THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - ARE THEY FOR EVERYONE?

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I believe that there is confusion many times about the “gift” of the Holy Spirit and the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit. John says in John 14:15-17, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.” When we receive Christ as our LORD and SAVIOR, his Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. Paul affirms this in Titus 3:3-6 when he says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:3–6, ESV, emphasis added). This is for every truly born-again believer. This is the gift of the Father – eternal life.

John the Baptist spoke of another gift of the Spirit which Jesus would give. “John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’” (Luke 3:16, NIV, emphasis added). (I realize that the chapters, paragraphs, and verses in the Bible were constructed by man; but I find it interesting that God’s gift to the world [life] is mentioned in John 3:16 and Jesus’ gift to the church [power] is mentioned in Luke 3:16.) Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, declared this about Jesus: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32-33, NIV, emphasis added). The Father appointed Jesus as the mediator of the New Covenant, and as a gift to His Son, the privilege of baptizing the Church (His bride) in the Holy Spirit. This is the gift of Jesus to the Church – power.

There are some who teach that the baptism in the Holy Spirit ended with the passing of the apostles, but Peter refutes that in his sermon when he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39, NIV, emphasis added). Considering this Scripture in its contextual setting, Peter is addressing the question that the crowd asked upon hearing the 120 speaking in tongues: “Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” (vs. 7-8, NIV). At the end of his sermon they asked, “what should we do?” His answer was, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v. 38). Peter said two things. If they repent they will be saved. And, after you have been saved, you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, even as the 120 were. The promise is for “all whom the Lord our God will call.” 2000 + years later Christ is still saving all who call upon His name. And He is still baptizing all who will receive. “For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another]” (Romans 2:11, AMPC). Since all who have put their faith in Christ are now the bride of Christ, wouldn’t it be unfair of Him to baptize some in the Holy Spirit (the first century church), while denying the gift to others, (all those from the second century to present day)? Wouldn’t that make Him like Jacob loving Rachael more than Leah, or like Elkanah favoring Hannah over Penniah? God forbid. Jesus loves each one of us as if we were the only one He died for.

Now we must answer the question of whether speaking in tongues is for everyone. “Remember the Scripture that says, ‘A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence’”? (2 Corinthians 13:1, NIV). I submit the following passages as “witnesses” that the initial physical evidence - that those in the early church who received the baptism in the Holy Spirit were filled - is they spoke in tongues.

The first witness is seen in Acts 2:4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [as the Spirit enabled them]” (emphasis added). This was a separate act of the Holy Spirit, distinct from the regeneration of the Spirit. Remember what Acts 1:15 says, “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)…”. It says they were all believers – they had already been born again. Their rebirth was recorded in John 21:22: “And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”

The second witness is recorded in Acts 8:14-17, (NIV) when Philip went down to Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (emphasis added) It says that none of them had yet received and then it says that they received. They indicates all received. It does not specifically say they spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Spirit but we know that they all spoke in tongues because of what verses 18-19 says, “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’” How could Simon have known that they were filled with the Spirit unless they spoke in tongues?

The third witness is found in Acts 10:44-46: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.

The fourth and final confirming witness in Acts is found in chapter 19: 6-7: "When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.”

In all of these instances it never says that some were filled, but not all. It either says explicitly that they were all filled, or it implies that they were all filled. The witness of the Word is that all who received the Holy Spirit in the early church spoke in tongues. Witnesses are used in a court of law to establish the truth about a certain matter. These witnesses establish a precedent which continues on to this day.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We have covered being baptized in the Spirit – Christ’s gift to us. Now, let’s move on to the gifts of (from) the Holy Spirit. This is where I believe many confuse the Baptism in the Spirit which Christ gives to every believer who will receive, with the gifts of the Spirit which the Spirit gives to the church, for the edification of the Church and the building up of the faith of the saints. Paul mentions these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7, (NLV). “Christian brothers, I want you to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You need to understand the truth about this…There are different kinds of gifts. But it is the same Holy Spirit Who gives them. There are different kinds of work to be done for Him. But the work is for the same Lord. There are different ways of doing His work. But it is the same God who uses all these ways in all people. The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all.”

At the conclusion of chapter 12 we read this: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts” (vs. 27-31). Obviously, the answer to the rhetorical questions in verses 29-30 is no.

What Paul is now teaching the church at Corinth in chapters 12 and 14 is in regard to a corporate setting. In the corporate setting of the church not all have been gifted (called) by Christ to be apostles, prophets, or teachers. In the same way the Spirit gives a gift(s) to each individual in the corporate setting, when they gather together in worship, that each may participate in, and contribute too, the building up of the Body of Christ.

I believe Paul interrupts his teaching on the gifts of the Spirit to speak about love (ch.13), because he knew the inherent danger of being used in the supernatural. He speaks of this later in 2 Corinthians 12:7, (AMP), “Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!” His overriding concern was their motive and focus for desiring to be used in the gifts of the Spirit. Their foundational motive must be their love for Christ and each member of His Body, and their focus must be the edification of the church and the magnification of Christ.

He then continues his discourse in chapter14. He proceeds to commend them for eagerly desiring the gifts of the Spirit but then adds a caveat. Again, remember he is speaking to the church corporately, in the context of corporate worship and service. He then says it’s better to prophesy than to speak in tongues, unless the person speaking in tongues has been gifted with the interpretation, or someone else is present who is known to have the gift of interpretation. Thus, tongues with interpretation in the corporate worship setting is equivalent to, and as desirable as, prophesy.

Continuing in chapter 14 verse 5 Paul says, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues…, but only if someone is present to interpret, …so that the church may be edified.” Paul emphasizes the importance of speaking in tongues in verse 18: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” In verse 18 he is speaking of praying in the Spirit during his private time in prayer. In verse 19 he is re-emphasizing his previous point, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

The gifts that Paul mentions in chapters 12 and 14 are not an exhaustive list by any means. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 12:28, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:11 among others.) Here is Paul’s wish for the Church in 1 Corinthians 7:7 (NIV): “I wish that all of you were as I am.” Paul, as an apostle, was extraordinarily used in multiple gifts. As a result of this study I believe that it is common to have multiple gifts for those who are in an official capacity in the church, i.e., the ministry gifts: pastors, prophet, teachers, evangelists, etc. I am also convinced that certain people who are appointed to positions of leadership should not hold that office unless the gift(s) needed for that office is evident in their lives (James 5:14-16).

The apostle Paul’s desire is very reminiscent of Moses desire in Numbers 11:29, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Knowing that all are not given ministry gifts he goes on to say in the latter part of verse 7, “But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”

My final conclusion on this matter is two-fold. I believe there are two reasons why people struggle with, or are resistant to, the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. One is pride. One thing that God hates is pride and I personally think (I haven’t heard anyone else suggest this) that He uses tongues to humble us. I believe the enemy (Satan) will suggest to those seeking the infilling of the Holy Spirit, “You’re going to sound foolish. It will sound like a lot of gibberish. What are people going to think of you?”

The second is fear. “What if it’s not real? What if Satan gives me a counterfeit?” He (Satan) is still using the same tactic (or tool) as he used in the beginning in the garden of Eden. Doubt. “Did God really say…”? He wants us to doubt God’s Word and what He has plainly said in His Word. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” You can rest assured that if you are earnestly desiring and seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, God will not allow you to receive anything but His Spirit.