Discovering Spiritual Gifts – What Are They?
Discovering spiritual gifts is not a hunt for lost treasure. 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:3-8 make it clear that every believer is given spiritual gifts according to the Holy Spirit’s choice or direction-for the purpose of edifying other believers (1 Corinthians 12:7; 14:12). The exact timing of when these gifts are given is not specifically mentioned. I had always assumed that they were like “spiritual genetics,” meaning you received your spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation and then had to develop them. However, there are some Scriptures that seem to indicate that God may bless us with spiritual gifts later in our Christian life as well. Both 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6 refer to a “gift” that Timothy had received at the time of his ordination. Most Bible teachers interpret this to mean that one of the elders at Timothy’s ordination proclaimed-under God’s influence-of a spiritual gift that Timothy would have as an enablement for his future ministry. These two verses indic
