Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts gathers Christian Standard articles that explore what the Bible teaches about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their role in the life of the church. Here you’ll find teaching on discovering and using gifts for service, strengthening unity and maturity in the body of Christ, and thoughtful discussion of questions surrounding miraculous gifts and modern practice. These articles aim to encourage biblically grounded, Christ-centered ministry that builds up the church and advances the mission of God.

September 15, 2016

Christian Standard

The Flip Side of Spiritual Gifts

By T.R. Robertson Spiritual gifts aren”t always predictable. They don”t necessarily show up on a survey of interests and tendencies. Sometimes they”re best seen in the weaknesses or temptations that often accompany them. I met Jane in prison, where she is serving a life sentence. Her lifestyle of self-absorption had led her on a downward spiral of unspeakable cruelty and violence. In prison, she was led to Christ. Soon she developed the Spirit-driven gift of encouraging other people, much to the surprise of people who knew her before. What surprised her, though, was the unexpected flip side that came with the

September 13, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Two Questions about the Gifts in Your Church

By Mark A. Taylor You might say the idea for posts at our site this month began with a blog entry that appeared in December 2014. Sandra Crawford Williamson asked, “Why Are Working Women Starting to Unplug from Their Churches?” in a piece posted at the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics.* One of her answers centered on the contrast between the work responsibilities of many women and the service opportunities the church offers them. A woman “may run a multibillion-dollar firm, argue a legal case, or manage a $500 million investment portfolio,” Williams said. But at church, women “are

September 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Spiritual Gifts Today

By Mark S. Krause Emily and Michael’s Story Newlyweds Emily and Michael have decided to begin their life together by choosing a “neutral” church to attend. Michael, raised Catholic, has had little interest in church since his confirmation 15 years ago, but he is committed to church involvement with his new wife. Emily”s family moved frequently when she was growing up, exposing her to a wide variety of Evangelical-flavored churches, small and large. Finding a new church seems easy to her, but she has never had a church where she felt grounded and committed. The couple agreed to attend a

May 18, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 24, 2015: Gift of Languages (Acts 2:1-21; 1 Corinthians 14:1-25)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 17 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  The first-century church in Corinth faced special challenges. One problem was that many members placed undue emphasis on those who spoke in tongues. Today we will first study Acts 2, when the church began, so that we can understand the context of Paul”s teaching on this subject to the Corinthians. Tongues at the Church”s Birth | Acts 2:1-7, 12 The Day

May 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 17, 2015: One Body; Many Members (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 10 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  Last week we considered the first half of 1 Corinthians 12, and this week we will study the last half of the chapter. J. W. McGarvey wrote, “In the early church the Spirit of God . . . endowed certain members with miraculous gifts . . . As gifts were bestowed on different individuals, some of them became a source of

May 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 10, 2015: Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 3 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  The apostle Paul spent about 18 months in the prominent Greek city of Corinth during his second missionary journey. Although he faced strong opposition (Acts 18:1-11), still the church grew and prospered. Later Paul received a letter from Corinth raising several important issues. He addressed them in 1 Corinthians. His discussion of spiritual gifts extends from 12:1″“14:40. Obviously this was a

January 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Re:gifting

By Jennifer Johnson According to Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians, each Christian has been given a spiritual gift as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in his life, and each gift is intended to build up and serve the church. Love that. What I don”t love is that I cannot, for the life of me, figure out my gift. I”ve done all the tests and they”re inconclusive at best””some say one thing, some say another. It”s entirely possible the tests are flawed, not the principle, or that the problem is with me. Then again, many generations of believers built the

December 11, 2012

Christian Standard

Spiritual Gifts

By Jennifer Johnson In February we wrote about the history, goals, and current projects of eight missions agencies supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ. (Visit Christian Standard”s website to read the articles*.) As the year comes to a close, we invited each organization to share its “Christmas wish list.” Here are their most pressing needs and how you can help during this season of giving.   Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI) Christian Missionary Fellowship works with a variety of missionaries and leads a number of programs around the world, from developing international campus ministries to improving the lives

Secret Link