The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. [1 Corinthians 12:21-22 (NLT)]
Spiritual gifts build God’s Kingdom in a variety of ways including teaching, outreach, speaking, counseling, discipleship, serving, practical assistance, visitation, and prayer. Our gifts were given for the common good of Christ’s church and we need one another’s gifts for the body of Christ to function. Within the church, some gifts, like shepherding, evangelism, or leadership, are easily noticed while others, such as mercy, giving, intercession, and faith may be less obvious. While those gifted in service (the ability to see undone tasks in God’s work and get them done) often work behind the scene, the people gifted in hospitality (the ability to warmly welcome all people into home or church) are front and center Sunday mornings as they greet people by name and extend the hand of friendship to visitors.
Nevertheless, no gift is more important than another and every one of the Spirit’s gifts are essential for Kingdom building! For example, those gifted in pastoring (spiritually caring for, guiding, protecting, and feeding a group of believers) frequently need those gifted in administration (the ability to steer people toward God-given goals by planning, organizing, and supervising) to help them achieve their objective. We all are members of the body of Christ and, as Paul aptly pointed out, all parts of the body, whether seen or hidden, are needed for it to operate effectively!
Since every gift is God-designed for each one of His children, there probably are as many gifts as there are people and needs in the body of Christ. Moreover, because He’s not a miser, God may bless us with more than one gift and the lines often blur between one gift and another. The person gifted with knowledge (the desire to know as much as possible about the Bible) also may be gifted in teaching (the ability to instruct others for true understanding and growth). On the other hand, that gift of knowledge could be combined with the gift of wisdom so the person not only knows what God’s word says but also sees its application and relevance to real life situations.
Just because we’re not gifted in something, however, is never an excuse for not obeying God’s general commands. Not being gifted with evangelism doesn’t mean we’re not called to share the Word or invite someone to church. Not receiving the gift of giving does not relieve us from the responsibility of supporting the church and not being gifted with hospitality doesn’t mean we don’t welcome visitors. While we may not be gifted with intercession, we still pray for one another and, while we may not be gifted with mercy, we still look to the needs of others! In fact, it often is by doing God’s work that we discover what our gifts are.
Our spiritual gifts were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given gifts for your benefit. … If others don’t use their gifts, you get cheated, and if you don’t use your gifts, they get cheated. [Rick Warren]
Devotions of the Heart 