Fruit of the Spirit

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth...Eph 5:9

Summer 2004                                                            Volume 5, Issue 3


Indwelling of The Holy Spirit, Part 3

The third indwelling of the Holy Spirit was that of the miraculous spiritual gifts. These gifts are listed in 1 Cor 12:8-11 and include the gifts of: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, divers tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Concerning these gifts, Paul said that there were differences of administration and operation (1 Cor 12:5-6). Not everyone had the same gift and no one had them all. This miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit served a very specific purpose in the first century. As the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are examined, it becomes quite evident that they can be categorized into groups of gifts serving three purposes.

The first category of miraculous spiritual gifts was for the reception and dissemination of the Word of God. Since the first century Christians did not have the written New Testament to read and study from, the gospel was communicated orally. The gifts of the word of knowledge, prophesy, & the speaking in tongues were intended for this purpose. An example of this indwelling for this purpose in the book of Acts can be seen in Stephen. Though not an apostle with the apostolic measure of the Holy Ghost, Stephen nevertheless was a man “full of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5). It was by the spirit that Stephen preached to the Jews who would ultimately murder him in Acts 7. Barnabas also exercised the gift of exhortation to the brethren in Antioch in Acts 11. Furthermore, it was also by revelation of the Holy Spirit that the issue of circumcision was settled at Jerusalem (Acts 15:28).

The second group of spiritual gifts involved the interpretation of the Word. The gifts of faith, wisdom, the discerning of spirits, and the discerning of tongues translated the message into the language of the hearers. It also explained what the message meant and how it was applied. Philip may have been such an example of the use of this gift. When he was instructed by the Holy Spirit to join himself to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, Philip found the man reading the text of Isaiah 53. Philip asked him if he understood what he read (v.30) and the man responded, “how can I except some man should guide me” (v.31). Then Philip began with the same scripture and preached to him Jesus (v.35). It is very likely that Philip, not having the written New Testament to use, was guided by the Holy Spirit in the explanation and interpretation of this text for the man.

Finally, there were gifts that were intended for the confirmation of the Word. The gifts of healing & working of miracles were not intended to simply give the disciples the ability to do great deeds; they had a very specific purpose of confirmation. Since there was no written word, people of the first century needed a way to be able to discern between those that spoke the truth and the liars. The Holy Spirit confirmed the truthful preachers by confirming their message with these miracles (Mark 16:20). In the book of Acts, this purpose of indwelling is evident in Philip’s preaching at Samaria. In Acts 8, the Bible reveals that Philip had gone to Samaria and preached the gospel to them (v.5). The people heard and saw the miracles that Philip did and it helped confirm the word that he spoke unto them (v.6). Verse 12 reveals that the people of Samaria believed the preaching of Philip and thus were baptized. Furthermore, the people of Samaria recognized the greater power of the miracles done by the Holy Spirit through Philip over the cheap tricks done by Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9-13).

This miraculous measure of the indwelling of the Holy spirit for the purpose of spiritual gifts could only be received by the laying on of the apostles’ hands. The Samaritan people became Christians the

(continued on page 12)


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Inside...
Page 1 - What Is Hard About Preaching? | Page 2 - Where In The Bible Will I Find...
Page 3 - Prison Report | Page 4 - Old Testament Studies | Page 5 - The Beautiful Bride, Part 1
Page 6 - Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Part 3 | Page 7 - Christian Evidences
Page 8 - Alcohol For The Depressed? | Page 9 - The Christian Home
Page 10 - Continuations | Page 11 - The Children's Page
Page 12 - Announcements / Continuations

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