Gifts of the Spirit
What are the gifts of the Spirit? Jesus manifested the gifts of the Spirit throughout His ministry...
The gift of "Miracles". Jesus turns water into wine during the wedding in Cana...
John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her,“Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
The gift of "Healing". Jesus heals the leper...
Mark 1:40-42
And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
The gift of "Prophecy". Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem...
Matthew 24:1, 2
Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
The gift of "Discerning of spirits". Jesus casts out an unclean demon...
Luke 4:33-35
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.
The gift of "Knowledge".
The Hebrew word for Knowledge is "Da'at" which is not knowledge in the sense of facts and figures but rather it is knowledge in the sense that two people "know" each other as when two friends "know" each other or a parent "knows" their child.
Jesus manifested the gift of Knowledge when He encountered the Samaritan woman at the well and told her of her prior marriages...
John 4:15-18
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”
The gift of "Wisdom".
The Hebrew word for wisdom is "Chachmah" which is what king Solomon asked the Lord for when he became the king of Israel...
1 Kings 3:9-12
“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you."
When two women claimed to be the mother of a child Solomon manifested the gift of Chachmah when he ordered that the child be divided in two with a sword, thus shocking all who heard...
1 Kings 3:24-28
The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Jesus also manifested the gift of Chachmah when the Pharisees tried to test Him by asking if they should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus' response amazed and confounded them and they became silent...
Luke 20:21-26
They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But He detected their trickery and said to them, “Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.
The gift of "Faith".
The Hebrew word for Faith is "Emunah" which means "confidence". And when Jesus manifested the gift of Faith He spoke "with authority"...
Mark 1:21, 22
They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
The gift of "Tongues". One of the last things Jesus said on the cross was...
Mark 15:34, 35
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.”
Many of the bystanders (which were Jewish) did not understand what Jesus was saying and even today Biblical scholars cannot agree on the language Jesus was speaking. However, we know that He was quoting from Psalm 22...
Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
One more thing...
John 1:32
John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him."
When the Holy Spirit (the Ruach haKodesh in Hebrew) descended out of heaven He remained upon Jesus meaning that Jesus was empowered by the Spirit 24/7 throughout the course of His three and a half year ministry.
When the Ruach falls upon you or me He does not remain upon us but rather a gift of the Spirit is only temporary as can be seen when the Spirit fell upon the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12).
The gifts of the Spirit belong to the Spirit and not to the believer. Any believer can experience any gift at any time but it is the Spirit who determines who, where and when a gift is given.
