Getting to know the Holy Spirit: The Gifts of the Spirit Part 3 - Why does the Church need the Gifts of the Spirit?

The gifts of the Spirit are not given to us for our own selfish use, they are given to us to serve the body – to build up and edify the Church! When you are using your gifts to build up the Church, then you are living life in the Spirit.

Now why would Paul exhort us to eagerly desire the Spiritual gifts? For these reasons. The Spiritual gifts:

• Enable us to live life in the Spirit
• Enable us to express God’s love to others – He knows we need them to emulate Jesus, to be conformed to his image.
• Enable us to love others the way God wants us to, well not just wants us to but expects us to.
• Enable us to build up and edify the Church, our spiritual family in Christ Jesus.
• Enable us to receive God’s guidance for ourselves and to use us to give His guidance to others.
• Enable us to lift up and glorify the name of Jesus!
• Enable us to show God’s love in action to unbelievers and thus draw them to Jesus for salvation.
• Enable us to perform miracles, signs and wonders just as Jesus did.

Now that we know this, let’s do it!  Let’s follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit!!

How do I know what my spiritual gifts are? How do I identify them?

These are two questions that nearly all born-again Christians ask themselves more than once. They are good questions to ask ourselves, there is nothing wrong with doing so, but maybe we should ask this question first:

How can I serve the body?

And then go into the other two! After all the gifts are given to us not to serve ourselves but to serve the body – they are tools of service and go hand in hand with the gift that we have all been given and that is the gift of faith, faith in Christ Jesus.

James 2:14-17 (NIV)

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Right then, getting back to how we can identify our spiritual gifts, let’s have a look at some guiding pointers:

1.       Find out what needs there are within your local body

Find out what the current serving needs are within your congregation and begin to serve in an area where your heart feels you need to be. Be proactive – don’t just do nothing. God created you and predestined you for works of service.

Matthew 20:26-28

²⁶ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. ²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

  

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Once you begin to serve others faithfully and without complaining you will find that your primary gift/s will come to the fore. You will be known by the good fruit that you will produce in serving others.

2.       Pray

Keep praying and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit. Pray in your understanding and pray in the Spirit. The more you talk to God and read the Word the more God will speak to you. Ask people you trust to pray with you and pray for you and ask them what gifts they have noticed you operating in. Listen to wise counsel.

3.       Let your faith rise up

If you desire to prophesy then step out and prophesy, if you desire to speak in tongues or to interpret tongues then step out and do so, if it is leadership, then lead, if it is serving, then serve. Keep praying and let your faith arise – let your faith be accompanied by your actions! Faith needs to be accompanied by actions!

Romans 12:6-8

⁶ 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; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ 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.

 4.       Understand the scriptures pertaining to Spiritual gifts

Study the relevant scriptures pertaining to Spiritual gifts and make sure you fully understand them. Ask the Lord to open your mind to fully understand the scriptures.

Luke 24:45 (NLT)

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

5.       Ask yourself what you enjoy doing

Serving the Lord should be a joyful task, not one of struggle and strife, and your service will bring joy to others! If the Spirit has gifted us, and if we are growing in grace, then we will enjoy serving the Lord and the body. The Lord may also have equipped you with certain natural skills like sewing, woodwork, cooking etc – use them to serve the body of Christ! Exodus 31:1-6.

Exodus 31:3 (NIV)

 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills

TO JESUS BELONGS ALL GLORY, HONOUR AND PRAISE.

JESUS THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

Next week we will be looking at The Fruit of the Spirit!

An extract from my book: Fan Into Flame: Life in the Spirit available on Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1798692120