Spiritual Gifts Deep Dive - Awareness, Use, and Abuse
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Spiritual Gifts Deep Dive - Awareness, Use, and Abuse
God has given special gifts to His Church, His Body. These gifts are referred to as The Gifts of the Spirit or spiritual gifts.
“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
— I Corinthians 14:12
The primary purpose of spiritual gifts is for the edification of the Church. God gave gifts to men so that man could accomplish His Purpose within the Church. Gifts are tools given with a specific “work” in mind. Just as there are various tools for the diversities of jobs, so are there many kinds of gifts given to the Church so that the Body of Christ can be complete in its function and purpose. Without the tools necessary for the task at hand, the Body is unable to fulfill its purpose and calling.
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” — I Corinthians 12:4
There are, basically, eighteen gifts of the Spirit found in the Bible that God has given to the Church. Each one of these gifts is as important as the other.
Word of Wisdom: I Corinthians 12:8; Luke 6:9.
Word of Knowledge: I Corinthians 12:8; Luke 18:22.
Faith: I Corinthians 12:9; Acts 3:6-7
Gifts of healing: I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Acts 28:1-10.
Working of miracles: I Corinthians 12:10; Acts 6:8.
Prophecy: I Corinthians 12:10; I Thessalonians 5:20-21; Ephesians 4:11.
Discerning of spirits: I Corinthians 12:10; Luke 8:29.
Tongues: I Corinthians 12:10; Acts 19:6.
Interpretation of tongues: I Corinthians 12:10; 14:13-33.
Helping: I Corinthians 12:28.
Administration: I Corinthians 12:28; Acts 6:2-3.
Grace: Romans 12:6; Ephesians 3:7; 4:7; I Peter 4:10-11.
Ministry/service: Romans 12:7; II Timothy 1:16-18.
Teaching: Romans 12:7; Ephesians 4:11-14.
Encouragement: Romans 12:8; Hebrews 10:24-25.
Giving: Romans 12:8; I Corinthians 13:3; Acts 4:32-35.
Leadership /Ruler: Romans 12:8; Acts 13:12.
Mercy: Romans 12:8; Luke 5:12-13.
Definitions:
· ADMINISTRATION: The ability to help steer the Church, or a ministry, toward the successful completion of God-given goals, with skills in planning, organization, and supervision.
· APOSTLE: A person sent to new places with the gospel. You may have heard of missionaries going to different countries to help spread the Word; they could be described as apostles. An apostle can also provide leadership to other churches or ministries and offer advice on spiritual matters.
· DISCERNMENT: The wisdom to recognize truth from untruth by correctly evaluating whether behavior or teaching is from God or another ungodly source.
· EVANGELISM: The ability to successfully communicate the message of the gospel, especially to nonbelievers.
· EXHORTATION: Competence in offering encouragement, comfort, and support to help someone be all that God wants them to be.
· FAITH: People with this gift have such tremendous confidence in the power and promises of God that they can stand strong in their belief, no matter what may try to shake them. They can also stand up for the Church and for their faith in such a way as to defend and move it forward.
· GIVING: Those who have this gift are particularly willing and able to share what resources they have with pleasure and without the need to see them returned.
· HEALING: A capability used by God to restore others, be that physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
· HELPS: Someone with this gift is able to support or assist members of the Body of Christ so that they may be free to minister to others.
· HOSPITALITY: A natural ability to make people—even strangers—feel welcome in one’s own home or Church as a means to disciple or serve them.
· KNOWLEDGE: This is the gift of someone who actively pursues knowledge of the Bible. This person may also enjoy analyzing biblical data.
· LEADERSHIP: This aptitude marks a person who is able to stand before a church, to direct the Body with care and attention, and to motivate them toward achieving the Church’s goals.
· MERCY: This is the defining trait of a person with great sensitivity for those who are suffering. It manifests itself in offering compassion and encouragement and in a love for giving practical help to someone in need.
· PROPHECY: The ability to speak the message of God to others. This sometimes involves foresight or visions of what is to come. This skill should be used only to offer encouragement or warning.
· SERVING: A talent for identifying tasks needed for the Body of Christ and using available resources to get the job done.
· SPEAKING IN TONGUES: The supernatural ability to speak in another language (one that has not been learned).
· TEACHING: The skill to teach from the Bible and communicate it effectively for the understanding and spiritual growth of others.
· WISDOM: The gift of being able to sort through facts and data to discover what needs to be done for the Church.
Every member of the Body of Christ should ask for and seek the gift that God wants explicitly to supply so that their part within the Body can be fulfilled and complete.
“Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way”
— I Corinthians 12:27-31
Paul admonishes the Corinthian believers to covet the best gifts. The Word best simply means the most useful. In other words, every part of the Body is to ask for or covet the most useful gift for the purpose and place God has placed that member.
Just as a natural body is gifted with body parts that function and create the total man, so has the Body of Christ been gifted with diversities of gifts for every part to operate and function as a healthy unit, one Body, yet many parts.
“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the Body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the Body? But now are they many members, yet but one body”
— I Corinthians 12:18-20
Every member is important! Every gift is important. One cannot function without the other. Hence, as every body part, every gift and calling, submits itself to the other in the fear of God, the Body can function, thrive, grow, excel and be edified of itself in love.
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God”
— Ephesians 5:21
“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”
— Ephesians 4:16
The gifts of the Spirit are therefore a very vital part of the healthy function of the Church as long as the gifts are operated by the Spirit that imparted them, and under the Lordship and Authority of God.
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal”
— I Corinthians 12:4-7
“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the Body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one Body, being many, are one Body: so also is Christ”
— I Corinthians 12:11-12
GIFTS OF THE WORD
God also has given gifts of the administration of the Word of God to the Church. God does this by flowing through servants of God who are called to these offices or positions.
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”
— Ephesians 4:11-12
These offices or positions do not make God’s ministers Lord or Master (of) the Churchbut are rather offices or positions of servitude. It is not the man or woman that is teaching the Church actually, but the anointing of the Word of God and the Spirit of God that is teaching the Church through His servants.
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him”
— I John 2:27
Divine Healing and Deliverance
Divine Healing and Deliverance are an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Mercy and Grace of God that heals us, for mankind does not deserve such benefits nor can we earn this kind of favor with God. God heals us for His Name Sake.
We are healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”
— Isaiah 53:4-5
“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses”
— Matthew 8:16-17
Prayer of faith shall save the sick
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him”
— James 5:14-15
The Ministry of Jesus is to save, heal and deliver
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”
— Luke 4:18
The Apostles healed the sick
“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God”
— Acts 3:1-8
“And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one”
— Acts 5:12-16
“And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:”
— Acts 28:8-9
The LORD Heals.
“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee”
— Exodus 15:26
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;”
— Psalm 103:1-3
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds”
— Psalm 147:3
“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise”
— Jeremiah 17:14
our Spiritual Gifts – How to Identify and Effectively Use Them.
Learning our spiritual gift(s) is a fun subject because we get to discover something about ourselves that we may not have known before.
A spiritual gift is something God has chosen specifically for you so that you can help with the advancement of the Church on earth by serving and using your special ability.
What are spiritual gifts?
God has chosen people to do his work. He chose this course of action for reasons only He knows and understands. From a human perspective, we may wonder if this was the best decision. After all, the sky’s the limit concerning what God could have done. He could have chosen angels to speak to lost humanity. He certainly used them on many significant occasions throughout Scripture. Or God could have created a special category of messengers that would never fail him—a “sin-proof” instrument that would faithfully proclaim his Word. For that matter, God himself could have poked his face through the heavens and said, “Hello, world! I’m God, and you’re not!” But God has chosen men and women to do his work among humankind.
As we seek to follow and be used by Jesus Christ, we need to utilize all that He has made available to us. One of the great blessings Jesus has given to his Church and us as individuals is the gifts of the Spirit. Why has he given these gifts? The Bible has this to say about the vital role they play in the lives of believers:
Spiritual Gifts Enable Us to Grow in the Knowledge of Christ. Some people get sidetracked with spiritual gifts and become more obsessed with the gifts than with Jesus. Believers begin to follow signs and wonders instead of signs and wonders following believers. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity. The Christian writer/preacher A. B. Simpson wrote these insightful words:
Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord.
Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word.
Once his gifts I wanted, now the Giver own.
Once I sought for healing, now himself alone.
Attaining spiritual gifts is not the goal—they are the gateway. They are not a hobby to play with—they are tools to build with, weapons to fight with. We will be more effective as we put them to use for God’s glory and not our own.
Spiritual Gifts Are to Be Used. It is possible to let a gift go unused. In doing this, however, you disobey God and cheat the Church of a blessing. For this reason, we must use those gifts he has given us. It must be insulting to God for us to demean some gift His Holy Spirit has instilled in our life by saying that it just isn’t important enough to use.
Each Spiritual Gift Has a Special Place in the Body of Christ. Every gift that God has placed in the Body of Christ, the Church, is important. Some gifts such as preaching, teaching, and prophesying may seem more important than others, such as hospitality or service. But God has given all of these gifts to build up his Church. None of these gifts should be looked down upon or treated lightly.
It should be noted that not every Christian believes God still gives all these spiritual gifts. Some think that certain gifts, such as speaking in tongues, were handed down only when they were needed in biblical history and are no longer needed now.
How do we determine which gifts God has given us?
As you were reading through the descriptions listed above, did any resonate with you? Perhaps that could be the gift or gifts you have been given. You can ask your Christian friends which gifts they identify in you—very often; they can see what you cannot and can observe which skills God has divinely assigned to you. You can pray about it; if we ask God to lead us toward whatever gifts He has given us, he can make it clearer to us. You can also take an online spiritual gifts test—simply search online, and you’ll find one. But a word of caution here: These tests may not be reliable, so take the results with a pinch of salt and be sure to keep pursuing the answer in prayer.
It’s very easy to lose sight of Jesus while we’re in pursuit of our spiritual gifts. Sometimes they can become idols to us, so don’t allow this to take your eye off the only one who matters.
Additionally, once we determine which gift or gifts we have, we can become a little pigeonholed within them. Just because you have the gift of teaching doesn’t mean you should be a pastor! There are multiple uses for each gift, and your mentors, friends, and church leaders can help you decide how best to use those amazing God-given skills of yours.
And you may find that your gifts change over time. For example, you might find that you receive the gift of faith as you grow in your faith. This just happily means that you’re becoming a stronger person in Jesus and are increasingly able to talk about your faith in a confident way. But as we age, gain wisdom, have new experiences, and journey further with the Lord, we all inherently change, and therefore, so may your spiritual gifts. Think of it as God giving you a software update!
So, what are we to do when we know what our spiritual gifts are?
Once you determine which gift or gifts you have, start using them to glorify God. By using your spiritual gifts to volunteer in a ministry or around your Church, you are moving the Kingdom of God forward. And that applies no matter how small the job may seem.
Find a place to serve (sometimes volunteering is referred to as “serving”) that utilizes at least one of your gifts, and you’ll be amazed at how blessed your time will be. You may notice how easy you find it; God has given you a divine gift that you are inherently good at, and it just comes naturally! You may be surprised at how much you enjoy flexing that new gift muscle too.
The best place to start is at your Church; ask a leader where volunteers are needed and see what might fit your gifting. For example, if you have the gift of mercy, a hospital or prison ministry may be the right place for you. Or, if you have the gift of hospitality, greeting new people or setting up for events may be the best fit. The gift of exhortation could make you an amazing addition to a prayer ministry.
Remember that your gifts can be used in many different ways, so don’t feel like you have to do something just because it looks, on the surface, as if it’s perfect for your gifts. If an assignment isn’t filling you with joy, find an opportunity that does. Joy is a great indicator of what your gift may be; if a task makes you happy, that’s a good sign you’ve found your skill and fit.
Now go and discover what gifts God has given you, and make sure to use those gifts in the Kingdom!