Christian Living: Spiritual Gifts Are Given for Service
Gifts of the Spirit are God-given abilities, given to different people for different aspects of Christian service. Not every Christian has the same gift, just as not every part of the human body can see, hear, or walk (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). Because we have different gifts, we need each other, and God encourages us to work with one another. As we work together, Christ helps his church grow (Ephesians 4:15-16).
What are the gifts? Paul lists some in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30:
- Church leadership positions such as apostle, prophet and teacher,
- gifts of miracles and healings,
- important abilities such as helping others and administration.
Paul gives another list in verses 7-10: messages of wisdom or knowledge, faith and healing and miracles, inspired messages of prophecy, tongues or interpretations, or the ability to tell which spirits are true. The exact difference between knowledge and wisdom may not be important – Paul is simply making the point that spiritual gifts come in many kinds. He also says they should all be used “for the common good” (verse 7).
Romans 12:6-8 gives another list of gifts: prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving to others, leading others or showing mercy. Some people are better at certain activities than other people are. None of the lists in the Bible is complete, and various other abilities may also be spiritual gifts, such as the ability to write songs (1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 5:19).
The gifts mentioned in these lists come in three major groups: church leadership, speaking, and helping others. Peter summarizes “gifts” under the categories of speaking and serving (1 Peter 4:11). “Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” (verse 10).
Suffering patiently and faithfully can also be a useful spiritual gift. Paul said that God had given (the Greek verb is similar to the word for “gift”) the Philippian Christians the ability to believe in Christ and also the chance to suffer for him (Philippians 1:29-30).[1]
Paul referred to marital status, whether married or single, as a gift (1 Corinthians 7:7). Any of life’s circumstances can be considered a gift of God we can use to praise Christ and serve others. It does not matter how great or small the gift is — what matters is how it is used (1 Corinthians 13:1-4). Everything should be done in love, to help others.
Willing to serve
Scripture tells us:
- Every believer has at least one spiritual gift.
- Every member should be using his or her gift(s) to help other people.
- No one has all the gifts, so we need each other.
- God decides who receives which gift.
Every believer should be involved in a ministry, some activity that helps others. Every Christian should be using his or her gifts to help others “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10).
Many people have been encouraged by becoming more aware of what spiritual gifts are, and what they should be used for. However, even good things can be misused, and a few problems sometimes arise in connection with spiritual gifts. These problems are not unique to us, and it is helpful to see how other Christian leaders have dealt with them.
For example, some people have used the teaching about spiritual gifts as an excuse to not help anyone. For example, they say that their gift is administration and they spend most of their time telling other people what to do. Or they may claim to be a teacher and won’t do anything else. This is the opposite of what Paul intended — he explained that God gives abilities to help others, not to say “no” to everything they don’t like.
When tragedies happen, we need to be compassionate, whether or not we have the gift of compassion. All members need to be able to teach (Colossians 3:16) whether or not they have the gift of teaching. All members need to be able to explain the gospel (1 Peter 3:15) whether or not they have the gift of evangelism.
It is wrong to think that every member will do only those activities for which he or she is specially gifted. Not only do other activities need to be done, each member needs to experience other forms of work. Love often requires that we get out of our comfort zones, out of the area in which we feel gifted. Besides, God may want to develop in us a gift we did not know we had!
Each person may have one to three major gifts, and it is best if the person’s primary role in the church uses one or more of those gifts. But each person should also be willing to help in other ways, as the church has needs.
One large church uses the principle that “you choose one area to work in based on your own gifts, and be willing to help in another based on the needs.” The second area of work is assigned only for limited periods of time; it is then given to other members. The most important thing is that each member help in some way. This is a responsibility, not a matter of “I will do it only if I want to.”
Finding your gifts
How do we determine what spiritual gifts we have? There are several approaches to this: 1) written tests, surveys and inventories, 2) self-analysis based on interests and experiences, and 3) confirmation from people who know you well. All three approaches can be helpful, and it is especially helpful if all three lead to the same answer. But none of the three is guaranteed, and it might be good to look again every few years.
Some of the written surveys are simply a way to think about yourself. The questions might be like this: What do you like to do? What have you done well? What do other people say that you do well? What kinds of needs do you see in the church? (Often, people are most aware of the needs that they are able to help with. For example, a person with the gift of compassion may think that the church needs more compassion.)
Often, we do not know our gifts until we have put them to use and seen whether we do well in that kind of activity. Experience can help us get better at these gifts, and it can help us find new gifts. That is why it is helpful for members to sometimes try different areas of service. They may learn something about themselves, as well as helping others.
Fruit of the Holy Spirit
“Live by the Spirit,” Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16, “and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Let your life by guided by God, and not just by what you want. In verses 19-21, Paul describes some of the results of selfishness, and in verses 22-23 he describes some of the fruit or results of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” This is what the Father, Son, and Spirit are like, and this is what God wants us to be like, too. Not everyone has all the gifts of the Spirit, but everyone should have the fruit.
In Ephesians 5:9, Paul describes more “fruit” of the Christian life: “all that is good and right and true.” The Holy Spirit produces life and peace (Romans 8:6), hope (Romans 15:13) and wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6-15). All Christians should have these qualities.
As we do what the Spirit wants (Romans 8:13-14), and as the Spirit leads us (verse 9), we will be merciful to others and share in Christ’s love for God’s way of life.
“You will know them by their fruits,” said Jesus (Matthew 7:16). Many people will call Jesus “Lord,” and they will speak and perform miracles in his name (verses 21-22), but unless they do what God wants, they are bad leaders (verses 21, 15). “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus says again (verse 20). You can tell by the way they live.
Endnote
[1] We might not call the chance to suffer a “gift,” but Paul is saying that all the events of life are a gift from God, and we are to use each as well as we can, whether we enjoy them or not.
Author: Joseph Tkach; edited by Michael Morrison in 2026
