Good Morning.

We leave our index finger on the page of Acts 2 to consider an important footnote. In yesterday's Morning Briefing, the Holy Spirit descended to rest upon and take residence within the Jewish Christians gathered together in Jerusalem. In obedience to Jesus, they had stayed together, waiting and praying for this gift that Jesus had promised--the Holy Spirit, third person of the Trinity. Do not be confused, the Holy Spirit has always been, but He had not inhabited individuals before this time. . . again, this makes clear the personal, individual relationship we are offered with a living God. O, that the offer of relationship would not go unanswered.

In addition to residing within the convert, the Holy Spirit~

~regenerates us

~initiates power for change in our character

~brings conviction and comfort

~unites the Christian community -> creates a bond between believers

~gives guidance and direction through promptings

~helps us to be effective witnesses

~intercedes for us - that is to say, He goes to the Father on our account.

**Also--Every believer is then equipped by the Holy Spirit with a gift or gifts. Gifts of the Spirit are special abilities provided by the Holy Spirit to Christians for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. The list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 includes wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Similar lists appear in Ephesians 4:7-13 and Romans 12:3-8. The gifts of the Spirit are simply God equipping believers to do what He has called us to do. 2 Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." The gifts of the Holy Spirit are part of the "everything we need" to fulfill His purposes for our lives. Yesterday, we observed how the 'tongues', xenoglossia, rested upon the new Christians--the ability to speak in unknown languages, and that the term 'tongues' also represents glossolalia which refers to 'speaking in tongues', one of the gifts of the Spirit. Let's please look at tongues in their rightful context:

Here are the Gifts of the Spirit - with Definition Here is a basic list of spiritual gifts and their definitions:

• The gift of wisdom seems to be the ability to make decisions and give guidance that is according to God's will.
• The gift of knowledge is the ability to have an in-depth understanding of a spiritual issue or situation.
• The gift of faith is being able to trust God and encourage others to trust God, no matter the circumstances.
• The gift of healing is the miraculous ability to use God's healing power to restore a person who is sick, injured, or suffering.
• The gift of miracles is being able to perform signs and wonders that give authenticity to God's Word and the Gospel message.
• The gift of prophecy is being able to proclaim a message from God.
• The gift of discerning spirits is the ability to determine whether or not a message, person, or event is truly from God.
• The gift of tongues is the ability to speak in a foreign language that you do not have knowledge of, in order to communicate with someone who speaks that language.
• The gift of interpreting tongues is the ability to translate the tongues speaking and communicate it back to others in your own language.
• The gift of administration is being able to keep things organized and in accordance with God's principles.
• The gift of helps is always having the desire and ability to help others, to do whatever it takes to get a task accomplished. >Definitions supplied by "All About God"

Gifts of the Spirit - Which One(s) Do I Have? ?I am often asked how to grow spiritually. . . I truly believe that next steps are usually found in stepping out and serving God, by serving others, in some capacity. We serve in obedience to God and He will equip us with whatever gifts of the Spirit we need to accomplish the task or tasks to which He has called us. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts of the Spirit as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). Study them - pray about it - assess your gifts.

Gifts of the Spirit - What Are the Gifts Used For? All believers, as members of the body of Christ, must be serving together in order for the body to function as God would have it. That is why a church needs pastors, teachers, helpers, servants, administrators, those with great faith, etc. All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit working together are needed to produce the full potential of the church.

Are you wondering about your spiritual gift(s)? You might check out: http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm - "inventory" for an on-line survey to help you determine your spiritual gift(s). It is a really worthwhile exercise--but make sure you aren't rushed. . . it is at once revealing and interesting. You will see how your natural abilities, natural giftings, and experiences meld with the way in which the Holy Spirit has gifted you. So, while the Holy Spirit was manifested in xenoglossia that day so long ago, we do well to consider all of the Spiritual gifts, and if we are not already, then step out and serve in the area of our giftings. As my dad used to say, "How sweet it is!" Yes, how sweet it is to be a child of God, filled with the Spirit. Christine