Giving the Greatest Gift

Last week I warned about the danger of adopting an Old Testament-styled perspective on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Under the old covenant, God gave His Spirit to select individuals so they could fulfill their responsibilities. Most of the Israelites received no anointing.

In the new covenant established by Jesus, God blesses every Christian with the Spirit. In fact, the presence of the Spirit in your life defines you as a Christian.

“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” – Romans 8:9b

The Bible lays out three important principles about the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

First, the Spirit is a gift for you.

“Peter replied, “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.” – Acts 2:38

Second, the Holy Spirit is a gift from God.

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever– ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” – John 14:16-17

Third, people can impart the Holy Spirit to others.

“Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’” – Acts 8:17-19

“Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’” – Acts 9:17

“When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” – Acts 19:6

The first two points are foundational to Christian life and ministry; every church worth its salt ascribes to them. The Spirit is God’s gift to His people.

But believers bicker over the third statement. They dispute whether Christians have the capacity to bestow the Spirit because it seems to put people on God’s level.

In general, Pentecostal and charismatic preachers believe that Christians do indeed possess such a capacity. They base their teaching about impartation on two passages in the Pastoral Epistles which the apostle Paul wrote to his young protege Timothy.

Here’s the first verse:

“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” – 1 Timothy 4:14

The elements of this Scripture are as follows:

1. Timothy has a spiritual gift.
2. A prophecy accompanied the the bestowal of that gift.
3. The gift was conveyed when elders laid their hands on Timothy.
4. For an undisclosed reason, Timothy shirked from using his gift.

And here is the other passage:

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” – 2 Timothy 1:6-8

And the basics of this exhortation are:

1. Paul wants Timothy to stir up his gift.
2. He received that gift when Paul laid his hands on him.
3. Timothy feared putting it into practice.
4. God gave Timothy the courage necessary to operate in his gifting.
5. Fear of rejection and persecution led Timothy to neglect his ministry gift.
6. Paul challenges Timothy to be ready to suffer for the gospel.

Combining these verses from 1 and 2 Timothy leads me to conclude that Paul and the elders in Ephesus teamed up to pray for and dedicate Timothy to gospel service. On that occasion, the Holy Spirit filled the young man with a ministry gift.

Furthermore, he received prophetic instructions and encouragement about the use of his gift. The Lord could very well have counseled Timothy about how to operate in the Spirit and warned him about the resistance he would encounter from those who reject the gospel.

I suspect that Timothy enjoyed initial success but the pressure of objections, arguments, and threats unnerved him. As a result, he retreated from active service, so Paul tried to get him back in the game.

What does Paul’s experience with Timothy tell us about the impartation of the Holy Spirit?

1. God sends His Spirit in response to the prayers of His people.
2. The Holy Spirit does not force you to cooperate.

The central theme in these passages is responsibility.

Leaders have a duty to prepare and support those whom they consecrate to ministry. While many Christians doubt the ability of church leaders to release the Spirit in the life of another believer, Paul treats it as unremarkable. He assumed that elders enjoyed that privilege.

If you’re a church leader, you’re going to be called on to raise up new leaders and groom them for the work of the Lord. When you consecrate them, God is going to fill them so they can serve Jesus in the power of the Spirit. This may seem amazing to us, but it was normal for Paul. What worried him was the ongoing reinforcement Timothy needed.

Those who serve the Lord have an obligation to operate in the power that God has granted them. It’s a privilege to receive the gifts of the Spirit but a responsibility to use them. The gifts are given to us for others. That’s why Paul was challenging Timothy. Too many people needed what Timothy had; they were depending on the young man to return to his ministry.

Who is waiting for you? Who stands to benefit from the spiritual gifts God has invested in you? More people than you know!

Paul encouraged Timothy to serve Jesus without fear. Today, church leaders should heed that admonition and dare to equip and dispatch people into ministry. God will honor those prayers by sending His Spirit to anoint and enable new leaders to spread the gospel.

For servants of the Lord, the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift one can give or receive.

Let’s be generous and bold!