The Gifts of the Spirit: Introduction
Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
5
WTM SERIES ON SPIRITUAL GIFTS
INTRODUCTIONYou are welcome to Insights from God's Word, a Bible Study Programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.
Friends, we greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
In this study, we bring you the introduction to our series on spiritual gifts. When Christ ascended up on high, He gave spiritual gifts to His church through the agency of the Holy Spirit. From the book of Ephesians, we read the following in relation to this point: "7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (
i) "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (
ii) "7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (
iii) "6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness" (
From the book of Ephesians, we learn that the manifestation of the various spiritual gifts upon members of the church is to serve the following purposes:
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
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Beloved, with this important end for the manifestation of spiritual gifts in the church, it is no wonder that Satan and his host of evil angels have done their worst to corrupt the ministration of the gifts of the Spirit in various quarters in Christendom. In fact, among the doctrines of Scripture which have been fervently attacked by Satan in these final moments of earth's history is the doctrine of Spiritual Gifts. The enemy of souls has attacked this biblical doctrine by introducing numerous counterfeits to compromise the genuine gifts of the Spirit.
With the varying forms of deception that are going on now in various churches in respect to spiritual gifts, it is clear that an understanding of this topic from the light of Scripture has become more relevant in our day than ever before. As we go through this series on spiritual gifts, it is our hope and prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead us all to discover important truths that will help us to discern between the genuine gifts of the Spirit, and any counterfeits perpetrated by the devil in varying forms today. The entire series is dubbed: The Gifts of the Spirit. The topics in this Special Series of Bible Study are focussed on the general gifts of the Spirit as follows:
1) The Gift of Faith
2) The Gifts of Wisdom and Knowledge
3) The Gifts of Healings and Miracles
4) The Gift of Discerning of Spirits
5) The Gift of Prophecy: Part 1
6) The Gift of Prophecy: Part 2
7) The Gift of Tongues: Part 1
8) The Gift of Tongues: Part 2
9) The Gift of Tongues: Part 3
10) The Gift of the Interpretation of Tongues
11) "Let your women keep silence in the churches": An exposition on Paul's words in
12) How to Identify Your Spiritual Gift
Friends, we believe that this 12 - Part Series of Bible Study is going to be a real blessing in your life. These studies will be highlighted with beautiful slides that will enable you to have a deeper understanding of the issues that are being discussed. We will want to encourage you to follow the studies closely one lesson at a time so you can fully understand and appreciate this series of Bible study. Moreover, we also want to encourage you to share the studies with your friends so they can also experience the rich blessings that come from studying God's Word.
Our next Bible study is captioned: The Gift of Faith. The Bible study references for this study are
We wish you the rich blessings of God and encourage you to keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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