The work of the Holy Spirit as was foretold by Christ is to be the Helper of the Church. He will guide us into all truth, and as our Counsellor, teach us everything about God (John 14:15-26).
The Holy Spirit is also the Builder of the Church. Recall that in our reflection on Pentecost Sunday, we learnt that Christ is the Foundation of the Church, and that the Holy Spirit is the Builder.
The Holy Spirit builds the Church through His gifts. Note that the Church refers to the people, and not the physical structure.
In our previous reflection, it was also mentioned that every main gift that God sent to us—the Law, His Son, and the Holy Spirit—came with other gifts. Therefore, the Holy Spirit also came with gifts. These gifts are numerous, and in various categories. Apostle Paul expounded on them in several scriptures, giving the essence of all of them.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The first mention of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Bible was in Isaiah 11:2: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” This scripture is the prophecy of Isaiah about the coming of Jesus. He foretold that the Spirit of God would be with him, and give him the spirit (gift) of wisdom… The Holy Spirit helped Jesus during his earthly ministry.
In 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Apostle Paul listed the spiritual gifts as follows: the utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
He started by explaining that, “…there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) and concluded that “all these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11)
Paul further explains that there is even a more excellent gift, love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). He continues to teach about these gifts in 1 Corinthians 14-1-25, emphasizing on how to use them for the benefit of the church, particularly prophecy and speaking in tongues.
Another set of gifts taught by Paul is found in Romans 12:6-8: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, and mercy. One key point that is consistently mentioned is the fact that all the gifts are from the same Spirit and for the same purpose.
Again in Ephesians 4:11, Paul teaches about [Christ’s] gifts, which can best be described as ministerial gifts: “And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” Here, Paul particularly states what is the purpose of these gifts: “…the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (v. 12). It therefore behoves on us to use our respective gifts for the purpose they were given.
How can we maximize God’s gifts?
Purpose: To maximize the gift(s) of God in our lives, we must use them for the purpose God gave them to us. This begins with knowledge; first identifying the gift first, and then knowing it’s meant for. Myles Monroe said that abuse is inevitable when the purpose for a thing is not known.
Examples: if your gift is teaching, you should teach the word of God to others; if healing, heal the sick, and so on.
Jesus told his disciples that they received their gifts for free and should also give them freely. Therefore, we should not trade the gifts of God. He Himself will reward us for using it rightfully. We must also not be selfish with our gifts. They are for the benefit of the church, not for our own selfish gain.
The benefits of maximizing God’s gifts
Growth: when we use God’s gifts effectively, we will grow in faith, wisdom, knowledge and understanding of Him. We will also be contributing to the growth of others. Think of someone who does not understand a particular scripture very well; he then comes to you, because you have the knowledge of it; by explaining it to him, you both are increasing in the knowledge of God. (Ephesians 4:12-16).
Unity of the Church: Paul explained in Ephesians 4:13-16 that “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.”
Advancement of the Gospel: when we use our gifts very well, we are advancing the Gospel and growing the church. The first testimony of the apostles on the day of Pentecost was that the number of new converts who joined them was Three Thousand (Acts 2:41).
Blessings: God blesses those who use their gifts to the Glory of His name. An example can be seen in the Parable of Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). You are rewarded for doing God’s will with your gift, and punished if you do otherwise.
What is your God-given gift? How are you using it? Reflect upon this.
