We have grouped the specific gifts into categories to highlight the kinds of tasks God gives them for, not to restrict them to certain settings. God may use His gifts more broadly than we describe here.
The gift of encouragement (also known as exhortation) involves motivating, encouraging and consoling others to help them mature and continue in their walks with Jesus. People with this gift are often sensitive and drawn to those who are discouraged or struggling. They tend to have a high degree of patience with and optimism for other people. (Romans 12:8)
The gift of prophecy involves being able to proclaim a message from God. It is proclaiming the Word of God boldly. This builds up the body and leads to conviction of sin — that is, people realizing and agreeing with God about their sin. Prophecy shows itself in various forms of preaching and teaching God’s Word to others. (1 Corinthians 12:10; Romans 12:6)
The gift of teaching is the God-given ability to understand and communicate biblical truth with application in a clear and relevant way. People with the gift of teaching often find joy in learning, researching, communicating and illustrating the truth of the Bible. (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11)
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Every follower of Jesus is called to make a spiritual difference in the lives of others. Your spiritual gifts were given to you by God to equip you to strengthen the faith and encourage the growth of others.
Now that you know more about your type of spiritual gift, how will you take a step toward using the gift God gave you?
The local church is a great place to start using and developing your gifts. What are some needs in the church and in the world that your gifts can meet?
For a more in-depth assessment of your spiritual gifts, visit gifts.churchgrowth.org.
Unlike the gifts above, the role of the spiritual gift of tongues is debated among Christians. Some believe it is given to believers today while others believe it is not. Cru holds no position on whether this gift is active today. Our sincere desire is that no matter what someone believes about any spiritual gift, those views and practices wouldn’t cause division among Christians.
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