The Gifts of the Spirit
1. The Greek word for "gift" is "dom'ah" (Strong's 1390), but that is not the word used for "gifts of the Spirit" Instead, the word for "gifts of the Spirit" is "charismata." Now that's interesting. "Charis" is the word for grace, and "ma" is an ending meaning "mark of" (Strong's 5486). "Ta" is a suffix that makes Greek nouns plural. So the "gifts of the Spirit" are "marks of grace." They are the marks of grace upon our lives.
2. These "marks of grace" are the special tools the Spirit uses to bring grace to others - through us. You can think of "charismata" as God given ability to bring grace to people. I conclude that if "anointing" is anything, it is the ability to touch, and change people's lives with God's grace. In this regard the fruits of the Spirit are more effective than the gifts, and yet the gifts can be powerful tools as well - as long as they are motivated by love and a desire to help and serve people, and not motivated by a desire to gain influence and control. Apart from love, the gifts of the Spirit don't work. As a pastor of a church, I would allow no one to operate in any of the gifts of the Spirit until I saw the fruit of the Spirit in abundance first. I would have to see a servant's heart.
3. "Charismata" are divine abilities God has given His servants to bring His love to a lost and dying world. (If you are not a servant of God, why would He empower you that way?) All the glory goes to God. There is nothing I have that I did not receive. It is not my ability, but the ability of the Holy Spirit working through me.
4. These "spiritual gifts" are so powerful they can restore, heal, deliver, encourage, and in many other ways build up the Body of Christ (and bring people to salvation). They are the essential tools of grace (along with God's Word, baptism, and communion), that God uses to build His kingdom, and govern His Church. ALL of these tools (speaking in tongues, prophecy, teaching, mercy, giving, leading, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits, encouraging, working of miracles, interpretation of tongues, etc), are needed for the work of the kingdom. We cannot "make do" without any one of them. That is why the Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes them in the Body of Christ as He wills.
note: Another Greek word for "spiritual gifts" is "merismos" (Strong's 3311) It means "distribution" (see Hebrews 2:4).
5. It is thought that every believer has received special ability from God (a spiritual gift of some sort), to bring God's grace to others. I also believe this is true. And I believe that all of these gifts are meant to work together in the Body of Christ. (That's one reason Paul appealed for unity in the same chapter He discussed the "charismata" (see I Corinthians 12).
6. Right after Jesus went to heaven He obtained "the promise of the Father" and then poured out the first Baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the believers on the Day of Pentecost.
Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. Acts 2:33
7. On the Day of Pentecost the Christians spoke with other tongues - as the Spirit gave them utterance. That is, they spoke in languages they did not know. But the people hearing them understood what they were saying! The people hearing them were from different parts of the world where those languages were spoken! So on that day, the gospel was preached to people from all over the world!
8. The gifts of the Spirit are for spreading the gospel, and building up the Body of Christ. Speaking in tongues is only one of the gifts. The others are listed in I Corinthians 12:8-10, and Romans 12:6-8 (But most Bible scholars think these lists are not complete - and I agree. Interpretation of dreams, for example, is a gift of the Spirit not listed in Romans or in I Corinthians, yet Joseph had that gift, and so did Daniel).
9. The "servant" gifts are listed in Romans 12:6-8 (But every gift of the Spirit is also a power gift.)
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Romans 12:6-8a
note: These gifts do not work apart from love. (see Galatians 5:6)
also note: Paul appeals to us to use the gifts we have.
10. The Holy Spirit, and the Body of Christ, His Church, will tell you what gifts you have and how to use them.
note: Not everyone operates the same way. I have never met two prophets who were alike. We are individuals. The Holy Spirit knows that. There are differences of administration. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. I Corinthians 12:5-6
11. The "power" gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12:8-10 (But every gift of the Spirit is also a servant gift)
for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues, I Corinthians 12:4-10
12. When I wanted to understand these gifts I had to find different people who had them - so they could tell me what their gifts were like - and how they worked. They all said the same thing... "Well... I just love people, and I just had this burning desire to help people in this way." And then they mentioned their gift. God will give you the desires of your heart. (It's God who gave you those desires in the first place.)
13. All the people God was using were obedient servants, who just did whatever the Holy Spirit was telling them to do, and they were not lazy.
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. Acts 5:32
14. If you have a gift - and you love people - the Holy Spirit wants to put you to work. Just be obedient.
15. And yet, when it comes to bringing God's grace to people, Paul says there is a still more excellent way, and it is the way of walking in God's agape love.