Some are saying, “The gifts were only given to the early church and none are being given today. The important thing is to be mature in Christ.” This view is very troubling. Let us, therefore, examine the true biblical guidelines about the gifts:
- In the First Place, It Must Be Stated That God is Giving Spiritual Gifts To His People Today. The New Testament abundantly affirms that gifts are given to all believers. Those who say that the gifts were only for the first generation of Christians and the founding of the church usually point to the book of Acts and Paul’s earlier epistles like 1 Corinthians 12. But what about Ephesians 4? Also, there is 1 Peter 4:10 which says that every Christian has received a spiritual gift. Both Eph. and 1 Peter, according to conservative scholars, were written in the early 60s. In other words, second generation Christians scattered throughout the Roman provinces in Asia Minor had been given gifts and were expected to use them ministering to each other.
- A Second Reason That Compels Us to Believe That God Is Giving Gifts Today Is That Gifts Are Necessary For The Functioning of The Body of Christ. This is certainly the emphasis of Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4. Although it seems to be true that certain gifts were given only for the beginning of the church (Eph. 2:20 says that apostles and prophets were given to found the church, the body of Christ), other gifts continue to be necessary as long as the body is not complete in numbers and maturity. Or to put it another way, as long as the Great Commission is not yet fulfilled, it will be necessary for God to give gifts and for believers to use them. Obviously the gifts of evangelism, helps, showing mercy and so forth are involved in bringing people to Christ, while such gifts as teaching, exhortation, helps and administration are indispensable in “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” So let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water – maturity is the goal for every Christian (Eph. 4:13), but the exercising of gifts is a part of achieving that maturity.
- The Key To Discovering Your Gifts Is Your Willingness To Serve. After all, there is no verse in the New Testament that commands you to discover your spiritual gifts, but there are many commands to serve. Indeed, it is striking to notice that many of the commands to serve involve the same activities as are involved in exercising some of the gifts. For example, there is a spiritual gift of giving, but all Christians are to give. There is a gift of evangelism, but all are to witness. The accompanying table relates several of the Spirit’s gifts with the corresponding commands which are directed to all believers.
| The Spiritual Gift to Some | The Command to All |
| 1. Pastor (shepherding) | 1. “Edify one another” (1 Thes. 5:11) |
| 2. Ministering or helping | 2. “By love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13) |
| 3. Teaching | 3. “Teaching them to observe all things…” (Matt. 28:19) |
| 4. Exhortation | 4. “Exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:25) |
| 5. Giving | 5. “Every man as he hath purposed in his heart, so let him give” (2 Cor. 9:7) |
| 6. Showing Mercy | 6. “Be ye kind to one another” (Eph. 4:32) |
| 7. Faith | 7. “For we walk by faith” (2 Cor. 5:7) |
| 8. Evangelism | 8. “Ye shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8) |
| 9. Discerning spirits | 9. “Try the spirits” (1 John 4:1) |