Types of Spiritual Gifts

Unwrapping My Spiritual Gifts

"But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians  12.7

The Bible does not lock us into tight restrictions as to the number of spiritual gifts, or even their definitions.

The four major lists of gifts are found in

• Romans 12:-8
• 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 27-31
• Ephesians 4:11-12,
• 1 Peter 4;9-11
• There are other passages that mention or illustrate gifts not included in these lists.

All gifts are given to help the church fulfill its purposes.  So we've categorized this list of gifts according to Grace's Four Purposes with Gifts serving as the fifth overarching purpose of ministry

• Evangelism/Missions
• Discipleship
• Fellowship
• Worship

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
As you read through this list, check off your initial impression concerning yourself.  Remember you can have many gifts.

GIFTS THAT COMMUNICATE GOD'S WORD
(to unbelievers and believers)

PREACHING ("Prophecy" ) 1 Corinthians 14:3
The ability to publicly communicate God's word in an inspired way that convinces unbeliever and both challenges and comforts believers.  The ability to persuasively declare God's will.

EVANGELISM Acts 8:26-40
The ability to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive, non-threatening way.  The ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith.

MISSIONS 1 Cor. 9:19-23, Acts 13:2-3
The ability to adapt to a different culture in order to reach unbelievers and help believers from that culture.

APOSTLE Rom. 15:20
The ability to start new churches and oversee their development.

GIFTS THAT EDUCATE GOD'S PEOPLE

TEACHING Ephesians 4:12-13
The ability to educate God's people by clearly explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn.  The ability to equip and train other believers for ministry.

ENCOURAGEMENT ("Exhortation") Acts 14:22
The ability to motivate God's people to apply and act on Biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith.  The ability to bring out the best in others and challenge them to develop their potential.

WISDOM 1 Corinthians 2:1, 6-16
The ability to understand God's perspective on life situations and share those insights in a simple, understandable way.  The ability to explain what to do and how to do it.

DISCERNMENT 1 John 4:1-6
The ability to distinguish right from wrong, truth from error, and to give an immediate evaluation based on God's Word.  The ability to discern whether the source of an experience is Satan, self, or God's Spirit

KNOWLEDGE Daniel 1:17
The ability to discover, collect, analyze, and organize information that is vital to individual believers or the entire church family.  The ability to comprehend a large amount of information and provide it when needed for effective decision-making.

GIFTS THAT DEMONSTRATE GOD'S LOVE

SERVICE Acts 6:1-7
The ability to recognize unmet needs in the church family, and take the initiative to provide practical assistance quickly, cheerfully, and without a need for recognition

MERCY Luke 10:30-37
The ability to detect hurt and empathize with those who are suffering in the church family.  The ability to provide compassionate and cheerful support to those experiencing distress, crisis, or pain.

HOSPITALITY 1 Peter 4:9-10
The ability to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family.  The ability to coordinate factors that promote fellowship

PASTORING ("Shepherding") 1 Peter 5:2-4
The ability to care for the spiritual needs of a group of believers and equip them for ministry.  The ability to nurture a small group in spiritual growth and assume responsibility for their welfare.

GIVING 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
The ability to generously contribute material resources and/or money beyond the 10% tithe so that the Body may grow and be strengthened.  The ability to earn and manage money so it may be given to support the ministry of others.

GIFTS THAT CELEBRATE GOD'S PRESENCE
(Worship or prayer-related gifts)

MUSIC Psalm 150
The ability to celebrate God's presence through music, either vocal or instrumental, and to led the church family in worship.

ARTS & CRAFTS Exodus 31:3-11
The ability to build, maintain, or beautify the place of worship for God's glory.  The ability to express worship through a variety of art forms.

INTERCESSION Colossians 1:9-12
The ability to pray for the needs of others in the church family over extended periods of time on a regular basis.  The ability to persist in prayer and not be discouraged until the answer arrives.

HEALING James 5:14-16
The ability to pray in faith specifically for people who need physical, emotional, or spiritual healing and see God answer.  The ability to sense when God is prompting you to pray this kind of prayer.

MIRACLES Mark 11:23-24
The ability to pray in faith specifically for God's supernatural intervention into an impossible situation and see God answer.  The ability to sense when God is prompting you to pray this kind of prayer.

*PRAYING WITH MY SPIRIT ("Tongues/Interpretation") 1 Corinthians 14:13-15
The ability to pray in a language understood only by God or one who is given the gift of interpretation at that time.

*WHY WE DO NOT ALLOW THE GIFT OF ‘PRAYING WITH MY SPIRIT' IN OUR SERVICES

This gift caused such a problem in the Corinthian church; Paul had to write an entire chapter of guidelines.  See 1 Corinthians 14

1. It is for personal edification, not for the whole church.

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who preaches edifies the church."  1 Corinthians 14:4