Why Holy Spirit?

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. I Corinthians 2:9-10

'But as it is written' at the beginning of verse 9 refers to Isaiah 64:4:

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Isaiah 64:4

This reference to Isaiah in the Old Testament  has an addition in the New Testament.  Under the New Testament, God has revealed things to us through the spirit. In the Old Testament, Christ had not come yet. Under the Old Covenant, things of God were revealed to certain men that led God's people. People depended on their leaders to hear from God.

The day of Pentecost back in Biblical times, just 50 days after Christ's ascension, was a turning point for everyone who loves God.  God is spirit and he communicates thru the spirit. The gift of holy spirit was poured out initially on that day and continues today. It is available to anyone who believes Jesus Christ is Lord and also believes that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Salvation is way more than a 'get out of hell free card', so much more. Salvation, or wholeness, is a very big category and involves wholeness in body, soul and spirit. Spirit is a big deal!

Why was the gift of holy spirit given? What does it mean for us? If you read I Corinthians 12:7-11 we can read about the utilization and profits of the gift we have within:

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one (referring to profit) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally (personally) as he will. I Corinthians 12:7-11

In verse 7,  the word 'manifestation' is used, not 'gift'.  'Manifestation' (singular) refers what is evidenced as a result of utilization of the gift.  God's wisdom, God's knowledge, God's ability to discern between what's good and what's not good are just a few things someone with holy spirit has access to. These operational skills or abilities are given by God's grace for both individual and community profit. We can't see the gift, but we can see evidence of the gift in operation. The holy spirit in the individual lives of the believers is a radicle change!

There are other effects of the internal reality of holy spirit in a believer's life such as the fruit that is produced because of the spirit of God in our hearts. We grow as we recognize God working in our lives:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.Galatians 5:22-23

The spirit does not control, the spirit gives power to and blesses the individual.By utilizing the gift, people not only can do great things, but they can also grow in Christ-like qualities. As people grow they then have something to share with each other.  They share both the fruit and the power of the spirit. The end result is that people praise God, share the grace, and the glory of our great God shines brightly.

Manifestation of Holy Spirit

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (I Corinthians 12:7-11)

Recently we celebrated Pentecost (actually we celebrate it everyday). After the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, the gift of holy spirit was and is poured out to every person who makes Jesus Christ Lord and believes in his resurrection. What is the point of the above verses? God wants every man enabled with His power. That is important to repeat! God wants every man enabled with His power!

In verse 7, Paul explains that holy spirit has profitable uses. The language is a little misleading starting in verse 8 because it says 'for to one is given'. It sounds like one gift is given to one person and another gift is given to someone else. The 'for to one' is actually referring to the 'profit' in verse 7. This list is a list of the profits of the holy spirit to an individual person. 

In reality, any person in which the gift of holy spirit is energized will probably exhibit more than one of these benefits in any one situation, not just one.  Word of knowledge(what is going on) and word of wisdom(what to do about it) are often needed at the same time. Discerning of spirits (separating out the good and the bad) may also be involved and with all that going on, miracles, healing and faith (energized beyond ordinary believing) enter into the mix. So to say that one person operates one  and another person operates another is not accurate. God energizes the spirit in a way that gets the job done. He could involve two people (we don't dare put God in a box), but all nine profits are available to each individual.

Utterance, Revelation, Impartation

Holy spirit in our lives is as simple as breathing. Man has mystified, elevated and complicated God's gracious entrance to our lives by dissecting, separating and isolating it into pieces. Spirit comes from God. It is His very essence (John 4:24). Sometimes we work so hard at hearing from God that we can't see how simple it is. God's word is quick and powerful and cuts through anything. Sometimes it takes us some time to get it because of all the noise in our space, but when we get quiet and deliberately await God's solution, answers are forthcoming, sometimes in a split second.