Discovering Your Spiritual Gift Is Easier Than You Think
Small Groups, Week 3, Sem 2, 2022
1 Cor. 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1. What have you been taught about spiritual gifts?
2. How would you explain spiritual gifts to someone who isn’t a Christian?
3. Read v.4-7 again and observe the parallels. How does each word contribute to an understanding of spiritual gifts?
Gifts
Service
Activities
To each
Common good
Empower
4. How can we tell the difference between a natural talent and a spiritual gift?
5. Imagine you’re volunteering regularly in church doing a particular task. At what point can you consider that you are “spiritually gifted” in it?
6. Which statement more reflects your understanding of spiritual gifts?
“I do it because I’m gifted at it.”
“I’m gifted at it because I do it.”
The Point
A spiritual gift is anything God freely (“gift”) gives us to do (“empowered”) which ministers to the needs (“service”) of others in the Christian community and beyond (“common good”). This precludes any individualistic emphasis. Trying to discover our own personal spiritual gifting is at best misguided since something is a spiritual gift only in the context of community. Instead of asking “what is my spiritual gift,” a better question would be “how can I best serve the needs of the people around me.” Our natural talents may never be used by God as spiritual gifts while we may be spiritually gifted by God in areas where we have no natural talent. In other words, whatever you’re doing that falls into these categories is your spiritual gift.
7. Could a Christian rightly say they have no spiritual gifts whatsoever?
8. In what way do spiritual gifts relate to Jesus? (hint: Mark 10:45)
Close by considering what more you can be doing as an expression of your spiritual gifts, then pray!
Further reading
Easy read: Tim Keller
Academic: Vern Poythress