SHAPE 7 SPIRITUAL PATHWAY

“S” IN SHAPErn“The Holy Spirit displays God’s power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church” 1 Cor 12:7.rnMany of us have heard of Spiritual Gifts, but we are not quite sure we understand them. A Spiritual Gift is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion, to be used to minister to others and therefore build up the Body of Christ. Their use and purpose need to be understood and developed as we grow spiritually. A Spiritual Gift is much like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.rnUnwrapping My GiftsrnGod wants you to know the Spiritual Gift(s) He has chosen for you. Learning more about His gift(s) to us, and the many ways we can use those gifts within the church and our community, is a lifelong process.rnrnThe Bible does not lock us into tight restrictions as to the number of Spiritual Gifts or even their definitions. The major lists of gifts, enablements and ministries are found in Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12:1-11, 27 -31; Eph 4:11-16 and 1 Pet 4:9-11.rnrnThere are other passages that mention or illustrate gifts not included in these lists.rnWhat Are the Gifts?rnDifferent resources in this area provide quite varied lists of Spiritual Gifts. For the purposes of making it simpler in this resource we are using the seven Spiritual Gifts as outlined in Rom 12:6-8. Other Bible references mentioning “Gifts” of the Spirit include spiritual ennoblements and ministries also given by the same Spirit that are not necessarily Spiritual Gifts.rnrnAccording to Rom 12:6-8:rnrn Prophecy Proclaiming God’s truthrn Serving Meeting practical needrn Teaching Clarifying truth from Scripturern Exhortation Encouraging the faith of othersrn Giving Losing yourself in the needs of othersrn Ruling Providing leadership or standing before othersrn Mercy Pity plus acting on the needs of othersrnrnTake time to explore further the theme of Spiritual Gifts and complete the SHAPE Workshop to discover yours.