Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that Christians become indwelt by God the Holy Spirit at the moment they place their faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit (who is omnisicient) then distributes spiritual gifts to them solely at His pleasure and discretion based on that omnisicence. There is nothing that Christians must (or even can) do to receive those gifts, or to influence the Holy Spirit in that regard.

However, the process of each individual discerning which spiritual gift or gifts he or she has been given does not necessarily occur spontaneously, or at a specific moment, but may be a process that will take place over a period of time as the Christian matures in the faith (Romans 12:6), increases his or her spiritual knowledge, associates with other believers, and draws closer to God.

It is important to remember that any gift that is given is not for the benefit of the individual, but for the individual's use in building up the body of Christ, and for bringing others to Him.

A spiritual gift may build on a "natural" ability or talent that an individual already possesses. Doing a self-assessment of those strengths may indicate ways in which they can be spiritually used in Christian service.

For example, a talent for singing can be used in conjunction with the gift of evagelism by an individual testifying to his or her faith in song, and bringing others to Christ or spiritually edifying them in that manner.

A gift of prophecy can mean not only the usual sense of predicting future events, but also of speaking for or on behalf of God -- as indicated by the meaning of the original Greek word -- in the sense of addressing others either through speaking or writing, and influencing them for Christ in that manner. Other spiritual gifts can be employed in the same way.

The Christian should be careful, however, not to confuse spiritual gifts with the fruits of the Spirit that all Christians (regardless of which spiritual gifts they may have been given) should strive to exhibit in their lives. These include (as noted by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

December 26 2019 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Donna Williams

First, I would like to state that there is water baptism and then there is the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:5,8; Matthew 3:11). The baptism of the Holy Ghost is when the born again believer is empowered to be a witness of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit Himself is a gift from God (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13) and by Him we have been sealed unto the day of redemption. With that being said, when we receive Christ we are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have His fullness. The fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are already present in us and in time will be manifested. Ask Him what gift or gifts He has given to you. The gifts of the Spirit of given to edify the Body of Christ. I encourage you to read the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into all truth!

December 31 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report