Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts

In:

Submitted By kendall1208
Words 761
Pages 4
Kendall Lucy
THEO 201 – D17
Short Essay 3

Spiritual Gifts

Logging in to facebook yesterday, I noticed that I had a message from an old friend that I had

not seen since high school. She wanted to know if I would talk to her about spiritual gifts and

answer some questions that were being debated in her church. She wanted answers to questions

about spiritual gifts, the Fruit of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, and baptism in the Holy Spirit. I

told her that I would share the biblical view of spiritual gifts. I sent her an email with the answers

to her questions. Here is a part of the email that I sent to her.

In 1 Corinthians 12, we learn that spiritual gifts are given to God’s people by the Holy Spirit

for “the common good.” Verse 11 says the gifts are given according to God’s sovereign will.

Ephesians 4:12 tells us these gifts are given to prepare God’s people for service and for building

up the body of Christ. While there are different kinds of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4), spiritual gifts

are God-given graces meant for works of service.

There are two major evidences of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence is

speaking with tongues. Further evidence of the Spirit’s abiding presence in our lives is the Fruit

of the Spirit, which Paul mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. A spiritual gift is an ability to be used

in service, whereas spiritual fruit relates to a Christian’s character.

Many people inaccurately define speaking in tongues as “speaking gibberish” or “talking

nonsense.” The truth is that speaking in tongues is the most intelligent and perfect language in

the universe. It is a heavenly language. It is God’s language. Since it is God’s language, then it

must be the most intelligent and perfect.

The Holy Spirit baptism is a gift from God to the new

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...We were all born with gifts and talents. God gave these to every single one of us, making every single one of us unique. Some of these gifts we were born with; others can be developed over tie. Things like playing soccer, cooking, painting can all be developed by anyone over time. But if one was lucky enough to have these talents naturally, we call it a gift. But God also gave us another special gift. These gifts were assigned to us so we can help spread the gospel and further fulfill our duty within the church. They are called spiritual gifts. "The term charisma ("spiritual gift")... signifies redemption or salvation as the gift of God's grace (Rom. 5:15; 6:23) and a gift enabling the Christian to perform his service in the church (1 Cor. 7:7), as well as defining a special gift enabling a Christian to perform a particular ministry in the church." (Elwell, 2001) The spiritual gifts include: Woking of Miracles, Gifts of Healing, The Gift of Helpers, The Gift of Governments or Administration, The Gift of Faith, Apostleship, Prophets, The Gift of Discernming of Spirits, The Gift of Teaching, The Gift of Exhortation, The Gift of Wisdom, The Gift of Knowledge, The Gift of Tongues, The Gif of Interperetation of Tongues, The Evangalist, Service, Contribution, Acts of Mercy, and Giving. According to Galatians 5:22-23, "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Personally...

Words: 303 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...My Spiritual Gifts Part 1 [pic] Eunice T. Payne June 5, 2014 Revised August 13, 2014 INTRODUCTION When I was asked to go online and take a spiritual gift test my first thought was, (“Lord what the world is coming to”?) We really have to rely on the internet for everything these days?” Then I thought hey why not take it what can it hurt, I’ll go on and humor them. As I started to read the questions I felt like the questions needed more substance or needed to be worded differently; not realizing the devil was trying to discourage me from reading what I was about to find out. \ By the time I finished the test it read PASTOR, FAITH, GIVING. Each word had a meaning or explanation for each one. I looked real hard at “Pastor” and laugh then I called my son who is a minister and yes he’s from the old school like his momma. I said son I just took this test and explained to him what is was for. Of course he had the same reaction as I did when I was told about the site. He laughed. Well as we went on in conversation I gave him the end results and said now what I look like being a Pastor. I mean I have been around a lot of spiritual gifted people for most of my life and have been told by several that there’s an anointing on my life or that my light shines bright and have a spirit of victory, but never did I hear anyone say I would be a pastor or fit those shoes. Then a voice said you have been ministering to people young and old for over 20 years and you don’t...

Words: 2012 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...Sherri L Hull CHMN 201-D05 04/07/2014 Spiritual Gifts Paper Part One: What are my top 2 spiritual gift? Do I agree with the results? Why or Why not? The top two spiritual gifts from my assessment were Administration and Teaching, with Pastor/Shepherd receiving the same assessment score. Based on my background in Purchasing and Job Costing, I would have to agree with the Administration score; however, Teaching and Pastor/Shepherd has me somewhat confused. The descriptions of each of these, and how they appear to go hand-in-hand does; however, make sense. According to the assessment descriptions, if a person scores high in Teaching but not in Pastor/Shepherding they probably would not make a good Sunday school teacher; therefore, receiving the same score arouses my curiosity what does God see something in me, that I do not. My position as a job costing supervisor has taught me to account for each material being used in the manufacturing industry. Along with my former purchasing responsibilities, both positions back up the assessment score in Administration. The assessment further defines my score in Teaching/Shepherding, as a person who enjoys research. At times this person can be technical. This would represent the details of any given work or research being done, everything needs an explanation. It also defines the person as one who needs to be accommodating when deadlines near and pressure increases. This skillset may become beneficial to the calling I believe...

Words: 1253 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts Paper

...Allan Ritch CHMN 201-D01 LUO March 31, 2014 Spiritual Gifts Paper PART ONE: What are your top two spiritual gifts? Do you agree with the results? Why or why not? My two dominate spiritual gifts as determined by taking the “Spiritual Gifts Analysis” on www.churchgrowth.org are (1) Administration and (2) Exhortation. I completely agree with this assessment. Having been in the administration field most of my adult life, in one capacity or another, I see that this gift has had an influence upon me. I am definitely a take-charge type of person when it comes to something that I am enthusiastic and passionate. The analyses pointed out that people with this gift tend to count on others to take care of the small details and are gifted delegator. I am definitely that type of person in most situations. I do not like to micro-manage others or be micro-managed. I tend to take on many tasks myself just so I can control the outcome and results. I tend to lack patience at times when a detailed explanation is required and expect that others already know how and what the goals are. The gift exhortation is a direct complement to administration. While administration directs and organizes, exhortation teaches, counsels, and encourages. I have not always seen this gift within my character, although as I look back I can see that this gift has been in the development stage for quite some time. The analysis advises against interrupting people and allowing pride to be the primary motivator...

Words: 838 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

...The Gifts of the Holy Spirit. * Introduction: I am primarily going to refer to the gifts of the Spirit as spoken in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Would be cool to work through these three chapters verse for verse, but time will not allow this. Before I am even going to touch on the gifts of the Spirit, I do think its important that we look at the context of the book. Why did Paul find it necessary to discuss these gifts with this specific church. So important context pointers (which we read about in Acts and 1 and 2 Corinthians): * It was rebuild by Julius Caesar in 44 BC, after being a waste for about 100 years. * It had a lot of economic advantages, because of where the city was build. (BETWEEN TWO TRADING ROOTS; one land route and one sea route; NOT NECESSARY RICH GROUND; also had unlimited supply of water). Strategic place for a city – the wealth attracted people from all over. * Also known as a place where free slaves came to live, after they received their freedom, and many of them worked their way up into society. Roman soldiers also settled their – less Gentiles, Jews also immigrated to that place. * Temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love) was a famous temple in the city – had over 1000 cult temple prostitutes. * Greeks had a famous proverb in that time, namely, “to act like a corinthian” – referred to the moral decay in the city. * The situation in Corinth have been viewed as a hopeless situation – you do not want to go there as a minister of the...

Words: 1620 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...Janice Hileman CHMN 201-B02 05/19/2014 Spiritual Gifts Paper . PART ONE: What are your top two Spiritual Gifts? Do you agree with the results? Why or why not? My top two Spiritual Gifts are: (1) Evangelism; and (2) Pastor/ Shepherd tied with Showing Mercy. I completely agree with the results . I agree because I am a very compassionate woman. I love people and also willing to help those in need. I am able to sympathize and empathize with people who may have problems that others might feel uncomfortable with. I am also a very good listener. I love to share the Gospel with others and bring the lost to know Jesus Christ. I am truly blessed to have these gifts that God has given me. PART TWO: Specifically, how can you use your gifts at this time? How might you misuse your gifts? Be specific. There are many ways I can use my gifts today. In my Church there are people who often come to me to “unload” what’s going on in their Lives. I am always there to listen and give them the best advice I can. I show mercy by going with a group from the church to visit the ones who are shut-ins and letting them know that we care for them and that they are not alone. Outside the church I volunteer for Domestic and Sexually abused women’s shelter. I do a weekly Bible study and I teach some of them how to cook. I soon will be taking the required training to be a Christian Counselor. I also post Scripture, Devotionals, and prayers on...

Words: 637 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Comparative Essay

...CHARISMATIC GIFTS DEBATE 1 CHARISMATIC GIFTS DEBATE Robert Johnson THEO 350 – D06 201530 summer 2015 08/1/15 Charismatic Gifts Debate 2 The Charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit have been in debate among the Christian Community since the emergence of the Charismatic movement: An expression used to refer to a movement within historic churches that began in the 1950’s. In more recent years it has frequently been referred to as the “charismatic renewal movement”. Therefore members are known as “charismatics”. The background of the charismatic movement is “Pentecostalism” dating from the early twentieth century with its emphasis on baptism with (or in) the Holy Spirit as an endowment of power subsequent to conversion, speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of this baptism, and the initial evidence of this baptism, and the continuing validity of the spiritual gifts (charismata) of 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (W. Elwell 2001). “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to...

Words: 2555 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...Spiritual gifts are defined by “www.biblicalstudies.com” as “things characterized or controlled by the spirit”, In my definition, spiritual gifts are gifts given to Christians by God so that they can further administer the gospel (good news) of the coming/resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Examples of Spiritual gifts listed in the New Testament are : 1. Prophecy 2. Serving 3. Teaching 4. Encouragement 5. Wisdom and Knowledge 6. Faith 7. Healing 8. Miracles 9. Speaking/ interpreting tongues 10. Discernment  "False christs and false prophets are going to appear and produce great signs and wonders to mislead, if it were possible, even God's own people. Listen, I am warning you." Mat 24:25  Spiritual Gifts are, in my opinion, given to Christians by God for the purpose of making non-believers of Christ believe, by doing miraculous actions allowed by God, in order to spread the message of his Holy Church. Question 2 “Define each spiritual gift and its operation as recorded by Paul” 1 peter 4-10 states “just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God”. Bible scriptures referring to spiritual gifts are: 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14; Romans chapter 12; Ephesians chapter 4; and 1 Peter chapter 4. Spiritual gifts must be important to the Spirit of God who inspired the writing of the Word of God and thus they should be important to us. 1. Prophecy: The gift of prophecy is...

Words: 882 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts

...2014 Daren L. Williams THEO 104 Aaron Gaston Foundational to the Christian faith is the belief that mankind is created in the image of God. Since Christian faith is the belief, man is created in the image of God, as a counselor, I should be committed to God and allow Him to impute into me, with His counseling of the Word and of His Holy Spirit. This will give me the Spiritual wisdom and knowledge to counsel people as God has counselled me. I believe only when people feel listened to, their questions heard and their ideas respected, will they think they have a voice. When this happens, it can only mean positive attitude all the way around. Proverbs 11:14 "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisors" (NIV 2001). Example # 1: Social Work, since man was created in the image of God, as a counselor I should be able to help people to understand that sin has changes their minds to mirror the nature of this world and allow the worldviews to effectively control their daily lives and steal the spiritual inheritance that Christ died for. As a Christian Counselor in a worldly environment, we must be ever mindful that it will take a renewing of the mind, which will allow the worldly views to change to Christian views. Throughout the bible God has continued to show man that God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher that our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8; NIV 2001)...

Words: 909 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts

...The Holy Spirit and the Spiritual Gifts Natalie Barrionuevo Liberty University Introduction Growing up in and out of church I have not only heard about the Holy Spirit but also seen the works of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that accompany it. The Holy Spirit plays a key role in a Christian’s daily life. God has given us this companion as a substitute for himself to lead and guide us on our Christian walk. With this companion comes gifts which we have the ability to receive through Christ to help us along our journey. Here, we will discuss the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts that can accompany it. Holy Spirit Theological Definition Baptism in the Spirit is the moment when the spirit begins to operate in a believer’s life. Being baptized in the spirit does not mean you are more spiritually mature or holier than the next person. Spirit baptism cannot be equated with receiving the gifts of the spirit. (Elwell, 1996) Biblical Foundation The Holy Spirit is discussed throughout the entire bible. In Genesis 1: 2 it states “The earth was formless and empty, and the darkness covered the deep waters, and the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (KJV/NLT, 2005). This is the first...

Words: 1592 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Spiritual Gifts Research Paper

...To discuss spiritual gifts, specifically the issue of speaking in tongues currently being debated, one must begin with a definition of spiritual gifts and their purpose. A spiritual gift is the God-given capacity of every Christian that enables him or her to carry out or perform his or her function in the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts are different from the fruit of the Spirit. According to Galatians, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). The fruit of the Spirit is the natural harvest of a spiritually mature Christian whereas Christians receive a spiritual gift at the time of baptism in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a Christian is at his or her baptism in the Holy Spirit. This indwelling occurs when the non-believer accepts Christ and joins all other Christians in the body of Christ. At the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual gift is given, and the work on the fruit of the Spirit begins. This baptism first occurred on the Day of Pentecost to...

Words: 814 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts

...Todd M. Lynch THEO201 C03 Short Essay #3 Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Gifts and their place in today’s world is a topic that has been debated for some timed. One gift that has received specific attention is the gift of speaking in tongues. This essay will define what spiritual gifts are, as well as differentiate them from Spiritual fruits and show which one is a sign of spiritual maturity. This essay will also discuss speaking in tongues, defining it, discussing if it is a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit and arguing whether or not it is still a valid spiritual gift today. Spiritual Gifts are “gifts of God enabling the Christian to perform his or her (sometimes specialized) service” in the church.[1] They are supernatural gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit that enhance the work and ministry of the Christian. [2] Depending on which gift is given you use them to spread the Word of God and help the church to grown. They can be anything from the gift of prophesy, to the gift of speaking in tongues to the gift of administration. The gifts all have a place in ministry within the church. Spiritual gifts are not to be confused with Fruits of the Spirit. Fruits of the spirit such as love, joy, peace, kindness, etc. are all things that are produced in us by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). These things are not given to us, but brought out from inside of us through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Fruits of the Spirit relate to our character,...

Words: 1401 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts

...Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts Spiritual gifts are capacities given to believers in Christ or “useful functions for God” in spiritual service. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is produced in believers by the Spirit to sanctify them through the production of His character. Spiritual gifts are abilities used in service to God while spiritual fruit involves the character of Christians. The Fruit of the Spirit, produced only by the indwelling of the Spirit, exhibits the spiritual maturity of believers. My personal definition of spiritual gifts is the following: Spiritual gifts are abilities given by God to every Christian for different types of service, each person receiving one or more gifts, with purposes including: to give God glory through service, to accomplish His will, and to edify believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and His indwelling is directly related to salvation. When a person accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, the Spirit indwells the new believer immediately, not in a subsequent experience. This indwelling places the believer in the Body of Christ. Salvation is not a two-step process, but is instead a change in a person’s relationship with God. Biblical definitions of speaking in tongues are: a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 that may have two functions: In the book of Acts, it is an “initiation” gift given to affirm entrance to the Church Body. It may also be a spiritual gift given by God to individuals to display the gift in church service...

Words: 962 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts

...Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts Perhaps the simplest explanation of a spiritual gift would be that they are Gifts of God empowering Christians to accomplish their service. More so it is the God-given capacity of every Christian to carry out his function in the body of Christ. Not all spiritual gifts affect the life of the one who practices it; nonetheless its purpose is and always was to edify believers. The godly characteristics that develop in us as a consequence of receiving God’s Spirit are known as the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. They do not appear immediately in mature form. There is a process that changes the human mind (Romans 12:2) through practical application of God’s laws. Those laws are an expression of the very divine nature that is received through the Holy Spirit. Applying the law motivates the Spirit to produce its fruit. Over time the maturing of the fruit changes human nature to divine nature. This process is completed by Christ, as told in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” From my understanding the biblical definition and purpose of the gift of tongues was that the tongue in which the person spoke was unintelligible, and therefore unedifying to the Christian assembly, the tongue was not a foreign language, the tongue speaker addressed himself to God to whom he probably offered prayer and praise, the tongue edified the speaker,...

Words: 866 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Kkkksfggg

...them; and they have the power to do this if the law, or rather the obligation, about making a return gift is not observed. * Colenso: ‘they had a kind of system of exchange, or rather of giving presents which had later to be exchanged or repaid. * ‘I shall tell you about the hau. Hau is not the wind. Not at all. Suppose that you possess a particular object, taonga, and you give it to me; you give it to me without a price. We do not bargain over it. Now I give this thing to a third person who after a time decides to give me something in repayment for it, and he makes me a present of something (taonga). Now this taonga I received from him is the spirit (hau) of the taonga received from you and which I passed on to him. The taonga which I receive on account of the taonga that came from you, I must return to you. It would not be right on my part to keep these taonga whether they were desirable or not. I must give them to you since they are the hau of the taonga which you gave me. If I were to keep this second taonga for myself I might become ill or even die. Such is hau, the hau of personal property, the hau of the taonga, the hau of the forest. Enough on that subject’ * The taonga and all strictly personal possessions have a hau, a spiritual power. You give me taonga, I give it to another, the latter gives me taonga back, since he is forced to do so by the hau of my gift; and I am obliged to give this one to you since I must return to you what is in fact the product of...

Words: 507 - Pages: 3