Assemblies of God: How Should Believers Use Spiritual Gifts?
Spiritual gifts are grace-given abilities and Spirit-empowered expressions intended to strengthen the church and serve others. Believers should use them humbly, biblically, lovingly, and with discernment, not to gain status, control people, or prove spiritual superiority. Every gift should point people to Jesus, build up the body, and glorify God.
The New Testament presents spiritual gifts as part of the Holy Spirit’s active work in the church today. In an Assemblies of God understanding, these gifts remain available because the Spirit still empowers believers for witness, service, encouragement, healing, leadership, teaching, prayer, and ministry.
Yet spiritual gifts are not spiritual trophies. They are responsibilities. God gives grace so that His people can love one another well, participate in His mission, and help the church mature.
What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Spiritual gifts are different expressions of God’s grace given to believers for ministry. The Bible describes several kinds of gifts across 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4:10–11.
These passages include gifts and ministry functions such as:
Wisdom and knowledge
Faith
Gifts of healing
Miraculous works
Prophecy
Discernment
Tongues and interpretation
Serving
Teaching
Encouragement
Giving
Leadership
Mercy
Evangelism
Pastoring
The lists are not identical, and that matters. Scripture does not present one narrow definition of ministry. The Holy Spirit works through many kinds of people in many kinds of situations.
Some gifts are visibly public. Others are quiet and often noticed only by the people who receive care. A person who teaches Scripture may serve through a public ministry, while another believer may show mercy in a hospital room, encourage someone through grief, organize practical help, or faithfully pray for others in private.
Both kinds of service matter to God.
Spiritual Gifts Come From the Same Spirit
Paul begins his teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 by emphasizing unity within diversity:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:4)
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in everyone.
This foundation protects the church from two opposite errors.
The first error is believing that only dramatic gifts matter. The second is believing that everyone must serve in exactly the same way. Scripture teaches neither. God intentionally creates a body with many members, many functions, and many forms of faithful service.
The Holy Spirit distributes gifts according to His wisdom. First Corinthians 12:11 says that the Spirit gives gifts “as he wills.” This means a spiritual gift is not something a believer can use to control God, impress people, or establish personal importance.
A gift is received. A gift is stewarded. A gift is surrendered again to God.
This should bring freedom to believers who feel pressure to imitate someone else’s ministry. You do not have to become a louder, more visible, or more charismatic version of another Christian. You can ask the Lord how He has shaped you to serve faithfully.
Spiritual Gifts Are for the Common Good
First Corinthians 12:7 says that the manifestation of the Spirit is given “for the common good.”
That phrase gives us one of the clearest tests for spiritual maturity. If the use of a gift consistently draws attention toward the individual and away from Jesus, something has gone wrong. If it produces fear, confusion, competition, manipulation, or pride, it is not being stewarded according to the heart of Scripture.
The purpose of a gift is not self-promotion. It is the strengthening of God’s people.
A person with a teaching gift should help others understand and obey God’s Word. A person with a gift of encouragement should bring courage and hope. A person with a gift of mercy should reflect God’s compassion. A person with leadership ability should help people serve faithfully rather than gather control around themselves.
The question is not merely, “What gift do I have?”
A better question is, “Who is helped when I use what God has given me?”
That question turns spiritual gifts from a search for identity into an invitation to love.
Romans 12 Shows the Beauty of Ordinary Faithfulness
Romans 12:6–8 describes gifts such as prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, and mercy. These gifts remind us that Spirit-empowered ministry is not limited to a platform or public gathering.
A believer may serve through generosity. Another may strengthen a struggling friend with timely words. Someone else may lead a ministry team, teach children, care for an aging parent, welcome a newcomer, or bring patience and compassion into a difficult workplace.
Romans 12 also teaches that gifts should be exercised according to the grace God has given. This means believers should serve faithfully without exaggerating their abilities or minimizing their contribution.
Healthy stewardship includes humility.
You do not have to pretend to possess a gift you do not have. You also should not dismiss a gift simply because it seems ordinary. In the kingdom of God, quiet faithfulness can carry eternal significance.
The person who consistently shows mercy may never receive public recognition. The believer who prays for others every morning may remain unknown beyond a small circle. The Christian who patiently explains Scripture to one new believer may never have a large audience.
God sees what people overlook.
Ephesians 4 Connects Gifts With Maturity
Ephesians 4:11–13 names apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers as Christ’s gifts to the church. Their purpose is clear: “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
This passage challenges celebrity-centered ideas of ministry.
Leaders are not given to perform all the ministry while everyone else watches. They are given to equip the saints. Mature ministry multiplies service. It helps believers discover how to participate in God’s work.
A pastor or teacher is not successful merely because people admire the ministry. Faithful leadership equips others to follow Jesus, understand Scripture, care for people, share the gospel, and serve with wisdom.
Ephesians 4 also shows that the goal is maturity. Gifts are not meant to keep the church dependent on personalities. They help the body grow into unity, stability, truth, and love.
When gifts are used well, people become more rooted in Christ, not more fascinated with individual ministers.
1 Peter 4 Describes Gifts as Stewardship
First Peter 4:10–11 offers a simple and powerful command:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
Peter describes believers as stewards. A steward manages something that belongs to someone else. This means our gifts do not ultimately belong to us. They are entrusted to us by God.
Peter then groups ministry into speaking and serving. Those who speak should do so as people entrusted with God’s words. Those who serve should do so with the strength God supplies.
The result is not personal applause. The result is that “in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”
This gives believers a practical framework:
Receive the gift with humility.
Use the gift to serve others.
Depend on God’s strength.
Let the outcome point to Jesus.
How Should Believers Use Spiritual Gifts?
1. Use gifts with humility
Spiritual gifts do not make one Christian more valuable than another. Every believer is made in the image of God and saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
A gift is not a badge of spiritual rank.
Humility does not mean denying what God has given you. It means receiving it gratefully without using it to elevate yourself above others.
Paul’s teaching about the body of Christ makes this clear. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” No member is unnecessary, and no member is the whole body.
Ask God to protect you from comparison. Comparison can make you proud when you think your gift is better, or discouraged when you think your gift is less important. Both responses take your eyes away from God’s grace.
2. Use gifts in love
First Corinthians 13 appears in the middle of Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts for a reason. Gifts without love become empty noise.
A person may speak impressively, understand mysteries, demonstrate great faith, or give generously, but without love, the ministry loses its spiritual purpose.
Love changes how gifts are used. It makes a teacher patient, a leader humble, a prophet careful, a counselor compassionate, and a servant attentive to the dignity of others.
Before asking whether your gift is powerful, ask whether your use of it is loving.
Love will not manipulate someone’s emotions in the name of ministry. Love will not force a spiritual experience. Love will not use prophecy, leadership, knowledge, or influence to control another person.
Love seeks the other person’s good.
3. Use gifts according to Scripture
The Holy Spirit never contradicts the Word He inspired. Spiritual gifts should be practiced within the boundaries of biblical truth.
This is especially important when believers are exercising prophecy, discernment, healing ministry, or public expressions of tongues. Scripture gives freedom, but it also gives guardrails.
First Corinthians 14 teaches that public ministry should strengthen the church. Prophecy is to be weighed and discerned. Public tongues should be interpreted so the gathered church can be edified. Paul’s conclusion is direct:
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)
Order is not the enemy of the Spirit. Biblical order protects people and helps the church receive ministry with clarity.
In an Assemblies of God framework, the gifts of the Spirit remain active today. At the same time, spiritual manifestations are not a license for disorder or spiritual pressure. The church should welcome the Spirit’s work while testing everything by Scripture, love, discernment, and the fruit it produces.
4. Use gifts to build up the church
Spiritual gifts are not designed for isolated Christianity. They are given for the body.
This means gift discovery should lead toward meaningful participation in Christian community. A believer may begin by serving in a small, quiet way: praying for a friend, helping with a Bible study, encouraging someone who feels forgotten, or offering practical assistance.
Over time, trusted Christian community can help confirm a person’s gifts. Mature believers may notice strengths that an individual cannot see clearly. They can also offer loving correction when a gift is being misused.
The Bible Study Club can provide a place to keep growing in Scripture and discussing how faith becomes action. The goal is not simply to identify a gift but to become more like Jesus while using it.
5. Use gifts with discernment
Discernment is especially important when spiritual experiences are intense or emotionally significant. Not every strong impression is automatically from God, and not every ministry opportunity is your assignment.
Ask:
Does this align with Scripture?
Does it honor Jesus?
Does it serve people rather than control them?
Does it produce humility, truth, love, and peace?
Is there mature counsel available?
Is this the right time and setting?
Can the ministry be practiced openly and accountably?
Discernment does not mean suspicion toward the Holy Spirit. It means taking Scripture seriously.
A healthy church does not shame sincere spiritual gifts, and it does not accept every claim without testing. It creates space for prayer, biblical instruction, wise leadership, accountability, and patient growth.
What About Tongues, Prophecy, and Healing?
Assemblies of God teaching affirms the present-day work of the Holy Spirit and the continued operation of spiritual gifts. It also distinguishes between speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit and the public gift of tongues described in 1 Corinthians 12–14.
The initial evidence of Spirit baptism is not a measure of personal worth or spiritual superiority. The public gift of tongues is intended for the edification of the gathered church and is to be exercised with interpretation when appropriate.
Prophecy should strengthen, encourage, and comfort the church, while remaining subject to biblical discernment. It should never replace Scripture or be used to control someone’s conscience, relationships, finances, or major life decisions.
The gift of healing points people toward God’s compassion and power. Christians may pray with faith while remaining humble about outcomes. Prayer is not a promise that every illness will receive an immediate physical cure, and no person should be blamed or shamed when healing does not occur in the way they hoped.
For a related study, read Divine Healing and the Holy Spirit. You can also explore what the Assemblies of God believes about baptism in the Holy Spirit.
What If You Do Not Know Your Spiritual Gifts?
You do not need to panic, take a personality test, or force yourself into a ministry role that does not fit.
Begin with prayer and Scripture. Pay attention to the needs God consistently brings before you. Notice where others are helped through your service. Ask mature Christians what strengths they see in you. Try faithful opportunities without treating every attempt as a permanent identity.
Your gift may become clearer through obedience.
A person who begins by serving may discover a gift of leadership. Someone who volunteers to encourage others may recognize a teaching or shepherding ability. A believer who listens carefully to people in pain may find that mercy and wisdom are central to their ministry.
Do not despise small beginnings. The Holy Spirit often forms ministry through ordinary faithfulness over time.
You may also find encouragement through How to Find Peace in Hard Seasons, especially if anxiety or discouragement is making it difficult to see how God may be working through you.
A Simple Way to Steward Your Gift
Use this pattern as you pray and serve:
Ask God for clarity. Invite the Holy Spirit to show you how to serve faithfully.
Study Scripture. Let the Bible shape your understanding and practice.
Start where there is a real need. Look for people who need encouragement, care, truth, prayer, or practical help.
Serve without demanding recognition. Let God define faithfulness.
Seek wise feedback. Invite mature believers to help you grow.
Practice love and order. Make sure your service strengthens people and honors the church.
Give God the glory. Remember that the gift and the strength both come from Him.
The Christian life is not a competition to see who appears most gifted. It is a shared life in which every part of the body contributes to the health and mission of the whole.
A Prayer for Faithful Service
Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace You have given to Your people. Teach us to recognize our gifts without pride and to serve without fear. Give us wisdom, love, courage, humility, and discernment. Protect Your church from comparison, confusion, and control. Use every gift to strengthen people, proclaim the gospel, and glorify Your name. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spiritual gifts still active today?
Yes. Assemblies of God teaching affirms that the Holy Spirit continues to work through the gifts described in the New Testament. These gifts are given for Christian witness, ministry, encouragement, healing, service, and the strengthening of the church.
Does having a spiritual gift make someone more spiritual than other believers?
No. Spiritual gifts are expressions of God’s grace, not badges of superiority. Every believer has equal value before God, and every gift should be used with humility, love, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
How should prophecy be used in the church?
Prophecy should strengthen, encourage, and comfort the church. It must agree with Scripture, remain subject to discernment, and never be used to control people or replace the authority of God’s written Word.
Is speaking in tongues the same as the public gift of tongues?
In Assemblies of God teaching, speaking in tongues as the Spirit enables is understood as the initial physical evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit. The public gift of tongues described in 1 Corinthians 12–14 is a ministry expression in the gathered church and is to be accompanied by interpretation when appropriate.
How can I discover my spiritual gifts?
Pray, study Scripture, serve where there is a genuine need, observe how others are helped through your ministry, and seek feedback from mature Christians. Gifts often become clearer through faithful practice rather than through self-analysis alone.
When you are ready for prayer or a next step, text our prayer line at 901-213-7341 or visit www.boundlessonlinechurch.org.
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