Everyone who is born again has been graced by God in Christ Jesus to do something supernatural. This grace, given to us by the Holy Spirit, came through the new birth when we called upon the name of the Lord. The moment we believed in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit baptized us into the multifaceted body of Christ:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14 KJV)
This is great news! You and I have been graced—or rather gifted—by the Holy Spirit as specialized members of the body of Christ. We are called to express a facet of Jesus and His glory through our unique giftings. Knowing this should excite and motivate us not only to discover our gifts but also to walk in their power.
Identifying Your Gifts
Before we discuss how to walk in the power of our gifts, we must first identify them. There are twelve gifts that form our spiritual identity as members of the body of Christ. These are divided into two categories:
- The Fivefold Ministry Gifts (Ephesians 4:11): Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
- The Motivational Gifts (Romans 12:3-8): Prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, and showing mercy.
Interestingly, the teacher is mentioned in both lists but refers to two different roles. Everyone in the body of Christ can have one or more of these gifts. So, how do we discover which ones we have?
Unlocking the Power of Your Gifts
The Apostle Paul shared the keys to unlocking the power of our gifts in his letter to Timothy:
“Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Timothy 4:14-15 KJV)
