Written by: Dr. Kim Jessie, DMin
God gives each person who believes in Him a divine purpose that is encouraged by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and accomplished through the gifts, talents and abilities bestowed upon that person by the Spirit. Multiple gifting lists are found in Scripture. The gifts are distributed as the Holy Spirit decides and used by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ. Everyone should rejoice in their spiritual gifts and use them to the best of their abilities to build the Kingdom of God. No one should consider their gifting more important than someone else’s gifting. All gifts are distributed as God desires. Below are the gift lists from various scripture passages with a basic definition to help leaders understand the gifts. A leader can review the list and determine which gifts are needed to accomplish specific ministry tasks.
Romans 12:6-8
• Prophecy: The ability to tell what will happen in the future.
• Service: Ministering to the needs of others
• Teaching: Helping others learn, discipling others
• Encouraging: Helping others by lifting them up
• Giving: Sharing resources to meet needs
• Leading: Guiding and directing others toward a common goal or purpose
• Mercy: Showing kindness and compassion to others
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
• Wisdom: A deep understanding and insight about what the Holy Spirit is leading a group to do to grow God’s Kingdom
• Knowledge: Having an understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit, providing information to help others grow in their spiritual walk
• Faith: A deep belief in what God can do
• Healing: The ability to bring healing to others
• Miraculous Powers: Abilities that come only from God
• Prophecy: The ability to tell what will happen in the future
• Discernment: The ability to judge between good and bad when clarity is difficult
• Speaking in Tongues: Speaking in the Heavenly language or in multiple common languages
• Interpretation of Tongues: The ability to interpret when someone speaks in the Heavenly language
1 Corinthians 12:28-30
• Apostles: Those who see opportunities to share Christ by starting new churches and ministries
• Prophets: One who can tell what will happen in the future
• Teachers: Those who help others learn, those who disciple others
• Workers of Miracles: Those gifted in supernatural work that builds the body of Christ
• Healing: The ability to bring healing to others
• Helping: Those who assist others
• Administration: Those who manage and give direction to others
• Speaking in Tongues: Speaking in the Heavenly language or in multiple common languages
• Interpretation of Tongues: The ability to interpret when someone speaks in the Heavenly language
Ephesians 4:11
• Apostles: Those who see opportunities to share Christ by starting new churches and ministries
• Prophets: One who can tell what will happen in the future
• Evangelists: Those who share the Good News of Christ through preaching and teaching
• Pastors: Those who minister to the body of Christ with a focus on the spiritual needs of others
• Teachers: Those who help others learn, those who disciple others
1 Peter 4:9-11
• Hospitality: Help others feel welcome and cared for
• Speaking: Sharing the Good News of Christ with others
• Serving: Ministering to the needs of others
For those who do not know their spiritual gifts, a free assessment can be found at: https://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcf_mycs_030526_spiritual_gifts_survey.pdf
Questions for further thought:
- What are your spiritual gifts?
- How are you using your gifts to build God’s Kingdom?
- Which spiritual giftings do you need to add to your team to help you accomplish your work?
- How will you find the people with these spiritual gifts?
Download this entire worksheet here: https://goo.gl/SSB4VL