Dale Turner

SPIRITUAL GIFT DEFINITIONS PAGE TWO

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Spiritual Gift #6 Healing: Healing is the ability to call on God for the curing of illnesses, relationships, emotions, attitudes, and wounded souls. Inner healing, or healing of memories is also associated with this gift. People with this gift believe in the power of prayer and in miracles. They tend to have an intuitive sense about the needs of people. They feel a calling to pray with people. People with this gift also believe in the effectiveness of modern medicine. They believe in the combined power of prayer, modern medicine, and the medical community. They are likely to encourage others to live healthy lives, to visit their doctors regularly, and to have faith in God. They usually have a strong compassion for others. They are careful not to abuse their gift by expecting God to heal every person in every circumstance. They are very sensitive to the fact that healing is God’s work. They know that sometimes God uses human vehicles to help in the healing process. They also know that sometimes people are not healed. They know that the lack of healing does not mean that the sick person has sinned, but that God has something different in mind. They also believe strongly that death is the ultimate healing and that the resurrection is the ultimate act of God making all things whole. Healing is often mentioned in the Bible. The Gospels record many healing stories in the ministry of Jesus. The specific reference to a spiritual gift for healing is 1 Corinthians 12:9.

Spiritual Gift # 7 helps:  This gift comes from the Greek word that means, “To aid and assist another in need”. It is mentioned only once in the New Testament and appears to be distinct from the gift of service. Some suggest that while the gift of service is more group oriented, the gift of helps is more people oriented. The gift is reciprocal in that the receiver does as much for the giver as the giver does to the receiver. Helpers center on the needs of another person or persons but service centers on the worship of God. People with this gift give from their skills, talents, and energy to help others who have an apparent need. People with this gift are very aware of the needs of others. They place a high priority on relationships. They are thought of as friends by others. They quickly discern the needs of others. They are very sympathetic. They enjoy one-on-one ministry over large groups. These people tend to notice and assist with practical tasks that need to be done. They feel a spiritual link to others through routine tasks. They would rather be responsible for a set of tasks than be involved in leadership. They prefer to work behind the scenes and often avoid public recognition. They enjoy working at odd jobs, often seen as needing tended to, but without being asked. Experience shows that many people in the local church have this gift. It is mentioned once only in 1 Corinthians 12:28.

Spiritual Gift # 8  Knowledge: This gift is the ability to discover, analyze, and systematize truth for the benefit of others and for the advancement of God’s kingdom. People with this gift enjoy studying the Bible and other books to gain information about spiritual things. They are very analytical. They are able to understand complicated things. They know how to give simple clear directions and they are very logical persons. Others often ask them to explain things. They often speak and think theologically. They seem to have a natural gift for understanding the Bible. People with this gift have an extraordinary ability to comprehend the eternal truths of scripture and relate them in practical ways for everyday life. This gift is not confined to university and theological school graduates. Some of the greatest insights may come from persons with no formal higher education. People with this gift know how to discern between cultural biases and biblical truths. They are helpful in keeping the local church on track with its spiritual DNA and its core values. They are often able to articulate complex ideas in simple words and phrases. If combined with the gift of helps and the gift of exhortation the gift of knowledge may be used to build others up. People with this gift must be careful to avoid being authoritative and dogmatic. The gift of knowledge is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8.

Spiritual Gift #9 Leadership: This gift is the ability to motivate, coordinate, and direct the efforts of others in doing God’s work. People with this gift are able to get people to work together toward a goal. They have a vision for the future. They are able to give directions to others in a caring way that creates willing followers. They are not afraid to take risks. They are able to make unpopular decisions. They work well with conflict. They see leadership as different from management. Management, like administration, is the ability to organize information or material to work efficiently for the body of Christ. Leadership is the ability to coordinate the efforts of the body of Christ to achieve the goals outlined in the information. Leaders are more interested in effectiveness than efficiency. Good leaders look for a balance between management and vision. Sometimes leaders can get too far ahead of others in the local church. With good managers at their side, leaders are able to keep things organized as they move ahead. Leaders will be careful to not be held back by over management, nor to be confused by lack of organization. Good spiritual leaders are always aware of the need for team ministry. They often model their style after Ephesians 4:11, “equipping the saints for the work of ministry”. By utilizing all the spiritual gifts of the people in the local church, leaders are able to move the body of Christ forward successfully. The biblical reference for leadership is Romans 12:8.

 Spiritual Gift # 10 Mercy: The gift of mercy is the ability to deeply empathize with others and to engage in compassionate acts on behalf of people who are suffering physical, mental, or emotional distress. Those with this gift manifest concern and show kindness toward people who are often overlooked. All Christians are called to have mercy, but some have an extraordinary gift that causes them to feel the discomfort of others. Mercy shores are quick to come to the aid of people in need. They are usually good-natured. They like to comfort people. They seldom complain about things. They remember people’s names and faces. They identify emotionally with others. They are very forgiving. They believe God has a plan for each life. People with the gift of mercy empathize with hurting people. Mercy shores must protect themselves from being victimized or used by others. Versus yours can be so sensitive, that others will take advantage. Experience shows that this gift is very common in the local church. There seems to be many more mercy shores than leaders or managers within the church. The gift of mercy is mentioned in second Corinthians 5:19.