Scripture in Action

Aneel Aranha is an author, preacher, and evangelist who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. You can find a huge selection of his reflections, articles, sermons, songs and other resources on his app.

Apple App Store: https://aanet.click/iOS

Google Play Store: https://aanet.click/Android

All Episodes

Scripture in Action

Matthew 7:9-11 - Want Great Gifts?

July 21, 2022 • Aneel Aranha • Season 1 • Episode 36

0:00 | 3:50

Nobody can give gifts like our Father in heaven! First he gave us the gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. And through Jesus, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes with gifts of his own - four bags of them!

Matthew 7:9-11 - Want Great Gifts?

Hello and welcome to the Bite-Sized Gospel with Aneel Aranha. Today we will reflect on Matthew 7:9-11. Listen.

Jesus said: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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 good gifts to those who ask him!“

Nobody can give gifts like our Father in heaven! First he gave us the gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. And through Jesus, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our identity and our inheritance. Paul writes: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16).

But that’s not all. The Holy Spirit comes with four bags of gifts, and they are *all* awesome. There is no rule about how we receive these gifts, but they usually follow a pattern. First are the gifts of sanctification, also known as the Isaiah gifts. These are the gifts that make one like Jesus. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, and piety (see Isaiah 11:2-3). (If you want to know more, watch my talk titled: The Isaiah Gifts of the Holy Spirit. I can’t put the link here because it messes things up on WhatsApp, but message me for the link.)

Second are the fruit, which result from the Isaiah gifts. Nine of these fruit are mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23: They are the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The more we become like Jesus, the more we start bearing these fruit.

When we start bearing fruit, God starts to use us in his service releasing a third bundle of gifts. Reference to these can be found right through Scripture, although one important passage is Romans 12:6-8. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us”, writes Paul. These are prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy.

And when we start serving God, he starts giving us the gifts of manifestation, also known as the charismatic gifts, which basically let everybody know he has our back. These gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). These are, of course, the gifts that everybody wants, but if you want them, follow the route.

And, then, ask. And you *will* receive.

May the Spirit be with you.

https://youtu.be/vJIWwXVY5cY