Book E
Lesson One
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
God doesn't want us to be ignorant regarding the dynamics of the power of the Holy Spirit. So let us not be ignorant after the Lord told us not to be ignorant concerning these issues. We had better then learn the dynamics or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now firstly the word gifts is normally in italics in the bible in most versions. This is because it does not appear in the original. It was put there to try and help you understand and sometimes this complicates things.
We could call them "operations", because gifts tends to let you think that when you have it, then you have it for life. Whereas the real gift is the Holy Spirit and Him you do have for life. But the gifts or operations are His, not ours, though He works with us in them. And He works with us in their execution. He is the Lord, the Holy Spirit. He lives in us and will anoint us , if we get baptised with Holy Spirit.
This anointing is vital for the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
How to Be Baptised in the Holy Spirit
Acts 11:16 "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 8:17 Then they laid hands
on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. So then this is
something that is received after the believer becomes a believer.
In the case of Acts 8 in
Mark 16:17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; So then there is always a manifestation of the Holy Spirit gifts when believer is "baptised in the holy Spirit"….and this was always "speaking in new tongues" in the bible days, and that’s good enough for us too. So then how do we begin? Well like with everything we ask God.
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
So step One: Ask Him Now the apostles laid hands of some believers though this did not happen at the start so obviously coming into contact with believers who do operate in the gifts of the Spirit and are baptised in the Holy Spirit the bible way must help. Even they can lay hands on you and this would help too if there is a problem, otherwise going straight to God is the other way as well.
Now Peter sank when he lost faith and got afraid. So one can loose things in God or not even get them if their heart is not correctly open to Him. So receiving and not just asking is important. That is staying in faith.
Step Two: Fight to keep in faith. This is active fight to keep fear away from you. If you fight it with the wrong weapons then you get more afraid and not less afraid. So then the weapons we must use will be ones that cause us to reduce fear not increase it. Love drives out fear scriptures say. Step Three: Believe that God has no favourites and that everything in heaven is yours, like He says it is.
Gifts, Operations, Ministries and Callings
All these are different….
1 Corinthians 12:4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. The operations of the Holy Spirit, may often look like the manifestation of completely different spirit but this is untrue. They are all operations of the same spirit. The Holy Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. Then there are differences of ministries. "Ministry Giftings" we often call them, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. God works all the gifts and all the ministries and all the operations together. Some ministry gifts require more of one or two sorts of Holy Spirit operations to happen. Others need other ones to happen more often than the others. For instance there is a ministry of healing and the "gifts of healings" must obviously be more prevalent in operation.
You Have a Deciding Choice in Operating in the Gifts
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. So now we have a choice in what gift to operate in to some extent. So therefore the Holy Spirit is working through us. We also can determine, sometimes, the timing of this gifting.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 talks about desiring to operate in the best gift for the occasion. Namely to build up the people in the church. Whilst others can be used, there is a prioritisation of operating and the "spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet" Now get this right. If the Lord brings the "Word of the Lord" then everything is superseded by His word. Namely this is demanded by the Lord for a certain occasion. It comes with more authority than mere prophetic utterance. It comes from heaven. So all else waits its turn before the word of the Lord.
BOOK E
Lesson One
Questions
