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Gift Definitions:1. Administration: "The
special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ
to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular
unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for
the accomplishment of those goals."
This gift is a leadership gift and is often characterized by
people who lead the body by steering others to remain on task. These
people generally are concerned with the details of how to accomplish
tasks, and tend to be masters at delegating specific tasks to other
people according to their gifts and talents. Scriptures: Luke
14:28-30; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Titus 1:5.
2. Apostle: "The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ which enables them to
assume and exercise helpful leadership over a number of churches in
spiritual matters which is spontaneously recognized and appreciated by
those churches." The Bible calls many others, beyond the Twelve and
Paul, apostles: James (Gal 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14), Epaphroditus
(Phil 2:25), Silas and Timothy (1 Thes 1:1, 2:6), Andronicas and Junia
(Rom 16:7), and others (1 Cor 15:5, 7; 2 Cor 8:23; 11:13).
This gift is a leadership gift and is in continuing need today for
the strengthening of churches and the establishment of new churches.
This gift should be looked for in regional directors, church planters,
and denominational leaders. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:28;
Ephesians 2:20; 4:11.
Note: Many spiritual gifts inventories combine the gift of
apostle with the gift of missionary because the Greek word
is the same, meaning "sent one" (literally, one sent with authority, or
as an ambassador or representative). These gifts have been separated
here with the distinction that the missionary gift is focused on
cross-cultural work, where the apostle gift is focused on
overseeing the expansion of the Church in a given area, regardless of
culture.
3. Discerning of Spirits: "The special
ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to know
with assurance whether certain behavior purported to be of God is in
reality divine, human, or Satanic."
This gift is a practical gift. Christians with this gift can
recognize the true motives of people and also recognize when a person is
distorting the truth or communicating error. This person often can
recognize when Satan or other evil spirits are at work in a given person
or situation. Scriptures: Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 5:1-11; 16:16-18;
17:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 5:14; 1 John 4:1-6.
4. Evangelism: The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to readily share the
gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women often become
Jesus’ disciples and responsible members of the Body of Christ.
This gift is a practical gift. While the task of evangelism is an
important spiritual exercise that all Christians should be involved
with, God gifts certain members with an ability to have unusual
sensitivity to when someone is ready to accept Christ, and will
generally have greater success in leading people to Christ than other
Christians. People with this gift should be active in training others to
share their faith. Scriptures: Acts 8:5-6, 26-40; Ephesians 4:11-14;
2 Timothy 4:5.
5. Exhortation: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to minister words of
comfort, consolation, encouragement, and counsel to other members of the
Body in such a way that they feel helped and healed."
This gift is a communication gift. This gift is often called
"encouragement," but exhortation is used here because the gift is not
limited to the connotations that the name "encouragement" implies. Those
who use this gift within a teaching or ministry situation are often
driven to give practical application to their insights. Often, those
gifted in this gift desire step-by-step plans of action to help others
mature in Christ. Exhorters often find it natural to discover insights
from personal experience when validated and amplified in Scripture.
Scripture: Luke 3:16-18; Acts 11:23; 14:22; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 4:12;
5:1; Hebrews 10:25.
Note: Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching are
considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift are
often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these gifts.
Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application of the
message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses purely on
the message or truth to be communicated. Teaching focuses on
bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or truth
being communicated.
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6. Faith: "The special ability that God
gives certain members of the Body of Christ to discern with
extraordinary confidence the will and purposes of God for His work."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift often scare
other people with their confidence. People with this gift are often very
irritated by criticism, as they consider it to be criticism against God
and His will. Probably the biggest danger for those with this gift is
that they often try to project their gift onto other people.
Scriptures: Acts 11:22-24; 27:21-25; Romans 4:18-21; 1 Corinthians 12:9;
Hebrews 11.
7. Giving: "The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to contribute their
material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality and
cheerfulness."
This gift is a practical gift. While all Christians should
practice the discipline of giving through the minimum of 10% (tithe),
God gifts certain members of the body to give remarkably greater amounts
of their income with liberality and great joy. These people have an
acute awareness that all they have belongs to the Lord and they are
merely stewards, therefore they know that God will supply their needs
and richly bless them in their giving. Scriptures: Matthew 6:2-4;
Mark 12:41-44; Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7;
9:2-8; Philippians 4:14-19.
Note: This gift is often associated with the gift of
voluntary poverty, as many with the gift of voluntary poverty
also have the gift of giving. However, not all with the gift of
giving also have the gift of voluntary poverty. See notes on
voluntary poverty for more information.
8. Helps: The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to invest the talents
they have in the life and ministry of other members of the Body, thus
enabling those others to increase the effectiveness of their own
spiritual gifts.
This gift is a practical gift. People with this gift often enjoy
doing routine tasks in order to free others to do the ministry God has
called them to do. People with this gift are often not looking for
recognition for the work they do. Scriptures: Mark 15:40-41; Luke
8:2-3; Acts 9:36; Romans 16:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Timothy 1:16-18.
Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and
Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works
and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy
focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion.
Service focuses on accomplishing little tasks that may otherwise go
undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church
toward completion.
9. Hospitality: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to provide an open
house and a warm welcome to those in need of food and lodging."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift have an acute
awareness of visitors and have a desire to make all people feel welcome.
People with this gift enjoy visitors in their home, and are usually not
bothered if someone stops by and their home is not spotless. Those with
this gift are a key to helping new people become a part of the group.
Scriptures: Acts 16:14-15; Romans 12:9-13; 16:23; Hebrews 13:1-2; 1
Peter 4:9.
10. Intercession: "The special ability
that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to pray for
extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and
specific answers to their prayers, to a degree much greater than that
which is expected of the average Christian."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift often feel
compelled to pray for specific requests when they are made known. Gifted
intercessors have a much greater occurrence of specific answers to
prayer than most Christians. Intercessors often have an acute
understanding that prayer is genuinely a conversation with God, and when
left alone, find themselves engaged in prayer. Many intercessors
experience times when God moves them to pray for situations when they
are not entirely sure what they are praying for. To those who get to
know intercessors well, prayer becomes contagious. Those with this gift
should help others learn how to pray more effectively. Scriptures:
Luke 22:41-44; Acts 12:12; Romans 8:26-27; Colossians 1:9-12; 4:12-13; 1
Timothy 2:1-2; James 5:14-16.
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11. Interpretation of Tongues: "The
special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ
to make known in the vernacular the message of one who speaks in
tongues."
This gift is a sign gift. Due to the fact that God has chosen not
to use the gift of tongues on a corporate level at The North
Pointe Church, the use of this gift is very limited. Those with
this gift are used to bring the personal edification of tongues to a
position where the message edifies the group in which the tongue was
spoken. Those with this gift gain a sense of what God is trying to say
when they hear a person speak in tongues. Should a person with this gift
fail to interpret the tongue when it is spoken and they receive the
interpretation through the Holy Spirit, they have done a great
disservice to the person who spoke in tongues and to the group as the
edification that God desires has not taken place. Often, the interpreter
is also the person who has spoken in tongues. The interpretation of
tongues is often closely related to the message given by an exhorter or
a prophet. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:10-30; 14:13-17, 26-28.
Note on Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues:
When used in a group setting, an interpretation must take place, or else
the one speaking the tongue should remain silent. If a tongue is spoken
without an interpretation, the speaker is edified. If the tongue is
interpreted, it is for the edification of the body.
See Note on Extraordinary Gifts (listed with Miracles).
12. Knowledge: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to discover,
accumulate, analyze, and clarify information and ideas which are
pertinent to the well-being of the Body."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with the gift of knowledge
are at home in a book or studying. Those with this gift will often spend
countless hours researching information. These people are interested in
ideas and problem solving through gathering information and studying.
Often, those with this gift have a low need for people. On rare
occasions, people with this gift will gather vast amounts of information
through studying and analyzing personal experience, but the primary
method of learning with this gift is reading and studying books and
other written materials. Scriptures: Luke 1:1-4; Acts 5:1-11; 1
Corinthians 2:14; 12:8; 2 Corinthians 11:6; Colossians 1:10; 2:2-3; 1
Timothy 2:15.
13. Leadership: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to set goals in
accordance with God’s purpose for the future and to communicate these
goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously
work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God."
This gift is a leadership gift. People with this gift are often
focused on the greater goal of the group and are not overly concerned
with the details. Leaders delegate tasks and details to others to
accomplish the greater goal. Leaders are visionaries. Leaders have
followers-a visionary without followers is not a leader. Scriptures:
Luke 9:51; Acts 6:1-7; 15:7-11; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews
13:17.
14. Mercy: "The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to feel genuine empathy
and compassion for individuals (both Christian and non-Christian) who
suffer from distressing physical, mental, or emotional problems, and to
translate that compassion into cheerfully done deeds which reflect
Christ’s love and alleviate the suffering."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift find
themselves visiting and assisting those in need, and often feel the pain
of the person they are helping within themself. People with this gift
find it extremely difficult not to help those who seem less fortunate
than themself. Those with this gift generally enjoy helping those with
physical or mental problems and do well in ministries involving visiting
hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and shut-ins. Scriptures: Matthew
20:29-34; 25:24-40; Mark 9:41; Luke 10:33-35; Acts 11:28-30; 16:33-34;
Romans 12:8; Jude 22-23.
Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and
Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works
and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy
focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion.
Service focuses on accomplishing little tasks that may otherwise go
undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church
toward completion.
15. Miracles: The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to serve as human
intermediaries through whom God performs powerful acts that are
perceived by observers to have altered the ordinary course of nature.
This gift is a sign gift. This gift is manifested through the
supernatural intervention by God into specific circumstances in order to
change the perceived natural outcome. Those with this gift must
recognize that God only causes miracles to happen in order to bring the
greatest glory to himself. Scriptures: Acts 9:36-42; 19:11-20;
20:7-12; Romans 15:17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; 12:10, 28; 2
Corinthians 12:12.
Note on Healing and Miracles: The gifts of
healing and miracles are often combined, since they both
involve the occurrence of events beyond natural means. However, one is
focused on the healing of the human body, while the other is
focused on other miraculous events that alter the ordinary course
of nature. These may in fact be two separate manifestations of the same
gift.
Note on Extraordinary Gifts: Many in contemporary Christian
life have argued that the extraordinary gifts have passed with the
offices they are often associated with in Scripture. This presents
problems for those who use the New Testament as their guide. The passage
they most commonly point to in order to support their view is 1
Corinthians 13:8, however a proper understanding of this passage points
to a different interpretation. At North Pointe, we do not want to put
God in a box, therefore we give Him the freedom to use these gifts as He
chooses, however, we also want to emphasize that it is God who chooses
how the gifts are used, and under what circumstances.
16. Missionary: The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to minister whatever
other spiritual gifts thy have in a culture other than their own.
This gift is a leadership gift. Those with this gift find it easy
or exciting to adjust to a different culture or community. Missionaries
find great joy working with minorities, people of other countries, or
those with other distinct cultural differences. Those with this gift
have a stronger-than-average desire to be a part of the fulfillment of
the Great Commission around the world. Scriptures: Acts 8:4; 13:1-4;
22:21; Romans 10:15; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
Note: Many spiritual gifts inventories combine the gift of
apostle with the gift of missionary because the Greek word
is the same, meaning “sent one” (literally, one sent with authority, or
as an ambassador or representative). These gifts have been separated
here with the distinction that the missionary gift is focused on
cross-cultural work, where the apostle gift is focused on
overseeing the expansion of the Church in a given area, regardless of
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17. Prophecy: The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to receive and
communicate an immediate message of God to His people with authority and
urgency perceived by the hearers.
This gift is a communication gift. Those with the gift of prophecy
will often feel as though they have a direct word from God that will
comfort, encourage, guide, warn, or rebuke the Body of Christ. Prophets
are concerned about evangelism and will have a desire speak strongly
against evil in society or in the church. Prophets have a great sense of
urgency to their message. Unless paired with the gifts of exhortation or
teaching, prophets will often not feel the need to explain their
message, but will expect immediate response. The message of a prophet
must always be tested in line with Scripture. Prophets would be wise to
test their message against Scripture prior to delivering the message,
and using Scriptural precedent in delivery of their message.
Scripture: Luke 7:26; Acts 15:32; 21:9-11; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians
12:10, 28; 14:3, 24-25, 29, 36-38; Ephesians 4:11-14.
Note: Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching
are considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift
are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these
gifts. Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application
of the message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses
purely on the message or truth to be communicated. Teaching
focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or
truth being communicated.
18. Service: "The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to identify the unmet
needs involved in a task related to God’s work, and to make use of
available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired
results."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with the gift of service
enjoy doing routine tasks around the church regardless of how they
effect others. Those with this gift enjoy menial tasks and do them
cheerfully. Service-oriented people would rather take orders than give
them. Scripture: John 12:26; Acts 6:1-7; Romans 12:6-7; Galatians
6:2, 9-10; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Titus 3:14.
Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and
Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works
and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy
focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion.
Service focuses on accomplishing little tasks that may otherwise go
undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church
toward completion.
19. Shepherd: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to assume a long-term
personal responsibility for the welfare of a group of believers."
This gift is a leadership gift. This gift is often called
"pastor," however, that name has a connotation of a specific position in
the church. In actuality, when pastors have this gift, their ability to
continue sustained growth in their churches is greatly diminished, as
they tend to require a certain level of interaction with every member of
their congregation. Those with the gift of shepherd have a great need
for long-term relationships. Shepherds will sacrificially give
themselves to other people in such a way that they are built-up in their
faith. Shepherds take personal responsibility for the successes and
failures of those in the group that they invest themselves in.
Scriptures: John 10:1-18; Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter
5:1-4.
20. Teaching: "The special ability that
God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to communicate
information relevant to the health and ministry of the Body and its
members in such a way that others will learn."
This gift is a communication gift. People with the gift of
teaching enjoy studying the Bible and related materials in order to
communicate what they have learned to other Christians. Those with this
gift find it easy to organize vast amounts of information in such a way
as to make it easy to communicate, understand, and remember.
Scriptures: Matthew 7:28-29; 28:19-20; Acts 15:32; Romans 12:6; 1
Corinthians 12:10, 28; Ephesians 4:11-14.
Note: Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching
are considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift
are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these
gifts. Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application
of the message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses on
the urgency and impact of the message or truth being communicated.
Teaching focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of
the message or truth being communicated.
21. Tongues: "The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ (a) to speak to God in a
language that they have never learned and/or (b) to receive and
communicate a message of God to his people through a divinely anointed
utterance in a language they never learned."
This gift is a sign gift. At The North Pointe Church, God has
chosen not to use the gift of tongues on a corporate level, therefore
the instances where the (b) portion of this gift are in use is very
limited. Tongues is often associated with intercession and/or
faith, but must be recognized as not necessarily being the sign
of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or even as evidence of the
filling of the Holy Spirit. Tongues, like any other spiritual gift, is
given by God to whomever He chooses to be used to His glory and the
edification of the Church.
1 Corinthians 13:1 suggests that there are two forms of the gift
of tongues: tongues of men and tongues of angels. This would mean that
the speaker could be speaking in an earthly language, or in a language
beyond normal human understanding. Scriptures: Mark 16:17; Acts
2:1-13; 10:44-46; 19:1-7; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:10,28; 13:1;
14:13-19, 26-28, 39.
Note on Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues:
When used in a group setting, an interpretation must take place, or else
the one speaking the tongue should remain silent. If a tongue is spoken
without an interpretation, the speaker is edified. If the tongue is
interpreted, it is for the edification of the body.
See Note on Extraordinary Gifts (listed with Miracles).
22. Voluntary Poverty: "The special
ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to
renounce material comfort and luxury and adopt a personal lifestyle
equivalent to those living at the poverty level in a given society in
order to serve God more effectively."
This gift is a practical gift. Those with the spiritual gift of
voluntary poverty will often choose to live among people who are
considered poverty-stricken in a given area, and live at their level,
although they have the means to live at a higher standard. Th primary
motivation for this choice is to minister more effectively to the people
through identification. Scriptures: Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-27; 1
Corinthians 13:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:9.
Note: This gift is often associated with the gift of
giving, however, notice that the motivation for this gift is for
effective ministry through identification with a group of less-fortunate
people, where those with the gift if giving are motivated by what
their money can do towards God’s work.
23. Wisdom: The special ability that God
gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to know how given
knowledge may best be applied to specific needs arising in the Body of
Christ.
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift have an
excellent ability to apply spiritual truth to everyday life. Often,
people in the church naturally seek out people with this gift when they
are facing complicated spiritual problems. When a person with this gift
considers past experience, they realize that they often make good and
correct decisions and judgements. Scriptures: Proverbs 4:5-8; Acts
6:3, 10; 15:13-20; 20:20-21; Romans 12:17; 1 Corinthians 12:28;
Ephesians 4:11-14; Colossians 1:28. |