Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. (1 Corinthians 12:1)
These notes are from The Holy Spirit Connection, the October special of the Leadership Certificate Course of the Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI), taught at Winners' Chapel International, Atlanta. The teaching and its outline belong to WOFBI; Glorious Anchor shares these notes so that readers can study along. The course theme is "espousing diversities of operation of the Holy Spirit for impactful stewardship," taught in three modules covering fourteen operations of the Spirit. The notes are published in three parts, one per module. The references are the ones given in class; read them with your Bible open, because the notes are only a map to the verses.
This is part 1 of three: Part 1: the seven Spirits of Christ · Part 2: seven operations, from prayer to servanthood · Part 3: seven more operations, from the fear of the Lord to glory.
The course at a glance
- Module 1: The seven Spirits of Christ. The Comforter, the gifts, and the seven Spirits upon Christ.
- Module 2: Diverse manifestations of the Holy Ghost, part 1. Seven operations: prayer and supplication, wisdom and revelation, faith, love, obedience, might, servanthood.
- Module 3: Diverse manifestations of the Holy Ghost, part 2. Seven operations: the fear of the Lord, truth, power, endurance, joy, grace, glory.
Module 1: The seven Spirits of Christ
The Comforter, our Helper
- The word "comforter" literally means helper. Jesus promised "another Comforter" who would abide with us, teach us and bring his words to our remembrance (John 14:16-18, 26), and he said it was to our advantage that he go away so that the Helper would come (John 16:7-11, 12-14).
- The Holy Spirit comes down with diverse gifts that help believers fulfil our glorious destiny in redemption (Romans 8:29-30).
- Until one is born again, he can never be baptised in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with new tongues. The pattern is the same at Pentecost, at the house of Cornelius and at Ephesus (Acts 2:37-41; Acts 10:44-47; Acts 19:1-6).
From new birth to the gifts
- Until one is baptised in the Holy Ghost, he cannot demand the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells a Spirit-filled church to "covet earnestly the best gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:31).
- Apart from the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, there are other ministries of the Holy Ghost available to us, such as the Spirit of faith. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit... diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Corinthians 4:13).
The seven Spirits upon Christ
Isaiah saw the Spirit of the Lord resting on the Branch from the stem of Jesse, and John saw the Lamb with "seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Isaiah 11:1-2; Revelation 5:6). The seven Spirits upon Christ include:
- The Spirit of the Lord, which is power (Isaiah 11:1; Luke 4:14, 18).
- The Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel (Isaiah 11:1-2; Ephesians 1:17-18).
- The Spirit of might (Isaiah 11:1; Ephesians 3:16).
- The Spirit of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-2; Romans 1:4).
Why the Holy Ghost is not optional
- As the body without the spirit is dead, so is a believer without the Holy Ghost at work in him (James 2:26).
- Our glorious destiny in redemption cannot be realised by power or might, but by the Spirit of God at work in us. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:1-6).
- We need an unquenchable thirst to be endued with the empowerment of the Spirit. David's soul thirsted for God in a dry land; Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink," and John explains that he spoke of the Spirit (Psalm 63:1-3; John 7:37-39; 1 Corinthians 12:31).
Crave the enduement
It is high time we began to crave the enduement of the diverse ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives, in order to make the most of our adventure in the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Beyond the nine gifts, Scripture names other operations of the Holy Spirit here and there, and the course looks at fourteen of them. This is the bridge into Module 2.
Questions this part answers
What are the seven Spirits of God?
Isaiah 11:2 names them as they rest on the Branch from the stem of Jesse: the Spirit of the LORD, the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, and of the fear of the LORD. Revelation 5:6 shows the Lamb with "seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." The course groups them as the Spirit of the Lord (power), the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel, the Spirit of might, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
What does "Comforter" mean in John 14:16?
The word literally means helper. Jesus promised another Helper who would abide with believers, teach them and bring his words to remembrance (John 14:16-18, 26; John 16:7-14).
Must a person be born again before being baptised in the Holy Ghost?
Yes. In Acts the pattern is the same at Pentecost, at the house of Cornelius and at Ephesus: people believed and were then baptised in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with new tongues (Acts 2:37-41; 10:44-47; 19:1-6). And until one is baptised in the Holy Ghost, one cannot demand the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31).
Continue with part 2: Part 1: the seven Spirits of Christ · Part 2: seven operations, from prayer to servanthood · Part 3: seven more operations, from the fear of the Lord to glory.
Teaching notes from the Leadership Certificate Course of the Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI), October 2026 special, Winners' Chapel International, Atlanta. All credit to WOFBI for the teaching; learn more or enrol at wofbi.lfcww.org. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.