Get In The Game: Week 2- Romans 12:4-8

A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability given to Christians by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of Christ. In Christ, we all have them, and they are all equally important! Spiritual gifts are different from the fruit of the Spirit, which is given to everyone and we all can grow in it. Spiritual gifts are also different from talents in that anyone (believer or non-believer) can have a talent, and they are based on genetics and training. In Romans 12 speaks of renewing one’s mind. An individual with a renewed mind comprehends that he or she is a member of a body, that every member of that body does not perform every function but that God gives each believer a specific spiritual gift. Paul also discusses what our faith looks like with “one another”. Our faith is personal, but it is not individualistic. We have been called to love one another and we have been called to use our gifts for the good of the body (1 Cor 12:7). We don’t all have the same role, but we all do have a role! The gifts of the Spirit are listed in Romans 12, 1 Cor 12 and 14, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. We believe that all of the gifts listed are in use today, and these mentioned gifts are the list that the Spirit uses to edify the church today.
The gifts generally break into 3 categories:
1. Speaking gifts
2. Leading gifts
3. Serving gifts

Prophecy – These individuals are gifted by the Holy Spirit with the supernatural ability to proclaim God’s prophetic Word in penetrating and convicting ways. They, too, speak as God’s “mouthpieces” insofar as they remain faithful to the prophetic message of Scripture. Evangelists, preachers, and writers are good modern-day examples of people who, though not prophets, extend the prophetic message to others. Serving – Those with this gift rarely have to be told what is needed; they simply discern needs, know how to help, and then do so without any need for notice or expectation of applause. Teaching – These people have the unique ability to help others understand the Truth of God’s Word in unique contexts. Exhortation – Exhorters have the ability to drive truth home passionately, confront wrong constructively, turn Scripture reading into an action plan, unite believers behind a common endeavor – and they can usually do this without offense. Generosity – While all believers are instructed to be generous, these people look for opportunities to give, offering what they have beyond normal measure. Sometimes they are wealthy; more often, they are people of average means who generally give their time, energy and expertise. Leadership – Leaders possess an unusual ability to provide guidance and administration to a group. Mercy – These people have a supernatural ability to see the unique needs of individuals and whole groups and know how to care for those unique needs. They have a compassionate heart for people in need, and they are able to come to their aid. We will look at more gifts next week. You don’t learn your gifts before you do ministry. You learn your gifts as you minister. These gifts are best discovered not by a test or inventory, but rather by the affirmation of the church family you belong to. The reason for this is that we can skew what we “want” our gifts to be as we take an inventory.