gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit...

A subject & reality that scare many folks to death.

I know it used to scare me too, before I went to Christ Chapel in Macon.

These gifts & their gifting are nothing to be afraid of.

They won't turn any of us into something weird – well, not any more weird than we already are!

Just read about them, & think about what Paul says about them.

He wrote these words in these 2 passages in his first letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 12

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us.

I don't want you to misunderstand this.

2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.

3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus,

and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

  4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts,

but the same Spirit is the source of them all.

5 There are different kinds of service,

but we serve the same Lord.

6 God works in different ways,

but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

  7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice;

to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.

9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another,

and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.

10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles,

and another the ability to prophesy.

He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.

Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,

while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts.

He alone decides which gift each person should have.

 27 All of you together are Christ's body,

and each of you is a part of it.

28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:

first are apostles,

second are prophets,

third are teachers,

then those who do miracles,

those who have the gift of healing,

those who can help others,

those who have the gift of leadership,

those who speak in unknown languages.

  29 Are we all apostles?

Are we all prophets?

Are we all teachers?

Do we all have the power to do miracles?

30 Do we all have the gift of healing?

Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages?

Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages?

Of course not!

31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.