Identify & Exercise Your Spiritual Gifts
The gifts of the Spirit are God’s power in action - a toolbox for your ministry in the church and your mission in the world.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
- 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
The gifts of the Spirit are special abilities that are to be used to minister to the needs of people and to see the church edified and built up. They are not a badge of spiritual maturity and are not intended for our self-indulgence - they are a means to a greater end, not objectives to be attained in and of themselves.
There are probably as many gifts as there are needs in the life of the church and the world. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 is the most famous chapter on the spiritual gifts - it is not an exhaustive list as there are other spiritual gifts such as serving, giving and leading in Romans 12:6-8 ; or pastoring and teaching in Ephesians 4:8-11; or hospitality in 1 Peter 4:10; or administration – later in 1 Corinthians. 12:28. There are many gifts which are not even mentioned in the New Testament (e.g. leading worship).
The nine gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 bear no resemblance to pre-conversion capabilities; many other gifts - like teaching or singing - are often ordinary abilities enhanced by the Spirit. Indeed, in some cases, the gifts of the Spirit coincide with natural endowments, but they transcend these natural abilities by adding a supernatural quality or enhancement to them.
Our Collectives - which provide close, safe and supportive relationships - offer the perfect setting to explore, discover, test and enjoy your spiritual gifts. You may also want to use surveys like this one from Lifeway to help you - there’s no perfect tool but these kinds of surveys are still especially helpful in identifying where your dominant gift(s) might be. Of course, a member of our Pastoral Team would also be happy to assist any church member is discovering and deploying their spiritual gifts.