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Posted

If everyone has a spiritual gift, which one(s) do you have? There may be more than one gift, but usually, it seems, that there is a dominant one.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (1 Cor. 12:6,7)

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Once upon a time I took a supposed "spiritual gifts" test someone sent me online and it came out "Apostle". :icon_rolleyes: That supposed " gifts test" leaned a little charismatic I think. :bonk:

Spiritual gifts can be acquired with spiritual maturity many times. That is why 1 Corinthians 12:31 instructs us to "covet earnestly the best gifts". Most "spiritual gifts" are not something that you get as a one time event at salvation. In truth much of the teaching today on finding "your"(should be a lot more than one) spiritual gift comes down to more of a modified personality test and it isn't testing spiritual gifts at all. Ones natural personality is not the same thing as a spiritual gift. Most of the lost people I know would fit into one of the categories in a "spiritual gifts" test just fine. Beside the fact that most of the material that is supposed to help you find you spiritual gift is more geared toward showing your personality type another down side I see from the prevalence of teaching on "spiritual gifts" is that from what I have seen many people tend to use what they believe their "spiritual gift" to be as an excuse for what are in reality spiritual failings. For example someone might claim they have the "spiritual gift" of "prophet" or preacher and use that as an excuse for being unreasonably and unnecessarily rude. Someone else might say they have the gift of mercy and use that as an excuse for refusing to take a firm stand on almost anything. Someone else might say they don't have the gift of teaching as an excuse for not sharing when they really should.

2nd Peter 1 5-8 gives us an idea of some of the things God expects from every mature believer. "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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Posted

Once upon a time I took a supposed "spiritual gifts" test someone sent me online and it came out "Apostle". :icon_rolleyes: That supposed " gifts test" leaned a little charismatic I think. :bonk:

Spiritual gifts can be acquired with spiritual maturity many times. That is why 1 Corinthians 12:31 instructs us to "covet earnestly the best gifts". Most "spiritual gifts" are not something that you get as a one time event at salvation. In truth much of the teaching today on finding "your"(should be a lot more than one) spiritual gift comes down to more of a modified personality test and it isn't testing spiritual gifts at all. Ones natural personality is not the same thing as a spiritual gift. Most of the lost people I know would fit into one of the categories in a "spiritual gifts" test just fine. Beside the fact that most of the material that is supposed to help you find you spiritual gift is more geared toward showing your personality type another down side I see from the prevalence of teaching on "spiritual gifts" is that from what I have seen many people tend to use what they believe their "spiritual gift" to be as an excuse for what are in reality spiritual failings. For example someone might claim they have the "spiritual gift" of "prophet" or preacher and use that as an excuse for being unreasonably and unnecessarily rude. Someone else might say they have the gift of mercy and use that as an excuse for refusing to take a firm stand on almost anything. Someone else might say they don't have the gift of teaching as an excuse for not sharing when they really should.

2nd Peter 1 5-8 gives us an idea of some of the things God expects from every mature believer. "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."


There is no doubt much confusion abounds regarding spiritual gifts. Among Charismatics and Pentacostals there can be great over-emphasis on such combined with unbiblical promotions and uses of such.

As you say, for most of us we have more than one gift and more often than not it's related to a talent the Lord has blessed us with rather than and "boom", here's a special spiritual gift for you to have today!

I've seen several of those "find your spiritual gift" tests. Some a bit better than others, but none overly accurate. By one test I took my gift is to run an office in a church...and I never even noticed that one mentioned in Scripture! :icon_mrgreen:

Some people will sit around for years praying for the Lord to reveal to them or give them a spiritual gift rather than getting active and discovering what gift the Lord has already blessed them with.

If we are walking in the Spirit and serving the Lord whatever our gift or gifts are, they will manifest themselves in His service.

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