Why Spiritual Gifts Matter and How to Discover Them

What are spiritual gifts, and how are we to approach them earnestly? Spiritual gifts play a significant role in building the character of Jesus in our lives. This article outlines the three primary categories spiritual gifts fall into and discusses why we can be naive about them. As the Scripture says: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

The Nature and Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

We are not only told to desire spiritual gifts but to long for spiritual gifts and pursue spiritual gifts with our actions. God works to build the character of Jesus into our lives, and spiritual gifts are one of those methods. The overall goal is to help Christians discover their God-given gifts to build up the church. Spiritual gifts are a conduit of the ministry of Jesus. When we know more about spiritual gifts, we learn more about the person of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are given for the glory of God in His church and the building up of the Body of Christ.

The Three Primary Categories of Spiritual Gifts

The Scriptures teach us that between 18 and 22 different spiritual gifts are found throughout Scripture. These fall into three distinct groups:

1. The Gift of Ministry Offices

This category includes Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers (A.P.E.S.T.). These gifts exist to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. According to Ephesians 4:11-13, he gave these roles to build up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.

2. Motivational Gifts

Based on Romans 12:3-8 and selected passages in 1 Corinthians 12, these are gifts of the Holy Spirit that nourish and bring glory to God by edifying the body to grow strong in the name of Jesus.

  • Prophecy: Proclaims biblically rooted truth so that fellowship with God can be restored.
  • Serving: Demonstrates love by meeting practical needs, usually through tangible work.
  • Teaching: Discovers, teaches, and validates truth so that the church maintains accuracy.
  • Exhortation/Encouragement: Encourages Christians to persevere and grow spiritually and relationally.
  • Giving: Conserves and joyfully shares resources to meet needs.
  • Administration: Carries out projects by recruiting people to serve and organizing ministries.
  • Mercy: Demonstrates God’s love and compassion by responding to hurt.

3. Supernatural Ministry Gifts (Manifestation Gifts)

These gifts are sometimes demonstrated by how God works through a believer in a given situation to demonstrate His supernatural power. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, including the utterance of wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

Distinguishing Human Talents from Spiritual Gifts

It is important to understand the differences between human talents and spiritual gifts to effectively serve the church:

  • Human Talents: Inherited from parents; deals with character; an end in itself; and permanent/eternal in a natural sense.
  • Spiritual Gifts: Bestowed by God when one becomes a Christian; deals with service/ministry; a means to an end; and not according to spirituality or maturity.

A Five-Step Approach to Discovering Your Gifts

You can follow this structured process to discern which gifts truly are, or are not, your gifts:

  1. Explore the Possibilities: Read through the three key chapters in the Scriptures dealing with spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4). Learn what the gifts are and how they function.
  2. Experiment with as Many Gifts as Possible: Get involved in a ministry activity that will let you try out these gifts. Unless you try them, you will have a hard time knowing whether you really have them or not.
  3. Examine Your Feelings: Since God has put the Body together, you will feel fulfilled when functioning in the proper area. If you enjoy your attempts to use a particular gift, that is a fairly good sign that you possess it.
  4. Evaluate Your Effectiveness: Since spiritual gifts are designed to benefit others, you should see positive results as you use your gift. If you see no results, you probably do not have that gift.
  5. Expect Confirmation from the Body: Gifts are given to build up other members of the Body. If you have a gift, other Christians will recognize it and confirm it.

Remember, the Lord will lead you to accurately discover your gift if you allow Him to guide and direct you in all your endeavors.