{"id":30766,"date":"2022-09-10T15:03:43","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/what-your-church-needs-to-know-about-spiritual-gifts\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:03:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:03:43","slug":"what-your-church-needs-to-know-about-spiritual-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/what-your-church-needs-to-know-about-spiritual-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"What Your Church Needs to Know About Spiritual Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kim Stiver photo – Pexels <\/p>\n

Apathy in the church can stem from various reasons, but some Christians can seem apathetic because they don’t understand spiritual gifts and how to employ them in the church and community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Aaron Wilson<\/em> <\/p>\n

From the Enneagram to what-character-are-you quizzes on social media, many people desire to understand themselves and the roles they play in their communities. Yet, as fascinated as people are with knowing their inner workings, many pastors are concerned church members feel indifferent about using their spiritual gifts to serve others.<\/p>\n

A recent study from Lifeway Research revealed people\u2019s apathy and lack of commitment to the church is one of the greatest needs pastors say they need to address. Can we chalk this apathy up to a simple \u201cmeh\u201d attitude about serving? Or is it an issue of Christians misunderstanding spiritual gifts and how to employ them in the church and community?<\/p>\n

Understanding spiritual gifts, at the most basic level, is about discovering where and how God wants us to take up our crosses and follow Him in obedience. \u2014 @DanDarling Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Daniel Darling, author of a new Bible study, Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and How to Use Them<\/em>, sees a right understanding of spiritual gifts as a key to helping Christians unlock a passion to serve the church and live on mission. So, I recently connected with Darling to hear his thoughts, captured in the Q&A below, on why spiritual gifts garner such fascination and misunderstanding within the church.<\/p>\n

Why is it important to understand a theology of spiritual gifts as we seek to discover and lean into our specific giftedness?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Understanding spiritual gifts, at the most basic level, is about discovering where and how God wants us to take up our crosses and follow Him in obedience. God calls every believer to participate in His kingdom activity as expressed through a local body of believers. The more we understand how God made us, the more we can serve Him and our fellow believers.<\/p>\n

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When we understand how spiritual gifts work, we can also recognize and appreciate the gifts of others. The Bible describes Christians like a body or a building in that God has gifted believers for diverse callings. Sometimes, our quarrels and fights in church life stem from our inability to understand how God has called people to serve the kingdom in ways different than our own calling.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, our quarrels and fights in church life stem from our inability to understand how God has called people to serve the kingdom in ways different than our own calling. \u2014 @DanDarling Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

While we often exercise our spiritual gifts\u202fon Sundays, that\u2019s not the extent of our service. To live in step with the Spirit is to live each day in obedience to Christ.<\/p>\n

Many Christians desire to know and understand their spiritual gifts. But that\u2019s just one piece of the puzzle, isn\u2019t it? What\u2019s the value of looking outside ourselves to recognize the giftedness of others?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of spiritual gifts. We often exclusively see them as a way of understanding our own callings\u2014and it\u2019s important we do that. But we should remember Scripture teaches spiritual gifts are given to a body and to a people.<\/p>\n

One of the best ways for us to see our own gifts is to get plugged into a church community. And, in the process of serving, others can recognize our gifts and encourage us to exercise them. In the same way, we should be eager to point out others\u2019 spiritual gifts so they can use them.<\/p>\n

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God often leads and directs us through the patient and loving encouragement of our fellow believers. Think of Paul telling young Timothy to not \u201cneglect the gift that is in you\u201d (1 Timothy 4:14, CSB). Or think of the writer of Hebrews reminding us to \u201cconsider one another in order to provoke love and good works\u201d (Hebrews 10:25, CSB).<\/p>\n

Understanding the theology of spiritual gifts also helps us escape the temptation to see Christianity as a merely individualistic faith\u2014about me and my needs and happiness. It allows us to see ourselves as members of both a local body and a worldwide communion of saints.<\/p>\n

Understanding the theology of spiritual gifts also helps us escape the temptation to see Christianity as a merely individualistic faith\u2014about me and my needs and happiness. \u2014 @DanDarling Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

It allows us to resist two false ideas: 1) I am not needed in the kingdom of God, and 2) the entire work of God rests solely on my shoulders. Neither statement is true, and every church needs people with a multitude of gifts. When a body of believers faithfully\u202fsubmits to Christ\u2019s calling, there\u2019s a beautiful harmony of people using their gifts side by side for the sake of the gospel.<\/p>\n

What are some common misconceptions about spiritual gifts?\u202f<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

There are quite a few. First, we sometimes value certain gifts over others. In the study, I distinguish between what I call speaking gifts and serving gifts.<\/p>\n

Speaking gifts are more public, and serving gifts are more behind the scenes. We too often value speaking and stage gifts at the expense of undervaluing serving gifts. But both kinds of gifts are valuable and needed in the body of Christ.\u202fAnother\u202fmisconception is that a Christian can\u2019t have more than one spiritual gift. Most people are a mix of gifts.<\/p>\n

There’s the misconception that if we aren’t spiritually gifted in one area, we don’t have to be obedient in that. For instance, all believers are called to evangelize, but some are supernaturally gifted in evangelism. That doesn\u2019t absolve all of us from evangelism. Or take the gift of encouragement. Some Christians are gifted encouragers, like Barnabas. That doesn\u2019t let the rest of us off the hook when it comes to lifting up our brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n

Lastly, some feel the Spirit\u2019s assigning of spiritual\u202fgifts is fixed, but I don\u2019t see that the Bible teaches that. God may gift us in one way in one season of our lives and another way in another season. I think of a young pastor who can teach and lead in his younger years. But in his older years, this same pastor may be gifted with the ability to encourage and exhort younger generations.<\/p>\n

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Aaron Wilson<\/h2>\n

@AaronBWilson26<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Aaron is associate editor of LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n