Before we identify our spiritual gifts and exercise them to build up the body of Christ, we should understand where spiritual gifts come from. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4 that after Jesus conquered sin, death, and the grave, He ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower His new people — the church — to spread the good news of the gospel around the world:
"Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For it says: 'When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people: To equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.'"
Ephesian 4:7-8,12-13
The equipping of the saints for ministry fulfills a promise given by God in the Old Testament through the prophet Joel who declared that one day the Spirit of God would be poured out on His people (Joel 2:28).
This prophecy is what Jesus had in mind when He promised that His disciples would not only do the works He did, but even greater works when He left them to go back to the Father (John 14:12-14). The news that He was going to leave, die, rise again, and ascend to heaven would have shocked those closest to Him. How could it be that they would be better off without His physical presence? We get the answer when the prophecy of Joel and the promise of Jesus was fulfilled at Pentecost:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8
You will receive power refers to the empowering of every follower of Jesus from Pentecost until Jesus returns. Every single Christian has the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside and has been given spiritual gifts — gifts from Jesus — to enable us to “do the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ, to reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son.” The very second you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit entered your life and gave you supernatural gifts to fulfill your unique calling within the body of Christ.
The ultimate purpose of our spiritual gifts, then, is not about “being true to ourselves” or gaining prominence in the church or building a platform to elevate ourselves. Jesus has bestowed us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit so we can know Him better and be empowered to share the gospel around the world.
Understanding and exercising our spiritual gifts should always move us toward worship of the One who gave us our gifts. We don’t do ministry in isolation or on our own, but within the community of the church, with Christ our King as the head of the body.
This 7-session Bible study examines spiritual gifts biblically, then looks at what gifts are (and are not) practically. Each session answers a specific question about spiritual gifts, so you can easily understand all the gifts, learn how to discover yours, and see how to use them to serve in the body of Christ.
Read a free sample.
"The very second you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit entered your life and gave you supernatural gifts to fulfill your unique calling within the body of Christ."
Daniel Darling
The Type of Spiritual Gifts
While Christians have historically disagreed about whether or not these lists are the full extent of spiritual gifts God gives to the church and how to specifically assign them, it does seem possible to arrange them in a list of about fifteen. Peter seems to divide the spiritual gifts into two categories:
“If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:11
Another way of describing serving gifts might be “people-focused gifts” as opposed to “content-focused gifts.” Notice how Peter describes the source of giftedness: “serve with the strength God provides.” In other words, those especially gifted in this way to serve the body of Christ do it because of supernatural spiritual strength only God can provide. Those gifted with serving gifts are the kind of people who make things happen in the body of Christ.
When exercising gifts in healthy community, those with serving gifts compliment those with speaking gifts. In one sense, this is how Christians serve God: We speak, and we serve. We communicate the good news of the gospel and we roll up our sleeves and serve one another, our communities, and the world.
Many studies of the spiritual gifts seem to overemphasize the more prominent, “stage” gifts, which are vital for the body but are far from the extent of the way God gifts His local and universal body. What’s more, regardless of how God has gifted us, all of us are gifted to serve others and not ourselves. Our gifts were made to be spilled out in service to Christ and His people.
Excerpted from Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and How to Use Them © 2022 Dan Darling. Published by Lifeway Press®.