Spiritual gifts.

A "spiritual gift" may be understood as a God-given, biblically-aligned, ministry-related ability divinely granted to each and every believer and intended for building up of the church. When used, these gifts, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bring spiritual blessing to others, and especially to those in the "household of faith."
As you read through the following gift descriptions, bear in mind that most of these traits should be characteristic of every believer, in some measure, and in growing proportion over time. Having said that, when the Lord grants someone a spiritual gift, the effect of its proper use is  divinely extended beyond a personal level, generating recognizable blessing for the local church

Administration

The ability to simplify or accomplish the complex, to organize projects, to organize and compel God's people toward biblical objectives in a way that is a blessing to everyone involved, and to see ideas through to completion. The gifted leader is one who rules, presides over, or has the management of other people in the church. The word literally means “guide” and carries with it the idea of one who steers a ship. One with the gift of leadership rules with wisdom and grace and exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his life as he leads by example.

Discernment

Certain individuals possess the unique ability to determine the true message of God from that of the deceiver, Satan, whose methods include purveying deceptive and erroneous doctrine. Jesus said many would come in His name and would deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5), but the gift of discerning spirits is given to the church to protect it from such as these.

Encouraging

Effective in motivating others to action, application, and purpose. Also called “exhortation,” this gift is evident in those who consistently call upon others to heed and follow God’s truth, which may involve correction or building others up by strengthening weak faith or comforting in trials.

Evangelism

An evangelist is someone who proclaims good news; in other words, a preacher of the gospel or a missionary. A person with the gift of evangelism is often someone who travels from place to place to preach the gospel and call for repentance. The human authors of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are sometimes called “the Evangelists” because they recorded the ministry of Jesus Christ—“good news,” indeed. 

Faith

All believers possess faith in some measure because it is one of the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on all who come to Christ in faith (Galatians 5:22-23). The spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, His promises, and the power of prayer to effect miracles. 

Giving

Passionate about providing and releasing money or other material resources to be a spiritual blessing to others and to further the work of the Church. Gifted givers are those who joyfully share what they have with others, whether it is financial, material, or the giving of personal time and attention. The giver is concerned for the needs of others and seeks opportunities to share goods, money, and time with them as needs arise.

Helps

Closely related to the gift of mercy is the gift of helps. Those with the gift of helps are those who can aid or render assistance to others in the church with compassion and grace. This has a broad range of possibilities for application. Most importantly, this is the unique ability to identify those who are struggling with doubt, fears, and other spiritual battles; to move toward those in spiritual need with a kind word, an understanding and compassionate demeanor; and to speak scriptural truth that is both convicting and loving.

Mercy

Having a heart that notices and empathizes with people and desires to minister to their emotional and spiritual condition, meeting them in their time of need in a discerning way, without enabling the wayward or coddling the sinful. Closely linked with the gift of encouragement, the gift of mercy is obvious in those who are compassionate toward others who are in distress, showing sympathy and sensitivity coupled with a desire and the resources to lessen their suffering in a kind and cheerful manner.

Proclamation

Boldly and faithfully proclaiming God’s truth from God's Word, the Bible. The Greek word translated “prophecy” properly means “a speaking forth.” According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word refers to “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.” To prophesy is to declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God that is designed to influence people.

Service

The desire to be of help in whatever ways are most needed, often evidenced by the tendency to look for and perceive needs, or the desire to be a blessing, often in background kinds of ways. Also referred to as “ministering,” this gift involves providing service of any kind; it is the broad application of practical help to those in need. “Serving“ is a translation of the Greek word diakonian, from which we get the English deacon.

Teaching

Making clear biblical truth with simplicity and accuracy. This gift involves the analysis and proclamation of the Word of God, explaining the meaning, context and application to the hearer’s life. The gifted teacher is one who has the unique ability to clearly instruct and communicate knowledge, specifically the doctrines of the faith.
Thanks to www.GotQuestions.com for many of the above definitions.

How can I know my gift(s)?

The Bible does not provide us with a test by which we can figure out exactly how God has gifted us. For that matter, our gifts develop...and perhaps even change...throughout our lifetime, according to God's purposes. So we don't want to get hung up on analysis. And yet, we are commanded that every believer find ways to be an active and regular blessing, especially within the context of their local church.

With that in mind, the goal of this page is not to necessarily to give any kind of a firm diagnosis, but rather to simply lead the Christian to discover ministry opportunities which may well correlate to how God has wired you to serve the Body. Through a bit of guesswork, trial and error, and listening to the feedback you receive from your local church family over the years as you serve, we believe you can find ways of ministering effectively until the Lord calls you Home.

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