The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit

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0:08 SPEAKER_00: This ministry is made possible through the prayers and generous support of listeners like you. Your giving helps us continue sharing the gospel, encouraging believers, and reaching more people with the hope of Jesus Christ. If you'd like to partner with us and support this ministry, or learn more about our work, please go to doncarpenter.ca.

0:31 SPEAKER_01: As I stand before you today, I think about the greatness of God and all the things that He does.

The Greatness Of God And His Spirit

0:37 SPEAKER_01: We look around us and we see this wonderful earth planet that we live on. We see the stars in the solar system at night. That same God has empowered us with his Holy Spirit. It makes ministry and life just so exciting on a daily basis. We greet you. And I got a word for you today from God. It's going to encourage your heart. It's found in Acts chapter 19. And I want to start reading at verse 1. And this, what I'm going to be reading and sharing with you about today and ministering to you, it's found in the Bible.

1:26 SPEAKER_01: It's found in the New Testament in particular, in Corinthians, talking about the gifts of the mighty Holy Spirit of God that's within us.

1:40 SPEAKER_01: Paul had been ministering in Corinth probably about 18 months. Built his largest congregation there. They figure maybe 1800 plus people. And he left his worker Apollos at Corinth. But anyway, let me pick this up.

Acts 19 And Receiving The Holy Spirit

2:00 SPEAKER_01: Acts chapter 19, verse 1. It happened. What happened? The Holy Ghost is moving. It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus and found some disciples. And he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him, No, we've not even heard whether there's a Holy Spirit. And he said, Into what then were you baptized? And they said, Into John's baptism. And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in him who was coming after him, that is in Jesus.

2:58 SPEAKER_01: And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

3:18 SPEAKER_01: There were in all about twelve men. And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the way before the people. He withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out.

Ephesus Miracles And Church Purity

4:13 SPEAKER_01: We see so much happening here in these few verses. And what I want to address today and talk to you about is the gifts of the Holy Spirit were in operation. We read in Ephesians 5, 25, Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word. And when I talk to you about the Holy Spirit, and I talk to you about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that is the Word of God. And that's what Jesus wants in the church.

5:08 SPEAKER_01: He wants the church to be cleansed from all filthiness and unrighteousness, and he wants us to know and allow the Word of God to wash over us. Why? That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and that He would be holy and blameless. Jesus loves the church, and the Holy Spirit needs to have freedom, has authority to move in the church. And in the church, the Holy Spirit does move. And the church is only made up of born-again, bloodwashed, spirit-filled believers that are walking out and hungry for the Word of God.

6:08 SPEAKER_01: That is the church. And that's who I want to address today. When we see and when we read here about the major things that took place in Ephesus, this work of the Holy Spirit, the gifts were in full operation. This was several years after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the upper room in Jerusalem. Ephesus is a place where the church of God among the Gentiles was so powerful, so influential. John, the disciple of Jesus, this is where he spent out his latter days. This is where Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her latter days was at this church.

7:09 SPEAKER_01: I believe that it's going to take the Holy Spirit to establish any church, group of people, anywhere. And when we move and when we operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that supersedes. It goes beyond. And we enter a realm or a life level. If you try to figure it out with human intellect, if you think I'm going to just study this or I'm going to get the computer, or I'm going to get AI, and we're going to put it all together. Even AI cannot comprehend how God wants to move by the Holy Spirit.

7:56 SPEAKER_01: Even that cannot do it. God does not need AI or computers to speak to Holy Spirit-filled people. Just be encouraged by that today. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14, it says it very clearly.

8:43 SPEAKER_01: When we know Christ, when we walk in the ways of the Lord and we're filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ gives us understanding as required.

Why Spiritual Gifts Matter

8:55 SPEAKER_01: So why would you even want to have a spiritual gift? You're a believer, you're in the church, and you're thinking, why should I have a spiritual gift? When you have spiritual gifts, you're able to bless one another, and you're able to bless the people of God when you have spiritual gifts. Not just have them. I'm going to take this a bit further. You operate in them, you exercise them. I'm using some biblical terms there, but you're going to move out. Proverbs chapter 18, verse 16. A man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great people.

9:42 SPEAKER_01: It causes you to have your place established in church order and how God wants to use you in the body of Christ. God gives you these gifts so that you can bless his people. Yes, I said it correctly. I didn't say the world, I said his people. God wants his church to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And that is going to take the Holy Spirit, and that is going to require people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and have gifts of the Spirit.

Three Categories Of Spiritual Gifts

10:31 SPEAKER_01: Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and we will find that these gifts are categorized three groups. The first group is for inspiration. When we get filled with the Holy Ghost, we got such joy. We clap our hands, that's what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't say have an option. The Bible commands us to clap our hands. It says, clap your hands, all ye people. I would think that's fairly clear. It doesn't say clap your hands if you feel like it. It doesn't say clap your hands because nobody else is doing it.

11:18 SPEAKER_01: It doesn't say clap your hands because everybody else is doing it. It just simply says, clap your hands, all ye people. That's what it's like when you got joy down inside. Inspiration includes utterance, speaking, worship, that sort of thing. The first gift that we see in inspiration, I want to talk to you or just briefly touch on.

Tongues And A Spirit-Filled Gathering

11:41 SPEAKER_01: I'm going to come back to it later, is speaking in tongues. Now, speaking in tongues sounds really crazy and fanatical. Do you really know who it sounds crazy and fanatical to? The religious. Man's got his program, and this is how it's going to be, and we can't allow that. But the Holy Ghost says, I'll do whatever I want to in my church. Remember, the Holy Ghost will always do what he wants to do in a meeting. And the Holy Ghost involves more than one person in the meeting. He involves more than just the preacher.

12:22 SPEAKER_01: He involves more than just the singers or the worship leaders. He involves more than just the musician. He involves the entire body. That's what it's like in a Holy Ghost church service. And tongues speaking in a language unknown to the speaker. It praises God. It edifies your spirit. It's physical proof that you've got the new birth. Somebody says, How do I know I'm born again? I'm going to tell you, if you get filled with the Holy Ghost, you're going to know you're born again. Because the world cannot get that.

12:58 SPEAKER_01: It was physical proof to you. And you can use it in private prayer. You can use it when you're praising God to yourself, or if the Lord gives you a message, and that will be used if it's interpreted. And that brings me up to the interpretation of tongues. These are inspirational gifts. This is what motivates us. This is what gets us moving. This is what touches us. This is what takes us from dozing and sleeping into dancing and rejoicing and clapping. It's called the Holy Spirit. It's called moving in God.

13:38 SPEAKER_01: Interpretation of tongues is given by God in the dominant language of the speaker and the hearers. If I was in an all-English speaking meeting and somebody speaks in tongues, I'm not going to interpret in French, because that would still be tongues to every English speaker. Interpreting is always done in the language of the people gathered. So if I was in Uganda, which I am many times, if I was in Uganda and a message in tongues comes, the interpretation would be in the Ugandan language. And the other one is prophecy.

14:20 SPEAKER_01: And that is a message from God, no tongues, no interpretation, and it'll always exhort netifying comfort.

Revelation And Power Gifts Explained

14:30 SPEAKER_01: The revelation gifts. Thus for instructing us and making us aware and conscious. The word of knowledge. Receive special information from God concerning a situation. Got the word of wisdom. Receiving instructions from God on what to do with the information.

14:53 SPEAKER_01: I think that is such a key one. Receiving information from God about the presence, the absence or identity of the spirits, whether they're good or evil that you sense about you. And then we've got the power group of gifts. A lot of times you'll see a heavy emphasis on inspiration gifts, and you'll see a heavy emphasis on power gifts, but the one that's in the middle quite often seems to be neglected. And that was just the one I shared with you, the revelation gifts. The power gifts is faith, operating in faith, manifesting the faith of Jesus Christ.

15:41 SPEAKER_01: That's what you're doing. You're going to say, I got no faith. Jesus has got all kinds of faith. And when you move in the spirit, you're no longer moving in your own strength. You're now moving in that realm of faith of Jesus. And you make the impossible possible. There's the working of miracles, supernatural phenomena in the name of Jesus that supersedes, exceeds all natural understanding. And then gifts of healing. These are power gifts. And we minister to the sick. And we do know that receiving these gifts is going to strengthen the body.

16:22 SPEAKER_01: The word of wisdom.

The Word Of Wisdom For Direction

16:23 SPEAKER_01: It's the first one that we see recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 8. If you go there, you will see that gift. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 8. For to one, one believer, to somebody who is saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, to that one is given first one that's mentioned.

17:12 SPEAKER_01: Timothy chapter 3 and verses 15 and 16, 17. There are scripture points here I'd like you to look at. You and I with Jesus. That's where wisdom really shines. When we stand up and we know who we are. When people are hurting and desperate and spiritually broken, they need you. And you as a believer that's saved and spirit-filled, you know how to bring the wisdom of God to people's lives. And wisdom really involves a lot of learning. And we need the Holy Spirit to learn spiritual truth. Because the wisdom that you are going to give is not wisdom from ancient dead philosophers.

18:14 SPEAKER_01: You are going to give, thus saith the Lord, wisdom. And wisdom is often related to future things as well. You need the Holy Spirit to learn spiritual truth. Don't forget that the Word of God wants you to move by faith. And the Word of God wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

18:46 SPEAKER_01: And they despise instruction. According to the Scripture, what do they despise? Not worldly wisdom. Fools don't mind worldly wisdom. But when you start giving them spiritual wisdom from spiritual truths that you have learned, they want nothing to do with it, and they'll turn and they will walk away. And you're going to say, What's wrong with you? You have just turned down the wisdom, divine wisdom of the creator of the universes, and you have just turned it down, and you have just walked away, knowing that you would rather trust the limited, sometimes very unstable.

19:41 SPEAKER_01: But the fool has said in his heart, there's no God. That's why they walk away from Holy Ghost wisdom. And God says, I'm going to give you, because you have made the right decision, you asked me to come into your heart, and you have chosen to be open and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as the Word of God teaches us. I'm going to give you divine wisdom. I'm going to give you the gift. You bless the people of God with it. Because the people of God need answers, the people of God need direction. When you're saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, there's no hesitation, there's no doubt.

20:31 SPEAKER_01: You're not going to hold back. You're going to step out there and you're going to take that wisdom that God's got for you. In Job 23, verse 5, it says, I would learn the words. He would answer and perceive what he would say to me. Job was very God conscious for his day. When prophecy comes, and we're in church and we have the gift of prophecy, listen to the wisdom that's in the prophecy. We're going to learn and we're going to exhort and we're going to move forward. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 20.

21:19 SPEAKER_01: But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard him and have been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus. Look at that verse 21. If indeed you have heard him, when the gifts are in operation, the vocal gifts, that's God speaking through humans. And you have been taught in him. Just as truth is in Jesus. Truth does not lie in philosophies. There's some good sayings. And there are some profound statements made. In Ephesians 4 22. You may lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.

22:17 SPEAKER_01: The Holy Spirit illuminates to us immediately if something is truth or not, because we have the discernment. It will tell us immediately. And I'm talking to you about wisdom or any of the gifts. That you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. The only way to get back in, you accept Jesus.

Renewed Minds And The New Self

22:54 SPEAKER_01: You get into Christ and you take him and you take all of his attributes that he has for you. Why wouldn't you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Why wouldn't you not want to have the gifts of the Spirit operating in your life? You have been renewed in the spirit of your mind. According to 1 John 5, 20. You put on the new man, you're going to walk in that. That's what you've chosen. And by the way, that new creature, it's in the likeness of God. The Bible is very clear that new man is in the likeness of God.

23:40 SPEAKER_01: And to move in the gifts of the Spirit is in the likeness of God. Thank you for joining us today.

Closing Thanks And How To Give

23:50 SPEAKER_00: This ministry is made possible through the prayers and generous support of listeners like you. Your giving helps us continue sharing the gospel, encouraging believers, and reaching more people with the hope of Jesus Christ. If you'd like to partner with us and support this ministry or learn more about our work, please go to doncarpenter.ca.