Spiritual Gifts

CHAPTER 1

Why do Christians need to discover and Develop Spiritual Gifts?

“Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you…”

1 Timothy 4:14a

Do you spend time exercising? Exercise can provide many physical benefits. When I exercise, I feel better, I think more clearly, and I have more stamina and more motivation. When I do not exercise, my body feels sluggish and run down. Our muscles are designed to lift, to pull, to stretch, and to function regularly. When muscles are not exercised, the result is lethargy and a poor state of health.

Think about how often you exercise your spiritual “muscles.” I lived the first 15 years of my Christian life without much spiritual exercise. The extent of my efforts amounted to little more than just occasionally giving a public testimony, reading the Bible in public, or playing the trumpet for a church service—not really much of a “stretch.” My spiritual exercise was not more than an occasional good work for someone or to a group of people. Worse yet, I had no sense of God’s grace working through me to bless others. The things I did were about me.

God’s grace is shown to us by granting us spiritual gifts—abilities that increase our devotion and obedience to God, give us the joy of supporting others in the Church as brothers and sisters in Christ, and provide the satisfaction that comes with knowing we are using what He has given us to the best of our abilities. I did not understand the importance of discovering my spiritual gifts. Without understanding them, I did not employ them effectively in service.

For many years I had no idea of what the Bible teaches on the topic of spiritual gifts.

Then while I was in Bible college, I began taking steps to learn about spiritual gifts, but I still only partially understood the concepts. I thought that I knew something about the subject, but spiritual gifts were still not a priority for me. However, when a pastor friend invested time to mentor me concerning the definitions of and the proper exercise of spiritual gifts, it was as if the lights came on! Until then gifts were a mystery, confined to those special people we called “the Charismatics” who seemed to do nothing else except talk about gifts. For some reason, I had come to believe that I could be “spiritual” without a correct biblical understanding of “spiritual” gifts. I could not have been more mistaken!

To you, maybe spiritual gifts are left to other religious traditions, or seem to be like merely decorative ornaments in the Christian life: pretty but not essential. If you think in either or both of these ways, you are in the company of many Christians, some of whom live with no idea of which gift or gifts they have received. Perhaps you, like many, are uncertain about the meaning, discovery, or the use of spiritual gifts. If so, you’ve come to the right book!