What do I need to know about Spiritual Gifts?
1. Every Christ follower has at least one spiritual gift.
2. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts and decides which gifts to give.
3. Spiritual gifts are different than natural talents or abilities as well as your God-given personality.
4. No gifts are more important than other gifts. They are meant to work together.
5. Spiritual gifts are to be used to serve others in love.
What is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (I Peter 4:10)
1. Spiritual gifts glorify God and exalt Jesus
2. Spiritual gifts build the Body of Christ.
3. Spiritual Gifts promote unity, maturity, and interdependence.
Ways to Discover and Develop Your Gifts
· Study the scripture passages about Spiritual Gifts.
o Romans 12:3-8, I Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:1-16 and I Peter 4:10-11
· Study the definition of the Gifts.
o Prayerful do some self-reflection and ask someone to for their feedback.
· Practice walking in what you believe is your gift.
o Do more self-reflection, and again, ask someone for their feedback.
· Spiritual Gift Assessments
The Ways You Experience Your Giftedness
· The Fulfillment Factor
o As you walk in your giftings, there will be a level of enjoyment.
o This is the way God has wired and gifted you to serve.
· The Fruitfulness Factor
o As you walk in your giftings, there will be Kingdom fruit.
o God works in and through the gifts He has given His people to glory Himself by building the body and promoting unity and interdependence.
Discovering and Developing your gifts takes…
· Clarity
· Basic knowledge and understanding of the Spiritual Gifts in Scripture
· Involvement in people’s lives and needs
o If you don’t get wet, have you really learned to swim?
If you don’t walk in your gift, how do you know you have it?

Three Kinds of Gifts from Chip’s Paradigm
1. Every believer has a “gift-mix” of primary Motivational gifts (Romans 12).
We are to concentrate on discovering and developing these gifts.
2. That motivational gift (drive and ability) can express itself through a variety of Ministry gifts. (Ephesians 4:11 and I Corinthians 12:28ff)
3. When we exercise our motivational gift through our ministry gifts, the Holy Spirit determines what Manifestation (or effects) will most benefit people. (I Corinthians 12:7-11)
A Helpful and Practical Paradigm
· It narrows down the gifts to 7 primary gifts that provide the thrust for the exercise of the other gifts.
· This can help bring clarity, as one doesn’t get lost in a huge list. The Left column is so helpful.
An Imperfect Paradigm
· There is not one complete/exhaustive teaching of spiritual gifts in the New Testament.
· Separating the gifts out like this can be a bit of a stretch—especially the two right columns.
o Some gifts show up in more than one column (Prophecy is in all three!)
Any way the gifts are divided up is going to have pluses and minuses about it.

GPS
Your Gifts +
Your Passions =
Your Sweet spot for ministry

Prophecy

The divine enablement to proclaim God’s truth with power and clarity in a timely and culturally sensitive fashion for correction, repentance, and edification. It is the ability to reveal God’s Word accurately.

Intuitive Question: What went wrong?
The primary nature of prophecy is forthtelling and accurate teaching of God’s Word. It’s the ability and consuming desire to reveal the truth of God that it might impact lives.

Acts 2:37-40, 7:51-53, 26:24-29; 1 Corinthians 14:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5

Service
The divine enablement to do small or great tasks with humility in working for the overall good of the body of Christ. One is able to attach spiritual value to the accomplishment of these physical tasks. It’s the ability to demonstrate love by meeting the practical needs that releases other Christians for direct spiritual ministry.

Intuitive Question: What can I do to help?

Acts 6:1-7; Romans 12:7; Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 1:16-18; Titus 3:14.

Teaching
The divine enablement to understand and give detailed explanation of biblical truth primarily to bring understanding and clarity to others. It’s the ability to search out and validate truth which has been presented.

Intuitive Question: What is truth?

Acts 18:24-28, 20:20-21; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-14.

Encouragement/Exhortation
The divine enablement to come alongside another in need of encouragement to reassure, strengthen, affirm, and challenge those who are discouraged or wavering in their faith. It’s the ability to stimulate the faith of others.

Intuitive Question: What must be done to fix this? And how can we move this person to wholeness?

Acts 14:22; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 10:24-25

Giving
The divine enablement to earn money, manage it well, and wisely contribute to the work of the Lord with cheerfulness and liberality. It’s the ability to entrust personal assets to others for the furtherance of their ministry and to build the Kingdom of God

Intuitive Question: What can I give to meet the needs?

Mark 12:41-44; Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, 9:2-7.

Leadership
The gift of leadership is the divine strength or ability to influence people effectively while directing and focusing them on a shared mission.

Intuitive Question: What is the goal?

Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17; Hebrews 13:17

Mercy
The divine enablement to minister cheerfully and appropriately to people who are suffering or undeserving and to spare them from punishment or consequences they justly deserve. It’s the ability to identify with and comfort those who are in distress.

Intuitive Question: How can I make them feel better?

Matthew 9:35-36; Mark 9:41; Romans 12:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Now What?
Do some prayerful self-reflection and invite a friend or family member to reflect with you.
-What were your three top gifts?
-Were there any surprises?
-How can you see yourself using your gifts to serve others?