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What comes to mind when you hear people talk about the Holy Spirit? Are you freaked out? Do you think of weird Christians and strange supernatural works of God you don’t quite understand? Lots of Christians shy away from talking about the Holy Spirit and His work because they don’t understand it.

Let me tell you from experience: Holy Spirit gets a bad rap sometimes but He’s a good guy and His work in the Church and the world is vital. So I’m hoping you’ll join in me in a 5-part study demystifying who the Holy Spirit is and how His supernatural power comes to bear on our lives today, especially related to the miraculous spiritual gifts.

Here’s what we’ll talk about in this blog series:

Part 1: Who is the Holy Spirit and What Are Spiritual Gifts?

Part 2: Are the Spiritual Gifts in the Bible Still Active Today?

Part 3: How to Experience the Supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Part 4: Why I Believe Speaking In Tongues Is for Today

Part 5: How to Pray for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

It’s gonna be fun! Let’s dive in.

Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His role?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead (The Trinity). (Genesis 1:1-2 // Matthew 3:16-17) The Holy Spirit is not just a presence or a power, He is a Person. He is just as much God as the Father and Jesus. He is actively involved in our lives and we can get to know Him.

In John’s gospel, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Advocate or the Helper, which means He comes alongside of us to help us in our Christian life. The Bible describes Holy Spirit’s character and ministry in our lives this way:

• the representative of Jesus (John 14:26)
• the presence of Jesus within Christians and in us forever (John 14:16-18)
• leads and guides us (John 14:17 // John 16:13 // Galatians 5:16, 25)
• teaches and reminds us of the commands of Jesus (John 14:26 // 1 John 2:27)
• speaks to us (John 16:13-15)
• convicts the world of sin, righteousness and coming judgment (John 16:8)
• helps us to pray according to God’s will (Romans 8:26-27)
• helps us experience the love of God (Romans 5:5)
• empowers us to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8 // Acts 4:31)
• identifies us as belonging to God and guarantees our eternal inheritance (2 Corinthians 1:22 // Ephesians 1:13-14)
• transforms our desires and actions to  be aligned with God’s will and produces godly spiritual fruit in us  (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25 // Ephesians 4:23-24)
• can be grieved by the way we live (Ephesians 4:30)
• His work can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
• stirs up spiritual gifts in us to glorify God and to help others (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

Did you know that the Holy Spirit does all of those incredible things in our lives?! He’s so important! We can’t come to know Jesus, or live for Jesus, or witness Jesus to this world without the Holy Spirit.

What are spiritual gifts?

Simply put, spiritual gifts are strengths and abilities that God gives us that help us glorify Him and minister to others when we exercise them. They are ways God uses us to make Him known, build up the Church and help one another grow.

There are a few passages in Scripture that discuss spiritual gifts. There’s a tendency to group all these gifts together, but not all spiritual gifts in the Bible are the same; there are different types.

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.”

(1 Corinthians 12:1)

There are abilities that God has given us a passion and talent to do certain things well, such as teaching or administration. These are sometimes called the motivation gifts, Romans 12:6-8 // 1 Peter 4:10-11).

There are gifts of ministry roles in the Church to build up the body of Christ and equip believers for ministry, such as pastors or evangelists. These are sometimes called the ministry gifts, Ephesians 4:11).

Lastly, there are supernatural spiritual gifts that are spontaneous workings or manifestations of the Holy Spirit through a Christian to help us minister to others. These are sometimes called the manifestation gifts, miraculous gifts, or gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

These gifts are the ones we’ll focus on in this study. According to the Bible they include: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. You can watch this message by Pastor Jabin Chavez where he breaks down the biblical definitions and examples of each supernatural gift. The books Understanding Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms and Receiving The Holy Spirit and His Gifts by Terry Virgo and Phil Rogers are also a great resources for definitions of the different types of spiritual gifts.

Because the manifestation gifts are supernatural abilities prompted by the Holy Spirit in a Christian in the moment, any believer can operate in any one of these gifts at any time the Spirit prompts them in us. There may be some instances where you notice that God uses you in a particular one of these nine gifts consistently, and I believe it is biblically appropriate to say “have” that gift, but having a tendency to be used by God regularly in a certain manifestation gift doesn’t mean you can never be used by God in any of the others.

In my life, I experience God stirring the gift of prophecy in me consistently and using it in ways that are edifying to people and glorifying to Him. Because of that, I frequently ask Him to give me prophetic words to share with others to encourage them or to give me prophetic insight in intercessory prayer etc. And since I’ve experienced Him work in and through my life that way before, I now have a humble confidence that it is one of the ways I can anticipate He might use me to serve others as He leads. But that doesn’t mean I have never or can never be used by Him in any of the other supernatural gifts, even if they aren’t my dominant gifts. The same concept applies to every other Christian.

Particularly when it comes to this last category of supernatural gifts, lots of Christians wonder whether they were just for Bible times or whether God still works through them today. If you’ve ever asked that question or wondered how to explain it to someone else, the next blog post in this series is for you. Find the link to Part 2 below.

Resources:

• Sermon: Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Dennis Rouse
• Sermon: Every Person Filled sermon by Jabin Chavez
• Book: Receiving The Holy Spirit and His Gifts by Terry Virgo and Phil Rogers
• Book: The Beauty of Spiritual Language by Jack Hayford
• Book: Understanding Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms
• Book: The Holy Spirit: An Introduction by John Bevere

Let’s Talk: What’s one aspect of the Holy Spirit’s character and work you are most familiar with and one aspect you’d like to get to know better? Discuss this post in the comments below.

–> Part 2: Are the Spiritual Gifts in the Bible Still Active Today?