Those who believe and receive God’s Son by grace are given the gift of His Holy Spirit along with one or more spiritual gifts for service to others in the Body of Christ. The main spiritual gifts God wants believers to know about are listed in the New Testament (i.e. apostles, prophets, teachers, helps, administrations, etc), but I would not limit the spiritual gifts to just those listed any more than I would limit the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us that seeking spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church was a common practice among early believers (1Co 14:12). Therefore, these spiritual gifts are not as fixed after conversion as some seem to think. We can receive additional spiritual gifts if we seek them and God allows. I also think Christians can quench the Spirit when their spiritual gifts are never used (1Th 5:19). In any case, God chooses the vessels He will work through to accomplish His own purpose for the Church.

Jesus came from God and was God, so He received the Holy Spirit without measure. No sinful human in the flesh could receive the Holy Spirit without measure and stay humble. God knows each believer’s natural limitations, and He limits the spiritual gifts given to each individual accordingly.

All spiritual gifts come by God’s grace, so no one earned them or is going to be rewarded for the gifts that they received. They will however be rewarded for the service given to the Church using spiritual gifts given.

People who never use their gifts might lose their gifts and their rewards. God is going to accomplish His agenda for the Church, but it may not yet be determined who He will accomplish it through. Free will plays a role here and so does sin. For example, a believer given the gift of teaching whose laziness and sins hinder him from teaching could be replaced by someone else. The reward he could have had also will go to the person that God used to perform the service.

Spiritual gifts are not something that believers can conjure up themselves. When I was among the Pentecostal side of Christianity, I remember those always trying to do that. Those doing the public babbling, giving false prophecies, fake healing and the rest of the act, are not operating in the spiritual gifts as some claim. Many substitute counterfeit gifts because they want to be seen by others as being spiritual. Christians most promoting their “spiritual gifts” often are the least spiritual Christians of all. Even those living in flagrant sin are often less self-deceived.

It’s not just the Pentecostals who use the scriptures about spiritual gifts to advance themselves or their agenda. I remember one Baptist pastor who asked people what their spiritual gifts were when they interviewed for church membership. Seemed to me that he was looking for pegs to fill his pegboard. For obvious reasons you might not want to tell such a pastor that you received the gift of giving. One cannot even disclose certain spiritual gifts without coming across as being self-aggrandizing. For example, try telling a pastor, church leader or a teacher that you received the gift of wisdom (1Co 12:8) and see how that is received. Anyway, good leaders do not rely on what people say about themselves. They soon learn the strengths and the weakness of those serving under them.

So how can Christians learn what their spiritual gift or gifts are? Mostly they learn it through their walk of faith and from what other say. The Holy Spirit directs the paths. For example, if you have the gift of giving it will be laid on your heart to sacrificially give to Christian causes. Those with the gift of helps will want to help. Those with the gift of administrations will want to help manage Church affairs. Those gifted to teach will want to teach others their understanding of the things of God. In short, if you think God is leading you to do something for the benefit of others in the Church it probably is because He gifted you to do that.

One caution that needs to be said, is if what you are doing puffs up your flesh nature, it probably is self-motivated and has nothing to do with any spiritual gift from God. Spiritual gifts coming from God are always love motivated. In fact, Paul says there is a more excellent way than desiring spiritual gifts. It is doing everything out of love for the brethren (1 Cor 13).

The spiritual gifts are for building up the Church. God is not giving spiritual gifts that bring harm to the cause of Christ. For example, God does not give the Church false prophets, false teachers and false healers. Christians should shun such individuals not promote them.

The Holy Spirit will lead willing Christians to use the gifts that they were given. Since the gifts are love motivated functions of the Holy Spirit, the functions really will not be something that gifted individuals dislike doing. You may desire additional spiritual gifts but God may not give them to you for your own good. God knows that the spirit of believers is willing but their flesh is weak. With more spiritual gifts pride and sin often enters the picture. Those achieving positions of responsibility and authority also have greater accountability, so most of us should be satisfied with the status we now have.

We will not be held accountable for the gifts that we were never given. However, we will be held accountable for what we did with the spiritual gifts that the Lord gave us. There is an old wise proverb that probably applies to spiritual gifts, “use it or lose it”.

My wish for all believers this Christmas is that your spiritual gifts will be used in abundance in the new year and beyond so that you may receive a full reward in the day that Jesus is glorified with His saints.