A spiritual gift is a supernatural, extra-ordinary ability. Every believer receives at least one of these abilities from the Holy Spirit. If the gift is used in God's way, with God's power, other believers and also nonbelievers will be impacted.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS - There are 5 Greek words for "gift" which are used interchangeably.

• charisma (most frequent) - 1 Cor. 12:4 - root - grace - Emphasizes the unconditionality of a gift.
  
  
• pneumatikos - 1 Cor. 12:1 - spiritual thing - Emphasizes the supernatural nature of the gifts.
  
  
• diakonia - 1 Cor. 12:5 - ministries - Emphasizes the service involved.
  
  
• energeo - 1 Cor. 12:6 - workings - Emphasizes the release of God's power into and through the recipient.
  
  
• domata - Eph. 4:7 - from the root "to give" - something given - Emphasizes the ability comes from God.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE NOT:

• Natural Talents or Abilities (which are also given by God but are given to believers and unbelievers alike) such as carpenter or musician, etc.
  
  
• Personality types
  
  
• Fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22-23 - Love, joy, peace, patience, etc. These are crucial for the use of the gifts but should not be confused with the gifts themselves.
  
  
• Offices of the church - Elder, Deacon, Pastor - These are positions in the church which may or may not include accompanying gifts.
  
  
• An excuse to avoid the common ministry that God has called us all to. For example, He asks all believers to share their faith with others (1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Someone shouldn't claim that they don't have the gift of evangelism, therefore they are exempted from sharing their faith.
  
  

Read the following verses.

• Ephesians 4:7 - "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift."
  
  
• 1 Cor. 12:7 - "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
  
  
• 1 Peter 4:10 - "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
  
  

• So that each person can do their share to contribute to the health of the church. Romans 12:6-8 - "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
  
  
• To be good stewards of God's gift(s). 1 Peter 4:10-11 - "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies".
  
  
• So that our gifts will not be buried because of fears. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 - "For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline".
  
  

• Pray and ask God for wisdom. So please stop now and ask God to give wisdom to each individual and to your church to clarify your understanding of these gifts.
  
  
• Get involved with people and love them!!! "God doesn't steer a parked car".
  
  
• Check your history. What has God already been doing through you?
  
  
• Check your reactions to the needs around you and in the church. Where, or to whom are you drawn to serve?
  
  
• Check your dreams. What do you wish you could do in the church?
  
  
• Consult other believers. What feedback have you received regarding how you have been used in other's lives? Do you tell people when they have ministered to you?
  
  
• Take our Spiritual Gift Inventory after you review the gifts and their descriptions below.
  
  

The Bible has several lists of gifts in the following passages - Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-31; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10-11. We have compiled a list of these gifts and a description of each gift. Some gifts are combined because of their similarity.

Apostle
This gift is not on the level of the primary, or foundational gift of apostle, like the "The Twelve" or Paul. But there is a "secondary" gift given - the gift of apostellos (Greek) - "sent out one", as with our modern day church planters and missionaries. This gift may be a mix of leadership and teaching gifts or it can be in the form of a key "support" role. (1 Thessalonians 1:1 & 2:6 - Silas and Timothy are called apostles; Andronicus and Junias are also called apostles in Romans 16:7).

Prophecy
May include foretelling through understanding dreams or correctly predicting future events. Does include forthtelling, an ability to correctly discern God's message to a church body to challenge and comfort them (1 Cor. 14:3).

Evangelism
Particularly burdened to proclaim the good news accurately, and with results, such as people coming to Christ and/or successfully planting seeds.

Teacher
Presents a clear, accurate explanation of the meaning and application of God's Word.

Pastor-Teacher
Oversees and diagnoses the spiritual state of a group of believers. Can teach and nurture groups to follow God's Word and will (Timothy).

Encouragement
Literally, "to come along side". This person brings out the best in people, energizing them by focusing on their victories and potential in Christ (Barnabas, whose name literally means, "son of encouragement").

(Word of) Knowledge
Can understand and clearly explain the difficult passages in the Bible. Very driven to study and make sense of the Word (1 Cor. 13:2).

(Word of) Wisdom
Provides accurate and insightful application of biblical knowledge to life's difficult situations (Solomon).

Hospitality
The ability to warmly and genuinely open up one's home and possessions to others to create a comfortable atmosphere of belonging and appreciation.

Helps / Service/ Craftsmanship
A skillful use of practical talents to identify and meet practical needs (Exodus 31:3 - Referring to Bezalel, who God had prepared to design and build the temple - "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts").

Leadership
Literally means "to stand before". Able to inspire, motivate and mobilize groups towards a common goal. (Paul)

Administration
Literally, "ship-steerer" - Has an exceptional ability to understand and efficiently carry out the necessary and often practical steps to move a group or task forward.

Giving
Though not necessarily wealthy, this person has a sacrificial and cheerful generosity with material goods. God provides a flow of resources to keep this gift operating.

Mercy
Drawn to help, comfort and restore those who are continually struggling or who have caused damage to their own life through sin or bad choices.

Faith / Intercession / Miracles / Gifts of Healing / Exorcism
Boldly confident that God can and will overcome any obstacle. Believes in miracles and has had their prayers of faith answered resulting in miracles of physical or emotional healings (Stephen - Acts 6:8).

Discernment
"Distinguishing of spirits" - The Greek word - "diakrino" literally means "to judge through". This gift recognizes the source of a teaching or a spirit. Differentiates between flesh and spirit and good or bad motives (Jude).

Exhortation
This gift challenges the status quo and seeks to shake people out of complacency (Paul to Peter in Galatians 2).

We do not "test" for the following gifts in the FBCWR spiritual gift inventory.

Tongues
The supernaturally supplied ability to speak in a foreign or angelic language for self-edification or if interpreted for the edification of others. Not all speak in tongues (Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:30).

Interpretation of Tongues
The ability to translate and interpret the message of the tongues gift. Must accompany the use of the tongues gift when used in a group and should be when used privately (1 Corinthians 14:27-28; 1 Corinthians 14:13-14).

Celibacy
According to 1 Cor. 7:7 (and Matthew 19:11), celibacy or singleness is a "charisma" - gift from God. A person who has this gift will have a strong desire to be involved in service to the kingdom of God. They will have supernatural self-control physically as well.

Martyrdom
The gift one may not want until after they have "used" it for the first time. (1 Cor. 13:3 says that giving our body to the flames is a type of gift).

Music
This is actually not a spiritual gift because even nonbelievers have musical talents, though of course all musical talent comes from God. However, when a person is playing or singing, their spiritual gift(s) shines through their music. A musicians spiritual gifts may impact behind the scenes, for example, a drummer with a gift of exhortation challenges the worship band to be more focused on the Lord rather than the music during the service.