In teaching, I use an illustration that many have found helpful in providing them a better understanding of what the gift of the Spirit is and when we receive it.
I have seen God use this model to “turn the light on” in many minds regarding this subject. He has used it to tear down walls between many so-called “haves” and “have nots,” building bridges of fellowship and understanding to replace barricades of tension, mistrust, and division.
Many people, after hearing this teaching on the baptism with the Spirit, have sighed with relief, and some have even wept as they release pent-up feelings of confusion, doubt, spiritual inferiority, and self-condemnation. Persons with spiritual roots in both charismatic and non-charismatic evangelical churches have found benefit and encouragement. This model provides a theological umbrella under which we can come together in genuine unity and partnership.
This approach has not only been effective in the churches that I have pastored but also in other churches that have used it. The particular model I use derives from Acts 2:38, where Peter concludes a powerful evangelistic message on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit convicts the people of their sins, and they become desperate to know what to do next. Peter responds, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Imagine that you have just heard the gospel, responded to it, and received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Now picture God handing you a big gift-wrapped box called “THE HOLY SPIRIT.” The Holy Spirit has come to you as a gift because of your faith in Christ. You go ahead and unwrap it and peer inside. Right on top, the first thing you see is a package labeled Born Again. It is the gift of regeneration. Your faith opens this miraculous gift — the veil is lifted and the Holy Spirit comes into your life. God’s Spirit bears witness to your spirit that you have become a child of God (Romans 8:15–16).
But you don’t stop there because you see that within the large box, which is already your gift, there are more gift-wrapped packages. You look down deeper and pull one out labeled “Character of Christ.” Unwrapping this package, you encounter the fruit of the Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). The Holy Spirit begins the lifelong process of making you like Jesus. Your prayer becomes, “Lord, I want to become more like You. Fill me with your Holy
Spirit, so that I can show people what You’re really like and so I can live the way you want me to live.”
Looking inside the Holy Spirit box again, you come across another package called Spiritual Gifts. Well, this one looks interesting. There’s a note right on it that says Customized just for you. Wow, this one is tailor-made for you personally because the Holy Spirit has an assortment of gifts and distributes them as He wills to each child of God. As you unwrap it, you begin to understand and experience gifts of the Holy Spirit that enable you, as an individual, to serve Christ with power and effectiveness. This “Spiritual Gifts” box may include one or more of the supernatural giftings, such as prophecy, healing, words of wisdom and knowledge, and speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8–11).4 It may also include more natural abilities you already possess but that are now endued with the Holy Spirit’s power, things like service, giving, administration, leadership, encouragement, and teaching (Romans 12:6–8). As we yield ourselves to the Spirit’s leading, we can become powerful instruments through whom He ministers to others.
What happens if you fail to “unwrap” this “Spiritual Gifts” package? If you are part of a church or tradition that doesn’t teach much about these gifts, particularly the supernatural ones, you might choose to ignore it and leave it hidden at the bottom of the box rather than unwrapping it. If you don’t expect the supernatural spiritual gifts, have never experienced them yourself, do not know anyone who has, and are told by your church that these are not available today, would you be likely to want to explore this package? Would you be hungry for spiritual gifts? Probably not. Sadly, many Christians deprive themselves from being more powerfully used by God simply because they disregard their spiritual gifts and refuse to seek after new ones. Jesus said, “According to your faith, it will be done for you” (Matthew 9:29).
Nevertheless, here is this package and a lot more besides — all waiting in this large gift box called the Holy Spirit. God watches, waits, longs for us to “unwrap” all the packages He’s given us in this wonderful box. As Paul the apostle wrote In Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” What does “every spiritual blessing” mean for us? It means every spiritual blessing in Christ is currently available. None is relegated to the pages of biblical history. God has blessed us, the church of the 21st century, with every spiritual blessing He ever gave His church, either in the early church or since then. These blessings — every one of them — are available for our use and activated for us by this glorious gift of the Holy Spirit.
Nothing is automatic, however. We must appreciate the excellence of these blessings of the Holy Spirit and appropriate them by faith. We must dig into the box, take out all the packages, and “unwrap” them. (To be continued in my next post: “ Part 2”)