If we look in Ephesians 4 we can see what most of them are; "As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.3 Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. 4 All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people. 5 We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us. 7 Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us. 8 As the Scriptures say, 'When he went up to the highest place, he led away many prisoners and gave gifts to people.' 9 When it says, “he went up,” it means that Christ had been deep in the earth. 10 This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so that he would fill the whole universe. 11 Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, 12 so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. 13 This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him." Did you see the gifts in this passage? They are:
- Apostles
- Prophets
- Missionaries
- Pastors
- Teachers
These are the "teaching" gifts; some of the ones which you may be the most familiar with. But there are more. Look in I Corinthians 12; "4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ways to serve the same Lord, 6 and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. 7 The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. 8 Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. 9 To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick 10 or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. 11 But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us." Did you see the gifts in this passage? They are:
- Speaking words of wisdom
- Speaking with knowledge
- Working mighty miracles
- Able to recognize when God's Spirit is present
- Ability to speak different types of languages
- Interpret languages
There are also gifts listed in Romans 12: "4 A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. 6 God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully." Did you see the gifts in this passage? They are:
- Prophesy
- Serving others
- Teaching
- Encouraging others
- Giving
- Leading
- Doing good to others
Are you able to identify any of the gifts God has given you? If you are a Christian you have been given at least one spiritual gift so we can learn to serve and the church will grow strong! Gifts unite us and help us grow up so we can be like Jesus and not be deceived as we all work together! Keep in mind God is the One Who decides which gift you will receive, so now you know what they are, how do you use them? We will look at this question tomorrow!
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