Spiritual Gifts

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Spiritual Gifts
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Definition

• A spiritual gift is any ability that is
  empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any
  ministry of the church Grudem (1999)

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The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

• Spiritual gifts are given
• for the common good 1 Corinthians 127
• to equip the church to carry out its ministry
  until Christ returns 1 Corinthians 17
• to be used in the building up of the church 1
  Corinthians 1412
• for edification 1 Corinthians 1426

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Who are the gifts for?

• To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit
  for the common good 1 Corinthians 127
• Each has received a gift 1 Peter 410
• Gifts are for use in serving others to which we
  all do

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How many gifts are there?
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• 1 Cor.1228
• 1. Apostle (8) tongues 19. leadership
• 2. Prophet 13. interpretation of 20. mercy
• 3. Teacher tongues
• 4. Miracles
• 5. Kinds of healing Ephesians 411
• 6. Helps (1) apostle
• 7. Administration (2) prophet
• 8. Tongues 14. evangelist 1 Peter 411
• 1 Cor.128-10 15. pastor-teacher whoever
  speaks
• 9. Word of wisdom whoever renders
• 10. Word of knowledge Romans 126-8 service
• 11. Faith (2) prophecy
• (5) Gifts of healing 16. serving
• (4) Miracles (3) teaching
• (2) Prophecy 17. encouraging
• 12. Distinguishing Spirits 18. contributing

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• Diversity not uniformity
• Equality

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• Apostle
• Prophet and Prophecy
• Evangelist
• Pastor Teacher
• Miracles
• Healings
• Helps
• Administration
• Tongues and Interpretation
• Words of Wisdom

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• Word of Knowledge
• Faith
• Distinguishing/discerning between spirits
• Serving
• Encouraging/exhortation
• Contributing/giving/sharing
• Leadership/ruling/caring
• Mercy

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Gifts may vary in strength
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Gifts may vary in strength

• Do not neglect the gift you have 1 Timothy 414
• I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is
  within you 2 Timothy 16
• Using the spiritual gifts, strengthens them

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• The variation in strength in spiritual gifts
  depends on a combination of divine and human
  influence.
• The divine influence is the sovereign working of
  the Holy Spirit as he apportions to each one
  individually as he wills (1 Cor. 1211)
• The human influence comes from experience,
  training, wisdom, and natural ability in the use
  of that gift.
• It is usually not possible to know in what
  proportion the divine and human influences
  combine at any one time, nor is it really
  necessary to know, for even the abilities we
  think to be natural are from God (1 Cor.47)
  and under his sovereign control

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Spiritual gifts are not as mysterious and other
worldly as people sometimes make them out to be.

• Many of the gifts are only intensifications or
  highly developed instances of phenomena that many
  Christians experience in their own lives.

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Discovering and seeking spiritual gifts

• Know what you already have
• By studying the Scriptures to understand what is
  being said
• Pray sometimes we can think we have certain
  gifts but maybe we actually dont. There may be
  gifts we have we dont recognise. We need God to
  show us the gifts he actually has given us

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Seeking them

• Earnestly desire the higher gifts 1 Cor. 1231
• Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the
  spiritual gifts, especially that you may
  prophesy 1 Cor. 141
• Ask God
• Right motives
• Try the gift out
• Continue to use the gifts you have

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The distribution of gifts is a matter of Gods
sovereign will, and it is for the good of the
church and for our good that none of us have all
of the gifts,

• and that we will need to continually depend on
  others who have gifts differing from ours. These
  considerations should make us content if God
  chooses not to give us the other gifts that we
  seek.