either on the day of Pentecost or in the house of Cornelius.
The only manifestation which is common to all three occasions is that all those who received the experience "spoke with tongues".
The apostle Peter and the Jews, who already knew what had taken place on the day of Pentecost, went to the house Cornelius reluctantly, against their own inclinations, under the explicit direction of God. At that time the Jewish Christians did not believe that the gospel was for the Gentiles, or that the Gentiles could be saved and become Christians. However, the moment that Peter and the other Jews heard the Gentiles speak with tongues, they immediately understood and acknowledged that these Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit just as truly and as fully as the Jews themselves. They never asked for any other evidence beside this. The scripture says that they were astonished. Because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gifts of the Holy Ghost, for they heard them speak with tongues...for Peter and the other Jews, the sole and sufficient evidence that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit was that they had heard them speak with tongues.
From this we conclude that the manifestation of speaking with tongues, as the Holy Spirit gives utterance, is the accepted New Testament evidence that a person has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In confirmation of this conclusion, we may make the following statements:
FIRST, this was the evidence that the apostles themselves received in their own experience.
SECOND, this was the evidence that the apostles themselves received themselves accepted in the experience in others.
THIRD, the apostles never asked for any other alternative evidence.
FOURTH, no other alternative evidence is offered to us anywhere in the New Testament.