“There seems little doubt that this is where the early church began with new Christians. When people, by faith in Jesus Christ, passed from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God’s love, they were immediately taught that the Holy Spirit had not only imparted to them the life of Jesus Christ, but had also equipped them with spiritual gifts which they were responsible to discover and exercise. No Christian can say, ‘I can’t serve God; I don’t have any ability to serve Him.’ The effectiveness of your life as a Christian will be determined by the degree to which you use the gifts God has given you.”     Ray Stedman

Spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit according to God’s grace for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ and its mission in the world.
Spiritual gifts are not:   Natural Abilities
Acquired Skills
Fruits of the Spirit

KEY SCRIPTURES:       1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
Romans 12: 7-8
Ephesians 4: 1-2
1 Peter 4: 10-11

STEPS FOR DISCOVERING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1. Have faith to believe that God has given you at least one gift.
   “A spiritual gift is given to EACH of us so we can help each other.”
   “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift EACH person should have.” 1 Corinthians 12: 7, 11.
2. Gain an understanding of all the gifts. The following list will help you:-

1. SERVICE: (Romans 12:7) To identify and meet physical and practical needs involving a task related to God’s work, making use of available resources.
2. INTERCESSION: To pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to prayers to a degree much greater than that which is expected of the average Christian.
3. TEACHING: (Ephesians 4:11) To communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of the Body and its members in such a way that others will learn.
4. HOSPITALITY: (1 Peter 4:9 – Love of strangers) To provide an open house and warm welcome to those in need of food and lodging.
5. LEADERSHIP: (Romans 12:8 – to stand before others and lead them) To set goals in accordance with God’s purposes and to communicate these goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God.
6. FAITH: (1 Corinthians 12:9 – a conviction) To discern with extraordinary confidence the will and purposes of God for the future of His work, and trust God to do it.
7. ADMINISTRATION: (1 Corinthians 12:28 – helmsman, to steer or direct) To direct and coordinate a congregation to execute plans to accomplish the immediate and long range goals of a congregation.
8. EVANGELISM: (Ephesians 4:11 – messenger of good news) To draw closer to non-Christians and effectively communicate God’s message of love and redemption so that people respond to Jesus and become responsible disciples in a local church.
9. MISSIONARY: To use whatever other spiritual gifts they have in a cross-cultural ministry.
10. MESSAGE OF WISDOM: (1 Corinthians 12:8) To know the mind of the Holy Spirit in such a way as to receive insight into how given knowledge may best be applied to a specific situation or problem; applying God’s wisdom to a specific situation.
11. HELPS: (1 Corinthians 12:28 – a laying hold of, so as to support) To help or aid people by lending a hand so that these people are helped and built up, which results in their increased effectiveness.
12. GIVING: (Romans 12:8) To give to the needs of others with generosity and cheerfulness and a single desire to glorify God.
13. DISTINGUISHING SPIRITS: (1 Corinthians 12:10 – discernment) To discern with assurance whether the source of an activity supposedly of God is in reality divine, human or satanic, to identify truth from error.
14. PASTOR: (Ephesians 4:11 – shepherd) To shepherd a group of believers by guiding, protecting and encouraging them and being responsible for their spiritual welfare.
15. ENCOURAGEMENT: (Romans 12:8, to call alongside, exhortation) To minister words of comfort, motivation, challenge and counsel to other members of the Body in such a way that they feel stimulated and are encouraged in their personal growth.
16. MESSAGE OF KNOWLEDGE: (1 Corinthians 12:8)  (a) To obtain information (revelation from the Holy Spirit about someone or something that could not be known from any other source; (b) to understand the truth of God’s word and communicate it to others.
17. MERCY: (Romans 12:8 – pity) To feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals, both Christian and non-Christian, who suffer distressingly physical, mental or emotional problems, and to translate that compassion into cheerfully done deeds that reflect Christ’s love and alleviate the suffering.
18. PROPHECY: (Ephesians 4:11 – to speak forth, to fore-tell) To receive and communicate an immediate message of God to His people in a particular situation through a divinely-anointed utterance.
19. TONGUES: (1 Corinthians 12:10)  To pray to God or to speak in a language that is unlearned by the speaker.
20. APOSTLE: (Ephesians 4:11 – to send forth)  To assume and exercise general leadership over a growing number of churches with an extraordinary authority in spiritual matters that is spontaneously recognised and appreciated by those churches.
21. MIRACLES: (1 Corinthians 12:10,28 – the operation of powers)  To perform powerful acts that have altered the ordinary course of nature.
22. HEALING/S: (1 Corinthians 12:9, 28 – made whole) To cure illness and restore physical, emotional and spiritual health.
23. INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: (1 Corinthians 12:10)  To translate the message of one who speaks in tongues.

    3. Pray that God would reveal the gift/s He has given you and how you might  begin to use them.

     4. Tests for determining spiritual gifts.
Review the list of spiritual gifts and ask yourself these key questions :

• Where can I meet a need?
• What do I naturally enjoy doing?
• In what ways have I blessed people?
• Where do I receive a sense of deep joy in what I am doing? I am fully alive when……
• If I could do for God whatever I wanted to do and knew I wouldn’t fail, what is it I would do?

Now list the spiritual gift/s that you feel have been entrusted to you.

       5. Share your findings with other Christians who have come to know you well and receive their feedback.
       6. Get involved.
            Two key words to keep in mind are :
            EXPERIMENT : Don’t be afraid to try out.
            EXPERIENCE : Start with little things. Join a small group. If you are encouraged, good. If not, know that it is easier to change the direction of a moving vehicle. Your gifts may emerge over a period of time.

      7. Don’t fear failure.
It is never a sign of non-giftedness. It may mean you need to relocate.

      8. Maintain a humble servant heart.
It doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as God gets the glory.

      9. Don’t limit your involvement just to the area of your giftedness.
e.g. You may not have the gift of evangelism, but we are all called to be a  witness.

Note: Questionnaires that can assist you in the discovery of your spiritual gifts are available online.