When the Holy Spirit enters the believer, He doesn’t come empty-handed! He comes bearing gifts. These gifts are God-given abilities to perform certain tasks necessary to the body of Christ. It is the existence and exercise of these Spirit-Gifts thatgifts the Church out of the ordinary into the extraordinary, out of the natural into the supernatural.

If the ministry of the Church isn’t supernatural, it’s superficial.

Spiritual Gifts is one of the most marvelous and, at the same time, one of the most misunderstood truths of the Bible. Paul said he didn’t want us to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts — but most of us are! We are engaged in a warfare against the spiritual powers of darkness and nothing less than supernatural weapons will suffice, therefore it is imperative we understand this vital truth.

When Paul says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts. .(I Corinthians 12:1), he uses a Greek word that signifies that which comes fromi the Spirit. So these gifts are from the Spirit.

I. THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE SALVATION GIFTS

At the moment of salvation the believer receives one or more gifts. There is no exception —every Christian has a gift.

This means that gifts are bestowed regardless of the spiritual condition of the recipient. One of the gravest errors surrounding the Spirit-Gifts is the idea that they are given as rewards of spirituality or as visible proof one has been filled with the Spirit. Such an idea is built upon the sands of speculation rather than the rock of revelation. The Bible simply doesn’t teach it. To the contrary, the Bible teaches that even a carnal Christian can exercise spiritual gifts.

For example, look again at the Corinthian Christians. They had every gift in the book. “So that you are not lacking in any gift. . .“ (I Corinthians 1:7), yet Paul says to them, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh (carnal). For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly (carnal), and are you not walking like mere men (acting like lost people)? (I Corinthians 3:1-3).

The proof of the Spirit’s fullness is His fruit, not His gifts. You may speak in tongues, work miracles, win hundreds to Christ, but if you are rude, critical, selfish, touchy, irritable, unable to control your temper — you’re not filled with the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22,23).

If you’re saved, you have a spiritual gift. Why don’t you bow your head right now and thank God for it — even if you don’t know what it is
The Gifts of the Spirit differ. “And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. .(Romans 12:6). In I Corinthians 12, we read, “For to one is given . . . and to another . . .“ Just as there are different members in the same body, so within the Body of Christ there are a variety of gifts.
Here’s another point that is often misunderstood. Some pick out a certain gift and claim that all believers must have it. Nowhere is this taught in Scripture. Diversity is the mark of God. There are no two finger­prints alike, no two snowflakes alike, no two blades of grass alike.