Acts 28:8-9 “And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. (9) So, when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.”
In the next passage of scripture quoted above, we see the apostle Paul operating in the spiritual gift called the gifts of healings. This is just one of many accounts of healings that took place under Paul’s’ ministry. And so clearly the spiritual gifts of healings operated through Paul’s ministry.
Acts 13:9-11 “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him (10) and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? (11) And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
In the next passage of scripture quoted above, we see the apostle Paul operating in the spiritual gift called the gift of faith. A more accurate way of describing this gift is the gift of “special faith”, for this gift is in fact the faith of the Holy Spirit being made manifest. The scripture tells us plainly on this occasion that the anointing of the Holy Spirit came upon Paul, for the scripture says that Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. And so in response to that anointing coming upon Paul he became fully focused on Elymas the sorcerer, for the scripture says that Paul looked intently at him. And so Paul on this occasion boldly proclaimed God’s word to Elymas and the moment that happened God’s power was released and Elymas became blind. This was not Paul’s faith being displayed on this occasion, for had it been Paul’s faith he would have used it to deal with many other similar incidents that he encountered throughout his ministry. This is the only occasion recorded however, where Paul responded in such a manner to his adversaries when he preached the gospel. On all other occasions Paul either walked away or was chased out or was even physically attacked by those who opposed his message. Clearly this incident is recorded in scripture as an example of the manifestation of the gift of special faith operating through Paul’s ministry.
Acts 18:9-10 “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; (10) for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
In the next passage of scripture quoted above, we see the apostle Paul operating in the spiritual gift called the discerning of spirits. The gift of discerning of spirits is the ability to see into the spirit realm. This passage describing our Lord Jesus appearing to Paul and conversing with him is just one account of many, where Paul was allowed by the Holy Spirit to see into the realm of the spirit through the gift of discerning of spirits. Although no prophecies given by Paul are recorded in scripture, we know that he did prophecy in the churches where he ministered, and he also gave messages in tongues and the interpretation of those messages. The reason we know this is because Paul taught extensively on the use of these gifts, clearly demonstrating that the apostle Paul was intimately acquainted with the operation of these gifts. And so we see from these examples that the apostle Paul operated in all nine of the spiritual gifts.
Michael E.B. Maher
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