You are a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, dear friend! You were created for a specific, great purpose by God for His glory. To help you fulfill that purpose, God has given you spiritual gifts.
These gifts are not earned, based on your “goodness” or you somehow deserving them; they are simply a present to you from God for His purposes! He wants you to use them for His glory.
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.
Use them well to serve one another.”~ 1 Peter 4:10 NLT
Ephesians 4:8 (NLT) says, “That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
A list of these spiritual gifts are found in the Bible in:
Romans 12:6-8
- Prophecy
- Ministry
- Teaching
- Exhortation
- Giving
- Leading
- Mercy (Compassion)
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
- Administrations
- Miracles
- Wisdom
- Knowledge
- Discerning of spirits
- Speaking in tongues
- Interpretation of tongues
- Prophecy
- Faith
- Working of miracles
- Healing
- Apostle
- Teaching
Ephesians 4:11.
- Apostle
- Prophet
- Evangelist
- Pastor
- Teacher
The role of the leadership is to equip, which includes…
- discern Holy Spirit direction and influence the Body to follow Him
- identify gifts appropriately
- equip persons in their gifts (qualify, encourage, hold accountable, release, resource)
- create a culture that enables gifts to be discovered and empowered
- direct people to engage their gifts according to God’s will so that His purposes are fulfilled and He is glorified.
Apostles
- lay foundations
- cast big-picture vision
- nurture and protect unity and real community
- oversee the health of congregations.
Evangelists
- proclaim the gospel to the lost
- make disciples of Jesus, not just converts.
Prophets
- ensure the holiness of the church
- listen for the voice of God and submit their words to prophets/leadership
Pastors and Teachers
- Tend/shepherd the sheep
- Feed the sheep
- Equip
- Correct
- Protect
- Teach
- Celebrate
The book of Ephesians makes a great study on the spiritual gifts and the structure of the church in the New Testament.
Two excellent resources that I recommend on the spiritual gifts are The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit by Lester Sumrall and Step Out and Take Your Place by Krista Dunk
My passion and mission is encouraging Christian women to discover what their spiritual gifts are and using them, so that they can become all that God created them to be. God made you for a unique purpose–a Divine assignment and calling that nobody else can fulfill.
I encourage you to find a Bible-teaching church whose leadership believes in and utilizes people’s gifts. Not all church bodies operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some have a doctrine of cessationism, the view that the gifts (or some of the gifts) have ceased. (I do not hold to this belief!)
Your church may have tests that you can take to help you find out what your spiritual gifts are, so that you can begin learning about them and operating in them in your local church body. We are to be the hands, the feet, and the heart of Jesus.
Remember that the gifts aren’t just for inside the four walls of the church! If you study the gospels, you will see Jesus and the disciples using the spiritual gifts everywhere they went! 🙂 You may have heard it called “Marketplace Ministry.” God wants His church to be without walls, to the ends of the earth!
You can also take tests online to help you discover your spiritual gifts. Here are some links that I recommend for you:
Spiritual Gifts Tests:
http://www.bibleistrue.com/sgtest/testa.htm
http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/
http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm
If you’d like to know more about the spiritual gifts or have questions, you can contact me here.. Be sure to sign up for my new updates with your name and email address at the top of the page on the right hand side to be encouraged in your calling.
1 Peter 4:10
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.