Have you ever wondered, "What are my spiritual gifts? How can I discover them?" The common view of the spiritual gifts equates them as "special abilities" that the Spirit gives to believers so that they can build up the church. Many Christians then try to discover what their spiritual gift is, and some even wonder if they have a spiritual gift at all.

But there is scriptural evidence to believe that Paul did not think of spiritual gifts as special abilities given to believers so much as ministry assignments that the Lord calls and graces believers to serve in. This understanding of the spiritual gifts changes the question from "what are my spiritual gifts? How do I discover them?" to "Lord, where do you want me to serve? What ministry assignment do you have for me?", trusting that where the Lord calls us to serve, He will give grace.

When Paul thinks of ministry, he is thinking of anything that builds up the church. We can serve for decades in a ministry (pastoring, for instance), or minutes (giving a tongue or exhortation to someone). If it builds up the church, it is ministry. And every believer has been called to ministry.

If you want to study this unconventional, but biblically supported view of the spiritual gifts, I recommend: What Are Spiritual Gifts?: Rethinking the Conventional View by Kenneth Berding.

You can find it on Amazon at this link: http://tinyurl.com/okobv9p.