What are spiritual gifts?
Defined and described
God gives spiritual gifts to those who have received salvation through Jesus Christ so
that believers will grow and mature in their faith, the needs of the Church will be met,
and God will be glorified. Wayne Grudem, author of Systematic Theology, broadly
describes a spiritual gift as “any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and
used in any ministry of the church” (Grudem, page 1016).
Charismata: Gifts of Holy Grace
In the New Testament, the Greek word charisma (singular) orcharismata (plural) is used
to designate the spiritual gifts. In the most technical sense, charisma can be defined as
“gifts of holy grace.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
defines charisma as follows: “a (spiritual) endowment, i.e. (subjectively)
religious qualification, or (objectively) miraculous faculty.”
Throughout the New Testament, the word charisma is translated in English as
(free) gift. In his “Lexical Aids to the New Testament,” Spiros Zodhiates notes that the
word charisma is “derived from charis, [which means] grace, and the suffix –ma,
indicating the result of grace. A gift of grace; an undeserved benefit from God (Rom.
1:11; I Tim. 4:14).”
In Ephesians 4:11–13, the Greek words dorea and doma “are also used to designate
‘gifts,’ referring to these gifts as ‘enablers’ or ‘equippers’ for personal service in the
kingdom of God. . . . In I Corinthians 12:1, the word pneumatika is used to describe the
gifts as ‘things belonging to the Spirit.’ . . . The point is that each of these words gives a
contemporary meaning to the supernatural work of the Spirit in our lives as He prepares
us for kingdom service and growth in grace.
“For this to happen we are called upon to ‘earnestly desire the best gifts’ (I Cor. 12:31),
thus removing the cloak of passivity and ardently seeking to understand the operation
of and appropriate response to all spiritual gifts is biblically proper” (The SpiritFilled Life Bible, page 2022).
What are three categories of spiritual gifts?
Motivational, Ministry, and Manifestation gifts
The Apostle Paul speaks of the variety of spiritual gifts: “Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same
Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in
all. . . . But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will” (I Corinthians 12:4–11).
In a study of spiritual gifts, it is helpful to recognize three types, or categories, of spiritual
gifts that are described in Scripture:

Motivational Gifts: “ . . . Diversities of gifts . . .”(I Corinthians 12:4).
How God works in a believer to shape his perspective on life and motivate his words
and actions. (See Romans 12:3–8.)

Ministry Gifts: “ . . . Differences of administrations . . .”(I Corinthians 12:5).
How God works with what a believer does to serve and meet the needs of others.
(See Ephesians 4:11–13 and I Corinthians 12:27–31.)

Manifestation Gifts: “ . . . Diversities of operations . . .”(I Corinthians 12:6).
How God works through a believer in a given situation to demonstrate His
supernatural power. (See I Corinthians 12:7–11.)
God uses all of the gifts in each of these three categories to minister to His Church
and to accomplish His work in the world.
Motivational Gifts
At the moment of salvation, a believer receives one of seven motivational gifts:
prophecy, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, organizing, or mercy. This gift of God’s
grace shapes how the believer views life, relates to others, and impacts the Body
of Christ. A motivational gift can be compared to a set of eyeglasses from God, given so
that the believer can see people and circumstances through that particular set of
“lenses.”
Following are simple descriptions of the seven motivational gifts, explaining how a
person with each gift would “see” his or her role in the Body of Christ:







Prophecy: Reveals truth by exposing sin, so that fellowship with God can be
restored and/or maintained
Serving: Demonstrates love by meeting practical needs, usually through tangible
work
Teaching: Discovers and validates truth so that the Church maintains accuracy
Exhorting: Encourages Christians to grow spiritually by teaching, discipling, and
counseling others
Giving: Conserves and shares resources in order to meet needs
Organizing: Carries out projects by recruiting workers, organizing tasks, or
delegating responsibilities
Mercy: Demonstrates God’s love and compassion by responding to hurt
God works through the spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ to help the Church grow and
remain healthy. By God’s grace, prophets warn believers of sin. Servers guard against
slothfulness. Teachers steer us clear of heresy. Exhorters watch out for hopelessness.
Givers stand against selfishness. Organizers ward off chaos. Mercy-givers demonstrate
God’s tender love.
Although each person’s behavior will vary according to factors such as temperament,
background, age, gender, culture, and circumstances, it is not unusual for those who
share the same motivational gift to demonstrate common characteristics. Also,
especially as believers mature, they may act in ways commonly associated with other
motivational gifts, but this does not mean that their motivational drive has changed. For
example, if a teacher-motivated person demonstrates the characteristics of a mercy or
giver, he is still motivated by a desire to affirm truth even in his mercy-like or giver-like
actions. His inner motivation has not changed; he is simply developing other Godhonoring qualities.
Ministry Gifts
Ministry gifts are the tools God uses to build up the Church. They are practical,
essential, can-do types of gifts such as those described in Ephesians 4:11-13: “He gave
some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.” (See also I Corinthians 12:27–31.)
Ministry gifts are often confirmed by ordination. The Apostle Paul told
Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the
laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (I Timothy 4:14).
Manifestation Gifts
Manifestation gifts are supernatural demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s presence
and power. The Spirit of God is the Source of these gifts, and they are manifested for
the benefit of others and to bring God glory.
“The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given
by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same
Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same
Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning
of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will” (I Corinthians 12:7–11).
The Value of Understanding Spiritual Gifts
Knowing that each Christian has gift sets that are unique, valuable, and needed in the
Body of Christ gives believers purpose in God’s kingdom.
“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing,
where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in
the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the
body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say
unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of
you. . . . There should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the
same care one for another” (I Corinthians 12:17–25).
As you demonstrate the love of God through gifts that He gives you, you will
experience fulfillment and great joy. As you mature in your understanding of spiritual
gifts and learn to be available as a channel of God’s power as He works through your
gifts, you can be much more fruitful and you can more effectively avoid spiritual
exhaustion.
Take the Spiritual Gifts Test
What are my top 4 spiritual gifts?
Do I agree with the results or do I have any difference with the test
results?
Am I surprised at any of them? Why?
Where could I best use my highest spiritual gifts to build up the body
of Christ?
Which areas of ministry am I best suited for at Family Life?
Daily Scriptures to read and to S.O.A.P.
Thursday, Feb. 9 – Romans 12:1-2
Friday, Feb. 10 – Romans 12:3-5
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Romans 12:6-8
Sunday, Feb. 12 – Romans 12:9-13
Monday, Feb. 13 – Romans 12:14-21
Tuesday, Feb. 14 – Ephesians 4:11-13
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Ephesians 4:14-16
What is S.O.A.P.?
S.O.A.P. stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. It is a way of getting more
out of your time in God's word.
How does it work?
It's quite simple. When you sit for your daily quiet time read the bible as you normally would
with one simple difference. Underline or make note of any verses that jump out at you with
special significance. This is the basis for diving deeper and using S.O.A.P.
Scripture - Type in the verse or verses that stood out to you in your reading.
Observation - What did you observe about the scripture that struck you. This can be one
sentence or a whole book. This section starts with asking questions about what you just read.
Application - How can you apply the observation so that it affects your life today? What
is God wanting you to put into practice today?
Prayer - Write out a prayer to God based on what you just learned and ask Him to help
you apply this truth in your life. Then pause and wait to hear from Him. Type out what you
“Heard in prayer” from the Lord as a Rhema Word to you from Him.
Suggestions for your prayer time:
Worship – spend some time listening to worship music and worship
Word – Read the daily scriptures and do a S.O.A.P.
Prayer – Pray about what you just learned from the S.O.A.P. and how you can
apply to your life. Pray for others (family, church, work, missionaries, state and
government leaders, neighbors)