Participating in the Tree of Life series: The gifts of the spirit

This is the 13th post in the Tree of Life series.  Here are links to the first and most recent posts. This post continues to explore aspects of the Holy Spirit, the water of life, which continuously flows through those who are connected to Jesus through belief in Him.  It is critical to the Christian believer to know and understand what God has made available through the Holy Spirit. This post reminds believers about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The key Bible passage addressing the gifts of the Holy Spirit is in 1st Corinthians chapter 12, and describes different gifts which are given to believers.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Spiritual gifts are for the common good

All believers are spiritually gifted, and all gifts are important within the Christian community.  Note that this is yet another example of how the Holy Spirit flows out into the environment around the believer - as I’ve described in an earlier post.  The purpose of the outflow of the Holy Spirit is for the healing of the nations, through the production of spiritual fruit, as described in Revelation 22:2 - available for the consumption of anyone a believer interacts with, through those who are on the receiving end of spiritual gifts, as described here, and through the declared role of the Holy Spirit in John 16: 8-11, as the convincer of those in the world, concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Do you know your spiritual gift(s)?

Do you believe you have been gifted by the Holy Spirit?  If you believe in Jesus, you are connected to Him, and have the Holy Spirit flowing continually through you.  This means you have been gifted by the Holy Spirit for the common good, according to 1 Corinthians 12:7.  Do you believe this?  If you don’t know how you have been gifted, ask God to show you.  If you don’t believe you are spiritually gifted, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the truth.  Jesus declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would lead you into all truth.  For me, I have been spiritually gifted a message of knowledge.  Even this, the knowledge of the function of the Tree of Life, and how believers participate in it, is a message of knowledge intended for the common good.  It’s important for all believers to use their spiritual gifts for the common good.