What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?
James MacDonald just finished a couple of great sermons on our spiritual gifts. I know many churches routinely “test” their new members for spiritual gifts, but I can’t recall ever really evaluating what my particular gifts are. Indeed, I have a distinct notion that I have tried to do everything for the kingdom, with good results when I was relying on my particular spiritual gifts and with not so good results when I was working in areas where I am not particularly gifted…
So what are your spiritual gifts? Notice I didn’t say what is your spiritual gift. You don’t pigeonhole yourself into one and forsake the rest – you have a sampling of several spiritual gifts. Where do you find the most joy in serving the Lord? Where have you seen the most “success” in serving? Below is a list of spiritual gifts found in three key passages and their definitions. I don’t believe that there is a completely exhaustive list given in Scripture due to the fact that all three main lists are different and that my wife definitely has the spiritual gift of music and I know people with what seems to be a spiritual gift of worship. But these are to get you thinking – I’m sure there is a good online spiritual gifts quiz you can take as well…
From Romans 12:6-8 -
- EXHORTATION/ENCOURAGEMENT: to come along side of someone with words of encouragement, comfort, consolation, and counsel to help them be all God wants them to be.
- GIVING: to share what material resources you have with liberality and cheerfulness without thought of return.
- LEADERSHIP: to stand before the people in such a way as to motivate others to get involved in the accomplishment of goals.
- MERCY: to be sensitive toward those who are suffering, so as to feel genuine sympathy with their misery, speaking words of compassion and caring for them with deeds of love to help alleviate their distress.
- PROPHECY: to speak forth the message of God to His people.
- SERVICE: to identify undone tasks in God’s work, however menial, and use available resources to get the job done.
- TEACHING: to instruct others in the Bible in a logical, systematic way so as to communicate pertinent information for true understanding and growth.
From 1 Corinthians 12: (along with prophecy and teaching above)
- ADMINISTRATION: to steer the body toward the accomplishment of God-given goals and directives by planning, organizing, and supervising others.
- APOSTLE: - to be sent forth to new frontiers with the gospel, providing leadership over church bodies and maintaining authority over spiritual matters pertaining to the church.
- DISCERNMENT: to clearly distinguish truth from error by judging whether the behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power.
- FAITH: to be firmly persuaded of God’s power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him and His Word that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction.
- HEALING: to be used as a means through which God makes people whole either physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
- HELPS: to render support or assistance to others in the body so as to free them up for ministry.
- KNOWLEDGE: seek to learn as much about the Bible as possible through the gathering of much information and the analyzing of that data.
- MIRACLES: to be enabled by God to perform mighty deeds which witnesses acknowledge to be of supernatural origin and means.
- TONGUES: to speak in a language not previously learned so unbelievers can hear God’s message in their own language or the body be edified.
- INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: to translate the message of someone who has spoken in tongues.
- WISDOM: to apply knowledge to life in such a way as to make spiritual truths quite practical in daily life situations.
From Ephesians 4 (along with apostle, prophecy, and teaching above)
- EVANGELISM: to be a messenger of the good news of the Gospel.
- PASTOR: to be responsible for spiritually caring for, protecting, guiding, and feeding a group of believers entrusted to one’s care.
So, where do you fit in with the body of Christ? I notice that pew-sitter is not on the list anywhere, which will make a lot of people unhappy. Is technology a spiritual gift? If so, I’m all over that!
