Strengthening Your Spiritual Gifts in this Body

Strengthening Your Spiritual Gifts in this Body

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As a pastoral team, we want to see members of this church continuing to walk in closer fellowship with our Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Last Sunday, Josh Anderson led us in thinking about one of the ways we walk in fellowship with our “Helper,” the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). It involves serving others with Spiritual gifts, “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7).

Here is something worth considering: how can you strengthen your use of the Spiritual gifts for the common good?

Below, we’ve included the two main lists of Spiritual gifts in the New Testament, and also a few questions that are useful for personal reflection, and also for discussion with your community group in the next few weeks — as we seek to grow stronger together as a body.

A Variety of Gifts for One Purpose

In the New Testament, there is not one “master” list of gifts given by the Spirit. When Paul lists gifts in Rom. 12:3-8 and 1 Cor. 12:4-11, each list has several gifts not included in the other list. This suggests that Paul’s aim is not to tell you every possible way the Spirit works, but rather to illustrate some of the ways the one Spirit gifts us for one purpose: “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7).

Gifts listed in Rom. 12:3-8

  • prophecy
  • serving
  • teaching
  • exhortation
  • generosity
  • leadership
  • showing mercy

 

Gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12:4-11

  • words of wisdom
  • words of knowledge
  • faith
  • healing
  • miracles
  • prophecy
  • distinguishing spirits
  • languages/tongues
  • interpreting languages/tongues

 

Some Questions to Consider

  1. What excites you about thinking and praying about Spiritual gifts?
  2. What holds you back from pursuing spiritual gifts more zealously?
  3. As you look at this list of gifts from the New Testament, what are 1-2 giftings God has most clearly used in your ministry to others?
  4. As you look at this list of gifts from the New Testament, what are 1-2 giftings you would like to pray for more of in your own life?