How is the gift of interpretation used? The gift of interpretation is used alongside of the gift of speaking in tongues. Its sole purpose is to interpret the message that is given in tongues. First, the message is given by the Spirit through someone with the gift of speaking in…
What’s the difference between the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of speaking in tongues? Let’s make some clarifications and define our terms to make it easier for us to answer this question. Definitions The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the initial encounter a Christian has with…
This is the final post in my miniseries explaining the spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12-14. If you’ve been missing out, you can start with the first post here. Let’s pick up with the second half of 1 Corinthians 14. A God of Order (1 Corinthians 14:26-40) In many ways,…
This blog post is a continuation of a miniseries on the spiritual gifts. If you’ve missed the previous posts, you can begin the miniseries here. We’ve been following Paul’s thought flow about worship, specifically the spiritual gifts within worship. He has already covered preliminary principles for the gifts, the nine…
How should a Christian balance between focusing on gifts they currently have and eagerly desiring the “greater gifts”? Three times throughout explaining the spiritual gifts, Paul tells Christians to “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1, 39). Each of the commands to earnestly seek the gifts is slightly…