|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The Gifts of the Spirit Scripture makes a distinction between God's gift of the Holy Spirit to every believer for victorious Christian living, and the various gifts of the Spirit provided to believers for effective ministry in different ways.
Paul makes clear that all believers do not receive all the gifts. Different Christians receive different gifts, and some may be gifted in more obvious ways than others as the Spirit “gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11). But the Spirit equips each believer for his or her special role in God's plan. Paul's other list of spiritual gifts is found in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12. This list of gifts includes wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in different kinds of tongues [margin; languages], and the interpretation of languages (verses 8-10). Some in the Corinthian church were teaching that the gift of tongues or languages was the most important gift of all. Factions sprang up in the church as a result. The apostle devoted chapter 12 to making it clear that the Spirit seeks to bring unity and balance to the church through His gifts and that one manifestation of the Spirit should never exclude or dominate the others.
|
“‘When
he [Christ] ascended on high, he led captives in his train and GAVE
GIFTS to men.’ It was he who gave SOME to be APOSTLES, some to
be PROPHETS, some to be EVANGELISTS, and some to be PASTORS and TEACHERS,
to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure
of the fullness of Christ.” 
