The Gifts and Ministries of The Holy Spirit

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…" 
Acts 1:8

When our Lord Jesus came to this earth to conquer and redeem it, He functioned only within the framework of the gifts of the Spirit. His total ministry on earth was not as God, but as a man, functioning in the gifts of the Spirit. All the "miracles" Jesus performed were the result of a gift of the Spirit functioning at that time. 

In John 14:12 Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." The ministry Jesus performed on this earth was directed, guided, and energized by the Holy Spirit-the same Holy Spirit that you and I have today. We can expect to do the SAME works JESUS did IF we follow, line upon line precept upon precept, everything the Word of God teaches! 

The gifts of the Spirit cannons be earned. They are called "gifts" to reveal that there is only one way to obtain them: They are given to the church by God. They are divine communications, transmitted from the Holy Trinity through the channel of the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of the Trinity, to the church - the body of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth.

9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit: 

(1)The word of wisdom Is the revealing of the prophetic future under the anointing of God. In the Old Testament every seer (the former term for prophet) and every prophet who foretold the future was endowed with this gift. A word of God's wisdom is just that: a word. When God gives you a word of His wisdom, He gives only a fragment. The same is true with the word of knowledge.

(2)the word of knowledge Is the revealing of a fact in existence that can only be supernaturally revealed. It cannot be seen or heard or known naturally. This is the difference between the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom: The word of knowledge is a revelation of a fact that exists; the word of wisdom is a revelation of the future. Daniel was operating in the word of wisdom when he said there would be a Persian empire, a Grecian empire, and a Roman empire. At that time those empires had not been born.

(3)the discerning of spirits has to do with the comprehending of the human spirit, supernaturally revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is not the discerning of demons, but the discerning of the human spirit - good and bad. With this gift, you can look through straight through a person and know whether or not he is telling the truth.

(4)the gift of faith Is God's bringing to pass a supernatural change. No human effort is involved. 

(5)the gift of the working of miracles does work through a human instrument. It is a person doing a supernatural act by divine energy of the Holy Spirit. An excellent example is Samson bare-handedly killing a lion.

(6)the gifts of healing God supernaturally heals the sick through a ministry anointed by the Holy Spirit.

(7)the gift of tongues The ministry of proclaiming in a public meeting a message from God in a language not understood by the person giving it. Because he has not studied that language and does not know it, he does not give it from his mind, but from his spirit.

(8)When a message in tongues has been given, then the interpretation of tongues goes into operation. The message that has been given in another language is interpreted supernaturally by The Holy Spirit through another person, without that person's mental faculties being involved.

(9)the gift of prophecy Is the anointed speaking forth of words of edification, exhortation, and comfort - words supernaturally given to the church from God.

I challenge you to seek God for these major gifts. As 1 Corinthians 12:31 says, we are to "covet earnestly the best gifts." If we do that - and seek them with all our hearts - we will find that they are available to us.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit didn't end with the apostles! It was here before creation. On the day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended into Heaven - the Holy Spirit poured out on all believers & it formed "The Church." The Holy Spirit always functioned but, now it functions in ALL believers! {Acts 2:16-21/Joel 2:28:32} We are the church, the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ dwells within every believer and we need to use the power that He's given us! {1 Corinthians 12/13, Acts 1/2}

All information sourced from "The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit" by Lester Sumrall + The Believer's Authority by Andrew Wommack