God has given each believer spiritual gifts that to be used for his glory. Spiritual gifts are abilities, aptitudes and even attitudes that God brings into the lives of His followers so that they can be better equipped to serve Him and bless others. God wants us to be involved with His kingdom work on the earth! And so, he has graciously and freely distributed gifts to all followers of Jesus, through the power of His Spirit. He not only wants us to know our spiritual gifts, but He expects us to grow in them.
Where are we getting this from? There are multiple passagres in the Scriptures that point to gifts of the Spirit.
- In Ephesians 4:7 we read, “Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
- Also, in 1 Corinthians 12:7 it says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Then in verse 11 it goes on to say that “one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
- Romans 12 speaks to the gifts available to followers of Jesus.
So what are these gifts for? In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses min Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Here, Jesus shares with us a primary purpose of the gifts of the Spirit: to give the church power in order to preach Christ to the entire world.
Paul says another purpose of the gifts is to equip the church for “building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). He also reminds us in 1 Corinthians 14:12 that, “So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.” Therefore our goal should be to establish, build, and uplift the church with our gifts.
You are an important part of the body of Christ. If you are a Christian and are not serving in some way, the church as a whole is missing out on what you were made to contribute! It’s a bit like missing a part of your body. You may be able to live a normal life with just 9 out of 10 fingers, but you wouldn’t be able to do certain things as well as you would like. When people don't exercise their spiritual gifts, the body of Christ has missing parts. The church is called the “body of Christ” for a reason. We are connected by our faith in Jesus Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12 it says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” And in verse 14, “For the body is not one member, but many.” Each of us is like a specific body part. It sounds strange, but it is a great analogy for the church. In verse 27 Paul says, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” If you read verses 13-27 you will see that Paul affirms the importance of each member. He also declares that we need each member to function properly as a whole body. He says, in verse 26, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
God wants to use you! He has chosen you for the purpose of doing great things for Him. In Ephesians 2:10 it says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God already has plans for you. He wants you to listen to His calling and make yourself available to serve. Not only that, he expects that you will put to use the gifts He has given you (refer to Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents).
The first step is to pray. Pray for God’s guidance and ask him to use you for his will. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and ears to His call on your life. There are many existing places and ministries to serve in, or He may lead you to start a new one! Whatever God calls you to do, be confident that He will provide a way for it.
Next, seek to discover your gifts. You may already know what your spiritual gifts are. But, if you don’t, or just want to clarify what they are, we have both adult and youth spiritual gifts tests to help you find out. These tests do not guarantee what gifts you have, but they are helpful tools for you to get an idea of how you are gifted. We encourage you to take the test, and then talk to other Christians in church or in your community about what you discovered. Try serving in different ministries to see what fits and how you can glorify God in your gifts. God may have given you gifts that you didn’t think you could ever have, or you may find that some of the talents and abilities you have were actually part of God's way of equipping you for service.
Be a good steward of your gifts. God says if you are faithful with few things He will make you a steward over many things. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Use your spiritual gift or gifts at every opportunity to show the love, grace and power of God to others. This will produce fruit that remains and will glorify the Lord!