The Holy Spirit gives specific gifts like healing to believers for serving the church, not personal benefit. The gift of healing is the capacity to lay hands on the sick and pray for recovery, distinct from personal healing ability.
The Holy Spirit works through every believer. Why then do we see in 1 Corinthians 12:7-9 this? A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person, the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice. To another, the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else, the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. Hold on one second. The Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice. That's the word of wisdom. Are only certain believers able to have wisdom? What about the word of knowledge? Only some believers are allowed to have knowledge? What about the gift of faith? Are only some believers allowed to have faith? No, this is a gift that is a ministry focus, an area of graced ministry focus. So the function of healing is simply the ability to lay hands on the sick and watch them recover because of the power of the Holy Spirit within you. But the spiritual gifts are church functions or ministry expressions used for the edification of the body of Christ at large. If you look at verse 7, you'll see that these spiritual gifts are given to benefit others. So the gift of healing isn't the receiving of healing for yourself. The gift of healing is that ministry assignment to pray for the sick.
