1 Corinthians 12:8-11 - Spiritual Gifts
A Few Facts About Spiritual Gifts
1. All Spiritual gifts come from God. We do not conjure them up for ourselves.
2.. All Spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of serving God's people, particularly in the community of faith.
3. We each have at least one Spiritual gift. God chooses which gifts we have.
4. Spiritual gifts and natural talents are not exactly the same thing, although in common usage sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Talents are natural abilities such as being musical or physically strong or well organized. Spiritual gifts are particular ways the Spirit chooses to work through a person for the building up of the church. The gifts are the Spirit's gifts working through particular people for particular purposes. They are ways in which God's power is displayed. Spiritual gifts are never for the purpose of elevating one member over another.
5. Our God given natural talents and abilities, together with abilities which we nurture and develop, are all used by God for ministry. Many of our talents are used in conjunction with our spiritual gifts. For example we may have a natural talent for public speaking which can help us in using the spiritual gift of teaching.
6. All Spiritual gifts are created and designated by God and always for the purpose of building up community or healing individuals for ministry in community.
7. Power for Spirit Gifts is the Spirit’s power, not our own.
I Corinthians 12:8-11
Wisdom: The capacity to learn from experience. This gift is associated with the ability to grasp the ways of God as they relate to specific life situations so that one knows what to do.
Knowledge: The ability to acquire and understand information such as Biblical tenets or doctrines for the up building of the church.
Faith: This gift is referred to in several different ways in Scripture. Here it is associated with the ability to claim extraordinary power over the natural world. In other instances it seems to refer more to the ability to hold onto and rely on God. It includes the unshakable belief that the divine purpose will be worked out in seemingly impossible circumstances. Sometimes it seems to refer to the capacity to keep on believing anyway, despite the circumstances and to move into the future relying solely on God's power.
Healing: The ability to mediate God's healing powers resulting in miraculous cures, physical, emotional, spiritual.
Miracles: Usually refers to exorcism (the over throwing of any power which thwarts the fullness of Christian life) or the confrontation of supernatural powers in the name of Jesus. This gift is always for the purpose of calling attention to the power of God, the message of salvation or simply for the relief of the needy.
Prophecy: The ability to clearly see the values and will of God and to give voice to that truth for a particular situation. It is not particularly associated with foretelling the future. Often associated with worship and used interchangeably with preaching.
Discernment of Spirits: The ability to identify the source of an utterance (i.e. to be able to tell is something said is of God or not).
Tongues: The ability to speak in unknown languages. This gift is usually accompanied with a feeling of ecstasy and is considered by many as a prayer language.
Interpretation of Tongues: The ability to interpret into common language that which is spoken in tongues so that the whole community may benefit.
I Corinthians 12:28-30
Apostleship: relating to the founding of congregations and their nurture. Apostleship has to do with the capacity to exercise spiritual authority over congregations, generally over a number of different congregations.
Prophecy: The ability to clearly see the values and will of God and to give voice to that truth for a particular situation. See above.
Teaching: The capacity to communicate God's truth, in particular the meaning of faith, to others in such a way that they can make specific applications to life.
Forms of Assistance (Helps):The ability to sense someone's need and to provide support as well as concrete aid.
Forms of Leadership (Administration): From the nautical terms for guiding a ship through the rocks. This form of leadership has within in the capacity to set direction and get things done.
Ephesians 4:11
Apostleship: See above.
Prophecy: See above.
Evangelism: The ability to spread the Good news of Jesus in word and deed to the end that others become disciples.
Pastoring: The ability to shepherd, guide, counsel others in their faith journey.
Teaching: See above.
Romans 12:6-8
Prophecy: See above.
Ministry: Sometimes called serving, the capacity to meet practical needs of people.
Teaching: See above.
Exhortation: Sometimes called encouraging, the ability to empathize with those in need and to encourage and/or admonish them for the purpose of restoring them to abundant life. The aim is to help people live an obedient life.
Giving: Sometimes translated as contributing, the ability to share an extraordinary amount of one’s personal resources with joy and excitement.
Leading: The ability to inspire, guide and direct others in particular areas of ministry in a care-filled manner.
Compassion: The ability to show mercy to those in need and to meet needs with joy. This is the gift associated with tending the sick, relieving pain, and caring for the elderly.
(Additionally, see I Cor. 1:5-7; 13:8; II Cor. 8:7; I Thess. 5:20; I Tim 4:14; II Tim. 1:6-7; Heb. 2:4; I Peter 4:10-11)
Throughout the centuries of the church's life several gifts have been identified as "spiritual gifts" which are not necessarily identified as such in Scripture. It is clear in Scripture that none of the writers tries to make an exhaustive list of the gifts of the Spirit. In each passage the writers intent is pastoral and not doctrinal, that is he is trying to make a point of gifts and ministry more than trying to define, list or limit the gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit is always perfectly free to impart any gift at any time.
Some of the gifts which were identified very early in the church's life are as follows:
Hospitality: Usually a translation for the Greek word Philadelphia, a derivative of one of the words we translate as love in Greek. Hospitality has to do with the ability to welcome and create a safe environment for strangers.
Intercession: Some contend that prayer in all its forms is a gift of the Spirit. Many believe that the Spirit gives some a particular ability to pray faithfully for others. The gift of intercession is associated with the positive results of such prayer and with the ability to pray for others continuously.
Missionary: The gift is usually thought of as the ability to adapt to cultures other than one's own for the purpose of spreading the Gospel.
Celibacy: This is the gift to remain joyfully unmarried or without the responsibilities of particular relationships in order to place more of one's time and energy in service to God and the church.
Martyrdom: The ability to pay any price for the Gospel.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. List 3 heroes or heroines in your life. What are the qualities these people displayed which you find most attractive or admirable?
2. List 3 events in your life in which you did something especially well or found a lot of fulfillment in doing it? What were the personal skills or characteristics you used in these events?
3. If you were given one hour of free prime time television time and all of the resources you needed to produce a program addressing your deepest concern, what would the theme of the show be?