Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts Purposes and Descriptions:

Now that you have completed the spiritual gifts assessment, you may be wondering what it all means. It is important to know that God can use people with any set of gifts at any time to accomplish His purposes on the earth. God’s Word does not provide detailed definitions of these gifts and the descriptions below are written from a collection of resources and observations from Christians.

What is my next step? Find the three spiritual gifts that you scored the highest on and read about them below.

What are the Spiritual Gifts? Twenty spiritual gifts are referenced in the New Testament in the writings of the Apostle Paul. These gifts are listed in Eph. 4:11, Rom. 12:3-7, & 1 Cor. 12:1-12, 28. They are:

The gifts listed in the italicized text above were not reflected in the survey. The rationale for not including the following gifts in the assessment is that they are self-revealing. If you have the gift of tongues and interpretation, you follow the biblical model for speaking in tongues or interpreting; healing and miracles, you witness miracles and healing when you pray. All spiritual gifts revealed in scripture are within the power of the Holy Spirit to distribute; some don’t require an assessment to be discovered. Other gifts are less obvious and require a more in-depth look. The purpose of a spiritual gifts survey is to take an in-depth look at what characteristics are likely to match the description of a particular spiritual gift. It is important to remember that the most reliable indicator of a spiritual gift is the affirmation of these personal characteristics by others.

HOW ARE THE VARIOUS SPIRITUAL GIFTS DEFINED?

Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is defined as verbally proclaiming biblical truths by the Spirit of God that aligns with the Word of God which brings encouragement or conviction in such a way that hearers must do something about it (1 Cor. 12:8). People who have this gift are used to reveal the vision and heart of God to and for the people of God to follow and engage in. They also need to be aware of the tendency that if this gift is not tempered with humility one can become self-important and become an example of speaking the truth without love.

Teaching
The gift of teaching is defined as the ability to explain biblical principles so that others understand and can apply them God’s timeless Word to their lives (1 Cor. 12:28). People who have this gift makes others want to study, read, and mediate on God’s Word more because as they help others to see God’s Word is a must for them to know and live by its authority. They also need to be aware of the tendency that if they are not in the Word and prayer continually they will be just going through the motions and teaching will just become a duty.

Helps
The gift of helps is defined as the ability to perceive the needs of others and act with a joyful heart to meet those needs even if it requires personal sacrifice (I Cor. 12:28). People with this gift help increase the effectiveness of how God has created them to glorify Him by making disciples of all people groups. They also need to be aware of the tendency to find their worth and significance in others.

Administration
The gift of administration is defined as the ability to utilize people, resources, and time to effectively and efficiently accomplish ministry objectives (1 Cor. 12:28). People with this gift knows how to put things in order and keep them in order so that God’s vision continues to be accomplished. They also need to be aware of the tendency to put relationships on the back burner and overly focuses on the steps and not the big picture.

Wisdom
The gift of wisdom is defined as the ability to offer wise and knowledgeable counsel based on biblical truth in a variety of situations (1 Cor. 12:8). People with this gift have incredible spiritual insight in helping people make wise decisions in light of one’s past, current responsibilities, and future hopes and dreams seem obvious. They also need to be aware of the tendency to confuse their own insight with God’s insight when they are feeling insecure.

Knowledge
The gift of knowledge is defined as a deep sensitivity to the gleaning of wisdom from life lessons and the ability to articulate this knowledge to the growth and well-being of a person, family, or a body of believers at the right time (1 Cor. 12:8). People with this gift can see a complicated situation and understand with Holy Spirit illumination what biblical truth applies to the situation to give clarity. They also need to be aware of the tendency to use this gift to draw attention to themselves and believe they always have the answers and therefore lose sight of the over-arching purpose of all spiritual gifts which is to build people up in the faith.

Faith
The gift of faith is defined as complete confidence and assurance that God accomplishes the best outcomes with the best methods in spite of the circumstances (1 Cor. 12:9). People with this gift actively encourage other Christians to realize the promises of God. They also need to be aware of the tendency to look down or grow impatient with those who don’t see what they see.

Discernment
The gift of discernment is defined as the ability to determine whether an influence or a truth originated from the Holy Spirit, the devil, or just our selfish nature (1 Cor. 12:10). People who have this gift have a deep love for God’s One Church and so they do not want to see disunity, confusion, or false teaching penetrate the Church. They also need to be aware of the tendency that they can become self-appointed truth-finders.

Evangelism
The gift of evangelism is defined as the ability to redirect conversations and discussions to emphasize and reveal a clear picture of the God’s glorious and beautiful message which calls the hearer to understand God’s grace is a gift that cannot be earned and yet at the same time one has to embrace Jesus’ costly terms to follow Him in order to become a Christian (Ephesians 4:11) People who have this gift are quite often fearless and ready to take on difficult situations to share Jesus. They also need to be aware of the tendency to view other aspects of ministry as a less important or forget the heart of evangelism is relying on the Holy Spirit to direct their questions and conversations instead of going through a formula type of evangelism.

Pastor/Shepherd
The gift of pastor/shepherd is defined as the ability to nurture, encourage, and empower others to be fully surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives as they are being transformed into the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:11). People who have this gift have the God-given ability to care, protect, and lead people to their ultimate and perfect pastor/shepherd — Jesus Christ. They also need to be aware of the tendency to try to make everyone happy or to take advantage of people’s trust.

Service
The gift of service is defined as the ability to cheerfully sacrifice time and make a personal investment which honors the needs, desires and goals of others that is related in a task to God’s work (Romans 12:7). People with this gift are eager to do whatever needs to be done and can usually see what that is. They also need to be aware of the tendency that they can become so busy with serving that they forget about the people whom they are serving.

Encouragement
The gift of encouragement/exhortation is defined as the ability to offer words of encouragement and challenges from God’s Word so that others can see and fulfill God’s vision to glorify Him by making disciples of all people groups, to know the fullness of God’s love that He has for them, and to continue to pursue spiritual transformation(Romans 12:8). People who have this gift constantly wonder about what does God want to say to another person through me? They also need to be aware of the tendency to get discouraged if they do not receive any feedback to the words they shared.

Giving
The gift of giving is defined as the supernatural ability to give joyfully and sacrificially to meet the needs of others all-the-while living simply so that their local and global neighbors can simply live (Romans 12:8). People with this gift rarely thinks about what the money given away might do for themselves. They also need to be aware of the tendency to control people, churches, and ministries through the use of the money God has given to them.

Leadership
The gift of leadership is defined as the ability to cast vision, effectively communicate, and unify the diverse gifts of others to accomplish a common purpose for the glory of God (Romans 12:8). People with this gift see what could be in God’s kingdom fueled by the conviction it should be. They also need to be aware of the tendency of trying to lead alone.

Mercy
The gift of mercy is defined as the ability to empathize with the pain, struggles and suffering of others while comforting them with kindness, patience and love of God (Romans 12:8). People who have this gift are drawn to people’s hurts and desire to walk with them through their pain. They also need to be aware of the tendency to downplay or ignore what truly needs to change in a person and that consequences are great teachers of life lessons.

Hospitality
The gift of hospitality is defined as the ability to make others feel welcome (Romans 12:13). This gift is often combined with such natural talents like cooking, event planning, and interior design. People who have this gift view their home as a place of ministry and enjoy inviting people over. God has enabled them a longing to share their home, personal space and resources without communicating a need of performance or an expectation of anything in return. They also need to be aware of the tendency to that being hospitable is behind the scenes and they actually want to hide behind the scenes.

This test was provided by FBC Brewster. All rights to this assessment are reserved to FBC Brewster