Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NASB)
Mark 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Last week I said that the power Jesus promised, is the gift of Holy Spirit and the accompany gifts or signs.  With this power He said, you will be my witness and teach people to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NASB) Essentially the Gift of the Holy Spirit and the various gifts is the authority by which we fulfill the everlasting purpose of God. It is important to keep this in mind as we explore these powerful gifts. They are the many spiritual parts God uses to build and maintain His living temple. The power of God is ordained for the eternal purpose of God in Christ Jesus.

Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, puts this subject in perspective: He said, ¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, … for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. … “Ephesians 4:11-16 (NASB)

 Paul showed clearly that the gift of Holy Spirit and the signs which follows is the power we need to Be the witnesses of Jesus. And, for the building and preserving the body of Christ.

Today, we are looking at the following gifts: Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge. 1 Corinthians 12:8 (NASB) For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 1 Corinthians 12:8 (NASB) I combined these two gifts because of the common phrase “The word” and similarity of operation. Both gifts work hand in hand as exemplified by the Lord Jesus himself. They are the basic and common gift given to all believers. Because it is about the wisdom and knowledge of God. Without this you cannot live, build, or maintain the body of Christ. When you are born again, you begin to manifest in words, the knowledge of God. “… you know Him (Jesus said to his disciples) because He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 (NASB) I believe this is the fundamental gifts of the Spirit to all believers. Because “… the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17 (NASB) And this wisdom and power of God, is the person of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:24 (NASB) We all may not be prophets and preachers, but all must abide in Him and He in us.  Therefore, we can manifest his presence in wisdom and power, given to us by the Holy Spirit.  This is the wisdom that gains godliness and everlasting life. Not that which gains the whole world but lose eternal life.  ⁸ for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness (exhibited by the word of wisdom and knowledge of God) is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 (NASB). Paul said, the manifestation of the gifts of the spirit is given to all to profit with. So that the body of Christ may continuously grow;¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  You cannot be a witness for Jesus or teach anyone, without the wisdom and knowledge of God. For the manifestation of the Spirit of God in us is not for personal gain but for the Glory and praise of God. Remember, Jesus demonstrated the words of wisdom and knowledge of God to defeat and silence Satanic temptations. “It is written, (Jesus said) Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) With this powerful and common gift, we can take our faith beyond the written text into the real world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit operate within the realm of the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. Paul said, I would rather speak with knowledge than with unknown tongues. Next week by the grace of God, we will examine how Jesus Christ exemplified these two primary gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please join us. Thank you and God bless.