STEWARDS OF GIFTS
You are only a steward of spiritual gifts. A steward is someone who does not own that with
which he works. He uses something given to him by another person. He uses it in behalf of the
person who gave it to him. You are a steward for Jesus Christ:
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the
mysteries of God. (I Corinthians 4:1)Part of the "mysteries" of which you are a steward are spiritual gifts. They are given to you by
the Holy Spirit to minister effectively for Jesus:
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (I Peter 4:10)As a steward, you will be judged on the basis of your faithfulness to use the gifts you have been
given:
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
(I Corinthians 4:2)THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
The main passages identifying spiritual gifts are listed below. Read these before you study the
following chapters. These verses introduce the various gifts:
- Romans 12:1- 8 - I Corinthians 12:1- 31
- Ephesians 4:1- 16 - I Peter 4:7- 11
Remember that these gifts are special abilities from God to minister in different ways. While
there may be some evidences of these in all our lives it does not necessarily mean we have a
certain gift. For example, all believers are to give to the work of the Lord with tithes and
offerings. But the gift of giving is an unusual generosity prompted by the Spirit of God. All
believers have a measure of faith according to the Word of God. But the gift of faith is a special
ability to believe beyond that of the ordinary Christian.
ARE GIFTS FOR TODAY?
Some people claim that all of the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are not for the Church today.
They believe some gifts, like prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc., were only for the early Church.
These people say that after the Church was established and the New Testament written, some
spiritual gifts were no longer needed. They often use I Corinthians 13:10 to explain their belief: