What Are Spiritual Gifts?

Big Idea: Every Christian is called to use their unique spiritual gifts to serve the church and support its mission.

After church one Sunday, two pastors looked at a table covered with the largest offering ever collected in the church’s history. The two pastors stand there perplexed, wondering what triggered such an outpouring of generosity. As one looks over his sermon notes from that morning, the other says, “Look again, it must have been something you said!”

I feel a little like one of those pastors. No, we didn’t have a record offering last week. But I have never received so much feedback after a sermon as I did from last week. I want to thank you for it.

What I said last week was simple: we have a plan. We have a plan to lead every member to fruitful, impassioned service at Richview Baptist Church. A Gallup survey found that 10% of church members are active in ministry. I asked those of you who are currently active serving God in some ministry of the church to stand. More than 10% of you stood, not including those working in the Churchtime and nursery programs during the service. I thanked you and told you that help was on the way. And then I asked those of you who are not yet involved in ministry but would like to raise your hand. Gallup says that this number should be around 40%. To be honest, not many of you raised your hand. But I promised those of you who did that we had a plan to help you find your place of service within the church.

Something later left me feeling puzzled. A lot of you neither indicated that you were involved in service or wanted to be. And some of you who I know are involved in service never raised your hand at all. Based on the feedback I received this week, I realized I need to clearly communicate my thoughts on spiritual gifts, ministry, and our expectations.

Few topics create more confusion and criticism in the church than the subject of the Spirit’s work in gifting the church. To spark a fistfight, gather individuals from different denominations, put them in a room, and discuss the gifts of the Spirit. Churches have split over the issue. Libraries are filled with books on the topic. And yet we can’t ignore them. The Bible says that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for every member of Christ’s body, the church. And that includes you and me.

So let me back up this morning and ask, what is a spiritual gift? I’ve argued that we all have one and that we should all be using them. What exactly is a spiritual gift? How does it differ from a natural ability? When do you receive a spiritual gift? And is a spiritual gift permanent, or can it be taken away? The Greek word for spiritual gift is "charisma," which has entered English to describe someone with charisma and the charismatic gifts. Its best English translation would be a “grace gift” – a gift of grace. In the New Testament, spiritual gifts refer to the Holy Spirit's empowerment for serving and advancing Christ's kingdom. It’s used, for instance, in the following passages:

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. (1 Corinthians 12:1)

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. (Romans 12:6)

A Definition

Let me give you a working definition of spiritual gifts that will provide a starting point: “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church.” And let’s break it down a bit more, before I ask other questions.

An Ability

“A spiritual gift is any ability.” People often wonder how to distinguish between natural abilities and gifts of the Spirit. Sometimes, gifts seem miraculous and aren't linked to natural talent. Some spiritual gifts, like teaching, mercy, administration, and leadership, appear to be closely linked to natural abilities. I argue that certain natural abilities can be considered spiritual gifts if specific conditions are met, which I'll explain shortly.

If someone has a natural talent for teaching, they can leverage that gift, guided by the Holy Spirit, in the church. We all have natural abilities that can be valuable in Christ’s kingdom. You have some ability that can be used in the church to glorify God. But one word of caution here: the Bible never draws a distinction between natural and supernatural gifts. There is a danger of overemphasizing the supernatural gifts and de-emphasizing the gifts we think are natural. If we do this, we fail to see God’s hand working in all the gifts and fail to thank him for all of them.

Empowered by the Spirit

But a spiritual gift is not just an ability, but it is an “ability empowered by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing gifts. The word here “gives” or “apportions” is in the present tense. You could translate it, “The Holy Spirit is always continuing to distribute or apportion gifts according to his desires.” The Holy Spirit has a unique role in taking natural abilities and supernaturally empowering them. Or sometimes in taking people who lack natural ability and supernaturally empowering them to do his work.

Consider the story of Moses. Moses didn’t feel that he had the necessary gifts or abilities to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. And yet God’s response to Moses was to let him know that the task would be accomplished by God’s power working in him. And what I’ve learned is that the Holy Spirit’s empowerment is the key factor. Natural ability, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, will lack lasting results.

For the Church

Here's one more phrase under this definition: “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church.” The key phrase here is “used in any ministry of the church.”

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Gifts are not given to make us feel good or to advance our personal agenda. They are to flow through us to the benefit of others around us in the church. Gifts are designed to be used within the church. We can use our spiritual gifts in committees and services outside the church, but we truly fulfill our role only by using them within the church. Your divine ability allows you to serve the church and make a positive impact in the kingdom.

Next week we’re going to look at the amazing variety of spiritual gifts available and present within this church. I see that you believers have received a generous gift of spiritual abilities as a sign of God's grace. When we know our spiritual gifts, we will know our spiritual job description. Our ministry will become more focused. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Each one of you is a vital part of the ministry at Richview Baptist Church.

What Is a Ministry?

Which leads me into my next question: What is a ministry? Last week I asked those of you who are involved in ministry to stand. Some of you are involved in ministry, and yet you never stood. It’s possible you’re involved in ministry, and yet you don’t know it. It’s also possible that some of you think you’re involved in ministry, yet you aren’t.

Here’s what ministry is not. Ministry goes beyond mere participation in a committee or board. While this is important, many church members are so busy in meetings that they have little time for actual ministry. Rick Warren writes,

I’ve often wondered what we’d have left in Christianity if we cut out off the meetings. After all, Jesus did not say, ‘I am come that you might have meetings.’ But if you ask typical unchurched people what they notice most about their Christian neighbor’s lifestyles, they are likely to say, “They go to a lot of meetings.’ Is that what we want to be known for?”

He continues:

My guess is that the average church would be healthier if it eliminated half of its meetings to allow more time for ministry and relational evangelism…If a layperson comes to me and says, ‘Pastor, I have four hours a week to give my church in ministry,’ the last thing I would do is to put him on some committee. I want to get him involved in ministry, not maintenance.”

What is the difference between a committee and a lay ministry? Committees discuss; ministries act. Committees maintain, ministries minister. Many churches need to streamline and release people from being bureaucrats to being ministers. So ministry isn’t sitting on a committee or a board.

Ministry isn’t necessarily a position. Many people haven't held formal positions but still contribute significantly to ministry. A lot of people have been appointed or elected to a position, and yet they’re not ministering. The type of ministry I’m talking about belongs within the church. I support people sharing their time and talents, but based on 1 Corinthians 12-14, I believe that you should use your gifts within your local church. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

So what is ministry? The use of any God-given gift or ability to accomplish the purposes of the church. A phone call to someone who is discouraged; the relief of poverty; visiting the sick; mailing encouragement cards; sharing your faith with an unbeliever; praying; teaching a class; and more. Whenever you help someone in the local church, you are ministering to them. Some of you who didn’t stand last week have been ministering – you just didn’t know it. And maybe some of you who stood last week need to cut back on your meetings, and turn your focus to ministry.

Assumptions

I want to close by listing some assumptions about lay ministry that are important for everyone to understand.

First, everyone is a minister.

You are a minister. God has given you a spiritual gift that is essential to the proper functioning of the church. The problem is, the young think they’re too inexperienced. The older think that they’re too old. But listen: if you’re young, we need you to serve. We encourage you to be exuberant and embrace mistakes, doing things differently than older generations. Isn’t that right?

And if you’re older, we understand that health and other concerns might keep you from doing things the way you used to. But you still have a vital role to play in the church. We need you. And I believe that you’re here in this church for a reason. God has something he wants to do through you that will match your giftedness, your personality, and also your capabilities. God won’t give you a bigger job to do than you can handle in his strength.

Second, every ministry is important.

There is no spiritual gift ghetto. There are no second and third-class gifts. Your gift is important to me and to this church.

Third, we are dependent on one another.

We need each other’s gifts! If you’re a leader, we need you to lead. If you’re a giver of mercy, we need you to give mercy. If you are a teacher, then we need you to teach. If you’re a leader, we want you to lead.

Four, we will never start a ministry without a minister.

I personally believe that in the interim, things will get worse before they get better. Some existing ministries might temporarily shut down as we re-align our church. We must repeatedly remind each other not to fill a position with someone unqualified just to meet a need. We will not continue ministries if there are no ministers.

Closely related to this is the principle that:

We do not want anyone ministering out of guilt.

The very opposite of fruitful, impassioned service in your area of giftedness is ministry out of obligation or guilt. If a ministry or committee is shutting down due to the absence of one person, you don’t have to be that person. To put it another way, just because someone throws you a ball doesn’t mean you have to catch it. We do not want anyone serving God out of guilt or obligation.

Another assumption:

People will be allowed to quit or switch ministries gracefully.

As we enter new areas of ministry, we need to give each other permission to fail. You will make mistakes; I will make mistakes. In a few weeks, I’ll be talking about giving God our best. But right now, I’ll give the other side of the equation: If it’s worthy doing, it’s worth doing poorly. I don’t mean giving God less than our best, but when we start out in a new area of ministry, we won’t be pros overnight.

When I first started preaching, the people left that evening and said, “That sermon reeketh.” It was beyond being bad; it took real discernment to think that I could ever preach and people would listen. But somebody had the grace to allow me to make mistakes, because that was the only way I was going to learn. When we realize we're not as gifted as we believed, we will allow each other to make changes. That if they find out they aren’t gifted in a certain area, they’re allowed to make a change.

I would like to institute something called the one- or the two-hat rule. Here’s what it means. Every one of us will wear one hat – we will have something we can call our ministry at Richview Baptist Church. It will match our giftedness, our passion, our personality. It will involve using your spiritual gift, not serving on a committee. And we will want you to wear that one hat well. If you are really ambitious, although we won’t encourage it, we will allow you to wear two hats. My dream is that everyone here will have one, maybe two hats, but no more. What this allows you to do is to have a ministry, and to do it with excellence. This will help us decline other ministry opportunities without feeling guilty since we are already using our spiritual gifts to serve God.

One comment about serving. There will still be certain occasions where serving will take place even outside our giftedness. We will all still have the challenge of evangelism, even if that isn’t our gift. And when tables need to get put away or dishes need to get washed, it won’t be a matter of, “That’s not my spiritual gift.” We need to humble ourselves and serve others, following Jesus' example of washing feet. The goal is to serve God using our talents while remaining open to serving whenever needed.

Let me conclude with some words by Tony Evans:

One has only to look at the anemic nature of so many of our churches today, coupled with the reality that in most places 10 percent of the people are doing 90 percent of the work, to understand what happens when spiritual gifts are not working properly. The church’s impact upon its membership, as well as the community it should be serving, is stunted. Instead of being salt and light in the world, the church becomes satisfied functioning as a weekly Bible study with a few songs mixed in… Absolutely nothing can replace the power, influence, and impact of a church that is fulfilling God’s kingdom agenda through the operation of the gifts in the body. Why? Because that’s how the Spirit manifests himself, and when the Spirit manifests himself, powerful things happen.