Spiritual Gifts – Part Two – An Introduction

By Michael K. Farrar

God’s Breath Publications

 

As we learn about the spiritual gifts our Heavenly Father has ordained for us to receive from Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit, we must remember that there is no gift the church needs that God has not given to one of the members of His spiritual family. We must also remember that one of the main functions and purposes of the local church is to encourage, build up and edify those who belong to the fellowship of believers. Therefore the work of the church is to help followers of Christ discover, develop and use their spiritual gifts to minister and edify others. This not only promotes each Christian’s spiritual growth to maturity, it also encourages unity in Christ’s church as we work with and minister to each other in the local fellowship. Each of us must understand that we should receive the spiritual gift(s) God has given us with joy, seek to develop them with discipline and dedicate them to the purposes that God has determined for which they are to be used. As we seek to glorify God through the proper and responsible use of the spiritual gifts He has given us, we will seek to live like His Son as we are filled with the Spirit and serve one another.

 

I should mention as we continue through this series that while it appears there is a limited amount of types of spiritual gifts available, the way they are expressed and function is limitless. Each of us is uniquely created. Each of us is unlike anyone else that has ever existed or ever will exist. Each of us has different experiences in life that can affect how we express our spiritual gift(s). So even though you might have the same spiritual gift as someone else, you will express it differently because of your “one-of-a-kind” makeup designed by your Heavenly Father. No one, I repeat NO ONE, in all of creation is exactly like you. Therefore the way you express and minister with your spiritual gift(s) is unique. It stands to reason that if you don’t discover and use your spiritual gift, some part of the body of Christ is missing a blessing. Some need is going unmet. Some glory is not being manifested for our Lord God (1 Corinthians 12:26).

 

There are three main scripture passages that speak about spiritual gifts. They are Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11 and Ephesians 4:11-14. 1 Peter 4:10-11 also references spiritual gifts as well and I will share some thoughts on all these scripture passages. In this series I will cover what these scripture passages say about spiritual gifts as well as attempt to pull together a concise doctrine of spiritual gifts. Many pastors and theologians believe that there are more spiritual gifts than are mentioned in these scripture passages. There may be as many as 28 spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament as a whole, depending on your definition and application. While this may be true, that is beyond what I will attempt to cover in this series.

 

The Bible states that the Holy Spirit is the giver of the spiritual gifts and God places followers of Christ in the body as He determines.

 

1 Corinthians 12:11

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:18-19

“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”

 

This means that we are to be submissive to the will and direction of God as to how He wishes to use us within the local church and in how the Holy Spirit will gift us to carry out the ministry God wishes us to accomplish.

 

God’s Word tells us that not everyone will have the same gift.

 

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.”

 

So the above scripture addresses the problem of some Christian people or churches who attempt to pressure followers of Christ into thinking that they must seek to have a specific gift because it is necessary for their personal edification. God does not intend any one of the gifts to be necessary for every Christian to possess for their own personal purposes. Each of us is uniquely gifted by God. So here are some key points to remember.

 

Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit.

 

1 Corinthians 12:11

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

 

Spiritual gifts are given to every follower of Christ at the time of their conversion.

 

Spiritual gifts are given to each follower of Christ so that they can express them in ministry to others in the church. They are not for self edification.

 

1 Corinthians 12:7

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

 

 

Spiritual gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit on the basis of God’s grace.

 

Ephesians 4:7-8

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:11

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

 

Spiritual gifts are not distributed on the basis of spiritual maturity.

 

Spiritual gifts are not distributed on the basis of education.

 

Spiritual gifts are not distributed on the basis of persistent prayer requests for them. You might ask, what about the statement in 1 Corinthians 12:31?

 

1 Corinthians 12:31

“But earnestly desire the greater gifts.”

 

You must understand in this scripture verse as it is stated in the original Greek language, the structure of the verse is in the second person plural, not the singular imperative. This means Paul was NOT addressing an individual person, but the church as a whole. Paul discerned that the Christians in the Corinthian church were elevating the spiritual gifts that had less ability to edify the church as a whole over the spiritual gifts that were better able to edify the church congregation. Paul was attempting to address the entire church fellowship and show that as a group of believers they should seek, as a church, to “earnestly desire the greater gifts” such as preaching and teaching for example, because these gifts were able to stimulate spiritual growth and maturity in a much more comprehensive fashion than some of the more “spectacular” or “showy” gifts. So Paul in this verse is not encouraging or recommending that a follower of Christ seek or desire certain specific spiritual gifts. He is recommending to the Corinthian church and by implication, any church congregation, to seek gifts that edify the local fellowship of believers as a whole.

 

In the next segment of this series we will cover how the spiritual gifts in God’s Word fall into categories of similarity and some short concise definitions of each gift. It is important you seek to determine your spiritual gift so that God can use you in the capacity He has divinely appointed for you to fulfill. This will not only bring you great joy and meaning in life, it will edify and grow others in their faith and bring glory to God in the process. Another side benefit of using your spiritual gift is that non-believers will be drawn to God through your expression of your specific spiritual gift or gifts.

 

1 Timothy 4:14

“Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you,”

2 Timothy 1:6

“I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you”