Understanding the gifts of the holy spirit

Originally appeared in Real Manna, written by Pastor Musa Bako

​But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another, the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 King James Version).

We can see from the passage of the scriptures above that there are nine gifts of the Spirit. All the nine gifts are beneficial to the church; none is non-essential or less in virtue. The gifts serve different purposes and are all for the common good of the body of Christ. The bible says anyone can covet whichever of the gifts he considers as the best gift for him. 1 Corinthians 12:31 says, But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Concerning coveting the best gifts, it simply means, you can choose the gifts that best compliment your assignment.

For instance, the gift of working of miracles in the life of an evangelist will demonstrate God's mighty power, help to lift up Jesus, and draw men to Him. To an evangelist, the working of miracles might be the best gift. To a pastor, possibly, the gifts of the word of wisdom, discernment of spirits, and healing may be his best gifts. This will all depend on an individual’s view on how the gifts fit their own ministry. The nine gifts of the Spirit can be put into three groupings; the power gifts, the revelation gifts, and the utterance gifts.
 
The Power Gifts
These gifts are called power gifts because when they are in manifestation, God’s power comes into play. All the gifts of the Spirit are a manifestation of the power of God; however, through power gifts, a physical and tangible transformation in people or situations occurs. Power gifts superimpose themselves on natural laws to enforce a new order; they reverse the natural way of things. Power gifts are the gift of faith, gift of working of miracles and gifts of healing.
 
Gift Of Faith
It is important to point out here, that every believer in Christ has got faith. It takes faith to be saved, without faith, no one gets saved. Therefore, no one who is born again is lacking in faith. The gift of faith, however, is different from the faith which is given to us to believe in Jesus, in order to receive salvation (we all have this kind of faith, which keeps us connected to God). The gift of faith is the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of someone, in a particular situation in time, empowering him to believe in God for an extraordinary manifestation of God. Some tasks that God will like to execute will require supernatural impartation; the gift of faith is that supernatural impartation, that is given to enable the vessel that God will use to believe, receive, envision it happening, and take an unusual step to make it happen. 
 
The gift of faith always works alongside the power gifts. An example of the gift of faith in the Bible can be seen in the life of Peter in Matthew 14:25-30 when he stepped out and walked on water when Jesus beckoned him to come to Him. It was the gift of faith that moved Peter to step out into the water and walk on it. Another example of the gift of faith can also be seen in Paul the apostle in Acts 28:1-6, when a venomous viper came out of the heat, from the sticks he put on fire and fastened itself on his hand.

However, Paul only shook it off his hand and went on like nothing happened and he lived. Many years ago, I was told about the testimony of a missionary who was going on a mission trip to a certain village by car, but halfway through his trip, his petrol finished and it was in the middle of the night. When he did not know what else to do, he picked a gallon of water he had in the boot, prayed on it and emptied it into the petrol tank, went back into his car, got it started, and continued his journey; that was the gift of faith in action.
 
The gift of faith enables a man to believe and venture into the supernatural. Another person I have noticed operating in the gift of faith is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. It takes the gift of faith to venture into a lot of the things I have seen him do over many years. He makes declarations that are out of this world, about doing certain things, which humanly speaking do not make any sense and I see them happen. It looked as an impossible task when he announced that God told him to build an auditorium, one kilometre by half a kilometre long, to seat two million+ people, the first of its kind in the world, but he accomplished it. God gives the gift of faith to enable an ordinary man to achieve an exploit which is out of the ordinary.

To be continued.

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