Spiritual Gifts and You!
Spiritual gifts are just that – gifts, given to Christian believers for the building up of the whole body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NRSV) says, “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
Spiritual gifts are not talents or skills. “These fruits and gifts are not of our own achievement. They and others are the outgrowth of the Spirit's work in us, by grace, through our faith in Jesus the Christ. And they are not given for personal gain. Through these fruits and gifts, the Holy Spirit empowers us for ministry in the world” (United Methodist Member's Handbook, Revised by George Koehler [Discipleship Resources, 2006], 84-85).
It’s important to discover your spiritual gifts and the spiritual gifts of others. Often, others recognize our gifts before we do. By using an assessment tool, you can learn about your gifts and the gifts of others. Here are three important statements about how spiritual gifts affect the whole community of faith:
1. The use of spiritual gifts provides life and vitality to individuals and to the congregation. By using your spiritual gifts, you are contributing to the spiritual health of the church.
2. When someone neglects to use his or her spiritual gifts, the whole community suffers.
3. When an individual is doing ministry in an area he or she is not gifted for, this leads to dissatisfaction and hurts the whole community of faith.
First, you need to know what they are. “The Spiritual Gifts Assessment Inventory” from the United Methodist Church (Discipleship Ministries) is available here: rb.gy/pjd13v and covers twenty of the spiritual gifts found in Romans 12:6-8, 1st Corinthians 12:7-11, and Ephesians 4:11-13. Spiritual gifts are not limited to the ones used in this assessment. Gifts like hospitality, music, and others are also found in the Bible. The more you learn about your gifts, the better you can use them. EVERYONE has spiritual gifts, and is called by God to use them to the glory of God and the benefit of God’s world and the faith community.
God has created us to be unique and has called us in Christ to be part of one body, each with a purpose. I hope that in exploring the spiritual gifts that God has given to you, you will find a place in that body that blesses you and fills you with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
* Special thanks to Ken Sloane of Discipleship Ministries for information used in this article.