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This is the second part of an edited transcript of my sermon on The Gifts of the Holy Spirit<\/a>. The first part includes a video and mp3 of the whole sermon, as well as listing ways you can submit your questions.<\/p>\n The sermon is based on 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul lists the gifts, which I define as nine distinct ways in which the Holy Spirit works directly and specifically, and if you like, supernaturally or spiritually, within us.<\/p>\n As we go through the list, we should remember that all of these prefigure what will be ours in heaven perfectly. In heaven, we will have what all of these gifts are designed to give us in completeness. I should say that these are not the only ways in which the Spirit works in us. For example, the Bible talks about artists or craftsmen being anointed by the Holy Spirit for their work. But what is different about that is that there is an anointing that comes upon a natural ability. In other words, the anointing of the Holy Spirit sometimes supplements something that a person can do. But I believe that these nine gifts are all things that people cannot do. So, here it\u2019s not a spiritual ability adding on to a natural ability. These are a completely spiritual ability that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, given directly by the Holy Spirit, and as I say, foreshadow what will be ours when Jesus returns. We are going to go quickly through most of these, and then I\u2019m going to focus in a little bit on one of them.<\/p>\n THE WORD OF WISDOM<\/span> Often there are conflicting principles. One of the reasons why we have pastors who we look to is because of this gift. Sometimes you come to the Bible and you find a direction in here that talks about, let\u2019s say for example, patience and faithful waiting. Then maybe you have another verse that says that you\u2019ve got to go; you got to do something; you\u2019ve got to act. Don\u2019t just sit there waiting. And you say, \u201cHang on! Which of these applies to me in my situation?\u201d Perhaps you\u2019ve got a problem at work and another option has come up, or another job. Do I stick it out where I\u2019m at, or should I be bold and go for this other one? And we could argue both from the Scriptures. Sometimes you need that word of wisdom from someone where God just comes and directs and says, \u201cThis is what you should do.\u201d As a result, you will then, in your heart, say, \u201cAh yes, I\u2019ll go with this.\u201d I\u2019m not talking about pastors leading you in a very direct descriptive way, but sometimes God will give a word of wisdom that unlocks the situation, makes it suddenly very clear and very plain what the right course of action actually is. In a sense, wisdom is knowing how to act, and it cuts through a dilemma.<\/p>\n WORD OF KNOWLEDGE<\/span> I\u2019ve heard a number of examples of a word of knowledge where the person involved doesn\u2019t even realize that they are giving a word of knowledge. I could tell all sorts of examples, but time prevents. Suffice it to say, these words of knowledge can sometimes be incredibly specific. But I will give you one example. Somebody had a prophecy for me, and in introducing it he said that he saw a picture of my hand holding a pen (he said it seemed strange in this era of technology that I\u2019d be holding a pen) and he saw me writing, and he saw words flowing off my pen and going out all over the world. What this person didn\u2019t know was that, at that point in my life, already I had a blog and I wrote a lot and it did go out all over the world, and there was a reasonable audience for that blog. And on the blog (and it\u2019s still there if you want to have a look) is a picture of my hand (and it is my hand) holding a pen. So this person had a very specific piece of revelation that he couldn\u2019t possibly have known unless someone had told him. And I have to be honest. I went up to him afterwards and said, \u201cHave you seen my blog?\u201d He answered \u201cBlog? What blog? What are you talking about?\u201d He didn\u2019t know. So, it made me sit up and pay attention to the prophesy that this person then had, as you can imagine.<\/p>\n Reformed and charismatic belong together<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nI think this is a direct supernatural act of the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom to a specific believer at a specific time to deal with a specific situation. So there is that kind of general wisdom that we all have, but there are times when God grants unusual wisdom, it\u2019s a spiritual thing, and the people around recognize that. They say, \u201cWow! Where did that thought come from? Where did that wisdom come from? Oh, it must have come from God!\u201d So the example, perhaps, that is most well known in the Bible is of Solomon, when confronted by two women who were fighting over a baby, saying \u201cNo! This is MY baby!\u201d And the other one saying, \u201cNo! It\u2019s MY baby!\u201d The whole point was they had two babies and one of them had died and there was a dispute about whose baby had died. Suddenly Solomon has a flash of insight, which I\u2019m sure was from God, and he says this: \u201cTake a sword and cut the baby in half.\u201d So, just as a solider is unsheathing his sword, one of the women cries out, \u201cNo, no, no! Don\u2019t cut it in half. Give it to the other lady!\u201d And the other woman cries out, \u201cIf I can\u2019t have the baby, no one shall. Yes! Cut it in half!\u201d And in that moment Solomon knew the answer to whose baby it was, so the lady who was prepared to give up the baby got the baby. And that\u2019s an example of a specific gift of wisdom.<\/p>\n
\nThe word of knowledge is understood by most charismatic interpreters to be a specific piece of information that God reveals to somebody that they could not have naturally known. Now, it\u2019s probably broader than the way we often think of it. God does sometimes speak to us and say that there is somebody here who is sick in a certain way, and I believe that can happen that way, but it\u2019s often a lot broader than that. There are different ways that God can speak. A good example in the New Testament would be when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman and said, \u201cNo, you\u2019ve had five husbands, and the person you\u2019re living with now is not your husband.\u201d And at that moment the person was completely undone because Jesus had told her everything she had ever done. So, sometimes it can be that dramatic.<\/p>\nREAD MORE<\/h2>\n