Why Spiritual Gifts Matter
What are spiritual gifts, and how are we to approach them earnestly? Spiritual gifts play a significant role in building the character of Jesus in our lives. This blog outlines the three primary categories spiritual gifts fall into and discusses why we can be naive about them.
-
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
Earnestly Desiring Spiritual Gifts
As an eighth grader, I began focusing less on my academic performance and more on other things. I had a teacher named Mrs. Nelson who spoke gracious urgency to me. “Paul, you need to tighten up and focus on your academic performance earnestly.”
As an eighth grader, I wasn’t sure what earnestly meant, but I remember looking it up.
Earnest: serious and zealous in intention, purpose, or effort: an earnest worker. Showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty. Seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention
She later told me that if you pursue something earnestly, you long for it in your heart and pursue it with your actions.
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1
We are not only told to desire spiritual gifts but to long for spiritual gifts and pursue spiritual gifts with our actions. God works to build the character of Jesus into our lives, and spiritual gifts are one of those methods.
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son….” Romans 8:28-29
A part of that power to be conformed to the image of His Son comes through the power of the person of the Holy Spirit. One of those ways is by manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which produces the character of Jesus in our lives.
Today, we’re looking at the Holy Spirit concerning the ministry of Jesus operating in and through us. When you combine the character and ministry of Jesus, that’s a powerful package for the glory of God. The Scriptures teach us that between 18 and 22, different spiritual gifts are found throughout Scripture.
Spiritual gifts are a conduit of the ministry of Jesus. [Take a free spiritual test.]
When we know more about spiritual gifts, we learn more about the person of the Holy Spirit. These gifts fall into three primary categories.
The Spiritual Gifts by Category
The Gift of Ministry Offices
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, Teachers (A.P.E.S.T.)
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” Ephesians 4:11-13
These gifts exist to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Typically church staff is made up of persons who fall into these categories. Reinhold Niebuhr said, “All are called the ministry where the priesthood of believers all are called to ministry, but some receiving inward call. Those who receive an inward call, the church must call forth.”
Our responsibility as a church staff is to build teams and equip the saints for the work of ministry, equip, empower, and release them for the glory of God.
Motivational Gifts
Based on Romans 12:3-8 and selected passages in 1 Corinthians 12
Motivational gifts are not the equivalent of hearing a motivational speaker; that’s not the context here. Instead, these are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and they nourish and bring glory to God by edifying the body to grow strong in the name of Jesus.
Prophecy: Proclaims biblically rooted truth so that fellowship with God can be restored and/or maintained.
Serving: Demonstrates love by meeting practical needs, usually through tangible work.
Teaching: Discovers, teaches, and validates truth so that the church maintains accuracy and grows in God’s grace.
Exhortation/Encouragement: Encourages Christians to persevere and grow spiritually and relationally.
Giving: Conserves and joyfully shares resources to meet needs.
Administration: Carries out projects by recruiting people to serve, organizing ministries or tasks, or delegating responsibilities.
Mercy: Demonstrates God’s love and compassion by responding to hurt.
Supernatural Ministry Gifts (Manifestation Gifts)
These gifts are sometimes demonstrated by how God works through a believer in a given situation to demonstrate His supernatural power.
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kind of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
When I was at Asbury University, I was a new Christian. It was my first year, and I got a severe flu case the week of finals. I couldn’t lift my head from the pillow or breathe, and I had a soaring fever.
One of my classmates brought me down the hall to his room, where he and several others offered intercessory prayer over me. I sat in a chair in the middle of his room, and we began to praise Jesus. As I mumbled, “I praise you, Jesus,” His presence came. My lungs began to break, and I could breathe again. My headache began to dissipate, and my fever plummeted. Within 20 minutes, I felt as good then as I do today. I cannot intellectually or rationally explain what happened.
I’ve had the flu many times since and have prayed for the Lord to heal me like that day, but nothing has happened. I’ve asked God why, and I think God wanted a young believer who had decades of ministry before him to know that there are times when He can move supernaturally. So he told me to keep my heart open for the revelation of His Word for the sake of His glory and people.
In reality, more people get healed when we pray for them to be healed when we don’t. As Christians, a day is coming when there will be no more tears, and He will restore all things for His glory. Sometimes God chooses to move in ways we don’t anticipate, but it’s only so we can testify that He is God.
Why Are We Naive About Spiritual Gifts?
Why are so many Christians naive about spiritual gifts and earnestly pursuing God’s gifts available to His body?
1) We Can Be Uninformed
“Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.” 1 Corinthians 12:1
In addition to spiritual gifts, he was also talking about the Spirit in which we operate with these gifts. Therefore, I submit it is malpractice for a local church to fail to equip God’s people with an understanding of their spiritual gifts.
It is also malpractice for a local church to fail to open lanes for people to serve with their spiritual gifts. At a personal level, it is malpractice for believers to refrain from exercising their spiritual gifts regularly.
2) We Can Be Timid
We can be afraid of what someone thinks, or we might feel intimidated by stepping out of our comfort zone.
The good thing is you won’t be the first person in history to feel that way. The Apostle Paul wrote to a young Timothy about this because he struggled with what people thought.
“For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7
3) We Can Settle
In Christianity, we don’t have to strive because we serve Jesus from a place of victory through what He’s done through His death, burial, and resurrection. We can rest in His peace, and our yoke is easy. But as Christians, we were never called to settle; we were called to grow in the expression of the grace of Jesus Christ.
“But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in Spirit
and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2
God wants a heart that says, “I will move with you. I’m not going to settle.”
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1
Paul was intentional in beginning that statement with “Pursue love.” You are a distraction if you’re not operating out of love. When we pursue love, we can prophesy and proclaim God’s truth for His glory. God’s love is greater than spiritual gifts. Without love, spiritual gifts become worthless and even destructive.
Paul was instructing the church to desire and exercise their spiritual gifts earnestly but to do some in a way that magnifies love for God and deep love for one another.
TL;DR
Pursuing spiritual gifts is a way to build the character of Jesus in our lives as part of conforming to His image and purposes.
Spiritual gifts are a conduit of the ministry of Jesus, which fall into three primary categories: gifts of ministry offices, motivational gifts, and supernatural ministry gifts (manifestation gifts).
Christians can be naive about spiritual gifts due to being uninformed, intimidation, and choosing to settle.
Knowing more about spiritual gifts leads to a better understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit and their workings.
Related Reading
Who is the Holy Spirit by Rev. Paul Lawler
How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit by Rev. Paul Lawler
How to Overcome the Desires of the Flesh by Rev. Paul Lawler
