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The What, Why, and How of Spiritual Gifts – A Topical Bible Study

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 — “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a 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 distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

In that day there were a lot of counterfeit gifts going around from the occult. Satan has always been one to mimic the real thing, twisting it and abusing it for his own purposes. If someone is ignorant of the truth, they are in danger. Imagine a deer who cannot recognize a lion. Bye bye deer. If the Corinthians did not even know the truth about spiritual gifts, then they wouldn’t know how to use them correctly.

The source is not people and certainly not demons. The source is the Holy Spirit, Jesus, God the Father. In short, the Trinity. There are three general categories of gifts, verbal, serving, and sign gifts. The verbal gifts are for the purpose of speaking to edify the church such as teaching, preaching, prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, etc. Serving gifts include things such as leadership, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment. The sign gifts included miracles, healing, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. So there all kinds of gifts and perhaps even combinations of gifts, but the same God gave all of them. Therefore there is no basis for pride that one’s gift is better than another person’s.

• Word of wisdom – Ability to understand God’s Word and His will, and to skillfully apply that understanding to life.
• Word of knowledge – Ability to understand and speak God’s truth, with insight into mysteries of His Word. Knowledge majors on grasping the meaning of truth, while wisdom majors on applying that to practical real-life situations in the proper way.
• Faith – This would not be a saving faith or a persevering faith as every believer has that. But rather it is a kind of especially strong faith that places complete confidence in God no matter what the circumstance. Very likely guys like Hudson Taylor and George Muller had this gift.
• Gifts of healing – This was a gift of healing specially given mostly to the apostles for a certain time and stage in the church’s development.
• Gift of miracles – Includes such things as casting out demons, the jars of oil, etc. This is a demonstration of supernatural power (God’s power) in some way that is abnormal in the natural world.
• Gift of prophecy – Nowadays most people consider this gift to be a telling of the future. But it actually only means “speaking forth” or “proclaiming publicly.” Those with the gift of prophecy now have the ability to exposit and explain the Scriptures and edify others with them.
• Distinguishing of spirits – Christians with this gift have the ability to recognize lying spirits and to identify deceptive and erroneous doctrine. It is exercising discernment to distinguish between the lies of Satan, his counterfeits, and the truth of God, the real thing.
• Gift of tongues – From Acts, we see that this gift involved speaking a real foreign tongue without knowing it through study.
• Gift of interpretation of tongues – This is like reverse engineering. Those with this gift can listen and understand those foreign tongues and then translate it back to their own language.

Verse 11 is yet another reminder that all of these gifts are from the same Spirit. All the praise and recognition for these gifts goes to Him. They are distributed not according to our desires, but according to the will of the Spirit. They are for His master plan of the church. We need to serve Him as He wills not as we will. Go where we are needed instead of where we want to go or feel comfortable.

— From our Bible study on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:6, 11 — “And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone… All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

The Corinthian church was a bit of a mess. People were dividing and being contentious because they wanted the more visible gifts and were using them for self-promotion. Some wanted the spotlight. Some were jealous, “Why did he get that spiritual gift and I didn’t?”

Paul doesn’t want them to divide over the gifts or misuse them. Thus, he tells them it is the Holy Spirit who gives the spiritual gifts. He apportions to each one according to His will. It says that He does this individually.

He is not like the person throwing toys into a crowd. Whatever you happen to catch is yours. It is purposeful, not random. He may give a mixture of multiple gifts. He may give one person a greater amount of one gift. To one person, He might give 30% encouragement, 20% hospitality, and 50% generosity. To another, He might give 150% prophecy.

He does it individually. It is not like mass-produced factory items. Each of us is handmade, hand-painted, designed by Him. If you were labelled, you wouldn’t read, “Made in China,” you would read, “Fashioned by God.”

Psalm 139:14 — “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

It also says that He gives to each one of us. Every believer, not just some of us, has at least one spiritual gift. He gives you exactly what you need to fulfill His mission for your life. He gives you a spiritual gift and then He puts you into a specific place at a specific time to fulfill a specific purpose in the body of Christ.

It is much better that the Holy Spirit chooses my spiritual giftings than me. The Holy Spirit is the master orchestrator building His church. He not only knows the future, but He knows how each person will interact and work together for building the church.

Application — We should be thankful for what He has given to us. We should be thankful for what He has given others, affirming and encouraging them to use their gift instead of being jealous. We should give praise to Him because we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

In verses 6 and 11, it uses the word “empowers.” God gives us a mission and He empowers us to accomplish that mission through the spiritual gifts. This truth is empowering. You are not alone. Each of us has a role. We all have work to do. But it is not about you or me or our intelligence or natural ability.

I am a naturally introverted and shy person. Standing on the stage and looking at hundreds of faces staring back at me can be very unnerving. It is not a natural thing at all for me. Sometimes I am uncomfortable. And I am not self-confident at all.

But I don’t lack confidence. I am God-confident, not self-confident. Every breath and every word is from the strength which He gives.

Do you ever feel like that? I have talked to singers who are introverted, but God empowers you to sing in public, beautifully, to His glory. I have talked to teachers who go out of their comfort zone to teach Sunday School, but they do it through the strength that God provides.

Many of you are serving already because you are confident, not in yourself, but in God. For the rest of you, do not be afraid. Do not remain silent. Do not stay in your comfort zone. Trust that if the Holy Spirit calls you to serve Him, He will empower you to do the same!

Have you ever read through Hebrews 11, the hall of fame of the faithful? These Biblical heroes were flesh and blood like you and me. They often fell short. They often stumbled. But they also possessed great faith. They trusted in God’s power and took steps of obedience in line with that faith. David, Moses, Gideon, Rahab and more. They were empowered by God to do great things for Him. So are you.

— From Jason’s sermon – Using Your Gift to Serve the Body

Romans 12:6-8 — “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

To some, spiritual gifts are a source of pride, like with the Corinthians. We look at our spiritual gifts, our abilities, our service to God and think how good we are and how fortunate God and the church are to have someone as dedicated and talented as we are. But Paul takes great pains to show that these gifts are just that, gifts. They are given by the grace of God and we must receive and use them humbly.

Beyond this, we learn two important things.

• What are we to do with them? We are to use our gifts and not let them go to waste.
• To what degree or how are we to use them? We are to use our gifts fully in accordance with God’s purposes.

Although there are many gifts, the purpose of all the gifts is the same. That is the common good. They are for the building up of the body so that the body can better glorify the Lord and reach the world for Him. This is a good reminder for all of us.

• We need to be unified.
• We have the same goal and need to be working for it.
• You have a special gift from the Lord.
• You should be using your special gift by actively serving others.

But who is doing the work? The saints are the ones doing the work of service. They are not sitting and watching the pastors/teachers do it. Unfortunately in most churches around the world 10% of the people do 90% of the work (don’t know the exact stat; estimate). You have the congregation/audience who go to church each week. They get there just on time or late and leave right afterwards. They may make a few comments about the lovely sermon or drop a few bucks in the offering plate, but basically they are uninvolved and don’t participate. They are listeners. Meanwhile the pastors and teachers labor all week putting together different classes, studies, sermons, lessons, often times directing the choir, cleaning the church, preparing materials, visiting the sick, conducting weddings, dedicating babies, conducting funerals, etc. The balance of work is disproportionate.

Application — Every believer must be involved in serving the Lord. How about you? Are you? I really want all of you to think about this and consider if you are really involved serving God in your local fellowship.

— From our Bible study on Romans 12

Every Member Has a Role

1 Corinthians 12:18 — “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”

Paul takes his “body” analogy even further to describe the different parts of the body and their own specific functions. Let me ask you doctors this. Is there any part of the body that has no function? At times in the past, some doctors thought that certain parts of the body had no function, such as tonsils, maybe appendixes. But later they discovered that these too have a function. I also have news for the scientific world. Even if they think a part of the body has no function, they are wrong. If God created it, it has a function. This is just as true with the church.

The key verse of this section is verse 18. God gave each member the gifts He wanted them to have and put them in the area of service He wanted them to have. Three things I want us to remember from this section of Scripture:

• You have a role in the church. There is not a believer in this entire world that God doesn’t have some work planned for and that doesn’t have the proper means/gift to accomplish this work. There are not supposed to be some sitters and some servers. There are not supposed to be some hearers and some speakers, some watchers and some doers. EVERYONE has a role. Your role might not be public speaking or singing and leading. But it is essential nonetheless. You wouldn’t cut off your foot and say it is not necessary.
• Your role is essential and ordained by God. You must be content in your role, whatever it is, and not be jealous of others. You must be willing to fulfill your God-given responsibility without shirking it in favor of something He didn’t give to you to do. If you don’t know what God would have you to do, start serving and volunteering and finding out.
• If you have a more visible role than others, you must not ever look down on them or get puffed up. We are all in the same boat and we are all there because of God’s grace, not because of our skills.

Going back to the example of the body, Paul seems to be alluding to the ugliness and seeming insignificance of the internal organs. These don’t appear very presentable or very necessary, but they are actually more necessary than most of what we see when we look at a body. It’s like a play. Maybe 1% of the work is actually putting on the show and 99% is practice and preparation.

The weaker or less visible members are also crucial and have their own specific function. We need to spend more time caring for and showing our love for and respect to this group of people. If we are actually in this group, then we need to thank God for the role He has given us, recognize it is essential, and carry on to do it with our whole hearts.

— From our Bible study on 1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Acts 1:1 — “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,”

We can see that Luke was an important member of Paul’s ministry team and often accompanied Paul on his travels. He humbly does not mention himself by name or inject himself into the story, instead focusing on Paul. The fact that he was a firsthand witness to many of the things he recorded makes his carefully written record even more credible.

Luke was not the star of the show. The spotlight was on Paul. However, Luke had a very significant role as his personal doctor. When many abandoned Paul, he stayed on and encouraged him. And not least, he painstakingly researched and recorded Jesus’ life and the apostles’ ministry.

God uses all kinds of people on His team. Not everybody is the star. But He entrusts spiritual gifts to each believer for a specific reason. We are to then use these gifts for building up the church. He uses artists, musicians, singers, writers, actors, engineers, doctors, teachers, and more. Some serve in the spotlight and some serve in the background. All are important and have a vital role.

Application — God has gifted you in a specific way for a specific reason. How are you using your gift to glorify Him? How are you serving Him through your vocation and the natural talents He has given you?

— From our Bible study on Acts 1:1-11

Discovering and Using Your Gift

1 Timothy 4:14 — “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”

Based on the context, it appears that Timothy’s gift is related to teaching or preaching. At some point a group of elders laid hands on him to perhaps ordain him or send him out. When they did this, the Spirit revealed to them Timothy’s gifting and they told him what it was. Paul reminds him now to keep using it.

A spiritual gift needs to be used regularly. The more you use it the more you will bless others and the more you yourself will grow. Natural talents like playing sports or an instrument can become rusty and deteriorate with lack of use. And spiritual gifts are similar.

What is your spiritual gift? Are you using it?

Application — The best way to discover your spiritual gift is not in seminar or through a survey. It is by volunteering to serve. As you serve, you will be steered in the direction of your gifting. But if you sit around thinking about what your gift is, you may never find out.

— From our Bible study on 1 Timothy 4:9-16

2 Timothy 1:6 — “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,”

Complacency can be a dangerous thing for believers, especially believers who grew up in Christian families. New believers are often very excited and zealous for Christ. But sometimes after a few years they lose some of that excitement and passion. Sometimes their relationship with God or ministry becomes stale.

Evidently Paul thought that Timothy needed a spark. Perhaps he was going through the motions. Perhaps the challenges and difficulties and difficult people he faced slowly zapped his energy and enthusiasm.

Application — Have any of you ever experienced similar feelings? What can we do about it? How can we “kindle afresh” the gift of God (and the service for God) that is in us?

— From our Bible study on 2 Timothy 1

1 Peter 4:10 — “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Are you involved in a local church or fellowship? Are you seeking out opportunities to serve others? I believe it is not important to spend a lot of time trying to figure out our gift. You don’t have to go to conferences or fill out extensive surveys. The simple way to know your gifting is to start serving. As you serve (and submit to your church’s leadership), over time you will naturally slide into the kind of ministry that best suits your needs.

Also, gifts are to be developed. For example, although you might be a good teacher you still need to prepare and practice. A teacher who is not gifted but prepares diligently may still give a much better lesson than a teacher who is very naturally gifted but lazy in preparation. Although you might be good at singing, you also need to practice. This is the same as natural talents. No matter how talented someone is, practice and discipline can make them better.

You may think, “I don’t know what my spiritual gift is. I need to figure it out first and then I will start serving.” That is backwards. You won’t figure out what you are good at by not doing it. As you start to serve, you will naturally start to move toward the area God has gifted you. That might be from other people giving you advice. Sometimes it could be negative, “Brother Jason, we don’t think you are gifted in singing. Move along to another ministry.” Or it could be positive. Someone might tell you, “I see that you are gifted in hospitality. You know how to make people feel welcome.” At other times, it is through your own observations. You may find that you really enjoy serving in a specific area and that God has gifted you in that area. Then keep doing it!

A cruise ship that is anchored in place will not be able to change directions. But once that behemoth starts moving, a tiny adjustment to the rudder and the entire ship will change direction. Start moving. Start serving. As you do, God will direct you.

One amazing truth I have discovered about serving is that often, the one serving will benefit the most. We often think that we will serve to benefit others in the body. And we do. But it is through serving and participating that you grow. When a life group leader starts teaching, he probably learns the most of anyone in the group.

Spiritual muscles that are not exercised atrophy. But as you move and exercise them, you grow stronger. Thus, we build up our body and the whole body at the same time.

— From our Bible study on 1 Peter 4:1-11

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on spiritual gifts. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Reflection Questions

• Are you using your gift? Are you actively serving others?
• Are you involved in a local church or fellowship? Are you seeking out opportunities to serve others?
• If you don’t know what God would have you to do, what is one step you can take to start serving and volunteering to find out?
• How are you using your gift to glorify Him? How are you serving Him through your vocation and the natural talents He has given you?
• How can we “kindle afresh” the gift of God that is in us?
• Should you serve in an area you are not gifted? For example, if you don’t have the gift of evangelism should you still share the gospel?
• Is it important to try to find out your gift? How would you go about discovering it?
• If you think you know your gift, what should you do?