The gifts are a supernatural ability empowered by the Holy Spirit. Their purpose is to bring God glory and build His church. And let's be clear, these gifts are not for us. They are not about us. They are for God's glory and for God's church alone.
The gifts are many. Here are some: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leading, mercy, evangelism.
Each gift is used in various ways and to various degrees, according to God's sovereign plan. Billy Graham preached the Gospel to millions. Some preachers will only preach to hundreds. You may only preach to a few. One is not more important than the other. Our job is to be faithful to God's plan for our lives.
Beloveds, my prayer is that you will fan into flame the gifts God has given you, so that you may bear fruit for all eternity. (2 Timothy 1:6) Not for your glory, but for His glory alone.
I Peter 4:10-11
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God (utterances in the NAS); whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 12:3-8
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity;the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
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