The New Testament is clear that God gifts the Church and the people of the Church, people like you and me.
And the Spirit’s gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teacher, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ...(Ephesians 4:11-12)
These gifts from God, given through the Holy Spirit, are assigned to people like you and me.
There are many gifts mentioned in Scripture. Among them are: proclamation, servant hood, teaching the faith, encouragement, generosity, nurturing leadership, mercy, wisdom, knowing, faith, healings, miracles, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostleship, helping, visionary and managing leadership, evangelism, and shepherding. Have you ever considered the gifts God gives you for ministry?
We all have clusters of these gifts given to us to build up the Church of Jesus Christ. You can discover these in a course called Discovering God’s Vision for your Life: You and Your Spiritual Gifts. This course is part of the new member’s class and is taught as a one-day retreat on a Saturday. During this course you look at the Biblical origins of gifts, discover what gifts you have, and learn how to develop and deploy them. This is an important step on your path of following Christ leading to spiritual development and maturity. It will help you become a part of the ministry here at Cross of Hope based on the special gifts God has given to you.
Jane Pierpoint is Cross of Hope’s Ministry Leader for Spiritual Gifts 