Spiritual Gifts
CONTENTS
- Introduction
- 1. Questionnaire for Evaluation
- 2. Results of the Survey
- 3. Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
Introduction
To whom and how are spiritual gifts given?
- Every believer is spiritually gifted (1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Cor. 12:7, Eph. 4:7-8)
- Christians are encouraged to “eagerly desire” for spiritual gifts, especially those gifts that bring edification to the Church (1 Cor. 14:1,3; 1 Cor 12:31).
- The Holy Spirit decides who gets which gift just as God decided where each part of our body should be (1 Cor. 12:11, 18).
NOTE: No one Christian has all of the gifts nor is any one gift common to all Christians (1 Cor. 12:12-18). - Spiritual gifts may be imparted when a group of elders pray for a Christian while commissioning him for a particular task or office. In the first century, such prayer was usually accompanied by the laying on of hands. The impartation of the gift can be accompanied by a prophetic word that reveals the nature of the gift. (1 Tim 4:14)
What are the purposes of spiritual gifts?
- “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” – 1 Cor 12:7 NLT.
- When spiritual gifts are utilized with “all the strength and energy that God supplies,” it results in the glory of God – 1 Peter 4:10-11
- Those who receive the equipping gifts must equip other members of the church for the service Christ has called them. The proper use of spiritual gifts will cause all members of the Church to grow. When they grow, their understanding and experiential knowledge of God’s Son will increasingly grow perfect and identical (unity of faith and knowledge) – Eph. 4:12-13
Results of the Survey
Determine your gifting by the corresponding scores given in red. The four or five gifts with the highest ranking are the gifts you should focus on. If multiple rows show high ranking, you may have to prayerfully decide on a few God-given gifts. Remember, this is just the beginning of your journey of discovery. Please read through the following sections too.
Summary
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| GIFTING | SCORE |
|---|---|
| Helps | |
| Leadership | |
| Hospitality | |
| Service | |
| Administration | |
| Discernment | |
| Faith | |
| Music | |
| Languages | |
| Miracles | |
| Craftsmanship | |
| Healing | |
| Giving | |
| Mercy | |
| Wisdom | |
| Knowledge | |
| Exhortation | |
| Teaching | |
| Pastoral Care | |
| Apostleship | |
| Missionary | |
| Prophecy | |
| Evangelism | |
| Intercession |
Description of Gifts
The ability to invest the talents one has in the life and ministry of other members of the body, thus enabling others to increase the effectiveness of their own spiritual gifts. Mark 15:40-41; Acts 9:36; Romans 16:1-2; I Corinthians 12:28
The ability to set goals in accordance with God’s purpose for the future and to communicate those goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God.
Acts 15:7-11; Romans 12:8; I Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17
The ability to provide an open house and a warm welcome to those in need of food and lodging.
The ability to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God’s work and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired results.
The ability to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals.
The ability to know with assurance whether certain behavior purported to be of God is in reality divine, human, or satanic. The purpose of this gift is to prevent confusion and false teaching from infiltrating the church.
The ability to discern with extraordinary confidence the will and purpose of God, and to propel the body of believers into actively claiming the promises of God.
The ability to use one’s voice in the singing of praises to the Lord and for the benefit of others, or to play a musical instrument to praise the Lord and for the benefit of others.
The ability to speak a divinely anointed message in a language one has never learned, but one that is known to the hearers. Its purpose is an evangelistic tool for spreading the gospel.
The ability to serve as a human intermediary through whom it pleases God to perform powerful acts that are perceived by observers to have altered the ordinary course of nature.
The ability to use one’s hands, thoughts and mind to further thekingdom of God through artistic, creative means. People with this gift may also serve to lead others in forming their abilities in this area. The gift may also be used in the areas of maintenance, care and upkeep for the benefit and beautification of God’s kingdom here on earth.
The ability to serve as a human intermediary through whom God’s healing power is applied to another person’s physical or emotional need.
The ability to contribute material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality and cheerfulness.
The ability to feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals who suffer distressing physical, mental or emotional problems and to translate that compassion into cheerfully-done deeds which reflect Christ’s love and alleviate the sufferings.
The ability to apply spiritual truth to a specific issue in an especially relevant fashion, and to make proper choices in difficult situations, based on sufficient information.
The ability to discover, accumulate, analyze and clarify information which is pertinent to the growth and well-being of the body.
The ability to minister words of encouragement, consolation, comfort and motivation from God’s Word to help others complete their tasks and be all that God wants them to be.
The ability to employ a logical, systematic approach to Biblical study and to communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of the body and its members in such a way that others will learn.
The ability to assume a long-term personal responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of believers.
The ability to assume and exercise general leadership over a number of churches, with an extraordinary authority in spiritual matters which is spontaneously recognized and appreciated by those churches.
The ability to minister WITH whatever other spiritual gifts one has in a second culture.
The ability to proclaim the Word of God with divine anointing, whichbrings conviction to the hearers so they recognize that it is truly the Word of God and they must do something about it.
The ability to share the gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women become Jesus’ disciples and esponsible members of the body of Christ.
The ability to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to prayer, to a degree much greater than that experienced by most Christians. Luke 22:41-44; Acts 12:12; Colossians 1:9-12; Colossians 4:12-13; I Timothy 2:1-2; James 5:14-16.
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Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
You have just begun a process of discovering your spiritual gifts. As you reflect on the gifts you have tentatively identified through the questionnaire, try to discern which ones truly are, or are not, your gifts. To do so, follow this five-step approach:
- EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES: Read through the three key chapters in the scriptures dealing with spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11-15), and 1 Corinthians 13. Learn what your gifts are, what characterizes them and how they function in the Body of Christ, so that you can have something concrete to look for as you move ahead.
- EXPERIMENT WITH AS MANY GIFTS AS POSSIBLE: The spiritual gifts analysis which you have just completed has helped you experiment with different gifts. Your feelings, reactions and general outlook on the gifts were measured as you worked through the discovery questionnaire. Now you need to experiment further with the gifts you pinpointed in the analysis. Unless you try the gifts this analysis has revealed, you will have a hard time knowing whether or not you really have them. Get involved in a ministry activity that will let you try out these gifts.
- EXAMINE YOUR FEELINGS: Since God has put the body together, you will feel fulfilled when functioning in the proper area. Thus, if you enjoy your attempts to use a particular gift, that is a good sign that you possess it. If, however, you dislike the service activities associated with a certain gift, that is a fairly good sign that you do not have it.
- EVALUATE YOUR EFFECTIVENESS: Since spiritual gifts are designed to benefit others, you should see positive results as you use your gift(s). If you see no results when you experiment with a particular gift, you probably do not have that gift. But it could be that you did not give it a fair try, or that it will simply take time for you to learn to use the gift effectively. As you evaluate, pray for the courage to be honest with yourself and with your Lord.
- EXPECT CONFIRMATION FROM THE BODY: You cannot discover, develop and use a gift all on your own. Gifts are given to build up other members of the Body. If you have a gift, other Christians will recognize it and confirm it. If you feel that you choose a particular gift but no one else agrees with you, then you should take a closer look at yourself and re-evaluate.
These five steps are more fully explained in C. Peter Wagner’s book, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help You Grow. Remember, in all of these five steps, prayer is the key. The Lord will lead you to accurate discoveries of your gift(s) if you allow Him to guide and direct you in all your endeavors.
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