Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12 v 4 - 10: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:"
The Holy Spirit has given us the promise of the Father, that we would not be alone, Jesus is always with us. Plus we would have gifts, or talents or abilities, to enable us to extend the Kingdom of God on Earth in amazing ways. The early Church did not have social media, TV, Radio, cars, planes or welcome mats. They had to do extraordinary things to grab attention.
The Book of Acts shows how the Apostles grew in faith through miracles, healings, prophecies. The appearance of Jesus on a dusty road in Damascus even turned a determined enemy into the most ardent Christian.
List of Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Faith
Gifts of Healing
Working of Miracles
Prophecy
Discerning of Spirits
Divers kinds of Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
The Word of wisdom and Word of knowledge is just a word not a sentence or paragraph. A word of knowledge reveals something not known but essential to the need of that moment. We may be struggling to pray for someone and get the word 'salvation' or 'baptism' usually meaning they are not properly saved or need to be baptized. It may be 'grandfather' and some probing may reveal abuse or some other ancestral problem like Freemasonry.
The above examples are words of knowledge, the Word of Wisdom gift is for how to apply the word of Knowledge most effectively. Sometimes it's "wait" as the Holy Spirit prepares the needy person for ministry, or encourages them to open up. A Word of Wisdom is also a blessing when we have several options to solve a problem and the Holy Spirit guides us to the right choice.
Discerning of Spirits has some real depths and levels but at first you may get the name of a demon when someone in the room or church is receiving ministry. It may be Bitterness or Rejection or Insanity or many others. Speak it out if you receive it. It may confirm what others are also receiving.
Sometimes you discern a strange odour, unclean spirits can be smelly! Pray till the smell disappears. Sometimes you feel sick or fearful or shattered inside. Quite often its the demon you are casting out that is having a panic attack. It may look like the person being prayed for having a bad reaction. The evil spirit within tries to scare a deliverance minister away by screaming and saying, Stop, you are hurting me! Just keep praying until it stops.
Jesus is our example of how to be a perfect minister of spiritual gifts. He said GO into all the world and teach them, show them who I am. We have this plan to invite sinners to come to our church and meet Jesus there.
That sounds good but its our job to share the gospel with them and bring them to salvation. Individual ministry is expected of every believer. To reach out and touch a sinner and lead them to being born again is a joy not to be missed.
Then church is meaningful for water baptism and the laying on of hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This should all take place in quick succession. The new saint is now fully fledged and is speaking in tongues.
When he needs to help someone else in trouble he will receive help from the Holy Spirit. He may have to lay hands on the sick and the gifts of healing will be available. When that is successful his faith and experience of God will grow. If we are too shy or fear ridicule if healing does not happen, we will miss out on the Lord's blessings.
Please remember that you cannot cast out an illness, nor can you heal that which is demonic. So if healing does not happen seek deeper. The Holy Spirit may give you a word of knowledge as to what is blocking the healing. It may be that the victim needs to forgive someone, or confess some sin, possibly adultery, lies or theft.
Or the Holy Spirit will give you true discernment of an evil spirit using one of your five senses. See, smell, hear, feel, taste. I once had a horrible poisonous taste in my mouth and knew someone was gossiping about me. After praying the taste disappeared. Sometimes you see a vision of a monkey on someone's back. Get rid of that monkey using the name of Jesus.
The lesson is, when you need a gift to help you help others, expect it to be available to you. The Holy Spirit is a helper and teacher. He is very patient.
The gift of Faith has been a constant blessing. It's not just believing or hoping but a knowing that God will do what He promised. A knowing that this cannot fail because you have faith to move mountains. I have been thankful to God on a number of occasions when the gift of Faith overrode any doubts I may have had. It makes you exceedingly bold.
Speaking, praying or singing in tongues edifies your mind. It brings you into harmony with the Lord. It presents solutions to problems, encouragement in times of stress, knowledge of hidden mysteries, and a million other things. It often gives you a total awareness of the presence of God. Anyone who says these gifts are not for today has missed out on the true power of God.
Interpretation of tongues is like receiving a prophecy. What you have spoken in an unknown tongue is now revealed in English. It is not a translation. The message in tongues can be quite long but the interpretation can be just one sentence, or the other way around.
When an individual speaks a loud message in tongues in church there is usually one who can interpret it, or even yourself will get the interpretation. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that the best gifts are to prophesy or to interpret tongues so everybody understands the message in their own language. Paul spoke in tongues more than anyone else at that time.
1 Corinthians 14 v 18 - 19: "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
Paul was correcting the Corinthian Church because they went overboard with tongues, using it continually for even saying Grace before meals. He wanted people to understand the gospel in their own language. He was very pro speaking in tongues, but teaching in the language they knew.
Over the years, as you use the gifts, the Holy Spirit reveals greater depths and skills that open your understanding of how the Kingdom of God works on Earth. The most vital part is to stay true to the faith given to the Apostles and shun false additions to the church that cause harm.
We need to go back to the old ways where there was absolute obedience to the Word of God, where the disciples turned the world upside down with miracles, where selflessness was of prime importance.
The more you use the gifts of the Spirit the more you will get. If you bury your talents they stay buried and that's a real waste. So let this message stir up the gifts that are in you so more will come because there is still a great work to be done and everyone is important and needed as labourers in the harvest of souls..
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may the Holy Spirit move mightily on all believers to stir up the gifts so that Your Kingdom can be greatly extended. Let faith grow too plus an awareness of Your love and presence. In Jesus' name. Amen.