For a refresher, for those that came in late, or newbies that do not understand concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Let me reiterate the solid ground on which the gospel is laid.
1. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were poured out upon all flesh as was prophesied in Joel 2:28 - "And it shall come to pass afterward(after what?- His departure) that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." on the day of pentecost.(Acts 2)
2. The effect of the Holy Spirit is to confirm the saints to Himself after He has departed, and minister to them. - Jesus told His disciples shortly before He departed this earth that He would send them a comforter:
John 16:7-15
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Of sin, because they believe not on me;
[SUP]10 [/SUP]Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
[SUP]11 [/SUP]Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
3. So now, after the killing, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - 50 days after the ascension - His followers were in one place hiding. Acts 2:
2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
[SUP]8 [/SUP]And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
[SUP]10 [/SUP]Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
[SUP]11 [/SUP]Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
[SUP]13 [/SUP]Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
[SUP]15 [/SUP]For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
[SUP]17 [/SUP]And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
[SUP]18 [/SUP]And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
[SUP]19 [/SUP]And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
[SUP]20 [/SUP]The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
[SUP]21 [/SUP]And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
[SUP]23 [/SUP]Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
[SUP]24 [/SUP]Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
[SUP]25 [/SUP]For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
[SUP]26 [/SUP]Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
[SUP]27 [/SUP]Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
[SUP]28 [/SUP]Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
[SUP]29 [/SUP]Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
[SUP]31 [/SUP]He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
[SUP]32 [/SUP]This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
[SUP]33 [/SUP]Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
[SUP]34 [/SUP]For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
[SUP]35 [/SUP]Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
[SUP]36 [/SUP]Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
[SUP]37 [/SUP]Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
[SUP]38 [/SUP]Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[SUP]39 [/SUP]For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
[SUP]40 [/SUP]And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
[SUP]41 [/SUP]Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
[SUP]42 [/SUP]And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
[SUP]43 [/SUP]And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
[SUP]44 [/SUP]And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
[SUP]45 [/SUP]And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
[SUP]46 [/SUP]And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
[SUP]47 [/SUP]Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
4. So now, the Holy Spirit has been poured out on all flesh. (or as many as were chosen to be saved), and it works in the lives of both the apostles and the bishops. (See Stephen)
And throughout the book of Acts there are souls being filled with the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote half the books of the New Testament said he spoke in tongues "more than them all" -I Cor.14:18
Also, there were gifts given to the church through the same Holy Spirit : I Corinthians 12
12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
[SUP]9 [/SUP]To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[SUP]10 [/SUP]To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[SUP]11 [/SUP]But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]For the body is not one member, but many.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[SUP]16 [/SUP]And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[SUP]17 [/SUP]If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
[SUP]18 [/SUP]But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
[SUP]19 [/SUP]And if they were all one member, where were the body?
[SUP]20 [/SUP]But now are they many members, yet but one body.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
[SUP]23 [/SUP]And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.
[SUP]25 [/SUP]That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
[SUP]27 [/SUP]Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
[SUP]28 [/SUP]And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
[SUP]29 [/SUP]Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
[SUP]30 [/SUP]Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
[SUP]31 [/SUP]But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Cont......