Walking in Power: The Manifestations of Holy Spirit

[This article was taken from our book "The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power to be like Christ."]

Each Christian has God's gift of holy spirit. Therefore, each Christian has spiritual "power" and should be exercising that power. Remember that Jesus said that when holy spirit came, believers would have power. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit [holy spirit] comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." What is the power Jesus was speaking of? It is the power to hear from God, to speak in tongues, prophesy, do signs, miracles, and wonders, and much more. In short, we can bring into evidence, into manifestation, the gift of holy spirit inside us. The gift of holy spirit, the divine nature, that is sealed in each Christian, cannot be detected by the five senses. No one can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch it. However, holy spirit inside can be manifested, brought forth into evidence, in the nine ways set forth in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. 1 Corinthians 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit [spirit] is given for the common good. The word "manifestation" is a good translation of the Greek word phanerosis, which means "a manifestation, a making visible or observable." [1] A manifestation is detectable by the five senses. We experience manifestations all the time. Electric energy in a light bulb is manifested in the form of light and heat. A manifestation of the chicken pox disease is a rash with small pimple-like sores. We cannot see the virus that causes the chicken pox, but we can see the manifestation of the disease. The multipurpose "Swiss Army" knife is a good example of the difference between a gift and a manifestation. The traditional knives have red handles, and many come with two blades (big and little), two screwdrivers (flathead and Phillips), a can opener, an awl, scissors, a file, and a pair of tweezers (Nine manifestations!). If you receive one multipurpose knife as a gift, you can use (bring into manifestation) any or all of its implements, and cut, snip, tweeze, etc. The one gift has many manifestations. Similarly, the one gift God gives each believer is holy spirit, which can be manifested in nine ways. The examples of the light bulb, chicken pox, and Swiss Army knife, are intended to show the difference between a gift and a manifestation, and every example has limitations. The examples are intended to make the point that there can be one gift with many manifestations, and when a person has the gift, he has the capacity to manifest it. The gift of holy spirit is not observable or detectable by our five senses. Its presence inside the Christian becomes known when it is manifested, made obvious, in the senses world. [2] It may be obvious only to the one with holy spirit, such as when God gives a message of knowledge to someone, and that message is known only by the one receiving it, but it is obvious in the senses world nonetheless. The Bible says that to "each one" (1 Cor. 12:7) is given the manifestation of the spirit. Each and every Christian can manifest holy spirit because each Christian has holy spirit. We know there are many Christians who have never manifested the gift of holy spirit in a way that they themselves recognize, and this has caused them to doubt that they can. We trust that this book presents convincing evidence that a Christian can manifest holy spirit even if he never has done so. What are the manifestations of holy spirit? The Bible tells us. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (Author's translation) (8) For to one is given through the spirit a message of wisdom; and to another [allos] a message of knowledge because of the same spirit; [3] (9) to a different one [heteros] faith by the same spirit; and to another [allos] gifts of healings by the one spirit; (10) and to another [allos] working of miracles; to another [allos] prophecy; to another [allos] discerning of spirits; to a different one [heteros] various kinds of tongues; and to another [allos] the interpretation of tongues. We will study each of these manifestations separately, but before we do, we need to address some basics about the manifestations. First, these verses seem to indicate that each Christian gets only one manifestation, something that has confused many Christians. Even though these verses use the term, "to another," it does not mean that each person will manifest only one