Why Even Less Exciting Spiritual Gifts Still Crucial for a Healthy Church
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Greeters at the door. Servers handing out food. People in the parking lot guiding cars.
Pastors and leaders stand up front and ask for these volunteers. And often, they say some form of, “Anyone can do this.” Usually, leaders mean you don’t have to have studied the Bible or have a more “spiritual” type gift.
However, the Bible doesn’t make this distinction. Even those serving food should do so by a spiritual gift, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The local church needs these gifts as much as any other, even the more expressive and “exciting” roles.
What Are Spiritual Gifts?
First, we should define spiritual gifts. Often, we confuse spiritual gifts with a human talent or ability. God still gives each of us natural talents, but a spiritual gift is a divine empowerment to every believer through the Holy Spirit. A spiritual gift is God working in and through his people beyond a natural ability. The Spirit distributes gifts according to his will and purpose; therefore, we can’t boast about our effort or achievement. A spiritual gift points back to the Giver.
God also imparts spiritual gifts with a purpose – to serve the Body of Christ and glorify God. We don’t use these gifts for selfish gain or fame. They exist in us to encourage, strengthen, bless, and mature the church. The gifts are God ministering to the Body of Christ through the Body.
No part of our physical body exists to support itself. Each organ, muscle, system, and more brings life to other parts, giving health and growth to the whole. In the same way, each believer possesses a different gift and unique expression of that gift for the same purpose, for others and their health and growth into maturity. We are meant to depend upon each other.
And since God empowers each interaction toward completeness, he receives all the glory. He is magnified and lifted up.
Each believer has a role to play, not of our own power but resting in God’s ability in and through us. We are God’s house. God builds the house through the members of the family. He works through his people in diverse and powerful ways.
Spiritual gifts remind us how the Christian life isn’t lived in our own strength. And God doesn’t build his house through human resources and abilities. He acts through his own Spirit and the gifts within the believer for his own glory and our good.
What Are the Different Kinds of Spiritual Gifts?
Just as our body has various parts with separate functions (heart, lungs, arm, leg, toe, etc.), the Bible shares different types and kinds of spiritual gifts. Scripture lists these in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, all from the apostle Paul.
Romans 12 includes gifts like prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy. These reveal both speaking and serving roles, showing us how the Spirit equips some to guide through teaching truth and others strengthen through compassion. Each gift works together.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul mentions gifts like wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues and their interpretation. These gifts show God’s power in more visible ways. Paul writes how the Spirit gives them as he chooses, and he explicitly says no gift is greater than any other.
Ephesians 4 includes what we call the “five-fold” leadership gifts, both a gift and a role of leadership: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Apostles establish and expand the foundations of the church, like a church planter. Prophets speak God’s word and call the church away from selfishness or sin and back to pure devotion to God. Evangelists spread the gospel for new disciples. Pastors care for people, guiding daily relationships and faith. Teachers explain God’s truth, deepening understanding for church growth. Paul further declares how these leaders don’t do all the ministry but to equip the saints (all gifted, as well) to do the ministry so the Body matures to completeness.
Within these lists, we see leadership roles and simple gifts like encouragement and mercy. Yet the Bible makes clear no gift is greater than another. All are equally necessary. We shouldn’t look at encouragement or mercy as an ability apart from the Spirit. To properly show hospitality or serve, we need the Holy Spirit.
And we can’t use our gifts apart from the fruit of the Spirit.
How Should Spiritual Gifts Partner with the Fruit of the Spirit?
The gifts of the Spirit reveal God’s power. The fruit of the Spirit show God’s character. We need both to properly bear witness to Christ. If we exercise gifts without the fruit, we use God’s power without his love, not reflecting his heart. We need both working together.
Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the qualities of God’s character. We shouldn’t view these as moral standards we attain in our own strength. When we follow God and live by the Spirit, we will exhibit these qualities because God works through us. Over time, our own character becomes more Christ-like as well. The fruit reveals our inner life acting out in how we treat people.
Spiritual gifts can operate in powerful ways. However, without the fruit of the Spirit, we can misuse the gifts. God never works in power separate from his character. We must learn how to do the same.
Right after a major chapter on the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12), Paul warns in chapter 13 how even the most impressive spiritual gifts prove worthless, meaningless, without God’s love. Using God’s power without his character turns what was meant for self-sacrifice into a tool for pride, harm, or manipulation. Abuse happens when we use gifts separate from the fruit, power separated from character, because the person appears spiritual in the gift but contradicts Christ in character and love.
When these work together, the church experiences God as he is, the fullness of Christ, which the Father longs to do through us. Teaching is guided by love and patience. Leadership is known for kindness and self-control Miracles point people to God’s goodness. The character of God makes sure we build the church with our gifts instead of tearing it down.
Why Is There More Judgment for Visible Gifts?
More visible gifts come with more accountability. They place us in a position where others naturally look to us for guidance and a standard. Gifts like teaching, leading, and prophecy draw attention. But with that attention comes more responsibility. James 3:1 warns us how teachers will receive a stricter judgment, because the words can influence and shape lives. We are transformed by the renewing of our mind, and teaching has a role in this. Good doctrine leads to a godly walk. Bad doctrine misrepresents God.
Visible gifts come with a natural temptation. We all desire to be noticed. Human pride longs for recognition, and when we teach or preach, we generally stand in front of people. It becomes easy for us to think people look at us instead of drawing the spotlight to Christ. As we’ve discussed, however, spiritual gifts are about building up the Body and glorifying God, not self. Showcasing ourselves, we stray from God’s heart and blessing.
The devil himself is a warning for us. Scripture describes how he fell because of pride, seeking the glory that belonged to God alone. The same temptation exists for those of us who have visible gifts. We want to feel important. We seek earthly status. This distracts or misrepresents Christ and harms the church.
Those with visible gifts also receive more accountability, needing to develop the character of God along with their spiritual gift. If not more so. Every gift is meant for service, and God takes his mission and love seriously. The greater our platform before others, the greater the responsibility to walk in humility, love, and truth.
We should approach visible gifts with caution, praying for God to humble our hearts and surrender to his character. We must never care about being seen, but only about God being glorified. This becomes more difficult in an age when online “platforms” are the norm, with young people seeking to be famous, no matter how.
God still seeks to use visible gifts and standing before people, but we must recognize the dangers and accountability that accompanies them.
Can There Be More Reward for Non-Visible Gifts?
In contrast, the more non-visible (or less exciting) gifts actually carry more opportunity for reward simply because they don’t require public attention. Gifts like hospitality, service, mercy, or giving may not and shouldn’t draw crowds or attention. Yet they are absolutely vital to the health of the church. They reveal a pure and unselfish heart of God.
The Father values unseen acts just as much or more than dramatic displays of power. Jesus said God rewards what is done in secret (Matthew 6:4), reminding us how our true audience is God, not people. In the same passage, Jesus teaches how if we do our works to be seen, then we have our reward already. Obviously, more visible gifts can be done with the right heart, too.
Paul emphasizes this truth in 1 Corinthians 12. He explains how the parts of our physical body that seem less honorable or visible (the parts we hide even on the beach) actually deserve greater honor. The apostle makes the point — unseen roles are necessary, and our unseen God honors them, even though we may not celebrate them. Just as hidden organs like the heart sustain life, so the “hidden” gifts in the church spread life to others. God especially rewards these gifts.
The “hidden” gifts reveal God’s character. Hospitality shows how he welcomes a stranger. Service mirrors the humility of Christ. Mercy reveals his compassion for the hurting. Generosity points to his provision. These gifts show the heart of God more than any strength or charisma. Because non-visible gifts require humility and purity of heart, they invite God’s grace in a special way. God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
Barnabas is a great example. In Acts 6, the early church faced a challenge in distributing food fairly to widows. The apostles themselves had been doing it, but they instructed the believers to choose seven men “of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” for this job.
Even though the role seemed simple (serving bread), it still required the Spirit’s power. Every act of service must be done with the Spirit’s filling and godly example. Barnabas served faithfully and grew to become a leader in the Jerusalem church and eventually one of the first missionaries to plant churches.
Non-visible gifts can’t be motivated by applause, since often no one notices. But God does. This protects our hearts from pride and puts our expectation for reward in God’s hands alone. When we serve quietly out of love for God and others, not to be recognized, God promises eternal reward for such faithfulness.
All gifts are necessary, both the non-visible and visible ones. Without them, the church would lose the witness of service and love. We’d be preaching at people without serving them. The different gifts are designed to express a complete witness of Christ to each other and the world.
Peace.
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