“Gift Of The Holy Spirit”

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

(1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Sunday, May 19, is the Day of Pentecost. This marks the beginning of the season of Pentecost. During this time of year, followers of Jesus celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given by God to all His people.

Before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was only given to a select few: prophets, priests, and kings. They were given the Holy Spirit so that they would have the ability to serve God and lead His people. Now, God has given His Holy Spirit to each of His people.

We were given the Holy Spirit when we first became followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives in a variety of ways. For example, the Holy Spirit has given each of us a gift to use in serving God. Some of these gifts are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

All of us are called to use the gifts God has given us for His glory. To do this, we first need to discover what our spiritual gift is. There are a variety of tools we can use to help us with this, such as books and online spiritual gift inventories. We can also discover our gifts by asking others to help us through a time of discernment. Then there’s good old trial and error. This is how I discovered in college that God did not give me the spiritual gift of leading a middle school church choir. I would be glad to help you discover your spiritual gift and put it to use.  

To help us understand the many ways in which the Holy Spirit is working within us, I will be preaching a series of sermons about this. I am looking forward to celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit with you.

In Christ,

Pastor David