The Church and Spiritual Gifts
One of the better kept secrets of the Christian life lies in the Biblical teaching of spiritual giftedness. At a time when the church most needs to be at the forefront of salting and lighting communities, she has too often omitted adequate instruction and application that is essential in the discipleship process.
Certainly there are a variety of approaches that the church can take if and when she decides to embark on the disciple-making venture. The purpose here is not to endorse a single approach or curriculum, but to briefly examine Biblical teaching and encourage the further exploration of how a church can best equip the followers of Christ to use what has been given to them.
- Biblical Truth #1: Every believer has been given a spiritual gift. 1 Peter 4:10
- Biblical Truth #2: God wants each believer to be aware of his/her particular spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12:1
- Biblical Truth #3: The Holy Spirit decides which gift a believer receives. 1 Corinthians 12:11
- Biblical Truth #4: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts with different functions. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
- Biblical Truth #5: The purpose of spiritual gifts is to equip the church to serve others. Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10
- Biblical Truth #6: Spiritual gifts helps believers to become interdependent of each other and function as a body. Romans 12:5
The teaching and use of spiritual gifts in the church was never meant to cause disharmony among members. As a matter of fact, if discord has resulted from such, then it is a clear indication that something is wrong. For the church to understand that the Holy Spirit has indeed gifted (equipped) every believer for ministry is an exciting discovery that will lead her to make a greater impact in her community.
HOW DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES CAN HELP: We offer a two hour workshop entitled, THE CHURCH AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS that can help Christians discover and apply their spiritual giftedness in the ministries of their church.
