Those who believe and receive God’s Son by grace are given the gift of His Holy Spirit along with one or more spiritual gifts for service to others in the Body of Christ. The main spiritual gifts God wants believers to know about are listed in the New Testament (i.e. apostles, prophets, teachers, helps, administrations, etc), but I would not limit the spiritual gifts to just those listed any more than I would limit the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us that seeking spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church was a common practice among early believers (1Co 14:12). Therefore, these spiritual gifts are not as fixed after conversion as some seem to think. We can receive additional spiritual gifts if we seek them and God allows. I also think Christians can quench the Spirit when their spiritual gifts are never used (1Th 5:19). In any case, God chooses the vessels He will work through to accomplish His own purpose for the Church.
Jesus came from God and was God, so He received the Holy Spirit without measure. No sinful human in the flesh could receive the Holy Spirit without measure and stay humble. God knows each believer’s natural limitations, and He limits the spiritual gifts given to each individual accordingly.
All spiritual gifts come by God’s grace, so no one earned them or is going to be rewarded for the gifts that they received. They will however be rewarded for the service given to the Church using spiritual gifts given.
People who never use their gifts might lose their gifts and their rewards. God is going to accomplish His agenda for the Church, but it may not yet be determined who He will accomplish it through. Free will plays a role here and so does sin. For example, a believer given the gift of teaching whose laziness and sins hinder him from teaching could be replaced by someone else. The reward he could have had also will go to the person that God used to perform the service.
Spiritual gifts are not something that believers can conjure up themselves. When I was among the Pentecostal side of Christianity, I remember those always trying to do that. Those doing the public babbling, giving false prophecies, fake healing and the rest of the act, are not operating in the spiritual gifts as some claim. Many substitute counterfeit gifts because they want to be seen by others as being spiritual. Christians most promoting their “spiritual gifts” often are the least spiritual Christians of all. Even those living in flagrant sin are often less self-deceived.
It’s not just the Pentecostals who use the scriptures about spiritual gifts to advance themselves or their agenda. I remember one Baptist pastor who asked people what their spiritual gifts were when they interviewed for church membership. Seemed to me that he was looking for pegs to fill his pegboard. For obvious reasons you might not want to tell such a pastor that you received the gift of giving. One cannot even disclose certain spiritual gifts without coming across as being self-aggrandizing. For example, try telling a pastor, church leader or a teacher that you received the gift of wisdom (1Co 12:8) and see how that is received. Anyway, good leaders do not rely on what people say about themselves. They soon learn the strengths and the weakness of those serving under them.
So how can Christians learn what their spiritual gift or gifts are? Mostly they learn it through their walk of faith and from what other say. The Holy Spirit directs the paths. For example, if you have the gift of giving it will be laid on your heart to sacrificially give to Christian causes. Those with the gift of helps will want to help. Those with the gift of administrations will want to help manage Church affairs. Those gifted to teach will want to teach others their understanding of the things of God. In short, if you think God is leading you to do something for the benefit of others in the Church it probably is because He gifted you to do that.
One caution that needs to be said, is if what you are doing puffs up your flesh nature, it probably is self-motivated and has nothing to do with any spiritual gift from God. Spiritual gifts coming from God are always love motivated. In fact, Paul says there is a more excellent way than desiring spiritual gifts. It is doing everything out of love for the brethren (1 Cor 13).
The spiritual gifts are for building up the Church. God is not giving spiritual gifts that bring harm to the cause of Christ. For example, God does not give the Church false prophets, false teachers and false healers. Christians should shun such individuals not promote them.
The Holy Spirit will lead willing Christians to use the gifts that they were given. Since the gifts are love motivated functions of the Holy Spirit, the functions really will not be something that gifted individuals dislike doing. You may desire additional spiritual gifts but God may not give them to you for your own good. God knows that the spirit of believers is willing but their flesh is weak. With more spiritual gifts pride and sin often enters the picture. Those achieving positions of responsibility and authority also have greater accountability, so most of us should be satisfied with the status we now have.
We will not be held accountable for the gifts that we were never given. However, we will be held accountable for what we did with the spiritual gifts that the Lord gave us. There is an old wise proverb that probably applies to spiritual gifts, “use it or lose it”.
My wish for all believers this Christmas is that your spiritual gifts will be used in abundance in the new year and beyond so that you may receive a full reward in the day that Jesus is glorified with His saints.
Nice nice nice very good article. Merry Christmas.
Wonderful teaching, after a long time it was nice to read a genuine Word of God. Thanks.
Thank you Don for your many fine articles. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
Outstanding article that clearly speaks for it’s self . No further comment necessary . Merry Christmas and blessing to you Don.
With all the terrible news this was actually refreshing. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all!
Don, Thank You for another excellent article that is well thought out and well laid out. I think I know what a couple of your gifts are! :> ) Love You!
Great article Don. Don Palmer above is very correct – we are blessed by the gifts Don through the Prophetic Years has given us. Don and this site are a very real light in the darkness we now find ourselves in this world.
Merry Christmas Don/everyone.
Mike
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to my Brothers and Sisters who unite in reading and commenting on Don’s articles. Blessings Don!
Thank you Lord for giving Don the gift of teaching and thank you Don,for being willing to let God use you in this ministry.Someone said that a spiritual gift is something we do supernaturally well.
You fit that description.Have a wonderful Christmas and God bless you.
Hi,
I’ve never known anyone who had the gift of healing and I’ve never been in a church that practiced James 5:14-16.
Is God still in the healing business or have we been turned over to the medical field and all the drugs with the dangerous side effects they prescribe?
That’s been a question in my mind for a very very very long time.
Hi Caitlin,
All healing comes from God and God still answers prayer. I doubt if the “gift of healing” ever existed outside of the Apostles. Even Paul no longer had the gift of healing late in His ministry. ”
Christian” churches do not practice a lot of things the Church should be doing.
As for today’s self proclaimed healers, I doubt if God is using healing anymore to validate that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Anyone can now read His written word and believe or disbelieve.
There were natural physicians even in Biblical days. Luke was a physician. God gives humanity physicians and ilk for the benefit of all just like He gives farmers, builders and those of authority. We would be very foolish to not take advantage of the natural order including intelligent people trained in medicine.
Hi Don,
I understand what you are saying but I thought James 5 was given to Believers.
I had irreversible damage done to my right eye by an opthalmologist and it’s changed my life. Maybe I’m a little angry, or a lot angry.
Anyway thank you for your thoughts on the subject.
Hi Caitlin,
Sorry about your eyesight.
What James said was to believers. It just is not followed in most churches or maybe just not followed in the way some think James words should be followed. When pastors and elders go out and visit ailing people of their congregation they should in reality be praying over that person for their healing. Keep in mind that God may have His own reasons for not healing our flesh. Our already condemned flesh is not His primary concern. He did not even heal Paul. Believers already were given what they need for eternal life. There is no infirmity for believers once their body of flesh dies.
True, Jesus did NOT heal everyone, nor did he have ‘Healing Crusades’ in fact the 10 blind men only one came back and thanked him, today too many believers sincerely believe that those who heal have the ‘Most Anointing’ like Benny, but everyone by now has learned the hard way that Benny and others strayed from the WORD long ago. Can GOD still heal ? Yes; but HE doesn’t always. Jesus is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever
I just want to make it clear that I’m not angry at God. I don’t believe in healing crusades or people like Benny or Kenneth Copeland. I’m angry at a doctor.
I may have misunderstood the James passage but since this article was about spiritual gifts I wanted to know about healing.
What do blind people do? Learn to play the piano? Lol.
I also forgot to mention that Jesus did NOT resurrect everyone around Lazarus that day, just him and by name. I mention this because their are some very gullible believers who are following more and more ‘Signs and Wonders’ movement and not so much the written word of GOD; like what happened at the ‘Lake Land Revival’ yes, GOD will heal some and not others; Blessed be His Holy name.