Maybe you grew up hearing that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ended with the apostles. Healing, prophecy, tongues. That was for back then.
Or maybe nobody ever talked about them at all. You gave your life to Jesus, you started reading 1 Corinthians, and now you have questions.
Either way, it's a good question. And the Bible gives a clear answer.
What are spiritual gifts?
Spiritual gifts are abilities the Holy Spirit gives to believers so they can build up the church and serve other people. They aren't natural talents or rewards for good behavior. They're grace.
Paul puts it this way: "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:4). And then: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Notice who it's for. All. Your gift isn't really for you. It's for the person next to you.
The New Testament names many of them:
- 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 lists a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
- Romans 12:6–8 adds serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy.
- Ephesians 4:11–12 names apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, given "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry."
- 1 Peter 4:10–11 sums it up as speaking and serving, done "as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
Some are quiet, like knowing just what to say to a grieving friend. Some aren't quiet at all, like praying for someone in pain and watching God heal. Same Spirit.
And every one of them points to Jesus. Jesus said the Holy Spirit "will glorify Me" (John 16:14). If a gift draws attention to the person instead of Jesus, something's off.
Are spiritual gifts still for today?
Yes. On the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted the prophet Joel: "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17). Then he said who it was for: "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).
That's you. If God has called you, you're in that sentence.
Paul told the Corinthians they came "short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:7). The gifts carry the church until Jesus returns.
Some sincere believers read "when that which is perfect has come" (1 Corinthians 13:10) as the finished Bible. But two verses later Paul says what he means: "then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). That's the day we see Jesus.
And "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The Jesus who healed people in Galilee still heals people in Madison.
The promise Jesus told them to wait for
Before Jesus went back to the Father, He told His disciples to "wait for the Promise of the Father," because "you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4–5).
Then He told them why: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8).
Days later, it came. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
This is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Every believer has the Holy Spirit from the moment they're born again (Romans 8:9). The baptism with the Spirit is something more: an experience that follows salvation, where the Spirit comes upon you in a new way and gives you power to live for Jesus and tell others about Him. And Jesus is the one who does it: "this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (John 1:33).
You see it again and again. Believers in Samaria had already received the word and been baptized in water. Then Peter and John prayed, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14–17). In Cornelius's house, "they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:44–46). In Ephesus, "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).
Speaking in tongues is part of that experience. It's praying and praising God in a language you never learned, as the Spirit gives you the words.
Now here's the best part. You can ask.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13)
Jesus didn't say your Father might. He said how much more.
Gifts aren't a badge
Here's a surprise. The most gifted church in the New Testament may have been the least mature. Paul told the Corinthians they lacked no gift, then two chapters later called them "babes in Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1).
So a gift isn't a promotion. It doesn't mean God loves you more. It means God is generous. The Spirit gives "to each one individually as He wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). Nobody earns it.
That's why Paul puts the love chapter in the middle of his teaching on gifts. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Gifts without love are just noise.
It's also why the fruit of the Spirit matters: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23). Gifts are what the Spirit does through you. Fruit is what He grows in you. You need both.
And the gifts work in order. "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). The Holy Spirit isn't chaotic. He's kind. Real prophecy brings "edification and exhortation and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). It builds people up.
How do I step into this?
There's no formula. Nobody can put the Holy Spirit on a schedule, and you don't have to perform for Him. But the Bible shows us how to open our hearts.
- Ask. Ask your Father to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to use you. He promised (Luke 11:13).
- Want it. "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts" (1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul even says to "earnestly desire the best gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:31).
- Stay hungry for Jesus. The goal isn't an experience. The goal is Him. Keep reading your Bible and keep talking to Him.
- Get around Spirit-filled people. It's hard to learn to pray for the sick if you've never seen anyone do it. A small group is a great place to start.
- Start serving. Most gifts show up while you're already doing something. Pray for the person next to you. "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another" (1 Peter 4:10).
If you're hungry for more of the Holy Spirit, come be with us on a Sunday at 10am at 3102 Prairie Rd in Madison. You don't need it all figured out. Plan your visit here. Or if you'd rather start with prayer, tell us what you're asking God for, and we'll pray with you.