The Gifts of Power | Going Deeper Series
Part of Going Deeper Series
August 18, 2020

GOING DEEPER CLASS

Summer 2020

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Lesson #6



Review:

There are nine of these spiritual gifts which can be divided into three categories. These are:

  1. The gifts of REVELATION

    • Word of wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
    • Word of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
    • Discerning of Spirits (1 Cor. 12:10)
  2. The gifts of UTTERANCE (vocal gifts)

    • Prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10)
    • Divers kinds of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10)
    • Interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10)
  3. The gifts of POWER (energy)

    • Gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
    • Working of miracles (1 Cor. 12:10)
    • Gifts of healing (1 Cor. 12:9)

3a. The gift of faith.

Definition: The supernatural ability to believe God with an unwavering trust.

  • It is important to note every Christian has faith, but not every Christian will necessarily operate in the gift of faith. Like the other gifts, it as the Spirit wills.

  • “God does not give His gifts to be played with, when they are not required. But they are active and ready when the need arises, for those who will put their trust in Him.” Gordon Lindsay

  • There is a faith at work in order to be saved and become a child of God. God gives us that first ‘measure of faith’ to receive Him. We hear the word, and like a seed God makes it come alive. This is the moment that faith comes. We act on that faith by confessing it, and we are saved. From that point on, it is our responsibility to hear the word and live by faith. (John 1:12, Rom. 12:3, 1 Cor. 3:6-9. Phil. 1:29)

  • There is also a faith that is a fruit of the Spirit. God the Father is faithful, and when the Holy Spirit reigns in our life, this quality is seen in His children. The fruit of faithfulness is that quality where a person who is true to their word, to God and to others. It is good to remember that the gifts of the Spirit are for power and the fruit of the Spirit are for character.

  • This gift of faith is not so much a working gift as an expecting gift. Or we might say it is passive; an example being when Daniel was cast into the lion’s den or the three Hebrew men in the fiery furnace. We also often see this gift in operation in the case of those facing martyrdom.

  • This gift allows us to supernaturally trust God to work miracles for us, not through us. The working of miracles is a doing gift and the gift of faith is a receiving gift.

  • Like the other gifts, the gift of faith often works in conjunction with other gifts.

The purpose of the gift of faith:

  1. This gift is when the Holy Spirit empowers a person in such manner that any human doubt, unbelief or reasoning will not stop God from accomplishing His will.

  2. It sustains an individual during a crucial moment. An example being Elijah fed by the ravens in 1 Kings 17:2-6 or Peter’s prison experience in Acts 12:6-8.

3b. Working of miracles.

Definition: It is the supernatural power to intervene in the ordinary course of nature.

  • What is a miracle to man is only an act with God. It is a miracle for humanity because we could not perform this in our own natural strength.

  • God does the miracle, but it takes men and women to release the miracle.

  • In this supernatural gift, God’s power surges through us to do something contrary to the ordinary course of events. We become God’s vessel by which he alters or suspends the ordinary course of nature.

  • This gift was more prominent in the Old Testament. Healings are more dominant in the New Testament. Perhaps because miracles demonstrate the power of God and healings demonstrate His love and compassion.

  • The working of miracles is something that typically follows the preaching of the Gospel.

  • And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. - Mark 16:20 NLT

  • Paul on the Island of Paphos was used in the working of miracles when the sorcerer was struck with blindness as a sign which convinced the governor. (Acts 13:8-12)

  • Miracles are mentioned in the book of (Acts 8:6, 14:3, 19:11,12) but the miracles are not always elaborated on.

  • An example of Paul used in the working of miracles is the raising of the dead young man named Eutychus in Acts 20:8-12.

The purpose of the workings of miracles:

  1. Its purpose, like all the gifts, is to bring people to a closer awareness of a supernatural God. The miracle is a sign which points to the omnipotence of God.

  2. The working of miracles demonstrates the power of God, whereas healings demonstrate His love and compassion.

3c. Gifts of healing.

Definition: It is the supernatural ability to heal all types of sickness without human aid.

  • You may notice that there are gifts of healing. This denotes there is more than one gift of healing.

  • No one person operates in all the gifts of healing for only Jesus Christ had the “Spirit without measure” (John 3:34).

  • Like the other gifts of the spirit, this gift also operates at the will of the Holy Spirit.

  • “A student might ask, ‘Why could not a minister have all the gifts of the Spirit?’ He would then be like God and the world would make him a god. The world would lavish praise upon him until he would become proud like Lucifer (Isaiah 14:13-14). No human being could stand the praise, the honor, and the riches lavished upon him if he had the ability to heal every disease among men. It is very interesting to study the end of those who have been especially used in divine healing.” – Dr. Lester Sumrall

  • Paul himself operated in a “gift(s) of healing” and many recovered yet he could not heal all. (See 2 Tim. 4:20) He even left members of his own evangelistic party behind because they were sick (Philippians 2:25-27).

  • “Why is it that there are men who are being used in laying on of hands and yet have suffered themselves? The reason is probably that there is a great difference between the gifts of the spirit in manifestations and divine healing as a personal possession. No gift is given to us for purely selfish ends, to bless ourselves. God gives us gifts of healing that we may be a channel a blessing to others.” – Howard Carter

  • There are different ways to experience God’s healing:

    1. We are healed through natural medicine. God designed our bodies to heal and many are healed as we pray for His blessing on our recovery. (James 1:17)

    2. We are healed as we stand on God’s promises of healing for our lives.

    3. We are healed as we have other believers pray for us, including having church leaders pray for us. (James 5:14).

    4. We are healed through the sign-gift ministry, when a servant of the Lord has a special anointing to pray for specific diseases.

The purpose of the gifts of healing:

  1. To heal those who are afflicted.

  2. To bring attention to God’s healing nature, for His name is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord God that heals.

  3. To serve as a sign and wonder pointing others to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the healing power of God.

Questions for discussion:

  1. Read Daniel 6:14-23. How do you see the gift of faith in operation here?

  2. What is an example of the gift of faith in the book of Acts?

  3. Read 2 Kings 6:1-7. How do you see the working of miracles in operation here?

  4. What is an example of the working of miracles in the book of Acts?

  5. What is an example of the gifts of healing in the book of Acts?