Part 4 · Belief 17 — The Doctrine of the Church
Spiritual Gifts and Ministries
What we believe
God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts that each member is to employ in loving ministry for the common good of the church and of humanity. Given by the agency of the Holy Spirit, who apportions to each member as He wills, the gifts provide all abilities and ministries needed by the church to fulfill its divinely ordained functions. According to the Scriptures, these gifts include such ministries as faith, healing, prophecy, proclamation, teaching, administration, reconciliation, compassion, and self-sacrificing service and charity for the help and encouragement of people. When members employ these spiritual gifts as faithful stewards of God's varied grace, the church is protected from the destructive influence of false doctrine, grows with a growth that is from God, and is built up in faith and love.
Have you ever wondered whether God could really use someone like you? The good news is that He has already equipped you to. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in a believer, He does not arrive empty-handed — He brings a gift, a particular ability meant to bless others and build up the church. No Christian is left on the sidelines. Some can teach, some can encourage, some can show mercy, some can lead or give or pray with power — and every gift matters. These gifts are never trophies to display; they are tools for serving. In this study we discover that the church is a body where each part is needed, and where your gift was waiting for you all along.
Every believer is gifted
There are no spiritually empty-handed Christians. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Paul lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, and more — "all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). You did not choose your gift; the Spirit chose it for you, fitting you precisely for the part you are meant to play. Peter sums it up simply: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10).
Gifts build the body
Why does the Spirit give such variety? "For we were all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13), and a body needs many different parts working together. Christ Himself gave "the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11, 12). Notice the goal: leaders exist to equip the members, so that the whole church grows "until we all attain to the unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:13). "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them" (Romans 12:6). When each part does its work, the body grows up healthy in love.
For service, not status
It is easy to want a gift in order to feel important. But the gifts are never about rank — "the greatest among you shall be your servant" (compare Matthew 23:11). Peter shows the right aim: "whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:11). When a need arose in the early church, the apostles appointed seven Spirit-filled servants to care for widows, and "the word of God continued to increase" (Acts 6:7). No task was too lowly; humble service let the gospel spread. The measure of a gift is not how it impresses, but how it helps.
Search the Scriptures
Acts 6:1-7; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27, 28; Eph. 4:8, 11-16; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 1 Peter 4:10, 11.
Reflect
What has God placed in your hands? Maybe you have never called it a "spiritual gift," but the way you comfort, organize, teach, give, or quietly help may be exactly the Spirit's gift in you. This week, ask Him to show you one gift He has given and one person you could bless with it. The church is only whole when your part is in place.
Check your understanding
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