Spiritual Gifts

The most commonly used Greek word for “gift” (the kind that God freely bestows upon believers) in the New Testament is charisma, which translates “gift of grace.” This word emphasizes the fact that God is the Giver, through the operation of His Holy Spirit, and that all such gifts are given for His purposes and for the benefit of others, especially the Body of Christ—the church.

Purpose of Gifts

…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… (Ephesians 4:12)

God’s overall purpose in distributing spiritual gifts to all believers is to prepare us for service and to build up or strengthen the Body of Christ.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

Spiritual gifts are given to individuals “for the common good,” or more specifically, to reach unbelievers and to edify (build up) believers.

God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

God gifts and callings are given to individuals for a lifetime. He does not give a gift and then later take it away. Neither does He call an individual to a specific ministry and then lead her/him elsewhere.

Eagerly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Believers are to wish for the gifts that most effectively serve and benefit the entire Body of Christ. These would be primarily the gifts from Romans 12, such as prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy. They also could include the manifestation gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophesy, and the discerning of spirits.

“Before dealing with the gifts of the Spirit more specifically I must emphasize one point. These gifts come from the Holy Spirit. He chooses who gets which gifts, and He dispenses them at His good pleasure. While we are held accountable for the use of any gifts He gives us, we have no responsibility for gifts we have not been given. Nor are we to covet what someone else has or be envious of that person. We may wish to have certain gifts or even ask for them, but if it is not the will of the Holy Spirit, we will not get what we ask for. And if we are dissatisfied because the Holy Spirit does not give us the gifts we want, we sin. In my case I believe God has given me the gift of
evangelism, but I did not ask for it.”1

Our True Calling

Before being given gifts and being called to serve, all believers are called to “bear fruit.” Jesus said…

“You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” (John 15:16 NLT)

The Greek word for “fruit” is karpos, meaning fruit which is produced by the inherent energy of a living organism. According to John 15:16, the fruit we are to bear is Christ-likeness. We are to produce the same fruit that Jesus produced during His ministry. He commanded us to go, and as we go, we are to look, sound, and act like Christ in all that we think, say, and do. Our ministries, gifts, and callings should all flow out of our chief aim, which is to become more and more like Jesus.

As always, with every directive, God gives us a promise. When we are obedient to do what He asks (produce spiritual fruit), He will give us whatever we need to complete the task, literally whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name. This is a most powerful promise! It gives us the courage and confidence to ask God for souls to be saved, hearts and lives to be changed, and even for miracles to be wrought when the result glorifies God and builds up the Body of Christ.

Motivational (Grace) Gifts

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:6-8)

Each gift in the above passage is different, but all are for the purpose of building up and strengthening the Body of Christ and benefiting others. No gift was ever given to elevate the individual receiving it. All spiritual gifts are for the glory of God and the good of His people.

Following is a list of the motivational (grace) gifts found in the above passage of Scripture followed by a brief description of each gift.

• Prophesying – Communicating revealed truth to build up other believers
• Serving – Taking care of the material needs of believers
• Teaching – Instructing others in the art of Christian living
• Encouraging – Motivating others toward success and good works
• Giving - Contributing generously to the needs of others
• Leading – Governing and serving others diligently and wisely
• Showing Mercy – Ministering cheerfully to the sick and needy

Other Gifts – 1 Peter 4:9-11

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

The primary purpose of all spiritual gifts is reiterated in verse 11 of the above passage—to give God glory in everything! This is to keep individuals from becoming prideful in the use of their gifts and relying on their own strength. As Peter stated in the last sentence in the above passage, all glory and power belong to Jesus and our use of spiritual gifts within the Body must always glorify God.

The gifts mentioned in the passage above are as follows:

• Sharing Hospitality – The willingness and ability to share one’s home and provisions with others
• Speaking – Articulating the truth with confidence and authority in public
• Helping – The willingness and ability to help others in their time of need

The following are gifts mentioned in other places in the Bible.

• Craftsmanship – The supernatural artistic or creative abilities used to build up the Kingdom (Exodus 28:3-4)
• Intercession – The supernatural ability and motivation to pray for extended periods of time with great positive effect for the sake of the Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 3:10-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
• Leadership – The supernatural ability and motivation to motivate, direct, and inspire God's people to voluntarily, harmoniously, and effectively work together to do His work (Hebrews 13:7, Judges 3:10, Exodus 18:13-16)
• Missionary – The supernatural ability and motivation to use other spiritual gifts in a different culture or community (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
• Music – The supernatural ability and motivation to praise God through various forms of music—vocal and instrumental—and to lead others in praise and worship (1 Corinthians 14:26, Mark 14:26)

Manifestation (Sign) Gifts

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as He determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

The Apostle Paul gave believers a caveat at the beginning of chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians. Here he warns…

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:…There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
(1 Corinthians 12: 1, 4-6)

Though the gifts and ministries of the church are diverse and for different purposes, they are all given by the same Spirit for God’s glory, for the edification of the Body of Christ, and for the benefit of others. Later in the same chapter, Paul lists the “manifestations” (from the Greek phanerosis, meaning “made visible”) of the Spirit. These are often referred to as “sign gifts,” and are less common than the “grace gifts” mentioned above.

• Message of Wisdom – An utterance from the Holy Spirit applying God’s Word or wisdom to a specific situation
• Message of Knowledge – An utterance from the Holy Spirit revealing knowledge about people, circumstances or Biblical truth
• Faith – “Faithfulness or steadfastness.” Supernatural faith imparted by the Holy Spirit, enabling a Christian to believe God for the miraculous
• Healing – “The gift of cures.” Restoring someone to physical health without medical intervention
• Miraculous Powers – “Signs and wonders.” Altering the course of nature by divinely supernatural means
• Prophesy – A special temporary ability to bring a word, warning, exhortation or revelation from God under the impulse of the Holy Spirit.
• Discerning of Spirits – “The distinguishing of spirits.” The special ability to judge whether prophecies and utterances are from the Holy Spirit
• Speaking in Tongues – “Glossolalia.” Expressing oneself under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit in an unknown and unlearned language
• Interpreting Tongues – The special ability to interpret what is spoken in tongues (glossolalia)

Ministry Callings

It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastor/teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The passage above describes the callings (functions) given by God to those within the Body of Christ. Paul explains the purpose of these offices in verse 12. Individuals called to these offices are “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” In verse 13, He restates the ultimate purpose of all gifts and callings—to continue “building up the Body” until we all are in unity concerning our faith and our knowledge of Christ, spiritually mature, and as Christ-like as is humanly possible.

The various ministry callings are listed below.

• Apostle - “One sent with a commission.” One specifically commissioned by Christ to establish an expression of His Body through which to proclaim His gospel (church planter)
• Prophet – “Public expounder;” One who speaks, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a message from God to the church, motivated by concern for the spiritual life and purity of believers
• Evangelist – “One who announces good news;” One who is gifted by God to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the unsaved
• Pastor – “Shepherd of a flock;” One who is chosen and gifted to oversee the Body of Christ and care for its spiritual needs
• Teacher – “One who instructs;” One who is gifted to clarify and explain God’s Word to build up and encourage the Body of Christ

NOTE: The offices of Pastor and Teacher, being complementary roles, are often combined and shared by the same individual.

Other Ministry Callings

• Deacon – One chosen and gifted to render practical assistance to members of the church
• Helper – One gifted for a variety of helpful deeds
• Administrator – One gifted to guide and oversee the various activities of the church
• Giver – One gifted to give freely of his resources to the needs of God’s people
• Comforter – Those gifted to give comfort by acts of mercy to people in distress

Summary
Every believer is called of God to serve Him, the church, and others in a special way. Each believer is given specific gifts that will empower and equip him to carry out God’s calling on his life. Grace gifts are generally given once for all times. They are often referred to as “motivational” gifts because they motivate believers to serve God in specific areas. The manifestation gifts are given by the Spirit when they are most needed. I have no valid reason to suspect that God has discontinued any of them. My experience has been, however, that these gifts are in less frequent operation today than the grace gifts. I attribute this to three things:

1. The manifestations of speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues have fewer legitimate uses within the Body of Christ today than they had at Pentecost and in other instances in the New Testament.
   
2. Christians as a whole have become too pragmatic and we no longer expect God to operate in the supernatural realm.
   
3. Too few believers are open to allowing God to manifest Himself supernaturally through them.

The church is in crisis today because of a vast lack of power. Pride and unbelief are at the heart of this powerlessness in the church today.
We do not lack the directive.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
(1 John 4:17 NKJV)

We do not lack the strength.

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

We do not lack the resources.

…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and
godliness,…(2 Peter 1:2-4 NLT)

We do not lack the faith.

…God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3b NKJV)

Jesus said that we would do greater works than He did while He was on earth.

“The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
(John 14:7 NLT)

We need to take Jesus at His Word and allow God to manifest Himself in and through us “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12b-13)

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1 Dr. Billy Graham, from The Holy Spirit, Activating God’s Power in Your Life, Waco: Word Books, 1978