HOW TO FLOW IN THE GIFTS
There are some
basic principles that are applicable to all the operation of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit. All these basic principles can be developed to different degrees
in a person’s life depending on their consecration to the Lord.
The Principle of Faith
All the gifts of
the Holy Spirit operate by faith through a person. There is, of course, the
manifested anointing upon that is present with their manifestation.
Nevertheless, no matter how many spiritual sensations we received, it still
takes sheer boldness to operate them. God’s gifts do not violate the free
choice of man.
We must exercise
our faith in operating any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is just like the
ability to continue praying in tongues. Every tongue-talker has probably, at
some point in their Christian life, question the genuineness of the tongues that
they are speaking. Every tongue-talker has to exercise faith every time he
speaks in tongues; believing that it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking through
him.
As a Christian
establishes himself in the Word of God and gains more experience in the things
of the Spirit, he will develop more boldness and be more confident of himself
the next time he operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Principle of the Unction
All the gifts of
the Holy Spirit are accompanied by an anointing upon. We should learn to
differentiate the anointing upon and the anointing within. The gifts of the
Holy Spirit is manifested with a strong unction. Human beings tend to swing to
extremes. There are those who dare not move out into obedience for fear that it
is not the Lord. These need to pray for more boldness. On the other hand, there
are those who are ‘regulars’ in operating certain gifts. These ‘regulars’ need
to make sure they have an unction ( an anointing upon ) before they operate in
a so-called gift of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, it would merely be the voice of
the human spirit they hear and not the voice of the Holy Spirit.
We should give
room in a service for people to make ‘honest mistakes.’ They are given the
opportunity to sincerely seek out obedience to the Holy Spirit and the
manifestation of His gifts. However, as a Christian grows older in the Lord and
becomes more experienced in the things of the Holy Spirit, we expect a
Christian to know how not to waste the time of the rest of the congregation who
are waiting to receive only what God wants to speak to them - not just an
exhortation. We want a ‘fresh word from the Lord’ and not ‘stale bread’ from
yesteryear’s oven.
The Principle of Desire and Expectation
Paul said that we
should covet earnestly the best gifts (1 Cor. 12:31). The Holy Spirit will only
work wherever He is welcomed. Sad to say, in many places, the Holy Spirit is
not welcomed to manifest. Everything has been stereo-typed and bolted down with
man’s programs. There is no liberty of the Holy Spirit.
In order to give
the Holy Spirit free reign to manifest the gifts, the meetings for Him to
manifest must be fluid and not under time pressure. The Holy Spirit takes His
own time to manifest as He wills. We must have a tremendous hunger for God and
an earnest expectation for Him to manifest at our meetings. The people who come
to such meetings must be willing to wait upon God, allowing God to speak.
Waiting should be accompanied by much praise and worship.
The Manifestation is for All
All the principles
of manifesting the anointing upon, as covered in the book on The Anointing of
the Holy Spirit, should be applied to all meetings where we desire the Holy
Spirit to manifest. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all (1 Cor. 12:7). Each person definitely receives something
from the Holy Spirit that they could contribute to the edification of the whole
body of Christ. As we understand what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are, we are
better prepared to receive the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit should be
allowed to operate in a meeting in an orderly manner. There is a time and place
for each type of gift to manifest. The anointing for revelation gifts, the
anointing for power gifts and the anointing for vocal gifts operate
differently. We should be sensitive to which type of anointing is in
manifestation to discern the right gift to operate in the right time.
Artical from : © Copyright 2008 Peter Tan Evangelism.
Scan me to Contact
 |
0 Comments