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Although Spiritual gifts are not primarily thought
of as a spiritual discipline, it takes God's Spirit
enabling us to be disciplined enough to effectively
and consistently use our gift(s). The information
below is intended to help you identify and utilize
your Spirit-enabled abilities so that the the Body
of Christ may grow and mature.
Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament
According to 1 Cor. 12:7, Eph. 4:7 and 1 Pt. 4:10
God's Spirit endows every believer with a gift(s).
Read Eph. 4:16. What does Paul say happens when believers
are responsible with their gifts?
The following is a list of gifts found in the New
Testament, along with a brief definition for each
gift. It should not be assumed that the order of this
list, nor the New Testament order, indicates one gift
is more important over another. Each gift has the
same value to God (1 Cor. 12:12-26) and should hold
the same value to us.
New Testament Lists of Spiritual Gifts*
| 1
Cor. 12:8-11 |
1
Cor. 12:28 |
Rom. 12:6-8 |
Eph.
4:11 |
1
Pt. 4:11 |
| message
of wisdom |
apostles |
prophecy |
apostles |
speaking |
| message
of knowledge |
prophets |
service |
prophets |
service |
| faith |
teachers
|
teaching |
evangelists
|
|
| gifts
of healings |
workers
of miracles |
encouraging |
pastors-teachers |
|
| working
of miracles |
healing |
giving |
|
|
| prophecy |
helps |
leadership |
|
|
| distinguishing
of spirits |
administration |
showing
of mercy |
|
|
| kinds
of tongues |
kinds
of tongues |
|
|
|
| interpretation
of tongues |
|
|
|
|
*Taken from Showing the Spirit, D.A. Carson.
Defining Spiritual Gifts
- Prophecy – the reception and subsequent communication
of revelation received from God
- Service – the ability to identify unmet
needs and making use of available resources to meet
those needs
- Teaching – communication of God’s truth
in such a way that others learn and apply God’s
will
- Encouraging – speaking words of comfort,
consolation, encouragement, and counsel to other
members of the Body of Christ so as to motivate
them to godly thinking and behavior
- Giving – contributing tangible resources
to meet others’ material, physical needs
- Leadership – setting goals in accordance
with God’s purpose and communicating those
goals to others in such a way that they harmoniously
work together toward reaching those goals
- Mercy – expressing genuine empathy and compassion
for suffering believers and translating that empathy
and compassion into Spirit-filled deeds that reflect
God’s love
- Knowledge – gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing
biblical concepts and ideas that are in accordance
with revealed truth in Scripture
- Faith – trusting God to bring about certain
events or circumstances that bring God glory
- Healing – special ability to serve others
in curing illness and restoring health apart from
the use of natural or medicinal means; always accompanied
with presenting the gospel
- Miracles – altering or suspending the ordinary
course of nature with a view to pointing to God’s
salvific plan or preserving the well-being of the
Church
- Distinguishing of Spirits – knowing with
assurance and reasonable certitude whether certain
behavior, attitudes, verbal expressions, or doctrinal
positions purported to be of God is in reality divine,
human or satanic
- Kinds of Tongues – verbal expressions (known
or unknown languages) that build up the individual(s)
for the purpose of mutual edification of the Body
- Interpretation of Tongues – making known
in the vernacular the message of the one who speaks
in tongues
- Apostles – in addition to being one who
has witnessed visibly the crucified, resurrected,
and ascended Lord of glory, an apostle is one who
is uniquely called out by God to proclaim and establish
the authoritative teachings and foundations of the
salvific plan of God
- Helps – investing one’s talents and
abilities into other members so as to increase the
productivity and effectiveness of the person(s)
helped
- Administration – devising, organizing, executing,
and monitoring immediate and long-range biblical
goals of church leadership to the glory of God
- Evangelists – the proclamation and defense
of the gospel to the unbelieving world in such a
way that some become faithful disciples of Jesus
Christ
- Pastor-Teacher – assuming a long-term responsibility
of servant-leadership over a group of believers,
nurturing them with the Word of God, and encouraging
them toward godly lifestyles and the faithful use
of their Spirit-enabled gifts
- Wisdom – communicating and applying God-given
knowledge to specific needs and circumstances
Now That You Know These Things . . .
According to 1 Cor. 12:7 and 1 Pt. 4:11, what
is God’s purpose in giving spiritual gifts?
What kinds of gifts must you excel in (1 Cor. 14:12)?
Who determines what gift(s) you have (1 Cor. 12:11)?
In 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14 Paul instructs
us on Spiritual gifts. Why do you suppose that the
chapter in between (chapter 13) is the "Love"
chapter?
What spiritual gift(s) do you think you may have?
How have you used your gift(s) in building up other
believers or bringing others to Christ?
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