The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Research Paper Example Christians believe in the existence of a single and most powerful superpower. They use the church for worship and education purposes. The church from a Christian point of view is not just the physical building, rather it constitutes the congregation as well as the believe system of the Christians. They are followers of Christ, and therefore do everything according to the teachings of the bible. In order to perform optimally in their activities, Christians are endowed with various gifts. These abilities enable them to perform both general and specialized duties and help each other in different ways. Believably, the gifs come from God and are given by the Holy Spirit to the deserving Christians. It is against this background that this paper provides an in depth analysis of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It argues that all gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today but some have ceased and are inexistent. To ensure a coherent view, it begins by defining the concept of spiritual gifts. Defining a Spiritual Gift The concept of a spiritual gift is complex and all encompassing. A spiritual gift is akin to spirituals, implying that it belongs to the spirit. In addition to having characteristics of a holy spirit, the gift is controlled by the spirit. Generally, Boice defines it as a special capability given by God which enables Christians to serve the church effectively.1. They are supernatural in nature and Christians need them in order to fulfil different missions in the church environment. They are given graciously by God to any individual He feels can serve the church according to His wishes. From these considerations, individuals who are gifted do not earn the respective gifts. Neither do they deserve them. They are merely given sovereignty and freely by the Almighty God. They are not rewards and therefore everybody is entitled to them. Also worth appreciating is the recognition that all gifts are charismatic in nature. Put differently, all of these are given by God through the Holy Spirit. Based on the preceding explanation, it is certain that humans do not posses these gifts. They can be revoked at any time when God through the Holy Spirit feels that an individual is not using them as expected. They act as an ideal channel that the Holy Spirit uses to minister to the church. Christians in this sense are just instruments that are moulded to fit the spiritual expectations. In order to receive these gifts, the respective human soul needs to exhibit willingness. Only then can they be able to effectively utilize the gifts in line with the Godly expectations. An important characteristic of these gifts pertains to the recognition that they are closely related to natural abilities of an individual. Yet they also have a miraculous characteristic. This distinguishes them from the ‘normal’ abilities that the Christians have. To ensure optimal performance however, one is gifted with a gift that is closely related to his or her natural ability2. The gifts of the Hol y Spirit are for today. They are relevant to the church settings and used by the Christians to benefit themselves as well as the entire church. They can only be recognized and utilized when they are needed. Seemingly, some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as apostolic and the gifts of signs have ceased. To a great extent, this is attributable to the recognition that they are no longer needed by the church. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Apostleship This gift is classified under the leadership category of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to Gangel, an apostle is a messenger who is sent by God with orders to deliver to a specific population3. An apostle is delegated authority by God through the Holy Spirit to represent Him in especially a foreign land. Biblically, apostles were the very initial leaders of the Christian church. They were commissioned by Jesus Christ to preach the gospel and ensure that is spreads to the entire globe. In this respect, apostles were a