How to Determine Your Spiritual Gifts

Written by Patrick Morley

The first step to find your niche for effective service in the body of Christ is to understand your spiritual gifts. God has given every Christian at least one gift. It would be foolish to become a salesman if you prefer to work with numbers. In the same way we pursue vocational employment based on our aptitudes and abilities, we pursue spiritual service based on an understanding of how God has uniquely gifted us.

The following comments were made during a small group meeting. They are typical of the comments Christian men everywhere are making:

• "I finally have peace in my career. I want to do more for Him."

• "I just turned 40. I've been in the battle for 25 years. I find myself wanting to feel more significant."

• "My Catholic faith is like a savings account that has not produced a very good return."

• "Will you pray for me? My passion to serve the Lord is gone, and I want it back."

THE GREAT DESIRE

The greatest yearning I hear today in my travels is that Christian men have an intense desire to make their lives count. "I want my life to make a difference. I want my life to have mattered."

However, there is a new sense in which men are thinking these thoughts. In the past, men wanted their lives to count in their work and families, and to achieve financial success. While these desires have not gone away, today men want more. Today men want their lives to count for God.

If someone wants to make a contribution to building the kingdom and tending the culture, one of the most important steps to take is for them to understand their spiritual gifts. We need to pursue our spiritual service based on an understanding of how God has gifted us.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

Every believer receives at least one spiritual gift - "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). The Holy Spirit determines our spiritual gifts. "He gives them to each one, just as he determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11). "Each man has his own gift from God" (1 Corinthians 7:7).

Examples of Spiritual gifts include service gifts and speaking gifts. While theologians and teachers often differ on how to precisely classify and name these gifts, the following generally captures the gist of the different gifts.

SERVICE GIFTS

Service gifts are the ligaments and muscle tissue that hold the church together. Service gifts are often low profile, behind-the-scene gifts. They include showing mercy, service (or help), hospitality, giving, administration, leadership, faith, and discernment.

People who serve are eager for God to receive the credit for whatever good comes. "If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:11). Here are brief definitions of the service gifts with a few examples of how each gift may be used.

• Mercy: Special ability to show sympathy to the suffering. For example - meals to the sick, hospital visits, phone calls, and visits to the hurting.

• Service: Special ability to joyfully serve behind the scenes. For example - setting up chairs, ushering, assisting leaders.

• Hospitality: Special desire to offer home, food, and lodging. For example - host missionaries, Bible studies, inviting singles to dinner.

• Giving: Special desire and financial ability to give above and beyond a tithe. For example - generosity toward youth mission trips, deacon fund offerings, funding church ministries, a vestment for the p riest.

• Administration: Special ability to orchestrate program details. For example - committee work, volunteer for church office, conference supervision.

• Leadership: Special ability to preside or govern wisely. For example - Church council, deacons, committee chairperson, fund-raising.

• Faith: Vision for new projects that need doing and perseverance to see them through. For example - building programs, new ministries.

• Discernment: Ability to detect error. For example - meet with teachers who may be teaching incorrectly, letters to the editor.

SPEAKING GIFTS

Speaking gifts include knowledge, wisdom, preaching, teaching, evangelism, apostleship, shepherding, and encouragement. "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God" (1 Peter 4:11). Here are definitions and examples of the spiritual gifts of speaking:

• Knowledge: Spiritual ability to search and acquire Scriptural truth. For example - academic pursuits, writing, teaching.

• Wisdom: Special insight into applications of knowledge. For example - counseling, teaching, discussion group leader, accountability groups, friendship.

• Preaching: Special ability to rightly proclaim and expound God's truth. For example - preachers, lay preachers.

• Teaching: Special ability to explain Scripture in edifying ways. For example - Sunday school teachers, Bible studies, home groups, children, and youth programs.

• Evangelism: Special ability to clearly present the gospel to non-believers. For example - Saturday morning Men's Group(@ 6:30 AM), share faith with contacts on job, sponsor outreach events.

• Apostleship: Special ability to begin new works. For example - Missionaries, service organizations.

• Shepherding: Unique ability to care for a flock of believers over the long haul. For example - Priests, Church Leaders.

• Encouragement: Special skills to inspire, encourage, and comfort. For example - being a friend, counseling, writing letters.

People who have been given speaking gifts are able to help equip others to have a personal ministry of service. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Discussion Questions

1. What are your Service and/or Speaking Spiritual Gifts?

2. Ask for feedback from the men in your group as to what they might see as you Service and/or Speaking Spiritual Gifts.

3. What are some Service and/or Speaking Spiritual Gifts you'd like to further develop/cultivate?