Opening the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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Miracles (also Miraculous Powers, Miraculous Acts): Miracles are a gift of the Spirit that might come in many forms. In addition to physical healing, people might pray for a miracle in their finances, careers, orrelationships, or any seemingly insurmountable problem. The Word of Faith wing of Pentecostalism, which has gained acceptance through high-profile figures such as the Rev. Creflo Dollar, particularly emphasizes God’s miraculous intervention in material matters, such as sudden financial windfalls.

Prophecy: A prophecy is the Spirit of God speaking through a human voice. Prophets might make a general call for repentance (in the manner of the Jewish prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah), or they might make a conditional prediction of the future (“If you do this, God will do this”). St. Paul says that anyone who prophesies does so for the “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” of the church (1 Cor. 14:3).

Distinguishing Between Spirits: This gift involves a capacity to discern whether a spirit is good or evil. 1 John 4:1­-3 exhorts Christians to test spirits “to see whether they are from God.”  

Speaking in Tongues: When the disciples of Jesus experienced the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit described in Acts 2, they were given the sudden and miraculous ability to speak in many human languages. Later, letters by St. Paul described the Holy Spirit praying through people “in groans that words cannot express” (Rom. 8:26) and speaking in “tongues of angels” (1 Cor. 13:1). Today, the gift of tongues is understood in both forms—as a miraculous ability to speak a foreign language, and as a miraculous ability to speak in an angelic language (also called a “prayer language” or “praying in the Spirit”). Some believers consider tongues the initial manifestation of the baptism in the Holy Spirit; others argue that all Christians are given a prayer language, but not all choose to use it. 

Interpretation of Tongues: The gift of interpretation is the power to understand and translate an angelic or foreign tongue. Some Charismatic and Pentecostal services will feature a believer speaking in an angelic tongue for a few moments, then interpreting it as an exhortation to the congregation (1 Corinthians 14:5).

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