Now it’s time to start introducing you to 16 spiritual gifts that we find in the New Testament. As we talked about yesterday, the number of spiritual gifts can be debated so we’ve gone with a number that represents those gifts agreed upon by most Bible scholars.

With each spiritual gift we’re going to give you the Scriptural reference pertaining to that particular gift, a quick definition and traits as seen in individuals. Also, we’ll try to explain what each gift looks like in action along with ministry areas that fit each gift. 

Remember, not every one of these gifts are going to be relevant to you. No one person will have all these “gifts” or traits. So some of these will interest you and you will want to dig a little deeper to learn about that particular spiritual gift. It is important to know all of them though, because one of your roles as a member of the Body of Christ is to “affirm” or recognize a gift or gifts in others and encourage that person in that gifting. 

Let’s look at some spiritual gifts and list some people within our church who you believe exhibit these gifts. 

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Spiritual Gift: Administration

Definition: The gift of Administration is the God-given ability to understand what makes an organization function, and the special ability to plan and execute procedures that accomplish the goals of the ministry.

Scriptural Reference(s): 1 Cor. 12:28, Acts 6:1-7, Ex. 18:13-26

Distinctives of this gift:

• Develop strategies or plans to reach identified goals.
• Organize people, tasks, or events.
• Assist ministries to become more effective and efficient.

Traits of this person: Thorough, Objective, Responsible, Organized, Goal-oriented, Efficient, Conscientious

Potential Ministry Involvement: Planning teams, Ministry Coordinator, Organizer of special events, Chairperson

Spiritual Gift: Discernment

Definition: The gift of Discernment is the God-given ability to distinguish between truth and error. It is able to discern the difference between good and evil; right and wrong.

Scriptural Reference(s): 1 Cor. 12:10, Acts 5:1-4, Rom. 9:1

Distinctives of this gift: 

• Identify deception in others with accuracy and appropriateness.
• Able to sense the presence of evil.
• Recognize inconsistencies in a teaching or message.

Traits of this person: Perceptive, Insightful, Sensitive, Intuitive, Truthful, Decisive

Potential Ministry Involvement: Committee/Board member, Youth Ministry, Counseling