March 10, 2010

  • Spiritual gifts Part 1 by Pam Winkle

    Pam taught on the Spiritual Gifts one Friday at Bible study. Her research gave us many Bible verses on the gifts and some powerful insights. The Word of God speaks so strongly, that I thought you would be blessed to see these verses and comments.

    The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts. These gifts are of two types, ministry gifts and supernatural gifts. The ministry gifts are uniquely ours to use in service to others. They are imparted to us in keeping with our personalities, natural traits and God’s purpose for our lives. These gifts do not vary from situation to situation.  Every believer has one or more spiritual gifts that he is to develop and use to win souls to Christ and build up the body of Christ.

    Romans 12:6-8 AMP Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith; [He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness.

    Liberality – generosity and openhandedness, as opposed to stinginess. The apostle Paul taught that Christians should be liberal and generous in their financial giving.  Zeal is enthusiastic devotion, eager desire, single-minded allegiance.

    The supernatural gifts are imparted by the Holy Spirit to a believer so that the Holy Spirit can accomplish His purposes in a specific situation or circumstance. These gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and are often called manifestations of the Spirit.

    1 Corinthians 12:10-11 To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (a]’>placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit. So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom and restore it to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with and know c]’>years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power. But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

    When you received Jesus, you received the Holy Spirit into your human spirit. But the Baptism of the Spirit is a filling completely. He fills you, and you are placed into Him. It is like asking the Spirit to fill you through and through with the power and ability to live the Christian life and serve God according to His will.

    In Strong’s Concordance the word “power” in Greek is dunamis. It means miraculous power, ability, might and strength. It is a miracle working power.

    Then Pam shared scriptural references for being baptized in the Holy Spirit – all are from the Amplified Bible.

    Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

    Acts 2:1-4 AND WHEN the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place, when suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit