The Holy Spirit's Gifts Part 2 | Pastor Matthew Johnson

"You have a supernatural calling on your life that can only be accomplished with supernatural power." — Pastor Matthew Johnson

Pastor Matthew Johnson continued The Tree Church's series on the Holy Spirit with the second part of a message on the gifts of the Spirit. Teaching again from 1 Corinthians 12, he covered the remaining four gifts, often called the gifts of power, and showed how each one is meant to feel personal, grounded, and good rather than intimidating.

Pastor Matthew opened by reminding the church of the previous week's message, where he taught that believers do not simply receive one gift, but receive the full presence of the Holy Spirit, who works through them in different ways. He then explained why this topic matters so much. Every believer has a calling from God to impact the people and world around them, and that calling cannot be accomplished through human effort alone.

He explained that believers face resistance from their own flesh, from a culture that often works against God's purposes, and from spiritual forces that oppose them. Because of this, he said the power of the Holy Spirit is not optional for the Christian life. It is necessary.

The first gift covered was faith, defined as the Holy Spirit supernaturally giving confidence in God's power and faithfulness in a specific situation, moving a person to pray, speak, act, or persevere. Pastor Matthew was careful to distinguish this from simply feeling peaceful. He explained that this kind of faith produces action, not just inward calm.

He also addressed a teaching he has heard in some Christian circles, the idea that a person must build up enough faith before God will move. He compared this to a popular Christmas movie, where a character believes a certain amount of holiday spirit is required before something powerful can happen. Pastor Matthew said this is not how faith works in scripture. Even a small amount of genuine faith can accomplish enormous things.

He pointed to Hebrews chapter 11, often called the hall of faith, where the phrase by faith introduces one story after another of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things because they trusted God. He then shared a personal story about moving his family from Detroit more than twenty years ago to take a lower position at a smaller church, knowing almost no one in the area. Looking back, he said it made little practical sense, but it was a decision made possible by the confidence the Holy Spirit gave him in that season.

The second gift, healing, was defined as the Holy Spirit supernaturally restoring what is broken in the body. Pastor Matthew pointed out that in the original language, the phrase is actually plural, gifts of healings, showing that this is not a one time occurrence but something God continues to do in different situations.

While he was careful to note that the passage specifically refers to physical healing, he said it reflects God's broader desire to bring wholeness to every area of a person's life, including emotional and relational healing. He pointed to the healing ministry of Jesus throughout the Gospels, the healing of a crippled man by Peter and John in Acts chapter 3, and a story from Paul's ministry in Acts chapter 20. He also shared his own testimony of experiencing physical healing from a long standing back injury during a church conference in Dallas, describing the moment his wife immediately sensed something had changed even before he told her.

The third gift, miracles, was defined as the Holy Spirit supernaturally working through someone to accomplish what natural ability or ordinary circumstances could not produce. Pastor Matthew walked through several biblical examples, including Moses parting the Red Sea, Elijah and the widow whose oil and flour never ran out during a famine, and several miracles performed by Jesus that went beyond the natural order.

He then shared a handful of stories from the life of The Tree Church that he considers miracles, including hiring a worship pastor in a fraction of the time industry experts told him to expect, and the timing and provision behind acquiring the church's Lancaster and Logan campus properties. He encouraged the congregation to actively look for miracles in their own lives, saying that when people pay attention, they tend to notice them more often.

The fourth and final gift covered was distinguishing between spirits, defined as the Holy Spirit supernaturally enabling someone to recognize the true source and direction of a message, influence, or activity. Pastor Matthew explained that this gift helps believers discern what is truly from God, what may come from human personality or preference, and what may come from a harmful spiritual influence.

He drew a clear line between this gift and what he called judgmental behavior wrongly disguised as spiritual discernment. He said true discernment is not about pointing out other people's flaws, but about being able to recognize whether something aligns with the character and purposes of God.

He gave several biblical examples, including the prophet Micaiah correctly discerning a deceiving spirit among a group of false prophets, Jesus recognizing that Peter's pushback against Him reflected a spiritual influence rather than Peter's own heart, and Paul discerning a demonic spirit behind a girl's seemingly truthful statements in Acts chapter 16. He also shared that as a pastor, he regularly has to discern whether messages presented to the church as coming from God actually align with God's character and purposes.

Pastor Matthew closed the message by addressing a tension many believers feel. What happens when someone prays for healing or a miracle and it does not happen the way they hoped? He acknowledged that this can create insecurity and even hesitation to pray boldly at all.

He pointed to Philippians 4:6-7, where Paul encourages believers to bring their requests to God with thanksgiving, and promises that the peace of God will guard their hearts and minds. Pastor Matthew explained that this peace matters most when the outcome is uncertain, not when a prayer is immediately answered exactly as asked.

He then told the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from Daniel chapter 3, three men who refused to worship a false idol even under the threat of being thrown into a fiery furnace. He highlighted their response to the king, expressing confidence that God could rescue them, hope that He would, and trust in God even if He did not. Pastor Matthew described this as proven faith, hopeful faith, and relational faith, and said this pattern should shape how believers pray about any uncertain outcome.

He closed by saying that faith is not ultimately rooted in getting a specific outcome, but in trusting the character of a personal God. The message ended in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to move in healing, miracles, wisdom, and discernment, while keeping the glory pointed back to God.

The Tree Church exists to help people in Lancaster and Logan grow in a real relationship with God. Our Lancaster campus meets at 721 N. Memorial Drive, Lancaster, OH 43130, and our Logan campus meets at 36 Hocking Mall, Logan, OH 43138. Both locations gather every Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM