MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT

“…to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles…. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:9,10a,11 NKJV

People today are hungry to see Jesus. They don’t just want to hear about Him. They don’t just want to know what other people say about Him. They want to see Him for themselves. They want to see His character. They want to see His life. They want to see His power.

Jesus is alive today, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, Jesus brings His supernatural reality right into the midst of the local church! This is why Paul told the Corinthians, “…In everything you are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” (1 Corinthians 1:5, 6).

The time has come for us, as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, to rise up and give them what they want. It’s time for us to let Jesus walk and talk and live His life through us. It’s time for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to do the works that He did so that the world can see Jesus through us.

I’m not talking about the “miracle” workers we have come to idolize. The institution we call the “church” has become an individual affair rather than a corporate one. We have elevated a few men to superstar status while the people are passive observers and not permitted to minister.

Paul said by the Holy Spirit to the Church at Corinth, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Cor. 12:1). If the Spirit of God through Paul said that He didn’t want the Church at Corinth to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts, then it follows that He would not want the Church at large today to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts.

Can you think of a time where the gifts of the Spirit worked through you? What was that like and how did it affect you?

The Holy Spirit wants to confirm everything you know about Jesus. He wants you to know Jesus the Healer and Jesus the Miracle-Worker. When these gifts operate through you (YES, YOU) or on your behalf through someone else, they give testimony to the fact that Jesus is still alive, still healing, and still working miracles today. Thus, by means of these marvelous spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit both teaches you and speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ.

There are three Gifts of Power. They are:

Gifts of Healing.
Example: When Jesus healed the blind man.
Gifts of healings are a supernatural manifestation of healing through one individual to another. The phrase “gifts of healing” refers to supernatural manifestations of the Holy Ghost to produce physical healings in the physical body. God works many kinds of miracles on the earth, but this scripture proves He performs healing miracles.

Working of Miracles.
Example: When Moses split the Red Sea.
Another example is Elijah. Elijah was just a man anointed by the Spirit, and he had to obey the Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God told him to go only to a particular house. When Elijah got to the widow’s house, there was just enough meal and oil left to make one cake. After that, the widow and her son were going to starve to death. But by the working of miracles, for three and-a-half years, the oil and meal kept coming.

Gift of Faith.
Example: When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
The gift of faith is special to the occasion. It rests in the confidence that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). The gift of faith confidently states: “God has met us in the past. He is meeting us in the present, and we know He will still meet us in the future. He brought us out to bring us in. He has brought us this far and He will see us through.” When the Lord imparts this gift of special faith to us, great peace and inward calm comes to our soul. Our spirit confidently proclaims to us: “It shall be well with you” (Isa. 3:10).

It is a wonderful, glorious thing when the gifts of the Spirit begin to flow. It is marvelous when God moves in on the scene with His own faith and, by the operation of His own Spirit, accomplishes things that none of us are well enough developed in faith to accomplish. But never lose sight of this fact: Those special manifestations of faith were not given to us to live by each day. It’s our own faith that is to be developed and used for that purpose.

So are you ready for the Jesus of the Bible to step off the pages of history and into your life? If the answer is yes, ask the Holy Spirit to start moving supernaturally in your midst. And if you sense an inner nudge to step out in faith and let God use you in spiritual gifts, don’t hesitate to obey. That’s the Holy Spirit talking to you! Perhaps it’s your turn to step forth and allow the Spirit of God to work supernaturally through you!

Make these confessions with me:
I believe that God wants to use me in the gifts of the Spirit. I’m ready, Lord, to be used by You.

I boldly confess that I walk by faith and not by sight. I allow God to move in my life by faith. (2 Cor. 5:7)

I don’t have to wait for a manifestation of the Spirit of God to receive my healing. By faith in God’s Word, I can receive healing now!

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WERE YOU BLESSED BY THESE WORDS?
WERE YOU CHALLENGED BY THESE WORDS?
Please let me know by writing me and sharing your testimony/praise reports. You can even leave a comment about this message.

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