Understanding the Gift of the Holy Spirit

The book of Acts tells of the early Christians and that as God's people, they shared the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us of a gift from God that unleashes the power and wisdom of His kingdom, providing everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The Spirit's coming upon believers was so dramatic that onlookers "...were all amazed and marveled..." (Acts 2:7)

Does the world marvel at Christians today? Much of what happens in the church today is mainly a reflection of the values and the reasoning of the surrounding culture, rather than a clear demonstration God's power. Why is this? What happened since the time of the first century Christians?

For many Christians, when we attempt to discover our part in the work of God's kingdom, the question we ask ourselves is kind of self-centered. "What can I do for God?" Perhaps we should be asking a more God-centered question: "What does God want to do through me? What is His specific assignment for me? If we can make that subtle shift in thinking and experience the true giftedness of the Holy Spirit that follows from it, we will have dramatic results in our lives. Because what we'll witness will be God's power to transform lives, not just our own ability to help people in need.

Did you ever wonder why today's church has so little impact? Why there are so many frustrated Christians? In a world desparately needing what we claim to have, why do so many believers seem to be powerless?

One reason is that Christians are seeking gifts of the Holy Spirit and not the Holy Spirit Himself. They want power instead of a relationship with the One whose presence gives that power. Christians want to do great things for God, but perhaps they haven't understood that greatness in the kingdom of God comes out of a relationship with Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit. People in today's society have become so enchanted with SELF that we have no idea what is on God's heart.

If we seek the gifts of the Spirit and not the Holy Spirit Himself, we'll always focus on SELF. We need to understand that there are no gifts apart from an intimate relationship with the Spirit.

There are several popular books out on spiritual gifts and many online tests to take to help you identify yours. What these books often leave out is the fact that if you do not have a close relationship with God, if you have not received the Holy Spirit, you do not have a spiritual gift.

The Bible and Spiritual Gifts

In Spirit Gifts the gift is called…	Romans 12:3-8	1 Corinthians 12:4-11	1 Corinthians 12:27-31	Ephesians 4:7-16
Prophecy	prophecy	prophecy	prophets	prophets
Pastoring	ministry			pastors
Teaching	teacher		teachers	teachers
Encouragement	exhorter
Giving	giver
Compassion	compassionate
Wisdom		wisdom
Knowledge		knowledge
Faith		faith
Healing		healing
Miracles		miracles	power/miracles
Discernment		discernment
Tounges		tongues	tongues
Interpretation		interpretation	interpret
Apostleship			apostles	apostles
Assisting			assistance
Leadership	leader		leadership
Evangelism				evangelists