There are two kinds of people that serve in a church. There is the person that knows what her spiritual gift is and actively uses it. And there is the person that doesn’t know what her spiritual gift is yet still serves in the church.
How is a spiritual gift different than human ability? Human ability is given from our physical parents while spiritual gifts are given from our spiritual father. Human ability is received at physical birth while spiritual gifts are received at spiritual birth when we become a Christian. Human ability is for the benefit of mankind while spiritual gifts are for the benefit of the church.
The Bible describes spiritual gifts in four separate passages. Each time the author is hoping to teach his readers what the gifts are and how to employ them. The apostle Paul writes to the believers in the church at Corinth hoping they’ll become people that know what their spiritual gift is and who actively use it.
Paul tells the believers in Corinth that spiritual gifts are given so that we can help each other, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, NASB) Paul then lists several different gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10). It’s clear that the Spirit gives these different gives to different people, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11)
After these important truths about the gifts of the Spirit, Paul reminds them that the gifts are used in the church in the same way our body uses different body parts. Each body part relies on others and needs each other. He sums up his metaphor about the gifts of the spirit being like body parts saying the goal of the gifts are “that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26)
Scripture teaches us that spiritual gifts are meant to be used now (Eph 4:12-13). Scripture doesn’t say a believer loses his or her spiritual gift.
But how do we discover and deploy our spiritual gift? First, read about the gifts described in the Bible (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesians 4:7-14; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Second, pray for God to reveal to us which gift He has given to us. Third, say “yes” when our pastor or church leaders ask us to help serve in a church ministry.
After spending some time in God’s Word, praying to God, and experimenting with different areas of service, I hope we all can be part of the group of people in the church that knows their spiritual gift and actively serves.