| Administration | The Greek word literally means “to steer.” This gifted person is supernaturally enabled by God to organize details effectively, and practically; formulates and organizes activities and/or people to accomplish a goal in an understandable and practical way. A characteristic of this gift is to be extremely “goal” oriented and enabled to effectively and successfully organize and guide a group of believers to accomplish a predetermined plan for the work of the Lord. When this gifted person hears about a “work for the Lord” presented, their gifting supernaturally fills their mind with practical ways to go about getting the job done. See also 1 Corinthians 12:28. |
| Evangelism | This Greek word literally means “a bringer of good tidings.” This gifted person has the supernatural ability and motivation to eagerly share the Gospel in any and all circumstances. A common characteristic of this gift is to be irresistibly drawn to the lost as a main ministry focus. They are not always successful in reaping, but are never intimidated or deterred from taking the opportunity to share their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While no believer is exempt from sharing the gospel as a life-style, these gifted persons are supernaturally empowered to do so more frequently and with greater effectiveness. Their God-guided path of ministry gets them to the lost who are prepared by the Spirit of God to be receptive to the Gospel at that time. See also Ephesians 4:11. |
| Exhortation | The Greek word literally means “to call to one’s side, aid; to comfort; to encourage.” The source of the encouragement and/or comfort offered is to be the Word of God (1 Peter 4:11). This gifted person is supernaturally enabled by God to not only walk along side to encourage and comfort (“you can do this”), but also to give advice, warnings, and rebukes based on Biblical principles and precepts. This gifted person counsels, often with logical steps of action, from God’s Word with great compassion and in a non-judgmental way so that the recipients are motivated and/or healed. Also this person is very much a “people person” who enjoys interacting with people, who are commonly receptive to his/her Biblical instruction and exhortations. |
| Faith | The spiritual gift of faith is not to be confused with saving faith. All Christians have been given saving faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but not all receive this special gift of faith. The word for faith in the New Testament is Pistis. It carries the notion of confidence, certainty, trust, and assurance in the object of faith. The gift of faith is rooted in one’s saving faith in Christ and the trust that comes through a close relationship with the Savior. Those with this gift have a trust and confidence in God that allows them to live boldly for Him and manifest that faith in mighty ways. The Holy Spirit distributes this gift to some in the church to encourage and build up the church in her confidence in God. Those with the gift of faith trust that God is sovereign and He is good. They take Him at His Word and put the full weight of their lives in His hands. They expect God to move and are not surprised when He answers a prayer or performs a miracle. See also I Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 11:1-40. |
| Giving | The Greek word literally means “to give a share of; impart.” This gift supernaturally gains material resources to further God’s kingdom work and distributes them liberally based on the trust that God is the source of what is to be shared. This believer does not necessarily have wealth in his/her own right, but does have access to material resources to get to God’s intended persons and/or organizations. There is great responsibility and accountability to determine God’s intended recipients, the amounts to be given and when to withhold/cease giving…uses God’s resources with Godly wisdom and great discernment. |
| Serving / Ministering | The Greek word diakonia is the source of our word “deacon.” The first “deacons” (Acts 6:3–4) were “put in charge of daily serving (diakonia) of food” so that the apostles could devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. This gifted person is primarily focused on physical and practical tasks that either support specific ministry or multiple ministries. In many cases this person recognizes and/or senses unmet needs and is supernaturally enabled by God to do whatever it takes to accomplish them. See also 1 Corinthians 12:28. |
| Knowledge | The spiritual gift of knowledge is also known as the “word of knowledge” or “utterance of knowledge.” The Greek word for this gift is Gnosis and it simply means knowledge and understanding. The Scriptural emphasis in 1 Corinthians 12:8 is on the ability to speak this knowledge to others in a given situation. What we can conclude then is the gift of knowledge is an understanding of the things in this world and in our lives that is founded in the Gospel and rooted in the Scriptures. This gift is closely related to the gift of wisdom which is alluded to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. The Holy Spirit gives this spiritual gift to some believers to bring about understanding and to inform the church or individual believers. The person with this gift is usually well-versed in the Scriptures and often has much committed to memory. They can retain the truth and communicate it effectively at the appropriate times. The gift of knowledge allows a believer to relate the Scriptures, and particularly the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to all aspects of life in this world. They can see how it connects to every situation and circumstance and how the reality and truth of the Gospel is to inform every decision a Christian makes. See also 1 Corinthians 12:8; Romans 15:14; 2 Corinthians 2:14. |
| Leadership | The Greek word literally means “to stand before, to set over, to rule, to manage.” This gifted person is supernaturally enabled by God to discern the direction He is leading (sees the big picture), and to plan, organize, and govern with humility, wisdom and confidence. A characteristic of this gift is that others are inspired and motivated to action so that God’s revealed plans are accomplished with excellence. There will be those who are drawn to this gifted person, because they are eager to follow them to accomplish the work of the Lord. |
| Mercy | The Greek word means “to have pity on, to help one afflicted, to bring help to the wretched.” This gifted person not only has a deep compassion to help alleviate the misery of the “down and out” (even including those who are afflicted by their own doing), but a supernatural motivation to provide practical help to relieve their suffering. This gifted person feels and expresses genuine empathy for others who suffer with the goal that they may experience God’s love. A characteristic of this gift is the unhindered motivation to frequently seek out those who have been particularly neglected by others to help relieve their suffering in a cheerful and compassionate way. As this person is attracted to the needy, the needy in return are commonly very receptive to his/her acts of kindness. |
| Prophecy | The root of this Greek word literally means “to illuminate, to shed light on.” This gift is most difficult to describe, but 1 Corinthians 14:3 (“But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.”) and Acts 15:32 (“And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.”) tell us much. This gifted person is supernaturally enabled by God to speak forth the mind and counsel of God from His Word regarding a specific passage and/ or subject in a way that clearly defines what is not only true, but why it is so. He/she gives forth a timely message regarding the relevance, application and/or direction from the clear teaching of God’s Word to specific doctrine, specific situations, and/or current circumstances/needs of the Body. Using the frequency of the example of God’s Word, as well as the above mentioned 1 Corinthians & Acts 15 passages, this gift is primarily a “telling forth,” but can on occasion be “fore-telling” of God’s future plans (Acts 11:28 and 21:10). |
| Pastor/Shepherd | The spiritual gift of pastor or pastor/shepherd is one that carries many different responsibilities. This gift is closely related to the spiritual gifts of leadership and teaching. The Greek word for pastor is Poimen and simply means shepherd or overseer. Those with a pastoring/shepherding gift are much like those who care for sheep. They are called and gifted to care for the spiritual well-being of a local body of God’s people or a group within that body. The Holy Spirit gives the spiritual gift of pastor/shepherd to some in the church to humbly teach them, guide them, protect them, and to lead them in the mission that God has for His church, namely the Great Commission. Those with the pastor/shepherd gift love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and put it at the center of life and ministry. |
| Teacher | This gifted person is supernaturally able to understand and organize the truths of God’s Word and to explain them in such a way that learning and life-change take place. A characteristic of this gift is that God’s Word is clearly communicated and effectively applied. With this gift is given an insatiable appetite for studying God’s Word. This gift is not to be confused with the talent and/or skill of teaching. There can be the skill for teaching present, i.e., school teachers who are great teachers in secular settings, but may not have the “spiritual gift of teaching,” which is supernatural and spiritually profitable to the church body. |
| Wisdom | Those with the gift of wisdom have a deep understanding of the holiness of God and the lack of holiness in their own hearts. They can recognize this in others as well and have the compassion and boldness to share that truth with them. They are able to take from their own life experiences and share what God has taught them through those things. They can easily recognize where a decision or action may lead and can warn against those that may be harmful or unfruitful. They can often see through the confusion of a situation and can give direction that would help an individual or group obtain a God-glorifying goal. The church needs those with the spiritual gift of wisdom to guide her through uncertain or difficult times. See also 1 Corinthians 1:17-31, 2:1-16, 12:8; Colossians 1:9-10, 2:1-3; James 3:13-18 |
| Discernment | The spiritual gift of discernment is also known as the gift of “discernment of spirits” or “distinguishing between spirits.” The Greek word for the gift of discernment is Diakrisis. The word describes being able to distinguish, discern, judge or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment. In the New Testament it describes the ability to distinguish between spirits as in 1 Corinthians 12:10, and to discern good and evil as in Hebrews 5:14. The Holy Spirit gives the gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation. The church needs those with this gift to warn believers in times of danger or keep them from being led astray by false teaching. See also I Corinthians 12:10, Acts 5:3-6; 16:16-18; 1 John 4:1. |