Spiritual gifts

[OneLight]

Of course the Lord can give as He wishes, but isn't it written that if those that know the Lord ask for anything, that the Father will give it to you, provided we are not asking for selfish reason. And as you mention, the Scriptures tell us to desire the gifts. If you desire the gifts, even out and especially when we ask out of obedience to the Scriptures, isn't the One who had it written 'to desire the gifts; going to give you the gifts?

Sometimes when we ask not out of selfish reasons, they still are not in accordance to His will and He will not give us what we ask. When Jesus spoke the words that you are referring to, He was teaching about being in the will of the Father and meant that if we are in His will, then we will be asking accordingly to His will; therefore, being in His will, He will give it to us.

I found out that He did in my life, when I went through the gifts and asked for them. He gave them to me according to His timing and in His way, but he did not hold back any from me. Still, as He once pointed out to me, having a gift and knowing how to use it are two different things. He made a comparision to me, as if giving a Nientindo games systems to a kid for Christmas. The kid has the gift as soon as you give it to them, but knowing how to use it takes making time to read the instructions and a lot of practice. And since the gifts are gifts of the Spirit, I would recommend talking extensively to the Spirit about them.

God has given you every gift there is? Others have also claimed this to be true for them. What miracle did you perform through the gift of miracles?

It also seems important to note that some seem to operate with certain gifts more than others, and this seems to be according to the purpose and design of the Lord our God. Also our desires do make a difference. He once talked to me about running a healing ministry, but I don't get all that excited about that. My personality, and the Lord knows what my personality is more than I do, is just not the same as others. It's not that I wouldn't like to seem less people hurting in this world, but I think the answer comes in getting them to believe that they too can talk to and get to know the Lord. If they do that, won't He provided the healing they need. People don't follow the Lord because He healed them, but because they like having conversations with Him.

Getting the gifts of the Spirit do not directly lead you to following the Lord. Talking to Him does. So desire the gifts. You will get them [all of them], but love is more important, and God is love, so we need to listen to Him above all.

God will never give gifts to anyone who will not be led by His Spirit. God never tells us anywhere in scripture that we will have all the gifts. The only ones who ever had all the gifts are Christ and His Apostles. To say otherwise is vainity.

[Blien]

I sincerely believe that 1 cor. 12 is saying that, the Holy Spirit gives us strength in certain areas however, He can and will use any of the gifts mentioned as we need them. Think about the apostles.. were they limited to one or two manifestations of the Holy Spirit?

I have to start by saying I really don’t like the amplified Bible. Why do you need them to add words to the scripture?

with that out of the way, yes the Holy Spirit can and will use any gifts as is needed. This does not mean we all get all the gifts listed. Perhaps there is no need for me to have one of the gifts, why would the Holy Spirit give it to me?

As for the apostles, it seems that even they had a wide varying of gifts, not all were the same. The passage in I Cor in now way, no matter which bible you use, say that the Holy Spirit gives all gifts listed to all people, just the opposite.

Also our gifts can change with time and need. Just because I had a gift 10 years ago does not mean it is still my gift.

Why do I use the amplified Bible? I use it as a reference if something I read is not clear to me. I think it's a great referance Bible to get all the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek without opening up a concordance (dont know how to use them very well and it's too time consuming).

Here is an explanation from the translator as to why the Amplified Bible was created..

The Amplified Bible was the first Bible project of The Lockman Foundation. It attempts to take both word meaning and context into account in order to accurately translate the original text from one language into another. The Amplified Bible does this through the use of explanatory alternate readings and amplifications to assist the reader in understanding what Scripture really says. Multiple English word equivalents to each key Hebrew and Greek word clarify and amplify meanings that may otherwise have been concealed by the traditional translation method.

Now regarding your other questions, I did not say that we manifest all the gifts of the spirit. I said that the potential is there because of the Holy Spirit's presence. We have strengths in certain areas and the Holy Spirit can give us any other gift we never previously had to strengthen us when in unique situations to share the gospel and make disciples of the nations. CBE1 and Onelight seemed to understand what I was saying.

[OneLight]

God will never give gifts to anyone who will not be led by His Spirit. God never tells us anywhere in scripture that we will have all the gifts. The only ones who ever had all the gifts are Christ and His Apostles. To say otherwise is vainity.

I dont really think you could make the argument just from the Written Word that all the Apostles had all the gifts of the Spirit.

Acts 2:43

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Acts 5:12

[ Continuing Power in the Church ] And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon

[OneLight]

Acts 2:43

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Acts 5:12

[ Continuing Power in the Church ] And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon

[CBE1]

Of course the Lord can give as He wishes, but isn't it written that if those that know the Lord ask for anything, that the Father will give it to you, provided we are not asking for selfish reason. And as you mention, the Scriptures tell us to desire the gifts. If you desire the gifts, even out and especially when we ask out of obedience to the Scriptures, isn't the One who had it written 'to desire the gifts; going to give you the gifts?

quote name='OneLight' date='Feb 9 2010, 08:52 PM' post='1503190']Sometimes when we ask not out of selfish reasons, they still are not in accordance to His will and He will not give us what we ask. When Jesus spoke the words that you are referring to, He was teaching about being in the will of the Father and meant that if we are in His will, then we will be asking accordingly to His will; therefore, being in His will, He will give it to us.?

Jn 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done.

Asking and recieving is for those abiding in Him, but it is whatever you wish!! Just as the Scriptures explain.

He once told me: "WHEN WE TALK TO GOD, GOD TALKS TO US

[OneLight]

Since this is getting pretty long, I will snip out what I am not referring to.

Jn 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done.

Asking and recieving is for those abiding in Him, but it is whatever you wish!! Just as the Scriptures explain.

Abiding in Him is abiding in His will and you will not be asking for anything outside His will. Otherwise, this is a dangerous way to look at scripture, like name it and claim it, word of faith teaching, which are false teachings.

I found out that He did in my life, when I went through the gifts and asked for them. He gave them to me according to His timing and in His way, but he did not hold back any from me.

I do not believe that God is like Santa giving us what ever we ask for. It is the Holy Spirit that gives according to His will, not our asking.

Concerning what miracles I have performed. The answer is none. I don't perform miracles, the Lord Jesus Christ does.

Nice dodge ... God does not give you a gift that you will not use. When He give you something, He moves you to use it. If you were not moved to act upon by the gift you think He gave you, you did not receive the gift. He does not give a gift to sit idle in a person, but to accomplish His will.

I have even seen Him raise the dead because a Christian friend of mind and myself came together to pray for his landlady. She was in the hospital with a cart to take her body away outside the door. My friend came to the Christian bookstore that the Lord asked me to open and run for Him for a couple of years. We started praying for her, and the power of the Spirit fell on us heavy when we were praying for her. At about that time she flatlined in the hospital and for 7 or 8 minutes. She heard the siren come on, and they came in and began to work on to bring her back. At that time she explained that the Lord Jesus Christ showed up to her at her bed side. He cupped her cheek in His hands and told her that it was not time yet, or something to that extent, as I remember her telling me.

This is intercessory prayer, not having the gift of miracles.

It is already written to desire the gifts.

Paul tells us to desire the best gift, but he did not say that we will recieve them. The Holy Spirit gives as He see right, spoken in 1 Corinthians 12:11 -"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."

If the Lord Jesus Christ sends you, there is not vainity in that. You might aquire it on the road, but being sent is not about vainity but about obedience. There may be the original 12 Apostles, but He still send people out today. Certainly there are chruches that send people out in the name of Jesus Christ also, but we are not talking about that.We are talking about Him sending people out to do work, to take on a task, to perform a mission. He still does that. There are still sent ones today.

The Apostles all were personally chosen by Christ and He appeared to them all. There is a big difference in His sending then a church sending in Christ name. You should really look into that, otherwise, you will be led astray believing that those who call themselves apostles today are the same as the Apostles chosen by Christ. They are not the same.

The vanity comes when we say that we have all the gifts of the spirit, when Christ did not appear to you in person and choose you as He did the Apostles.

I have no doubt that God led you into your business, and wonder how this fits into believing you have all the gifts?

[WOD40]

Here is what I learned about spiritual gifts. The gifts we actually receive are in Romans 12. However, since the Holy Spirit lives in us, we have all the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12. All of them.

Perhaps you should look again. If you look at Romans 12:6-8, you will read "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." Also, the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are not in everyone, for scripture tells us "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."

I definatly agree with your post.

[Fez]

I believe we all have a gift,(s), given to us by the Spirit.

I don't believe we have all the gifts.

I believe some of us have a gift we are too lazy to use.

I believe some of us have a gift given to us that we "think" we don't want (like "servant"), maybe because of pride.

I believe that the Spirit can give you a gift for a certain reason, for a short time, to accomplish His will for that moment or season.

For example I know (don't know if it happened later in other occasions), that the Spirit has healed someone of a minor ailment through my prayer only once (my gift is obviously not healing) -but if the Spirit so desires He will use me.

I know (and have been told), that I have the gift of service, of being a servant, and so I obey and serve.

[Believer1997]

I believe we all have a gift,(s), given to us by the Spirit.

I don't believe we have all the gifts.

I believe some of us have a gift we are too lazy to use.

I believe some of us have a gift given to us that we "think" we don't want (like "servant"), maybe because of pride.

I believe that the Spirit can give you a gift for a certain reason, for a short time, to accomplish His will for that moment or season.

For example I know (don't know if it happened later in other occasions), that the Spirit has healed someone of a minor ailment through my prayer only once (my gift is obviously not healing) -but if the Spirit so desires He will use me.

I know (and have been told), that I have the gift of service, of being a servant, and so I obey and serve.

Some people have a gift that may frighten them. They shouldn't be afraid if it is the Holy Spirit - but some who experience it - are hesitant to use what they are unsure of.

[WOD40]

I believe we all have a gift,(s), given to us by the Spirit.

I don't believe we have all the gifts.

I believe some of us have a gift we are too lazy to use.

I believe some of us have a gift given to us that we "think" we don't want (like "servant"), maybe because of pride.

I believe that the Spirit can give you a gift for a certain reason, for a short time, to accomplish His will for that moment or season.

For example I know (don't know if it happened later in other occasions), that the Spirit has healed someone of a minor ailment through my prayer only once (my gift is obviously not healing) -but if the Spirit so desires He will use me.

I know (and have been told), that I have the gift of service, of being a servant, and so I obey and serve.

Some people have a gift that may frighten them. They shouldn't be afraid if it is the Holy Spirit - but some who experience it - are hesitant to use what they are unsure of.

Some people are affraid of what they will lose in life, jobs, family, etc., if they obey and use all the spiritual gifts the Lord has for them.