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THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

By Luke Geraty Leave a Comment

Photo by: GU Photography @ Flickr (Creative Commons)

Photo by: GU Photography @ Flickr (Creative Commons)

When a person becomes a Christian, they are told about the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit”; God the father and Jesus Christ the son are familiar and have lots of dialogue in the Bible, but the Holy Spirit is pretty quiet and often overlooked. So what does the Holy Spirit do?

In the Old Testament, the Spirit gave the leaders of Israel power to produce signs (think parting of the Red Sea), prophesy, and guide the nation. While Jesus is fully God, he lived his life on earth anointed by the Holy Spirit, receiving the power to heal people, teach with authority, and raise people from the dead. Though it’s sometimes less dramatic in our lives, the Holy Spirit shares practical gifts with us; when we serve in his name, when we worship, when we pray, the Spirit brings us closer to God.

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

From start to finish, Christians are connected to God and given power by way of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work is related to spiritual gifts. But since spiritual gifts are a popular topic, the information can be overwhelming or confusing.

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Spiritual gifts are abilities that we have by way of the Holy Spirit. Michael Bird, in Evangelical Theology, defines a spiritual gift as “an empowerment from God for God’s people through the Spirit for spiritual work in the church.” So what does that mean? God gives you abilities for you to use to serve others; they are “spiritual” because they are directly tied to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4, 7). Contrast this with abilities in general: regular abilities can be chosen and developed as a way to profit yourself; spiritual gifts can also be developed, but you don’t choose them, and they’re meant for serving others and glorifying God.

The New Testament has several lists of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 7:7; 12:8–10, 28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). Some of the spiritual gifts could be described as “natural” and others appear to be “supernatural.” For example, Paul lists “gifts of healing” and “working of miracles” along with “leading” and “acts of mercy.” This is important to note because, regardless of whether a spiritual gift appears to be natural or supernatural, all gifts are equally valued, and the source for all of them is the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12).

Who Has Spiritual Gifts?

Sometimes Christians believe that only certain people have spiritual gifts, such as pastors or people who have been Christians for a long time. Not true! Every single follower of Jesus is given spiritual gifts to use. The apostle Peter wrote, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pet. 4:10, ESV). There truly are no “superstar” Christians who have all of the spiritual gifts. God doesn’t want anybody to sit on the sidelines. Instead, followers of Jesus have all been given the presence of the Holy Spirit to empower them to contribute their gifts to the “team” — the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

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This, of course, raises another issue: who decides who gets which gifts? A few years ago a person told me that if he preached at the church I serve, he could guarantee that our congregation would receive the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and healing. (We’ll discuss these gifts in more depth later.) But this runs counter to what the New Testament teaches: all these [spiritual gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (1 Cor. 12:11, ESV)

No person determines who gets which spiritual gifts; that is a decision that the Holy Spirit makes. So if someone tells you that they are able to impart or give away spiritual gifts at their disposal based on their will, that person is not teaching what the Bible teaches. Watch out.

What Are My Spiritual Gifts?

Many churches and individuals use spiritual gifts assessments. In these “tests,” people are asked questions that help them determine what spiritual gifts they most often function in so that they can know what they have. While this is a popular way to explore the subject and it can raise helpful questions, there’s more to it.

These assessments can give the impression that once people know what their gift is, that it is the only gift they have, or that they’re “off the hook” in areas where they didn’t have high scores.

People think they should wait to know their gifts and/or develop them before they can serve in ministry.

If test questions concentrate on where you already function most often, you may be leaving something out. For example, if you’re already involved in teaching, the test may overlook the gift God has given you for mercy.

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But there is no Scripture in the New Testament that teaches Jesus’ followers that they only receive one spiritual gift. There is no Scripture that suggests they need to figure out which gift they have before they can obey God or serve others. The upshot is spiritual gift assessments aren’t evil, and they can help us identify our gifts and abilities, but it’s best to learn what the Bible teaches and consider the implications of those teachings.

We can summarize the New Testament’s approach to spiritual gifts in two ways: First, the New Testament emphasizes that as Christians we are to serve other people and God. Second, the New Testament teaches that the Holy Spirit empowers us to serve–giving us the right words to say, the wisdom to know what to do and when to do it, as well as the strength to carry out the work you see before you.

In future articles I will explore other issues related to the subject of spiritual gifts. This will include some of the more controversial or confusing spiritual gifts such as prophecy, gifts of healings, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and much more. This will include more discussion on how spiritual gifts function when we’re sharing our faith as well as building up other Christians. If the Holy Spirit has been sent to empower the church for the work of ministry, having a healthy understanding of what Scripture teaches concerning spiritual gifts, which are given by the Spirit, would seem rather important! So stay tuned for our next issue to learn more about this subject!

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Filed Under: Featured, Grow, Growth & Maturity Tagged With: Issue 27

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Happy Spring! Enjoy the new issue! #linkinbio Happy Spring! Enjoy the new issue! #linkinbio
Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on ou Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on our own is in vain. We can never hope to achieve the same level that Jesus was on while we are still here on Earth. We’re like little kids, struggling just to walk. But that’s why Jesus gave us an example of redeemed followers in the form of the Apostles, who were his close group of students here on Earth. He chose a group of broken, sinful men, and ultimately shaped them into the group responsible for continuing his ministry here on Earth. ⁠
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✍🏽: Tim VanDeWalker in "Running By Example" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's th "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." –Desmond Tutu
The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not t The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not to become like it. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom. 12:2a). Some have interpreted this as an instruction to reject anything that isn’t explicitly Christian. But I don’t think that’s what this verse is getting at. I think it means much more.⁠
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✍🏽: Lindsey Beharry in "Choosing Wisely" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
If you desire to serve, seek to form groups withou If you desire to serve, seek to form groups without age distinction. Maybe you want to form a group in your church. Avoid just inviting members from your age group. Seek out people older and younger than you to invite to meet together. Find that person who sits alone and talk to her or him. Instead of a focus on building groups that have the same characteristics to “relate” with one another, you center your discussion in the work of Christ. He will bring the group together. ⁠
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✍🏽: Russell Almand in "Community and Age Diversity" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"If we put our faith in temporal things, they will "If we put our faith in temporal things, they will inevitably let us down. They were never meant to be enough for us. Not alone. When Barnum finally does hit bottom, he recognizes that his heart has been led astray, fooled into thinking that fame or fortune could satisfy him."⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "The Greatest Showman" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the ex "Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the extent of its effects on the brain, relationships, and society at a time when sexually explicit content is just a click away. Christians have recognized pornography’s negative impact for decades, yet it is still often considered a “male” problem within the Church. This can leave women who struggle with porn addiction feeling isolated and alone. The organization SheRecovery (formerly Dirty Girls Ministries) aims to change that and has become a resource for women with porn addiction. You can read more about their ministry at the link in our bio. ⁠
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✍🏽: Lisa Gagnon in "Dirty Girls Ministries" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The presence of my sin reminds me of my great nee "The presence of my sin reminds me of my great need for grace, and good works are the outpouring of a grateful heart; being a good child is not a means of earning the favor of God."⁠
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"As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by "As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by how we handle our daily lives, much like those around us, but also by an added component: our faith. How we pray and worship and spend time with our fellow followers provides additional meaning to our lives."⁠
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Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others an Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others and not to judge. I forget that when he said, “Come follow me,” he wasn’t just inviting us to a strict set of rules but to a real and exciting life whether you turn out to be a pastor, a doctor, designer or simply “Dad.” Sometimes I forget one of his main messages was that he came to give us a better life than we could ever dream of—life to the fullest. Jesus wasn’t locking us down to a vocation or job title. It’s as if he was saying, “Real, vibrant life is available to you now. Following me, loving me and living like me is your real calling…the rest is just there to aid you in following, loving and living.”⁠
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✍🏽: Wendy Van Eyck in "Living For A Purpose" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” There is yet another parallel between the Christian story and The Matrix, simultaneously the most foundational and the most captivating. It’s that something which is missing, something which is not quite right with the world. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know that it’s there. At the outset of the first film, Neo is searching for it. Trinity asserts that “it’s the question that drives us.” Morpheus claims that “you can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.” The question is: What if I’ve only ever scratched the surface of all that life has to offer? What if there is a deeper, truer current of reality, ever-present behind all of my life’s experiences, to which I might awaken at any moment?⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Tumbling Down The Rabbit Hole" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because "I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because we all struggle with temptations to sin. And we all struggle to live in a way that honors God. Like Augustine we all feel the tug of our past sins that say, 'Don’t you want to enjoy us?' And Augustine’s story relates to Galatians 5:16-26 where Paul tells us about how the Christian life is like a walk. In a way, walking is a metaphor for the Christian life." ⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like livin "The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like living, and for serving others." Where in your life or in what ways has the Spirit enabled you this week? We'd love to hear, tell us in the comments below!⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott  in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
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