Week 4: Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Carri Pratt
"There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers
by the same Spirit. . . There are different ways the Spirit works.
But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people."
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul states, "Brothers and Sisters, I want you to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:1
So far we have helped our children understand that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, He is God in Spirit, believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit, He lives in all believers and gives power. The Holy Spirit was present in the Old Testament and empowered His people, revealed things to His people, was present in the New Testament, filled John the Baptist in his mother's womb, came upon Mary in the creation of the mortal body of Jesus, descended upon Jesus at His baptism, and was poured out on the believers at Pentecost.
If that is not enough, now we learn that all believers are given specific gifts by the Holy Spirit. Your children will probably want to know what gifts they will or have received!
Scripture reveals that there are many gifts of the Holy Spirit and God decides what each individual person will receive. God knows each of His children so intimately that He provides the perfect gift(s) based on what His will is for each life.
"All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit.
He gives gifts to each person, just as He decides."
1 Corinthians 12:11
This is huge! Our children need to understand that God created them in His image and that they are special and unique. There is no one else on the face of the earth that has the same fingerprints as them, that looks and acts exactly as them, that has the same exact ideas and desires as them, and that can fulfill the specific purpose God created them to fulfill. They are of incredible worth!
Paul discusses the different gifts in his letter,
"A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice;
to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
The same Spirit gives great faith to another,
and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
He
gives one person the power to perform miracles,
and another the ability
to prophesy.
He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a
message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.
Still another
person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,
while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said."
1 Corinthians 12:7-10
The most important thing to keep in mind is that these gifts are given to "help each other." vs 7 Paul goes on to say that all gifts and all believers are important to the body of Christ.
"All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27
Ask your children if he/she/they can recognize the spiritual gift God has given them. If they are not yet a believer, what gift would they want to receive from God? Why?
Ask your child what occupations might be associated with these spiritual gifts?
For example:
The ability to give wise advice: Parent, Counselor, Lawyer, Judge
Family Highlights:
- The Holy Spirit gives Spiritual Gifts to all believers
- God decides who gets what Spiritual Gift
- God has a specific purpose for each life
- Every human being has immense value
- Every child of God has incredible worth
Women Encouraging Women
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