Get to Know the Holy Spirit Pt. 5

The Holy Spirit-The Gift Giver : December 2022

The Holy Spirit is the anointing to make us into the people we need to be to accomplish the call God has placed on our lives. He is also the gift giver who gives us gifts and talents to serve the Lord and build up the body of Christ. The anointing and spiritual gifts go hand in hand. We are given specific gifts and then we are anointed to operate in them. We are going to take a look this week at what the Bible says about the “gifts of the Spirit” and the gifts Jesus gave to the church to minister through. We will close by taking some time to commune with the Holy Spirit to figure out what giftings and ministries He has called you to. I believe that God answers prayers, meets needs, and ministers to us in a wide variety of ways. But I believe His favorite way is when He ministers to His people through His people. I think He gets great joy in speaking to one of His children and prompting them to go meet a need or minister to another.

The “gifts of the Spirit” we will read about are meant for us to operate in so that we can minister to and build up the body of Christ that we are connected to. Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” In a previous week in this series, we discussed that we are the hands, feet, and mouthpiece for God and that God ministers to His people through His people. He does this through the gifts and talents He has placed in each of us. It is so important for us to seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us identify the gifts we have been endowed with. Then we can begin learning about them and moving in them. We must move in our spiritual gifts so that we can minister His solutions to people who are in need of them. We were told to go and preach the Gospel and minister to those around us. We do this through our spiritual gifts and we need to make the quality decision to take action and move out in them.

The bible also talks about the gifts that “Christ gave to the church.” These gifts are separate from the “gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Both are equally important in determining your place in the body of Christ. The “gifts that Christ gave to the church” are also known as the 5 Fold Ministry. These are found in Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” Just like we need to commune with the Holy Spirit to determine our individual spiritual gifts, we need to do the same thing with the 5 Fold Ministry gifts. It is important to find out what ministries you have been ordained BY GOD to operate in for your local body of believers. (Remember we are ordained by God, not by man.)

As the hands and feet and mouthpieces for God, we must start to walk in the power and walk in the gifts of His Spirit so that the will of God is brought to fulfillment. When we as the body of Christ walk in the power and gifts of His Spirit we are revealing the heart of Jesus to the world. As we step into and operate in our individual callings and spiritual ‘giftings’ the body of Christ starts to become healthy and whole. It starts to be molded into the image of Jesus. As we look more like Him, the more we attract the world to Him. You are the one that God wants to use to touch the lives of the people that are within your sphere of influence. Sit with the Holy Spirit this week and ask Him to help you identify the special spiritual gifts and ministries that He has given to you. Ask Him to be your teacher and to teach you about what He has placed in you and to give you opportunities to move in them.

I like to close each teaching with an invitation to salvation for anyone that has not yet welcomed Jesus into their life. Maybe you’ve read this and felt a pull on your heart. Maybe you’re in a place where you just need a solution. If so, this was meant for you and if you’re ready for the “moreness” of God, then believe in your heart and say out loud the following prayer: “Jesus, I repent for my sins, please forgive me for living a life apart from You. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for my sins and were raised to life again. I confess you as Lord over my life. Take my life and do something with it. And I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name amen.”

It’s as simple as that. Welcome to the family! That is solely the most important decision you will ever make. If you prayed that prayer, please send us an email and let us know. We would love to help get you connected to a Life-filled church in your area and help you get started on your journey of “moreness” with God. Click the chat button at the bottom of each page and send us a message!