Spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to Christians to Serve God

Spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to Christians to serve God and build up the church. The Apostle Paul and Peter assumed believers would know and use their spiritual gifts, as seen in Romans 12:6–8 and 1 Peter 4:10. However, for those who are unsure of their gifts, there are ways to discover and utilize them for the benefit of the Christian community.

Key Topics on Discovering and Seeking Spiritual Gifts

Understanding Spiritual Gifts

• Spiritual gifts originate from the Holy Spirit and are manifestations of God’s grace.

• They are given to individual Christians to serve others and fulfill God’s mission.

• These gifts can be both seemingly natural abilities enhanced by the Spirit, or more miraculous in nature.

• The New Testament uses several Greek terms for spiritual gifts, including charisma (grace gift), pneumatika (spiritual things), diakonia (ministries/service), and energemata (operations/inworkings).

• The purpose of these gifts is to edify (build up), exhort (encourage), and comfort the church.

Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts

• Self-Examination: Reflect on your interests, desires, and abilities. Consider what activities bring you a sense of fulfillment and where you have seen positive results (blessing) in your past service.

• Assess Church Needs: Ask about the needs and opportunities for ministry within your church. Consider what gifts are most needed to build up the church at that particular time.

• Seek Advice and Encouragement: Ask other believers for their observations and advice regarding your potential gifts.

• Prayer and Wisdom: Pray and ask God for wisdom to discern your gifts, trusting in His promise to provide it (James 1:5–6). This wisdom might come as clearer insight into your abilities, through advice from others, or by seeing increased effectiveness in a specific area of ministry.

• Prophetic Indication: In some cases, a spiritual gift might be indicated through prophecy, as mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:14 where Timothy’s gift was given by prophecy.

• Experimentation: Try ministering in various areas to see where God brings blessing and effectiveness. For example:

  • Teaching a Sunday school class or home Bible study can help reveal a gift of teaching.

  • Engaging in evangelistic opportunities can uncover a gift of evangelism.

  • Accompanying elders to pray for the sick can help identify a gift of healing.

  • Praying for specific needs of Christian friends can point to a gift of faith or intercessory prayer.

The Role of the Church

• Provide Opportunities: Church leaders should ensure there are sufficient opportunities for various gifts to be used. The lists of gifts in the New Testament (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4) can serve as a starting point for identifying these opportunities.

• Encourage and Train: Churches should encourage members to try using different gifts and provide teaching and practical training on how to use them properly.

• Prevent Frustration: If members with certain gifts are not encouraged or allowed to use them, they may feel unfulfilled and potentially seek another church where their gifts can be utilized.

• Pray for Discovery and Use: Churches should continually pray for members to discover their gifts and be able to use them effectively.

• Goal of Maturity: The ultimate goal is for the local body of Christ to grow to maturity, with each part working properly to build itself up in love (Ephesians 4:16).

Biblical Examples and Instructions on Gifts

• Romans 12:6-8: Urges believers to use gifts like prophecy, serving, teaching, exhorting, contributing, leading, and showing mercy in proportion to their faith.

• 1 Corinthians 12 & 14: Discusses a variety of gifts, including wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Paul emphasizes desiring the “higher gifts” that edify the church, especially prophecy, and using all gifts in an orderly way for the common good.

• Ephesians 4:11: Lists gifts (or offices) such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds (pastors), and teachers, given to equip the saints for ministry and build up the body of Christ.

• 1 Peter 4:10: Instructs believers to use their gifts to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. The gifts can be broadly categorized into gifts of speaking and gifts of serving.

By actively seeking to understand, discover, and use spiritual gifts, believers can contribute to the health and growth of the church, fulfilling their God-given purpose within the body of Christ.

Source Material
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, Second Edition: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
ESV Bible

^{This post was created with the help of AI tools and human editing.}