When You Wonder WhySample

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

Have you ever heard someone talk about the gifts of the Spirit and wondered what they meant?

First Corinthians 12 lists things like wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy and speaking in tongues as spiritual gifts. Maybe you’ve experienced some of these yourself, even if you didn’t recognize what they were at the time. The gifts of the Spirit are simply outward signs of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence among God’s people.

Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians, emphasizes that there are a variety of gifts, but they all come from the same place—the Holy Spirit. That means we should never make a competition out of showing off our gifts to appear more spiritual or righteous than others. In the Corinthian church, worship became chaotic as church members competed with one another to prophesy or speak in tongues. Without order, it’s difficult to understand God’s Word.

The gifts of the Spirit should always be used in love and with the intention of building up the church. We should all be open to the Holy Spirit working in and through us and displaying the gifts he’s given to us, because we are all members of the church body and we have unique roles to play.

Do you want to receive gifts from the Holy Spirit? Ask him! You can do this through prayer. You can also talk with a leader from church to help you discover them. God wants to reveal himself to you through the Holy Spirit. The more time you spend getting to know him, the more you’ll find yourself growing in his spiritual gifts.