God has given "gifts" (special abilities to serve the needs of the church) to each of us.

Just about everything you need to know about spiritual gifts can be found in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.

In I Corinthians we find:

1. God wants us to know all about spiritual gifts.  "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."  I Corinthians 12:1

2. Every believer possesses at least one gift.  "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal."  I Corinthians 12:7

3. There are a variety of gifts.  "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."  I Corinthians 12:4

4. Your use of your gift is essential to the Church.  "For the body is not one member, but many.  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?  If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."  I Corinthians 12:14-18

Some gifts recorded in the Bible were specifically for the early church under the Apostles.  Those gifts were:

•Prophesying

•Healing

•Tongues

•Interpretation of tongues

Gifts distributed to believers in the church today by the Holy Spirit are:

•Ministering

•Teaching

•Evangelizing

•Helping

•Exhorting

•Giving

•Pastoring/Teaching

•Administering

•Ruling

•Showing mercy

•Faith

How can you know your gift?  Step one is prayer.  Remember the Holy Spirit gave you your gift and He will reveal it to you.  Step two is Scripture meditation.  Study these Scriptures:

•I Corinthians 12

•Romans 12

•Ephesians 4

•I Peter 4  

When your gift or gifts are revealed, put them to work in the Church so that you may be a blessing in the Lord's work.  "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"  Ephesians 4:11-12