When I was a young believer, I attended a charismatic church for a time.  I did not myself speak in tongues, so one day two men, concerned that I did not speak in tongues, visited me in my apartment for the purpose of getting me to speak in tongues.  To them, this was a vital spiritual issue, for they believed that the fulness of the Spirit (the baptism of the Spirit) involved speaking in tongues, and if I did not speak in tongues, I must not be filled with the Spirit.  They then coached me through the process.

“Just start verbalizing syllables,” they said.  “The Spirit will work with you.”

So I did, and they were amazed that the Spirit had fallen on me.

“That was not the Spirit,” I said.  “That was just me mouthing nonsense.”  I could tell that the Spirit had not come in any special way.  I had known the Spirit’s special presence, and that afternoon was not His presence.

Nonetheless, they insisted I was wrong and that the Spirit had fallen on me that afternoon.  The evidence?  I had spoken mumbo jumbo syllables, so it must be the Spirit. 

Suffice it to say that I did not stay long at that church.

Now you would think that after such an experience, I would be quite skeptical about the charismatic gifts, that I would consider modern manifestations of tongues to be phony.

To be sure, the manifestation of tongues I experienced that afternoon was phony.  To be sure, many manifestations of tongues and many theologies surrounding the charismatic gifts today are phony.  But the presence of false tongues does not negate the reality of true tongues, and the presence of an unBiblical theology and emphasis on charismatic gifts does not negate the reality of a Biblical one.

I have not personally spoken in tongues, but I honor Scripture, and because I honor Scripture, I believe in the reality of the charismatic gifts for today.

But because I believe in the reality of the charismatic gifts for today does not mean I endorse every theology of such gifts.  There is a lot of whacked out theology surrounding the charismatic gifts today.  This fact should not surprise us, for there was a lot of whacked out theology surrounding charismatic gifts in Paul’s day.  In fact, the only discussion in the New Testament of how such gifts should operate is in I Corinthians and consists of a correction of wrong practice.[1]

Therefore, the charismatic gifts are valid for today but not all theologies and practices of those gifts are valid. 

Let me discuss both sides of that coin.  First, the charismatic gifts are valid for today.

Some people, called cessationists, argue that the charismatic gifts were valid in Paul’s day but that they have ceased.  They appeal to I Cor 13:8-10, which says,

            As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as

            for knowledge it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophecy in

            part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

They then claim that the perfect that was to come is the New Testament, and that now that we have the New Testament, we no longer need prophecies, tongues, and miracles. 

I shall not spend much time on this idea, but I find it highly strained.  First, to say that Paul had in mind a coming New Testament canon when he wrote I Corinthians is unlikely.  Second, one of the gifts that Paul says passes away is knowledge, and cessationists don’t usually include that in their list of gifts that ceased.  Third, the cessationists stop their quote too soon.  If you read on, you find that when the perfect comes, we shall see face to face and we shall know fully (v. 12).  We do not today see face to face or know fully.  Those events lie in the future.  Therefore, the perfect that Paul refers to is not the New Testament.  The perfect fits better with the return of Christ and/or Millenial reign, or perhaps even the final glorious state.  Those events make sense of the entire passage and not just one verse.  When that future time comes, prophecies will pass away and tongues will cease.

Thus, I find that the most natural way to read I Corinthians has the charismatic gifts still around today.

But that doesn’t mean that all theologies surrounding such gifts are Biblical.  Here are some examples.  These are all false doctrines.

1.  Some people tie salvation and tongues together and say you are not saved unless you speak in tongues.  This is heresy.  Fortunately, it is not as common as it used to be.  Tongues are not the sign of salvation.  If you ever encounter a church that teaches this idea, leave.  Now.  Don’t even wait for the end of the message.  Get up and walk out.

2.  Some people admit that you can be saved and not have tongues but insist that you cannot have the fulness or baptism of the Spirit unless you have tongues.  This was the theology of the church I attended for a short time many years ago, and this theology is garbage.  Paul, in I Corinthians is crystal clear that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers and that not all receive the gift of tongues (12:27-31).  He is also clear that some gifts are higher and more desirable than tongues (12:31; 14:1-25).  If the fulness of the Spirit comes only with tongues, then it must be the most important gift by far.  But it is not.  You can have the fulness of the Spirit without tongues.

3.  Some admit that you can have the fulness of the Spirit without tongues but that tongues still represent a higher level of spirituality or closeness with God.  This is nonsense.  In Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts, the people whom Paul corrects the most for their immaturity are the people who speak in tongues or consider tongues to be higher.  In fact, you could make a strong case that one of Paul’s themes in his discussion is that all the gifts are valid and none of the gifts indicates special spirituality.  Paul says that true spiritual maturity is measured by love, not by the gifts (I Cor 13).  People who speak in tongues do not have a higher level of spirituality. 

I will talk about the proper practice of these charismatic gifts (and especially tongues) when I get to those individual gifts, but for now, I felt it necessary to at least address some macro issues surrounding the charismatic gifts in general. 

Such gifts are still valid today, but they can be misused.  But isn’t that true of all the gifts? 

[1] I am not convinced that Acts speaks of the same phenomenon as I Corinthians, and even if it does, I do not see the Acts descriptions as discussions of how the gifts should operate. 

God wants us to share life with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  He also wants us to welcome the stranger.  Hospitality is a means toward both those ends. 

Hospitality brings people together and makes them feel welcome and important.  Hospitality builds community and helps the stranger.  

Hospitality was one of the central traits that God used to build the early church.  They were constantly meeting in one another’s homes. 

Those with the gift of hospitality use their homes to bless others.  They have people for dinner.  They host small groups and gatherings in their home.  They let travelers stay overnight.  They provide a bed and food for those in difficulty.  Hospitable people have an open home.  They understand that their home belongs to God, and they are willing to use it for His purposes.  They take delight in hosting people. 

But hospitable people do more than merely use their home.  They make you feel comfortable around them.  You are important to them.  They welcome you at church.  They take a new hire at work, show him around, and make him feel wanted.  The important thing to them is the people.

Because of this, hospitable people do more than open their home.  The home of a hospitable person is not a museum.  Hospitable people are not afraid to let others in even if the home or food is not perfect.  The key is to welcome them, not impress them.  The important issue is the people who come over, not the state of the house or food.  Of course, hospitable people will want to make the house clean and the food good as much as possible, but they tend not to stress over imperfections.

The hospitable woman will invite people over even if she has nothing fancy to serve for dinner.  She may go to the store and buy a nice meal, but if she can’t, she will be OK serving hotdogs and fruit.  The important thing to her is not the meal but the people. 

The hospitable woman will host twenty people overnight from a missions trip even though she has no space for them.  She will give them whatever blankets she has, let them sleep on the floor and pull out cold cereal for breakfast because that’s all she has.  She will do what she can to make the sleeping arrangements as nice as possible, but she will also be OK with what she has.  The important thing to her is not the sleeping arrangements but the people. 

If you get stressed over imperfect accommodations or food, you probably do not have the gift of hospitality.  If you cannot host people unless everything is perfect, you do not have the gift of hospitality.  People with the gift of hospitality do want a situation that is comfortable for their guests, but the important thing is not the situation.  It is the guests.  Hospitable people are more interested in the community than in the accommodations. 

Those with the gift of hospitality may also have the gift of service and/or giving.  They are not necessarily extroverts.  Introverts can have this gift as well. 

The Importance of Hospitality

Hospitality helps build the community of the church.  It shows the body of Christ the homes, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children and fields that we all have in Christ. 

Strengths

• a giving heart
• freedom from materialism
• love for people
• personable
• often joyful
• welcoming
• building community
• often good listeners

Weaknesses

• can overcommit
• can fail to consider other factors in welcoming people (a spouse who is stressed by. hosting; safety for children)
• can sometimes disregard their responsibilities in order to host or help others

Examples of People with this Gift

Abraham, The Shunammite woman (II Kgs 4:8ff), Lydia (Acts 16:11-15), Rosaria Butterfield

Good Roles for People with this Gift

Hosts for small groups, Bible studies, etc., greeter, meals for the needy

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:8)

Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations.  Evangelism is part of that command.  Without evangelism there can be no discipleship. 

All Christians are, thus, called to evangelize, but not all Christians have the gift of evangelism.  For many, evangelism is a struggle.  It feels unnatural and requires much effort.  But for some, evangelism is as natural as breathing.  They are constantly sharing their faith and frequently seeing people convert because of their efforts.  These people have the gift of evangelism. 

Evangelists do not convert people.  The Holy Spirit converts people. Jesus said that the sick need a doctor.  Evangelists merely give sick people a referral to the doctor.    They connect people to Jesus, clearly explain the message, and encourage faith and repentance.

Evangelists go where the lost are.  They may attend the meetings of the atheist club at the university so they can build relationships with unbelievers.  They may join a volleyball team in a city league so they can build relationships with unbelievers.  They may invite coworkers to their home so they can build relationships with unbelievers.  Most of the work of an evangelist takes place outside the church.  Evangelists are energized by time with unbelievers. 

Evangelists proclaim.  It is necessary to live the gospel, but living the gospel without ever proclaiming Jesus is not evangelism.  In fact, it is not even living the gospel, for living without proclaiming is not living. 

Evangelists can have the boldness of a prophet but often with better relational skills.  Evangelists care about people, and they see the realities of heaven, hell, and the gospel.  They evangelize because they care.

Evangelists focus on the lost and are frequently pushing the church to give priority to reaching the lost both at home and overseas.

Importance of Evangelism

Evangelists are the multipliers of the church.  They take the kingdom to new people.  A church without evangelists becomes inward-focused and will die.

Strengths

• boldness
• care for lost souls
• often highly relational
• starting spiritual conversations
• are not offended by rejection
• clear communication of the gospel
• building friendships with unbelievers
• willing to contextualize the gospel to the culture

Weaknesses

• can make ministry decisions solely on the basis of winning souls
• can compromise doctrine or church health in order to win souls
• can neglect spiritual growth
• can judge others who are not as successful at evangelism
• can turn unbelievers into projects
• can put themselves in compromising situations in order to be around unbelievers

Examples of People with this Gift

Peter, Stephen, Philip, Paul, St. Patrick, John Wesley, George Whitfield, D.L. Moody, Billy Graham

Good Roles for People with this Gift

evangelist, missionary, outreach coordinator, missions board, any ministry focused on unbelievers

“But all things should be done decently and in order.”  (I Cor 14:40)

When God revealed to Joseph the years of plenty and years of famine for Egypt, Joseph proceeded to advise Pharaoh to set up a system in which they gathered and stored grain for seven years to have food in time of famine.  Pharaoh then hired Joseph to run that system.  This is the gift of administration.

When Moses was overwhelmed with people who came to him for judgment, Jethro, his father-in-law, advised him to put people under him to hear the easy cases and let only the difficult cases come to him.  This is the gift of administration.

When Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, he divided the task into smaller pieces and assigned specific people to specific pieces of the wall.  He then oversaw the entire task and dealt with various distractions and difficulties.  This is the gift of administration.

People with the gift of administration coordinate the work of the church to ensure that the church accomplishes the work of the kingdom in an efficient and effective way.  These people manage resources – including other people.  They set up efficient systems and structures.  They take a vision and break it into manageable goals and practical steps in order to make that vision a reality.  Church planters need these people.  Pastors need these people.  Ministry leaders need these people. 

Those with the gift of administration are focused on the task of the mission.  They are wise in how they handle work.  They care about details, structures, organization, and managing people. 

They are a type of leader.  They lead and manage the processes of accomplishing the mission.  They can be upfront leaders but often they lead behind the scenes.  They may not make the final decisions but often advise the decision-makers on the best course of action.  If you are a decision-maker, you need to listen to these people.  They will save you much difficulty.

Importance of Administration

These are the strategic planners and organizers of the church.

Strengths

• organization
• strategic planning
• attention to detail
• ability to delegate
• efficiency
• management
• wisdom

Weaknesses

• can be too focused on numbers
• can miss people in the midst of the task
• can sometimes fail to take steps of faith because those steps don’t seem efficient

Examples of People with this Gift

Joseph, Jethro, Nehemiah, Daniel, the deacons in Acts 6 who oversaw the care of the widows, John Wesley, Larry Burkett, Ron Blue

Good Roles for People with this Gift

elder, advisor, planner, organizer, strategy coordinator, treasurer, ministry leader

I have said elsewhere that faith is the currency of heaven¹.  God does business with people on the basis of their faith.  If you want God to work, you must trust Him.  If you don’t trust Him, don’t expect Him to do anything.  People with the spiritual gift of faith have a special measure of trust in God.  This measure is more than faith for salvation.  All Christians have that sort of faith, and salvific faith is not itself the spiritual gift of faith.  The spiritual gift of faith trusts God to act when others would not trust Him. 

God told Abraham to go to a land that God would show Him.  Abraham took his family and went.  Later God told Abraham that he would have a son even though he and his wife were too old to have children.  Abraham believed God and had Isaac. 

God told Elijah to confront the prophets of Baal.  Elijah did so, and God rained down fire from heaven.

These are examples of faith.  People with the gift of faith take the land because they trust God.  They pick up and move.  They believe that sickness will be healed.  They begin a ministry from scratch.  They share the gospel in difficult situations.  They trust God.  And because they trust God, they attempt great deeds for God.

Those with the gift of faith inspire others to take steps of faith.  They tend to be people who pray, who hear from God, and who stand on the promises of God.  They know they are forgiven in Christ because God said they are.  They know God will go with them as they make disciples because God said He would.  They know that all things will work out for their good because God said so.  These people see God in the events of life, and they tend to see a good end at the beginning, even though they may not see the details of that end. 

These people help the church look past human reasoning and encourage the church to make decisions on the basis of God’s will, which often goes beyond mere reason.

Jesus said that a little faith can move mountains, and people with the gift of faith move mountains. 

Faith and Other Gifts

People with the gifts of healing and miracles (I Cor 12:9-10) often have the gift of faith.  These gifts have some overlap.

Importance of Faith

People with the gift of faith are an example and inspiration for the church.  They push the church to have confidence in God.

Strengths

• Prayer
• Hearing from God
• Confidence in God in the midst of difficulty
• Obedience
• Bold steps of action
• Expectation that God will act
• Standing on God’s promises

Weaknesses

• Can oversimplify complex realities
• Can be overconfident or have false confidence
• Can judge people who lack their level of faith
• Can move before confirming God’s will
• Can take foolish steps if they mishear God

Examples of People with this Gift

Noah, Abraham, Caleb, Elijah, George Mueller, Corrie Ten Boom, Brother Yun

Good Roles for People with this Gift

This gift can apply in virtually any role, but it can be uniquely helpful in the following:  church planter, starting a ministry, prayer ministry, healing ministry

1. https://www.austinif.org/the-currency-of-heaven/ ︎

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:14)

Discernment involves wisdom and knowledge.  Yet discernment is not exactly wisdom and knowledge.  Discernment is the ability to distinguish God’s ways from the world’s ways, God’s people from the world’s people, God’s work from the world’s work, God’s teachings from the world’s teachings.  Discernment is the ability to see more than the ability to know.  A five-year-old child may discern good or evil in a man without fully knowing why. 

Thus, knowledge and wisdom are not discernment, but they can help discernment.  You discern falsehood by knowing truth.  Thus, people with discernment want to grow in the Scriptures. 

Discernment protects the church from false doctrines, false paths, false motives, and false people.  Discernment tests the spirits to see whether they be of God.  Discernment can smell out the work of Satan, the work of the flesh, and the work of the Spirit.  Discernment can read people.  Discernment can detect a genuine heart from a false heart.  Discernment can sense spiritual giftings in others and counsel people how to use them.  Discernment can better sense God’s will and provide direction to walk in that will.  Discernment can see the lay of the land, the realities of a situation.  It also sees the lay of the Bible and then brings the Bible to bear on the real circumstances because it sees what is going on. 

The Importance of Discernment

People with discernment are the eyes of the church.  They provide the church with clear insight into spiritual realities.

Strengths

• Doctrinally sound
• Doctrine is not dry or dead
• Desire to draw near to God
• Relationally attuned
• Insightful.  They see what others don’t.
• Love for Scripture
• Practical
• Sensitivity to the spiritual world

Weaknesses

• Lack of empathy for those who don’t see what they see.
• Can be judgmental and lack mercy
• Pride
• Others can view their insights with suspicion.  They don’t see it.

Examples of People with this Gift

Joseph, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, John

Good Roles for People with this Gift

Pastor, counselor, advisor, mentor, discipler, someone involved in spiritual warfare

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

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

God is a God of mercy, and we, as His disciples, are to love mercy.  God sees us in our weakness and need, has compassion on us, and meets our need.  This is what merciful people do. 

People with the gift of mercy are the people you want around when you hurt.  They listen to you.  They hug you.  They hold your hand.  They weep with you.  They sympathize with your plight.  These people feel your hurt.  They want to help you, and they will do what they can to help you because they care. 

These people have a special heart for the weak, the vulnerable, the hurting, and the oppressed.  They look out for the poor, the lowly, and the downtrodden. 

These people are genuinely happy at your good fortune and genuinely sad at your pain. 

Like those with the gift of service, people with the gift of mercy do not generally want the spotlight.  They prefer to come alongside you and help in the background.  They differ with the servants in that those with the gift of service focus their help more on practical needs while those with the gift of mercy focus more on emotional needs – holding your hand, giving an encouraging word, crying with you.  Those with the gift of mercy still desire to meet practical needs because they see such help as emotionally helpful whereas those with the gift of service see such help as practically helpful.  On the outside it looks the same, but underneath the actions lie somewhat different emphases.  Those with the gift of mercy tend to have more feeling in their help.

The Importance of the Gift of Mercy

People with the gift of mercy are God’s heart in the church.  Mercy is important because it treats people as if they are people.  It has a soft heart for people, and the church needs a soft heart toward people.

Strengths of the Gift of Mercy

• compassionate
• sensitive to how people feel
• generous
• considerate
• providing care to others
• often desire right relationships
• helping others

Weaknesses of the Gift of Mercy

• can be driven by emotions to unhealthy places like depression or false doctrine
• can focus on emotional or physical needs and neglect to bring the gospel to people
• can be indecisive
• desire to please people
• sometimes judge doctrines or people largely by their feelings
• sometimes feel things that are not true
• can have difficulty drawing healthy boundaries
• can have difficulty focusing on tasks
• can have their feelings easily hurt by others
• can have difficulty with rebuke or reproof – hard conversations
• can have difficulty in leadership roles

Examples of People with this Gift

Ruth, The Good Samaritan, Mother Teresa

Good Roles for this Gift

mom, ministry to the poor or oppressed, visiting the sick, care for the elderly, counselor, confidante, prayer ministry, nurse

“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