Gifts For a Purpose

When you give someone a gift, you think about them—what they need, what will bless them, how it’ll make their life better. God does the same. Every believer has been given gifts from the Holy Spirit—not to be impressive or powerful, but to edify the body of Christ. These gifts are grace in motion—God working through His people.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” But before we get excited about that word power, we have to ask: "power for what?" Is it power to be seen? Or power to serve? Scripture makes it clear—it’s power to witness, to love, to build up the Church, and to glorify God. Peter says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” (1 Peter 4:10).

Every believer has something to offer because every believer has received something from the Spirit. The question isn’t, “Do I have a gift?” but, “How am I using it?” Paul helps us see that the gifts come in different forms:

• Ministerial gifts equip and mature the Church—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4).
• Motivational gifts serve and strengthen the Church—prophecy, serving, teaching, giving, leading, mercy (Romans 12).
• Manifestation gifts display the power of God—wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, tongues, and more (1 Corinthians 12).

All of these gifts come from the same Spirit and serve the same purpose: to build up the body of Christ. They’re not about competition or comparison—they’re about cooperation. The Holy Spirit empowers each believer differently so that together, we reflect the fullness of Christ. Yes, tongues are a real and beautiful gift of the Spirit, but they’re not the only one. Paul makes it clear that not all believers will have the same gifts. The evidence of the Spirit’s presence isn’t just tongues—it’s the fruit of the Spirit. It’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The mature question isn’t, “Do you speak in tongues?” it’s, “Is the Holy Spirit actively working through your life to glorify Jesus?”

At the end of the day, spiritual gifts are meant to bring unity, maturity, and love to the Church. The Spirit empowers us not for performance but for purpose—not to make much of us, but to make much of Jesus. So ask Him: “Holy Spirit, how do You want to work through me?” Because when every believer begins to operate in the gifts they’ve been given—with humility, love, and power—the Church becomes exactly what God intended it to be: a Spirit-empowered witness to a world that desperately needs Jesus.