• Created all things Genesis 1v1-2; Psalm 33v6; Revelation 4v11
• Gives life to all creatures Psalm 104v30; Job 34v14-15
• Communicated His purpose through His prophets 2 Timothy 3v16; Deuteronomy 18v18; Numbers 12v6-7
• Empowers and equips His angels to carry out His purposes Psalm 104v4; 103v20
• Revealed His character through

- His inspired revelation in both Old and New Testaments
2 Peter 1v19, 21; Ephesians 3v5
- His work with Israel Isaiah 63v7-14
- His Son Jesus the Christ John 14v9; Acts 10v38

The Holy Spirit
This description of God's Spirit occurs almost exclusively in the New Testament. The Holy
Spirit is God's Spirit directed particularly to His work of salvation in Jesus, which may be
described as 'the new creation in Christ Jesus' (Galatians 6v15; 2 Corinthians 5v17; both RV mg.). Although referred to in a personal sense, the Holy Spirit is not a person, but God's power active through His Son, His apostles and His prophets in the first century, and through continuing angelic ministration (Acts 10v38; Ephesians 3v5; 1 Corinthians 13v29-30; Isaiah 63v9-10).

Through the Holy Spirit, God:

• Caused the conception of His Son Luke 1v31, 35; Matthew 1v18,20
• Equipped His Son for his ministryJohn 3v34-35; Acts 2v22; Luke 4v14, 18-21 (citing Isaiah 61v1-2); Acts 10v38
• Equipped His apostles

- to preach the gospel Acts 1v8; 1 Peter 1v12
- to perform miraculous signs Acts 5v12; Hebrews 2v4
- to witness against unrepentant Jewry John 14v26; 15v26; 16v8-14

• Raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead 1 Peter 3v18; Ephesians 1v19-20; 2 Corinthians 13v4
• Granted various gifts to apostles and believers in the first century to ensure the establishment of the ecclesia and the completion of His written revelationEphesians 4v7-16

THE NINE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:
One of a number of problems within the Church (Ecclesia) at Corinth, about which the elders wrote to the Apostle Paul for guidance, was the abuse by some recipients, of the 'Spirit-gifts', especially the gift of tongues.

The abuse (mis-use) of the spirit-gifts, was bringing pride, independence and disunity, among Christ's brethren, instead of humility, inter-dependence and unity, for which all the spirit-gifts were designed. Thus the Apostle spends much of three whole chapters on the subject of 'Spirit-gifts' in general, and on the gift of speaking in an unknown tongue (foreign language) in particular. (1 Corinthians 12 to 14)

There were NINE miraculous gifts of the Spirit.

"The word of wisdom" - wise counsel for the inexperienced and immature.

"The word of knowledge" - knowing the answers to difficult and practical problems.

"Faith" - outstanding trust in God to surmount the dangers, worries and troubles of life.

"The gift of healing" - miraculous medical powers to heal the sick.

"The working of miracles" - the ability to perform miracles to convince unbelievers of the power of God to help and save.

"Prophecy" - the ability to explain accurately the meaning of God's word and will.

"Discerning of spirits" - the ability to detect false teachers from the true.

"Divers kinds of tongues" - the power to speak without previous learning, in the many different non-Greek languages prevalent.

"The interpretation of tongues" - the power to translate each of those many languages into the then common tongue, Greek.

HOW AND BY WHOM THE SPIRIT GIFTS WERE GIVEN
Only the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ could impart the 'Spirit-gifts', which they did by laying their hands upon the recipient, (Acts 8v14-18). The 'gifts" were not given to everyone who believed , but only to those specially selected by the inspired Apostles, so that the danger of misuse could be minimised. (1 Corinthians 12v28-30).

The 'every man' spoken of in v7 and v11, refers not to EVERY BELIEVER, but to EVERY person who actually received a gift...

v7 "The manifestation of the spirit is given to EVERY man to profit withal".

v11 "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to EVERY man severally as he will".

THE INFANT CHURCH (ECCLESIA) NEEDED THE SPIRIT GIFTS:
The believers at Corinth were recent converts from both Judaism and paganism. Everyone who first believes in Christ is a spiritual infant and needs much time and spiritual help to grow up to maturity. That help was provided to the first century believers (and to them only) by the 'Spirit-gifted' brethren, who ministered to their needs, as and when required. Paul alludes to this 'infant' stage in of faith in 1 Corinthians 13v11, where he is probably also saying that the possessor of a 'Spirit-gift' should never consider himself as greater and more mature than his 'ungifted' Brethren. Rather, he should consider himself as inferior and less mature until, though possessing a Spirit-gift, he grew into the greater gift available to all by faith and hope in God and His Word.

WHEN AND WHY THE 'GIFTS' CEASED:
The Apostle Paul clearly predicted that "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away". (1 Corinthians 13v10). "That which is in part" refers to the 'Spirit-gifts', which had been given singly to particular brethren only, not to everyone. The context shows that "that which is perfect", is the mature knowledge of faith, hope and love (v11-13). This knowledge would come when the New Testament, then largely unwritten, was complete and when people read and studied it. The availability of the Biblical knowledge came soon after the last book, The Revelation, was communicated to the last surviving Apostle, John, on the island of Patmos, about AD 96-7, (Revelation 1v9) When John died soon after, the power to impart the 'Spirit-gifts' ceased and the Bible, wonderfully able to bring believers into maturity of faith, hope and love, was complete, (or 'perfect'), and available to all. (2 Timothy 3v14-17).

NO MIRACULOUS SPIRIT GIFTS AVAILABLE TODAY:
It follows then, that when the last recipient of the 'Spirit-gifts' died , about AD 150, then the Spirit-gifts "ceased, failed, vanished away, was done away", as the Apostle Paul predicted. (1 Corinthians 13v8-10). History is silent about anyone subsequently having miraculous powers, despite many claims..

However, when Christ comes to "restore again the Kingdom to Israel", the 'spirit-gifts' will be given to His resurrected, approved and glorified saints. (Acts 1v3, 6; 1 Corinthians 15v20-28; Joel 2v27-32; Isaiah 32v15). Until that day comes we would do well to seek after the 'gifts of faith, hope, and especially LOVE'. (1 Corinthians 13v13; 14v1)