Three groups of spiritual gifts for every believer
DOVE Family Core Teaching video coming soon
There are different types of spiritual gifts. These are acknowledged in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (emphasis added).
Each person of the Trinity manifests through the related spiritual gifts.
- Holy Spirit – Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-10)
- Fivefold Ministry – Gifts of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:7-16)
- Motivational – Gifts of God the Father (Romans 12:6-8)
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
We will look at the first category: the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Only believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit can manifest the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:1-10
Verse 1: “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.” We should be aware of the gifts of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to benefit the body of Christ. They are given for the “common good” (verse 7). To be manifest means to come “out of the spiritual world into our world.”
Verses 8-10 list nine spiritual gifts: “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”
Purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
- To demonstrate the supernatural nature of Christianity
- To benefit the body of Christ and get the attention of unbelievers
- To allow us to see and hear the Holy Spirit
- To better understand the thoughts of God
- To show (manifest) the person of the Holy Spirit
What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Wisdom: The Holy Spirit gives divine insight regarding how knowledge may best be applied to specific needs in specific and practical ways. The gift of wisdom allows a believer to make spiritual truths relevant and practical in proper decision-making. People with this gift are able to see otherwise unseen consequences and provide divinely inspired solutions in the midst of confusion or in the moments when direction is needed.
Knowledge: People with this gift understand information or know facts that could not be acquired by natural means. The gift of knowledge is seen when the Spirit enables a believer to understand in an exceptional way the truth and information and make them relevant to the body.
Faith: This gift is a special conviction given to a believer to be firmly persuaded of God’s power and promises and to display this confidence despite specific circumstances or obstacles. People with this gift believe the promises of God and inspire others to do the same. They are willing to move forward as they ask God for what is needed and trust Him for provision.
Healing: The gift of healing is a special ability given by the Holy Spirit to serve as an instrument of healing in which illness is cured and health is restored apart from natural means. People with this gift bring restoration to the sick and diseased as they pray, touch, or speak words that miraculously bring healing. Many times, this gift is used as a demonstration of God’s power and love in evangelism.
Miracles: The gift of miracles is the special ability given by the Holy Spirit to serve as a human vessel through which God performs acts of supernatural power that alter the ordinary course of nature. People with this gift express confidence as they bring the ministry and message of Jesus Christ with power and the manifestation of miracles. These supernatural acts are recognized by others and bring glory to God.
Prophecy: The gift of prophecy enables a believer to proclaim the Word of God with clarity and interpret and apply revelation from the Holy Spirit in given situations, in the life of individuals or in a specific context of a church, community, or nation. People with this gift see truth that others may not see and speak timely words from God that bring edification, encouragement, and comfort.
Discernment and Distinguishing of spirits: This gift is a special ability of a believer to know with certainty whether a specific teaching or behavior is from God, Satan, human error, or human power. People with this gift are divinely enabled to distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, and pure motives from impure. They often identify deception or the presence of evil when others do not recognize it. They are able to easily recognize inconsistencies in a teaching, prophetic message, or interpretation.
Speaking in tongues: The gift of tongues is the special ability to pray or praise in a language the believer has never learned. These tongues may be used to communicate a message from God to His people. If a tongue is spoken without an interpretation, the speaker is edified. If the tongue is interpreted, it is for the edification of the body. People with this gift receive a spontaneous message from God in a language they have never learned which is made known to His body through the gift of interpretation. They often experience an intimacy with God as they worship with unknown words too deep for the mind to comprehend.
Interpretation of tongues: The gift of interpretation is the special ability to translate the message of one who speaks in tongues. People with this gift enable the gift of tongues to build up the church by interpreting God’s message for the people. Church leaders help discern which tongues are for public interpretation and which ones are for private use and encouragement.
A clarification regarding tongues and prophecy
Tongues allows us to speak from God that which is unknown to the one who speaks it. Tongues comes along with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The experience of speaking in tongues can be different for everyone.There is a distinction between using tongues privately and publicly. (See 1 Corinthians 14.)
The prayer language of tongues (private use) (1 Corinthians 14:2)
- Edify yourself
- Your spirit is talking
- God is listening
- Pray as you will
The gift of tongues used with the gift of interpretation (public use) (1 Corinthians 14:14)
- Edify the church
- Holy Spirit is talking
- Congregation is listening
- Pray as God wills
All Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit should have a prayer language, but not all have the gift of tongues and interpretation that is used publicly. Tongues is a sign to unbelievers; prophecy is for Christians (1 Corinthians 14:20, 22). In the use of tongues and prophecy, it is important that we be orderly.
Motivational Gifts from God the Father
The gifts of the Father are often called “motivational gifts.” They seem natural but are spiritual and are often reflected in our personality types. They are part of the unique way in which each one of us has been created by God the Father—both the Christian and non-Christian. While these gifts are spiritual, they are acceptable to the natural mind.
To manifest one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a believer must be filled with the Holy Spirit. In order to flow in the fivefold gifts of Jesus Christ, one must be under the Lordship of Christ. But every person created by God has the Father’s motivational gifts. They are a part of everyone’s personality, according to grace. Everyone is created in God’s image.
These gifts are identified in Romans 12:6-8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
What are the motivational gifts?
Serving is a gift which expresses love by taking care of lowly or time-consuming tasks to allow others to be more effective ministers. This person feels motivated to meet physical needs, whether it is helping to set up chairs, sweep floors, cook, or any other need. Those with this gift seek no recognition. People with this gift have a difficult time saying “no” and can get burned out if they are not careful.
Teaching is the ability to understand and communicate the Christian faith so as to make the truth clear to others. A teacher enjoys sharing truths with others and loves to discover what helps others to most effectively learn. The result of this gift is the equipping and maturing of others. Many teachers struggle because they would rather read the Word than spend time praying.
Exhortation/Encouragement is the divine ability to reassure, strengthen, and affirm those who are discouraged. This gift enables one to help others to develop ways of growing spiritually. Those exercising this gift need to be careful so that they do not feel superior to others or try to control the lives of other people.
Giving empowers one to detect material or financial needs and meet those needs generously. It is the divine enablement to contribute material resources to the work of the Lord generously and cheerfully. A person with the gift of giving feels motivated to meet a need and takes great delight in financially supporting a worthy ministry. Those with a gift of giving typically give much more than a normal tithe.
Leadership is the ability to administrate and organize others toward a common goal or direction. Those with the gift of leadership are quick to identify problems and instill vision and motivation in others. A leader needs to guard against manipulating others to get what they want.
Compassion/Mercy is a gift that goes beyond both natural human sympathy and concern. A person with the gift of compassion can quickly discern the emotional hurts of others and is motivated to help reduce the struggles of other people. Those with the gift of compassion may have difficulty giving “tough love” if they become emotionally involved.
Prophecy is speaking what God wants said with clarity, creativity, and power. The primary ministry in this gift is not future telling, but confronting people with truth. The gift of prophecy often allows an individual to speak words of wisdom into situations and bring edification. A person with the gift of prophecy should be careful of a lack of sensitivity, pride, or judgmental attitude.
Finding out our motivational gifts and the motivational gifts of others help us to be effective in what we do and know when to partner with others who are strong in an area we are not. This is incredibly helpful in team building.
Helping someone learn their motivational gifts is a key for their discipleship and spiritual growth as they understand how God has made them and find fulfillment in that as a son or daughter of God.
Fivefold Ministry Gifts from Christ
Equipping gifts
The purpose of the fivefold ministry gifts is to equip the believers for the work of ministry. All believers are called to minister, but many are not equipped to do it. The fivefold ministry builds up the churches and brings the believers (individually and collectively) to maturity and power so that the church can advance, penetrate darkness, and multiply.
We see Jesus giving these fivefold gifts in Ephesians 4:11-12. “So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
According to Ephesians 4:11, Christ is the one who gave these gifts to mankind. These gifts reflect different dimensions of His anointing.
Understanding the anointing
- Anointing is God’s power and God’s presence.
- It is a divine enablement.
- People who are called by God have His anointing.
- In church planting and leadership, it is important to recognize the fivefold anointing to bring the believers to maturity.
What are the fivefold ministry gifts?
Apostle: An apostle has divine ability to oversee churches and function authoritatively in spiritual matters. It is a gift in which certain believers are equipped by the power of the Lord to lead, inspire, and develop the churches of God. An apostle may be used by God to start and oversee the development of new churches or ministry structures. He or she will desire to see the church expand and multiply and demonstrate authority and vision for the mission of the church. The apostolic makes the saints missional and says, “Go!”
Prophet: A prophet has the special ability to proclaim the spoken word of God with clarity and to apply it fearlessly with a view to the strengthening, encouragement, and comfort of believers and the convincing of unbelievers. A prophet is divinely enabled to reveal truth and proclaim it in a timely and relevant manner. People with this gift are often used by God to expose sin or deception in others and warn of God’s immediate or future judgment if there is no repentance. The prophetic makes the saints spiritual and says, “Hear!”
Evangelist: An evangelist has the special ability to proclaim the gospel of salvation effectively so that people respond to the promises of Christ and accept Him as Lord. People with this gift communicate the message of Christ with clarity and conviction and seek out opportunities to talk to unbelievers about faith in Christ Jesus. They seek opportunities to build relationships with unbelievers. The evangelistic makes the saints attractional and says, “Speak!”
Pastor: A pastor has the special ability to care for the flock of Christ and assume long-term responsibility for the spiritual care, protection, guidance, and feeding (teaching) of a group of believers. People with this gift provide guidance and oversight to a group of God’s people even as they model what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus. The pastoral makes the saints feel a sense of family and says, “Love!”
Teacher: A teacher has the special ability to explain the truths of the Word of God clearly and to apply them effectively so that those taught understand and learn. A teacher is passionate about truth and is able to instruct others in a logical and systematic way. People with this gift communicate biblical truth while giving attention to detail and accuracy and thereby inspire greater obedience to God and His Word. They prepare to minister through extended times of study and reflection. The teaching makes the saints learn the word of God and says, “Think!”
The preparation of the saints
It is best for this equipping of believers to happen at the local church. The fivefold gifts that are evident in people in the church should be identified and activated. The fivefold gifts that are not evident locally can be brought into the church by inviting people who carry these gifts to minister. The believers and the church need all five to come to maturity.
According to Ephesians 4:13-16 the result of the fivefold ministry is that believers find their spiritual gifts and are aligned and united with others in the church. This forms a mature body of Christ. The five ministries create a synergy that makes strong disciples and leaders in the local church.
Answer Your Call to Leadership
The DOVE Global Leadership & Ministry School provides practical biblical training as well as Holy Spirit impartation and activation. Hundreds of graduates are now successfully engaging God’s call to the church and the marketplace. Our goal is to help you build a biblical foundation to be led by the Holy Spirit and pursue your God-given dreams.