Spiritual Gifts

Nov

2025

Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prov 9:10)

Many smart people have no wisdom.

Paul says that “in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom” (I Cor 1:21). In the same sentence, the verse talks about the wisdom of God and the wisdom that does not know God. In other words, wisdom seems to come in different varieties. Scripture speaks of the “wisdom of men” or “the wisdom of this world.” In modern circles, you may hear the term “conventional wisdom.” When we speak of wisdom in any of these ways, we are talking about a way of thinking that most people in a culture would consider wise. We may use the word “wisdom” to describe these ways of thinking, but such wisdom is not Biblical wisdom. Biblical wisdom and conventional wisdom are often opposed.

The wise of this world consider Biblical wisdom to be foolishness, but Paul says that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (I Cor 1:25).

True wisdom begins with the Lord. It involves His ways and His glory. Earth, however, divorces God from wisdom. In addition, true wisdom is more than knowledge. It is more even than spiritual knowledge. Wisdom involves living, not just knowing. Wisdom entails the heart, not just the head. Wisdom is practical, not just intellectual.

The New Testament scholar who denies God has no wisdom. The woman who understands the Atonement but never forgives her neighbor lacks wisdom. The man who argues for the Resurrection but has a drinking problem lacks wisdom. The parents who raise their children without the Lord lack wisdom, even if their children are well-behaved and make much money.

Life without the Lord is unwise, and spiritual knowledge without a righteous life is unwise.

True wisdom then has spiritual and practical components to it. Remove God and you remove wisdom. Remove the practical, and you remove wisdom. Wisdom is God living His life through men.

Therefore, those people with the spiritual gift of wisdom are the people who apply Scripture to their lives. They live it. They are the people you go to when you want to know how to live. These people give godly advice. But their advice does not consist only of words. Their lifestyle is itself godly advice. You see their advice in their lives.

People with the gift of wisdom provide direction for the church but not necessarily in a formal, public way as teachers do. Their influence tends to be less formal, more private, and on a smaller scale.

The Importance of Wisdom

People with the gift of wisdom are the counselors of the church.

Strengths

Love for Scripture
Practice what they preach
Focus on the Lord
Practical life demonstrates Biblical balance
See the spiritual side to human decisions
Apply spiritual truth to complex practical situations
Good listeners

Weaknesses

Can be overly cautious and move too slowly
Lack of empathy
Evangelism sometimes

Examples of People with this Gift

Job, Joseph, Solomon, Daniel, Mark Dever, Jonathan Leeman, Tim Keller

Good Roles for People with this Gift

Mentor, discipler, parent, counselor, advisor, judge

Oct

2025

Knowledge

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . . (Hos 4:6)

The church sometimes has difficulty rightly valuing knowledge. Sometimes people equate head knowledge with spiritual maturity and thereby give to knowledge an importance and a role it does not have. Knowledge by itself does not make anyone greater in the eyes of God. God does not care how much you know if you don’t love. Or if you don’t trust Him.

However, sometimes people devalue knowledge because “knowledge puffs up.” They see that faith and love are greater than knowledge. They see that knowledge by itself does not produce maturity, and they conclude that knowledge is not that important.

Thus, some people overvalue knowledge while others undervalue it. We need to see the importance of knowledge along with its limitations. The reality is that faith and love are based on knowledge. You can’t believe in something that you don’t know. And the more you know about God, the more reasons you have to love Him. Knowledge by itself does not produce spiritual maturity, but a certain amount of knowledge is a prerequisite for spiritual maturity. Knowledge is not the same as faith, but without knowledge you can’t have faith.

Let me put it this way. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen (Heb 11:1). Some people take that to mean that faith kicks in when you don’t see or know something, and, thus, knowledge is not that crucial to faith. But those people are only half right. It is true that faith trusts in what it does not see, but the reason it trusts in what it does not see is because of what it does know. I have knowledge that God is faithful, and based on that knowledge, I can trust that He will provide for my family even though I don’t see how. I have knowledge that God has made me a new man, and that knowledge gives me hope for eternity. I have knowledge that God has forgiven my sins through the Cross, and that knowledge spurs me to love Him even more.

Faith and love do not exist in a vacuum apart from knowledge. Faith has substance. Faith trusts in something. Knowledge gives you that substance, that something. Those then with the spiritual gift of knowledge help provide the substance for our faith and for our relationship with God.

So let’s talk about the gift of knowledge. The spiritual gift of knowledge does not pertain to knowledge broadly speaking but to the knowledge of Scripture and of God. Thus, having a Phd in literature does not give anyone this gift. In addition, someone with the gift of knowledge knows more than the mere facts that, say, Ehud was a left-handed man and the gospels were based on eyewitness testimony. Someone with the gift of knowledge knows not just the brute facts of Scripture but how to interpret Scripture in a godly way. Thus, having a Phd in New Testament does not give anyone the gift of knowledge. A boy in middle school with the gift of knowledge may know more than a New Testament scholar, even if the New Testament scholar knows more facts.

We have to get out of our head the idea that those who know mere facts are somehow spiritually mature simply because they know facts.

People with the gift of knowledge are the people you go to when you want to know what the Bible says about this or that topic. When you want to know not just the facts but the heart. These people help you understand Scripture and God.

Knowledge vs Teaching

The gifts of teaching and of knowledge have some overlap even if they are not identical. Many with the gift of teaching also have the gift of knowledge, for you can’t teach what you don’t know. Yet the gift of teaching also involves a communication gift.

The gift of knowledge by itself does not necessarily involve teaching, and some people may know the Bible and God well without being strong teachers.

Importance of Knowledge

People with the gift of knowledge provide the substance for the faith of the church.

Strengths

love for Scripture
love to read and learn
ability to understand complex ideas
care about doctrine

Weaknesses

can be weak with relationships
can be proud of their knowledge
can trust in knowledge instead of God

Examples of People with this Gift

Ezra, Paul, John Calvin, D.A. Carson

Good Roles for People with this Gift

researcher, professor, apologist, teacher

Sep

2025

Pastoral Leadership

“I am the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11)

“Shepherd the flock of God . . .” (I Pet 5:2)

Pastors are shepherds.

And shepherds lead sheep.

Some people debate whether the New Testament speaks of pastoral gifting at all. They argue that the word “pastor” refers only to an office and not to a spiritual gift. Others disagree and say that the New Testament speaks of pastoral gifting. Sometimes people argue their points as if the two positions are mutually exclusive. They are not. In Ephesians 4, the pastor-teacher seems to be an office that is a gift (Eph 4:8, 11-12), and in I Peter 5:2, Peter tells the elders that their function is to shepherd the flock. Shepherding is central to the function of the office of pastor/elder, and the moment you say that the office has a function, you make the office something that is better held by someone with gifting to do the function. Some pastors are more naturally gifted at shepherding than others.

This is common sense. You’ve probably observed it yourself. It is true of virtually every function that exists. All believers are to evangelize, but some are more gifted at it than others. All believers are to serve people, but some are more gifted at it than others. All church treasurers are to handle the finances with integrity and skill, but some are more gifted at it than others. All cooks are to make tasty meals, but some are more gifted at it than others. Ten different people may hold the office of high school teacher, but they are not all equally gifted teachers. We could go on.

Functions involve gifting, and the office of pastor has a Biblical function.

What this means is that even the people who argue that the word “pastor” refers only to an office must admit differing levels of gifting at carrying out that office. And the moment you do so, you are referring to a pastoral gift.

Thus, a man may have the spiritual gift of wisdom, prophecy, or evangelism and fill the office of pastor, while someone else may have a shepherding gift and not fill the office of pastor. The office and the gift may have similarities, but they are not identical.

Now because our purpose is to discuss spiritual gifts, I want to focus on the gifting and not the office, but I understand that the office requires the man to do what the gifting is good at.

With that out of the way, let’s talk.

Pastoral leadership is leadership. But it is a different type of leadership. Pastors are shepherds. Shepherding is a combination of servant leadership and spiritual care.

Pastoral leadership does not focus so much on leading tasks or organizations but on leading souls. Shepherds lead hearts. Shepherds want to see you walk with God. They take great joy in seeing God’s people grow in Christ.

Shepherds provide spiritual care and spiritual direction for the sheep. This may entail encouragement when you are discouraged, rebuke when you are stubborn in sin, clarity when you are confused, and a push when you need to stretch your faith.

Because shepherds focus on hearts, they want to get to know you. They lead through relationship. Shepherds build up and equip the church in Christ. They come alongside you and spur you on and encourage you in your walk with Jesus.

Shepherding is an investment in the lives of others and, consequently, takes time. Because of the nature of shepherding, shepherds can shepherd only so many people. The more people in the flock, the greater the need for multiple shepherds.

Importance of Shepherding Gifts

Shepherds are the builders of the church. They build men. They build women. They build the hearts of the people to maturity in Christ.

Strengths of Shepherding Gifts

care for the church
care for souls
focus on spiritual growth
relational
see the spiritual realities of life
care about God’s Word
patience
comfortable being alone with God

Weaknesses of Shepherding Gifts

can have difficulty with evangelism. Shepherds are focused on the sheep.
can have difficulty with church planting and entrepreneurial tasks
can burn out trying to shepherd too many people
can feel lonely

Examples of People with Shepherding Gifts

John, Peter, Timothy, Richard Baxter, Francis Chan

Good Roles for Shepherds

pastor, husband, parent, mentor, discipler

Sep

2025

Entrepreneurial Leadership

“I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation” (Rom 15:20)

Some people call this gifting “apostolic gifting.” I will avoid that term because sometimes people hear it and think you are describing a person with the same authority as the apostles. Instead, I will say simply that this gift is a starter gift. These people provide the leadership to start works in the spiritual world. These people plant churches and start ministries. They are generally task-focused, can operate well alone, and enjoy the challenge of starting something new. These are the people who push the church to great heights. They see a vision and inspire the church to accomplish that vision. They are good networkers and connect with many people.

Importance

These are the catalysts of the church. These people expand the reach of the church and push the church to greater steps of faith.

Strengths

usually have faith
pray
can see a big vision
can mobilize people
are focused
can take criticism and move on
are zealous to see God’s kingdom advance
get things done
inspire others
are bold

Weaknesses

can struggle with deeper relationships
sometimes prioritize the job over the people
can be or seem uncaring
are sometimes impetuous
can be workaholics
can be proud
can compromise doctrine or ethics to get things done
sometimes rely on their energy and skills instead of on God
can ignore constructive criticism
can have difficulty being alone with God

Examples of People with the Spiritual Gift of Entrepreneurial Leadership

Caleb, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul, George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, Jonathan Goforth, George Verwer,

Good Roles for People with this Gift

church planter, pioneer missionary, leader of an organization focused especially on expansion of the kingdom, starting a new work of some kind: school, hospital, mission agency, ministry

Sep

2025

Giving

“. . . it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

God so loved the world that He gave. Giving is God’s nature. He loves to give.

People with the spiritual gift of giving have discovered how much God loves to give, and they show the rest of the church what that looks like.

Givers have learned the secret of letting go of material goods. Their money and possessions do not have a stronghold over their hearts, and they willingly and sacrificially give to meet the needs of others and to advance the kingdom of God. They see giving as a blessing and joy instead of a duty. They give from the heart. They give sacrificially and joyfully. They love to give. They want to give. They do not see their money as theirs. They see it as God’s money, for Him to do with as He pleases.

We usually think of givers as being wealthy. That is not necessarily true. The widow who gave all she had may not have given a great amount, but she gave more than the wealthy who gave greater amounts. A poor person can have this gift, and when he does he will give you what he can, and it may cost him more than you see.

The gift of giving is not restricted to money. Givers will give you clothes, a dining table, their car, and more. They see a need and look at what they have that can meet that need and are willing to give it up.

The Importance of Givers

Givers are those who sacrifice for the church. They are the inspiration for selflessness and the people who fund and resource God’s work.

Strengths of Givers

full of joy
generous
free from the pull of material goods
care about the needs of others

Weaknesses of Givers

can enable others in unhealthy behaviors
sometimes desire to please men instead of God
sometimes lack healthy boundaries

Examples of People with this Gift

the widow who gave her mite, Barnabbas, R.G. Letourneau, C.S. Lewis, Millard Fuller

Good Roles for People with this Gift

benevolence ministry, support for missionaries, mission organizations, churches, and other Christian ministries

Sep

2025

Exhortation/Encouragement

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (I Thes 5:11)

The Greek word translated “exhortation” in the list of spiritual gifts can mean encouragement, comfort, or consolation. It is the same word Jesus uses when He calls the Holy Spirit the comforter. People with this gift lift you up when you feel down. People with this gift spur you on to love and good deeds. Everyone likes to be around them because they make you feel as if you matter and as if God will use you. These people are encouragers and are often saying things like “I appreciate your heart for people” or “Your serving has been a great blessing to others” or “You can do that. God is with you” or “I’ve heard your testimony, and it is powerful” or a thousand other statements like these.

These people will call you just to see how you are doing. They will show up at your house uninvited because they were passing by and were thinking about you and just wanted to let you know they were thinking about you. They use words to build you up. Those words may take the form of face-to-face conversation, phone calls, emails, notes, or any other medium.

But encouragers are not restricted to words. When you are going through a hard time, they will send you a gift card to a restaurant or maybe even take you there themselves just because they want to encourage you. They may throw you a surprise party just to let you know that you mean something to them.

These people say with Caleb, “With God we can take the land.” People with this gift have much faith, a positive attitude, and a love for others. Encouragers are not necessarily leaders (though they can be). They love to come alongside you and spur you on and encourage you.

But the spiritual gift of encouragement is more than a positive attitude. It is more than making people feel good about themselves. The purpose of this gift is to strengthen people’s faith and help them walk more closely with Jesus. When you see words or deeds that make people feel good but never help them grow spiritually, you are not looking at the spiritual gift of encouragement.

The Importance of Encouragement

Encouragers are the morale boosters and the faith spurrers of the church.

This gift combats discouragement and depression and calls the church to take steps of faith and to trust that God will work.

Strengths of Encouragers

strong faith
joy
a positive attitude
a love for people
speaking spiritual words of encouragement
lifting people up
often good listeners
full of hope
can motivate others

Weaknesses of Encouragers

sometimes neglect confrontation or hard conversations
can be oblivious to real pain
can be too optimistic
can be people pleasers

Examples of People with this Gift

Deborah, Boaz, Jonathan, Barnabbas

Good Roles for People with this Gift

spouse, parent, friend, mentor, coach, counselor, visiting the sick

Aug

2025

Prophecy

“The one who prophecies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues” (I Cor 14:5)

This gift is mentioned in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4.

Most people associate prophecy with foretelling the future, and prophecy certainly can include that aspect. But prophecy is bigger than foretelling the future. New Testament prophets are a continuation of the Old Testament prophetic tradition but under a new covenant. When you read Isaiah or Jeremiah, you read a lot of “Thus says the Lord,” and most of those statements have nothing to do with foretelling the future. Sometimes a prophet rebukes sin. Sometimes he offers restoration and forgiveness. Sometimes he gives direction concerning God’s will. Occasionally he predicts the future.

What do Prophets Do?

At its most basic level prophecy is a word from the Lord. Like Old Testament prophets, New Testament prophets speak a word from the Lord for the church, and that word is informed by the new covenant and the coming of Jesus.

Prophets:

rebuke sin
call the church to repentance
call you to repentance
let us know of God’s judgment, love and mercy
point us to God and to His character
communicate messages from God to the people
provide guidance and direction
may speak about the future

The Importance of Prophecy

Prophets are the conscience of the church.

Who is Prophecy For?

Prophecy can be for individuals or for the church.

Strengths of a Prophet

boldness, no fear of men
a focus on righteousness and holiness
can see the truth and communicate that truth clearly and simply
care about the truth
want to see the church honor God
are sensitive to the Spirit
have high ethical standards

Weaknesses of a Prophet

can be proud
can be insensitive
can be offensive needlessly
can lack tact
can speak the truth without love when speaking from the flesh

False Prophets

Because false prophets exist, the church must test the message of a prophet to see whether it is of God (I Jn 4:1). The standard for such a test is Scripture. The message of a prophet is, thus, subordinate to Scripture, not equal to Scripture. People who listen to a self-proclaimed “prophet” who gives a message that does not align with Scripture are not listening to a prophet of God (Dt 13).

Prophecy and Teaching

Prophecy communicates a message from God. Teaching also communicates a message from God. But the two are not the same. Prophecy tends to be less formal, shorter, and more spontaneous than teaching. It is more like a word God gives on the spot to address a particular situation.

Examples of People with the Gift of Prophecy

Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, A.W. Tozer, Keith Green, Paul Washer

Good Roles for People with the Gift of Prophecy

mentor, writer, speaker, jail ministry, evangelist

May

2025

A Right Emphasis on the Gifts

Earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way. (I Cor 12:20)

Think for a moment about physical handicaps.

I once had a friend who was a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair. The thing he wanted most to do was to walk. When Jesus asks blind Bartimaeus what he wants, Bartimaeus says, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight” (Mk 10:51). Even if you’ve never been blind or paralyzed, you understand the sentiment.

Paul likens spiritual gifts to parts of the body – hands, feet, eyes, ears — and that picture portrays the need for the gifts. The church needs the gifts as a body needs a leg. The gifts serve the church, and the absence of those gifts is a handicap on the church. A church without sound teaching is blind. A church without evangelism is lame, and a church without service has no hands.

When Christians merely sit and soak in sermons without ever serving their church, they hurt their church. Finding your gifting and using it for the church is necessary for your own spiritual health but also for the health of the church. Spiritual gifts are as needed as a hand, an ear, or an eye.

Having said this, however, spiritual gifts are not the most important aspect of your life with Jesus. In I Corinthians, Paul talks about the body and spiritual gifts and then goes on to say, “But let me show you a more excellent way” (13:1). He then says that if you have great gifts but don’t love, you are nothing. As necessary as the gifts are, love is more needful yet.

In addition, when Paul gives the criteria for elders (I Tim 3 and Titus 1), most of the criteria deal with character. And even the one criterion that deals with a skill requires only that an elder be able to teach, not that he be gifted at teaching. Elders do not have to have the spiritual gift of teaching, but they do need to be able to explain the faith to any who need an explanation. Thus, even with elders, spiritual gifts are not the primary qualifications the church should look for.

Biblical character is more important than spiritual gifting. Love is more important than spiritual gifting. Your relationship with Jesus is more important than spiritual gifting. Righteousness and holiness are more important than spiritual gifting. It is better to be holy than to be a gifted evangelist. It is better to love God and neighbor than to be a gifted church planter.

If spiritual gifts are like hands and eyes, then love, holiness, intimacy with Jesus, and righteousness are like heart and liver.

The church may be handicapped without the spiritual gifts, but it is dead without love or holiness. In fact, it is not a church. Godly character and a godly heart are essential markers of genuine Christianity. Without them the church cannot survive. John puts it this way:

“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is

righteous as he is righteous. He who practices sinning is of the devil, for the

devil has been sinning from the beginning . . . By this it is evident who are the

children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not

practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

(I John 3:8,10)

You can be of God without practicing your spiritual gifts, but you cannot be of God without practicing love and righteousness. Of course, if you are of God, you should practice your spiritual gifts. You use them for the church as a man uses his feet to carry the body.

We, thus, need this twofold emphasis that Paul gives in I Corinthians. On the one side, your gifts are important and you need to use them. On the other side, some qualities are more important still.

Thus, spiritual gifting should be important but not the overall focus of a believer. If you gain strong hands but lose your heart, you have made a bad trade. The main things need to be the main things, and spiritual gifts, good as they are, are not the main things.

Walk in holiness. Love Jesus. Love your brother. If you do these things, you put the word “spiritual” into spiritual gifts. But if you don’t do these things, you rip the word “spiritual” out of the gifts. That was a problem Paul had to correct in Corinth. It is a problem that some people still have today.

A church board calls a man to be pastor because he is a gifted communicator only to find later that he is also addicted to pornography. A ministry calls a man who is a gifted evangelist only to find later that he abuses his power. Many people emphasize gifts instead of humility. Ability instead of prayer. Flash instead of substance. Corinth is alive and well today.

Don’t let it be so with you.

Spiritual Gifts

Wisdom

Knowledge

Pastoral Leadership

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Giving

Exhortation/Encouragement

Prophecy

A Right Emphasis on the Gifts

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