Spiritual Gifts 

Foundations of Faith – Spiritual Gifts

As believers, we are involved in the most important work being accomplished in this life and the life to come. Some of our high callings and responsibilities include the following;

• Proclaiming the gospel of our Lord Jesus for the salvation of lost souls all around the world

(Matthew 28:19-20) (Acts 1:8)

• Building, edifying, nourishing, protecting and perfecting Christ’s Bride, the Church

(Hebrews 10:24-25) (Ephesians 4:11-15)

• Proclaiming and promoting what truth really is. We are called to be the “pillar and ground” of it (1 Timothy 3:15)

• Maintaining to be the “salt and light of the world” as we endeavor to promote holiness in the fabric of our society and personal lives (Matthew 5:13-16)

• To be fully engaged in fighting the spiritual warfare that is tearing apart precious lives all around us (Ephesians 6:10-18)

The strength and power needed to be victorious in accomplishing these eternal tasks are far beyond our own human ability. That is why Jesus reminded us that He will supply what we need, so that even the gates of hell will not prevail against us.

(Matthew 16:18kjv), “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

(John 15:5), “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

One way Jesus supplies us with what we need to be successful in this eternal endeavor, is by equipping us with “spiritual gifts” as defined in the Word of God. 

In this lesson we are going to answer the following questions;

• What are the spiritual gifts?

• How are they different from skills?

• Who gets them?

• What are they for?

• What are “mine”?

Skills we develop have much to do with our human ability in perfecting them. Some examples are becoming a carpenter, electrician, school teacher, engineer, doctor, etc. Spiritual gifts have more to do with the Spirit of God impowering us in these various abilities for specific purposes concerning His will.  

There are actually three biblical lists of the “gifts of the Spirit,” also known as spiritual gifts. The three main passages describing the spiritual gifts are (Romans 12:6–8); (1 Corinthians 12:4–11); and (1 Corinthians 12:28). We could also include (Ephesians 4:11), but that is a list of offices within the church and not specifically spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts identified in (Romans 12) are prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. The list in (1 Corinthians 12:4–11) includes the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. The list in (1 Corinthians 12:28) includes healings, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues. A brief description of each gift follows:

• Prophecy – The Greek word translated “prophecy” in both passages properly means “a speaking forth.” According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word refers to “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.” To prophesy is to declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God that is designed to influence people.

• Ministry – Also referred to as “serving,” this gift involves providing service of any kind; it is the broad application of practical help to those in need. “Serving” is a translation of the Greek word diakonian, from which we get the English word, deacon.

• Teaching – This gift involves the analysis and proclamation of the Word of God, explaining the meaning, context and application to the hearer’s life. The gifted teacher is one who has the unique ability to clearly instruct and communicate knowledge, specifically the doctrines of the faith.

• Exhortation – Also called “encouraging,” this gift is evident in those who consistently call upon others to heed and follow God’s truth, which may involve correction or building others up by strengthening weak faith or comforting in trials.

• Giving – Gifted givers are those who joyfully share what they have with others, whether it is financial, material, or the giving of personal time and attention. The giver is concerned for the needs of others and seeks opportunities to share goods, money, and time with them as needs arise.

• Ruling (Leadership) – The gifted leader is one who rules, presides over, or manages other people in the church. The word literally means “guide” and carries with it the idea of one who steers a ship. One with the gift of leadership rules with wisdom and grace and exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his life as he leads by example.

• Mercy – Closely linked with the gift of encouragement, the gift of mercy is obvious in those who are compassionate toward others who are in distress, showing sympathy and sensitivity coupled with a desire and the resources to lessen their suffering in a kind and cheerful manner.

• Word of wisdom – The fact that this gift is described as the “word” of wisdom indicates that it is one of the speaking gifts. This gift describes someone who can understand and speak forth biblical truth in such a way as to skillfully apply it to life situations with discernment.

• Word of knowledge – This is another speaking gift that involves understanding truth with an insight that only comes by revelation from God. Those with the gift of knowledge understand the deep things of God and the mysteries of His Word.

• Faith – God has given all the ability to believe from their heart and to have faith according to their own choosing (Romans 10:9-13). But the spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, His promises, and the power of prayer to effect miracles (James 5:13-15).

• Healing – Although God does still heal today, and while there is no biblical reason that God could not empower an individual with the spiritual gift of healing today, God miraculously healing people directly through the spiritual gifting of an individual seems to have explosively been used during the ministry of the apostles and their close associates in the very early days of the church for the proof of God bearing them witness. (Hebrews 2:1-4).

• Miraculous powers – Also known as the working of miracles, involved performing supernatural events that could only be attributed to the power of God (Acts 2:22). This gift was exhibited by Paul (Acts 19:11-12), Peter (Acts 3:6), Stephen (Acts 6:8), and Phillip (Acts 8:6-7), among others.

• Distinguishing (discerning) of spirits – Certain individuals possess the unique ability to determine the true message of God from that of the deceiver, Satan, whose methods include spreading deceptive and erroneous doctrine. Jesus said many would come in His name and would deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5), but the gift of discerning spirits is given to the church to protect it from such as these.

• Speaking in tongues – The gift of tongues was given to the early church to enable the gospel to be preached throughout the world to all nations and in all known languages (Acts 2:1-12). It involved the divine ability to speak in languages previously unknown to the speaker. This gift authenticated the message of the gospel and those who preached it as coming from God. 

• Interpretation of tongues – A person with the gift of interpreting tongues could understand what a tongues-speaker was saying even though he did not know the language that was being spoken. The tongues interpreter would then communicate the message of the tongues-speaker to everyone else, so all could understand and be edified.

• Helps – Closely related to the gift of mercy is the gift of helps. Those with the gift of helps are those who can aid or render assistance to others in the church with compassion and grace. This has a broad range of possibilities for application. Most importantly, this is the unique ability to identify those who are struggling with doubt, fears, and other spiritual battles; to move toward those in spiritual need with a kind word, an understanding and compassionate manner; and to speak scriptural truth that is both convicting and loving.

• Governments (Administrations) – Administrators are leaders. When volunteers are needed to organize an event, administrators are often at the head of the line. A church leadership team needs at least one person with the gift of administration to organize people and programs. Without that leadership, great ideas can dissolve into chaos. 

Administrators are also excellent delegators. They seem to sense who would handle a project well and don’t mind calling people and recruiting volunteers for projects they believe in. Those with the gift of administration must never forget that the church is not a for-profit business. It is a ministry that must operate through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what God wants. Administrators may be prone to adopting business strategies that they see working in other arenas. They must be careful and avoid operating in the flesh, even if it has the appearance of success (Romans 8:8).

God has given every true believer in Christ at least one spiritual gift to use in His service (1 Corinthians 12:7). The gifts are given to edify, or build up, the church (1 Corinthians 14:12). The gifts are not for building up our egos but to serve the Lord with more power and effectiveness. Some operate in many gifts. For example, those with pastoral/shepherding gifts may also possess the gift of administration. It is the Holy Spirit who distributes the gifts “just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11).

God wants each of His children to discover and develop the gifts He has given us. As we engage in ministries that utilize those gifts, we are bringing honor and credit to the Lord who gave them (Romans 12:3–8).

 

How do I identify my spiritual gift?

There is no magic formula or definitive test that can tell us exactly what our spiritual gifts are. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He determines (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). A common problem for Christians is the temptation to get so caught up in our spiritual gift that we only seek to serve God in the area in which we feel we have been gifted. That is not how the spiritual gifts work. God calls us to obediently serve Him in all things. He will equip us with whatever gift or gifts we need to accomplish the task He has called us to.

Identifying our spiritual giftedness can be accomplished in various ways. Beginning to use what we believe is our spiritual gift and see if the results are glorifying God and edifying the body of Christ, can definitely help us understand where our gifting might be. Confirmation from others also gives light to our spiritual giftedness. Other people who see us serving the Lord can often identify a spiritual gift in us that we might take for granted or not recognize. Prayer is also important. The one person who knows exactly how we are spiritually gifted is the gift-giver Himself – the Holy Spirit. We can ask God to show us how we are gifted in order to better use our spiritual gifts for His glory.

 

What is the purpose of spiritual gifts?

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to promote “the common good” of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7), to build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12), and to prepare us each for “the work of the ministry…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Each person upon accepting the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit who now dwells within them (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Spirit then gives to each believer certain gifts from God to do the work of God (1 Corinthians 12:4–6). No matter what the gift, its purpose is to edify and mature the church and to glorify God in serving others.

In no way are the spiritual gifts to be used to draw attention to oneself or put on a showy display. This was part of the problem in the church in Corinth. Members there were exercising their spiritual gifts to edify themselves without regard to what anyone else was doing (1 Corinthians 14:4), and their methods resulted in chaos in the church service (1 Corinthians 14:23, 27–28). They needed reminding that the greatest gift of all is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Without love, none of the other gifts are profitable at all (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

All gifts are given by grace from God through the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4; Hebrews 2:4). Different people are given different gifts. Not everyone receives the same gift (1 Corinthians 12:4). Those gifted with various spiritual gifts are meant to work together as the parts of a body work together (1 Corinthians 12:12–27). The gifts God gives to His people are divinely placed for the good of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27).

The gifts God gives us through His Spirit are to be used for His glory (Colossians 3:17). The “more excellent way” to do that is with love (1 Corinthians 12:31b; 13:1–13). Any gift used for personal gain or without love is like a harsh noise to God and the church. Even the most powerful spiritual gifts memorably displayed, if done without love, cannot glorify God.

We should also take care of and develop the gifts God has given us. We are to fan into flames every spiritual gift God gives (1 Timothy 1:6) and put them to good use.

Strong Warning

Much damage has been done to those who have claimed to have a spiritual gift from God, when indeed, they did not. There have been some who have claimed that God spoke to them to tell a certain individual that they were to do various things which ultimately caused great devastation and harm in that person’s life. Marriages and families have been torn apart because of these false claims. Great harm to the testimony of Christ and His church has occurred. The person who falsely represented God will stand before Him and give an account for the following;

• They lied (They claimed that God spoke to them when indeed He did not)

• They took God’s name in vain by claiming the above

• They deceived innocent people

• They caused great harm in that person’s life 

If one believes they have received anything from the Lord, especially if it involves the lives of others, you must be absolutely 100% sure that it is indeed from God.  You DO NOT want to be found standing before the Judge of all the earth and give account of falsely using His name.

(Matthew 7:21-23), “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Spiritual Gifts!

BUILDING A FOUNDATION THAT WILL NEVER CRACK!