Have you ever seen someone serve in a church or help others in a way that just seems… special? Maybe they offer comfort with exactly the right words, or they seem to know just what prayer someone needs. Perhaps they can teach the Bible in a way that truly brings it to life, or they simply have a huge heart for helping people in practical ways.

These special abilities are often what we call spiritual gifts – unique endowments from God given to believers for the purpose of building up the Church and serving the world. They are not simply natural talents (though God can certainly use those too!), but supernatural empowerments given by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible talks a lot about these gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially in the New Testament. They are meant to be an active and vibrant part of Christian service and life within the Body of Christ.

Why Does God Give Spiritual Gifts?

Before we dive into what these gifts are, it’s important to understand why God gives them. The main reasons are clear in Scripture:

1. To Build Up the Church: “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Our gifts are meant to strengthen and mature fellow believers.
2. For the Common Good: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Our gifts aren’t just for us; they are to benefit everyone around us.
3. To Glorify God: When we use our gifts, we demonstrate God’s power of the Holy Spirit working through us, bringing Him glory.

Where Do We Find the Lists of Spiritual Gifts?

The main passages in the Bible that list spiritual endowments are:

• 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-31
• Romans 12:6-8
• Ephesians 4:11
• 1 Peter 4:10-11

These lists are not necessarily exhaustive, but they give us a good picture of the variety of ways the Holy Spirit works through believers. Let’s look at some of the most common categories and examples.

Categories of Spiritual Gifts (and some examples!)

While there are many ways to group them, we can broadly categorize spiritual gifts into a few main types:

1. Revelation Gifts (Knowing God’s Mind)

These gifts help us to know things that we couldn’t know naturally, revealing God’s wisdom and insight. They are supernatural gifts that give understanding.

• Word of Wisdom: This isn’t just common sense. It’s a sudden, supernatural insight into how to apply God’s truth to a specific situation, often in a difficult or complex circumstance.
  • Example: Guiding someone through a tough decision with a specific, God-given solution they hadn’t considered.
• Word of Knowledge: This is a supernatural revelation of facts or information that you couldn’t have known naturally, often about a person or a situation, past or present.
  • Example: Knowing that someone in the congregation is suffering from a specific, unspoken illness, leading to a targeted prayer.
• Discerning of Spirits: This gift allows a person to supernaturally perceive the source of spiritual activity – whether it’s from God, from an evil spirit, or from the human spirit. It helps to tell truth from deception.
  • Example: Recognizing that a message being shared is not truly from God, even if it sounds good.

2. Power Gifts (Doing God’s Work)

These gifts involve the supernatural ability to perform powerful acts, demonstrating God’s intervention in the physical world. They are often called manifestations of the Spirit.

• Faith: Not saving faith, but a supernatural surge of confidence and assurance to believe God for the impossible in a specific situation, often for a miracle.
  • Example: Believing for the healing of a terminal illness when all medical hope is gone.
• Gifts of Healings: The supernatural ability to be an instrument through whom God restores health to the sick. It’s often plural (“gifts”) because there are different types of sicknesses and different ways God heals.
  • Example: Laying hands on the sick and seeing them recover from various ailments.
• Working of Miracles: The supernatural ability to perform acts that go against natural laws, demonstrating God’s power in extraordinary ways.
  • Example: The spontaneous growth of a missing limb, or walking on water. (While rare, God is still a God of miracles!)

3. Vocal/Inspirational Gifts (Speaking God’s Heart)

These gifts involve speaking forth God’s message, either in an inspired message or in a spiritual language.

• Prophecy: This is not always about predicting the future. It’s primarily speaking a message inspired by God in a language understood by people, to edify (build up), exhort (encourage), and comfort (console) the Church (1 Corinthians 14:3).
  • Example: A message delivered during a service that perfectly addresses the unspoken needs and encouragement required by the congregation.
• Tongues (Different Kinds of Tongues): Supernatural utterance in a language unknown to the speaker, either a human language or a heavenly language.
  • Example: A believer praying privately in a language they’ve never learned, or a public message in tongues.
• Interpretation of Tongues: The supernatural ability to understand and explain a message given in tongues, so the Church can be edified (1 Corinthians 14:13).
  • Example: After a message in tongues is given, someone provides the meaning in the common language.

4. Service Gifts (Ministering to Others)

These gifts are practical ways to serve and strengthen the Church, demonstrating God’s love through action.

• Administration/Leadership: The ability to organize, direct, and motivate people to accomplish God-given goals.
  • Example: Effectively managing church programs, volunteers, or finances.
• Helps/Service: The gift of meeting practical needs, often behind the scenes, with joy and enthusiasm.
  • Example: Setting up chairs, preparing meals for an event, or visiting the elderly.
• Giving: The supernatural ability to give cheerfully, generously, and often sacrificially, beyond what might be expected.
  • Example: Consistently donating significant resources to support ministry.
• Mercy: The gift of deeply empathizing with those who are suffering and translating that compassion into tangible acts of help and comfort.
  • Example: Spending hours listening to and supporting someone going through a crisis.
• Teaching: The ability to clearly explain and apply God’s Word in a way that helps others understand and grow.
  • Example: Leading an impactful Bible study or delivering a clear, engaging sermon.
• Exhortation/Encouragement: The ability to motivate and encourage others, inspiring them to live out their faith and pursue spiritual growth.
  • Example: Offering words of hope and inspiration to someone who is discouraged.

How Do I Discover My Spiritual Gifts?

1. Pray and Ask: Ask God to reveal your gifts to you.
2. Study Scripture: Read passages like 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.
3. Serve: Start serving in different areas of your church or community. Often, your gifts become evident as you step out and serve.
4. Observe and Get Feedback: Pay attention to what you enjoy doing, what you do well, and what seems to have a positive impact. Ask trusted Christian friends or leaders what gifts they see in you.
5. Be Open to the Holy Spirit: As you seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, He will empower you and manifest His gifts through you.

God has uniquely wired every believer with purpose. Don’t let your spiritual gifts remain unwrapped! Seek to discover them, develop them, and use them to serve God and others, building up His magnificent Body of Christ.