Spiritual Gifts

Equip Season 6 - CG Leader Discussion Guide

Timothy Paul Jones

October 07, 2026
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Equip

Contents

All Video & Podcast Links

Why Participate in Equip?

Two of the commitments we make when we become members of Midtown are:

I will pursue opportunities to be equipped so that I can serve more effectively in the ministries of the church.

I will use the spiritual gifts God has given me to build up other members of the church as resilient apprentices.

Equip is the way our church makes it possible for us to live out these commitments. The purpose of Equip is to strengthen our members to become dream disciples, making a gospel impact wherever God places us. Each 6-week cycle of Equip provides formation throughout training in a particular area of life. You watch and discuss one Equip video each week in your Community Group, then watch (or listen to) the others on your own.

How God’s Gifts Grow Dream Disciples

You’re gifted! Maybe you don’t feel gifted. But, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you are gifted. According to the apostle Paul, “God in his kindness gave us each different gifts” (Romans 12:6).

When you trusted Jesus, the reason that you wanted Jesus in the first place was that the Holy Spirit spiritually resurrected you, bringing you from death to life (Ephesians 2:1–8). But the Holy Spirit didn’t leave you to maintain this new life in your own power! The Holy Spirit gave you the gift of himself. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit himself is the gift, and he is your life. He gives you new life and lives in direct communion with your spirit.

The living presence of the Holy Spirit within you produces evidences of God’s grace that enable you to serve others. These evidences of grace are sometimes known as “spiritual gifts”—but these gifts aren’t something separate from the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit is the gift, and the spiritual gifts are ways that the Spirit works through you for the good of the church (1 Corinthians 14:12; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Peter 4:10). That’s why Paul told the Corinthians, “The evidence of the Spirit’s presence is given to each one for the common good of everyone” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Spiritual gifts are those qualities and empowerments that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give to the people of God in order to make us effective in ministry. When God’s people use our gifts to serve each other, the entire church is built up in faith, hope, and love—and that’s what we want to see happen at Midtown.

Through this Equip series, members of Midtown will (1) learn the gifts of the Spirit, (2) identify our own spiritual gifts, and (3) make plans to use our spiritual gifts to build up the church, both locally and globally. When you take these steps, you become part of your church’s movement toward 3,500 dream disciples by 2035.

–Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., Ph.D.,

Pastor of Teaching & Equipping

Series Outline

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

List of Spiritual Gifts

This is not an exhaustive list of every possible spiritual gift. The list identifies and defines the spiritual gifts that are described most clearly in the New Testament.

Gifts for Adventurous Guides

  • Administration: Organizing human and material resources for the work of Christ through his church.
  • Knowledge: Understanding truth through the faithful study of God’s Word.
  • Leadership: Guiding God’s people to accomplish God’s work in God’s way.
  • Teaching: Exposition and application of the Scriptures for the growth of God’s church.
  • Shepherding: Overseeing God’s church by proclaiming God’s Word, praying for God’s guidance, and administering the sacraments of baptism and communion.
  • Wisdom: Applying knowledge and skill from observed experiences to help others live their lives in alignment with God’s design.

Gifts for Sacrificial Friends

  • Exhortation: Encouraging others in extraordinary ways.
  • Faith: Trusting God’s promises to an extraordinary degree when facing difficult circumstances.
  • Giving: Living a life of extraordinary generosity that supports God’s work through his church.
  • Healing: Praying effectively for a fellow Christian’s restoration to health.
  • Hospitality: Helping fellow Christians experience the peace of Christ by welcoming them into activities at home and church.
  • Mercy: Practicing extraordinary kindness resulting in actions that meet the real needs of others.
  • Miracles: Praying effectively for divine intervention in a particular circumstance.

Gifts for Resilient Apprentices

  • Discernment: Extraordinary ability to distinguish truth from error, particularly in response to prophecy.
  • Service: Honoring others by joyfully accomplishing mundane but necessary tasks.
  • Prophecy: Spirit-prompted message that applies or reveals God’s truth to a particular person or situation for strengthening, encouragement, and consolation, subject to Scripture and testing by the church.
  • Tongues: Speaking in a language unknown to the speaker, conveying a Spirit-prompted message for the strengthening of the church when interpreted.

Gifts for Courageous Storytellers

  • Evangelism: Extraordinary ability to share the gospel with non-Christians.
  • Missions: Extraordinary ability to engage in cross-cultural evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Week 1 Leader’s Guide: One Spirit, Many Gifts

Our definition of spiritual gift: a gracious manifestation of the Holy Spirit through a believer, under the lordship of Jesus, for the good of others.

Before Equip Week 1 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1–7 and Ephesians 4:1–16.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions in your group, watch all three Week 1 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to prioritize Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the biblical texts:

During Equip Week 1 in Community Group

Get ready

Test video and audio for Week 1: Session 1: What Are Spiritual Gifts?

Start the discussion

When everyone has gathered, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. What do you think of when you think of the word “gifted”?
  2. If someone asked you, “Are you gifted?” what would you say?
  3. Sometimes, people become nervous when they think about focusing on spiritual gifts in their church. Why might people become anxious when it comes to spiritual gifts?
  4. What are the spiritual gifts described in Scripture? Name as many of them as you can. [Note: Sometimes, people confuse the gifts of the Spirit with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). If someone makes this mistake, correct the error gently and with kindness, making certain the individual doesn’t feel embarrassed.]
  5. What spiritual gifts have you seen most clearly at Midtown?
Engage the content
  1. Read Ephesians 4:11–16 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  2. Write down people’s questions.
  3. As a group, watch Week 1: Session 1: What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Review the content
  1. Review the questions that participants asked about Ephesians 4:11–16. Ask: Which of these questions were answered in the video?
  2. Discuss the questions that were not answered in the video.
  3. Pray together that participants in your group will grow as adventurous guides, sacrificial friends, resilient apprentices, and courageous storytellers throughout this study.
  4. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own before your group meets again:

Week 2 Leader’s Guide: Spiritual Gifts for Adventurous Guides

Before Equip Week 2 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1–8.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions, watch all three Week 2 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to attend Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the biblical text: Prepare yourself to explain why Paul mentioned “Jesus is cursed” and “Jesus is Lord” in 1 Corinthians 12:3, if someone in your group asks.

During Equip Week 2 in Community Group

Get ready

Before everyone arrives, test video and audio for Week 2: Session 1: Gifts of Teaching and Understanding.

Engage the content
  1. When everyone has gathered, ask: What was most helpful in the two videos that you watched on your own during the past week?
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1–8 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  3. Write down people’s questions.
  4. As a group, watch Week 2: Session 1: Gifts of Teaching and Understanding.
Start the discussion

After watching the video, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. Why does God’s Spirit give gifts to God’s people? (1 Corinthians 12:7)
  2. This week, we are focusing on gifts of teaching and understanding. Based on what you’ve learned, how would you define the gifts of teaching and understanding?
  3. Some people have the gift of teaching, but they aren’t elders or pastors. What are some specific ways that these individuals can be adventurous guides at Midtown?
  4. Where do you see people using gifts of teaching and understanding at Midtown?
  5. Is there someone in our Community Group in whom you see the gift of teaching or the gift of understanding?
Review the content
  1. Review the questions that participants asked about 1 Corinthians 12:1–8. Ask: Which of these questions were answered in the video?
  2. Discuss the questions that were not answered in the video.
  3. Pray together that participants in your group will grow as adventurous guides throughout this study.
  4. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own before your group meets again:

Week 3 Leader’s Guide: Gifts of Power for Sacrificial Friends

Before Equip Week 3 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:8–11.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions, watch all three Week 3 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to attend Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the biblical text:

During Equip Week 3 in Community Group

Get ready

Before everyone arrives, test video and audio for Week 3: Session 1: Supernatural Faith.

Engage the content
  1. When everyone has gathered, ask: What was most helpful in the two videos that you watched on your own during the past week?
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:8–11 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  3. Write down people’s questions.
  4. As a group, watch Week 3: Session 1: Supernatural Faith.
Start the discussion

After watching the video, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. What is the purpose of spiritual gifts? (1 Corinthians 12:7)
  2. Everyone who trusts Jesus has faith. How is it possible that some people also have the gift of faith?
  3. Who or what is the source of our faith in Jesus? (Ephesians 2:8)
  4. Read Romans 12:3–8. Pay special attention to Romans 12:3: “think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” If someone has the gift of supernatural faith, what attitude should this gift produce in that individual?
  5. If you have the gift of supernatural faith, how can you use this gift to be a sacrificial friend at Midtown?
Review the content
  1. Review the questions that participants asked about 1 Corinthians 12:8–11. Ask: Which of these questions were answered in the video?
  2. Discuss the questions that were not answered in the video.
  3. Pray together that participants in your group will grow as sacrificial friends throughout this study.
  4. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own before your group meets again:

Week 4 Leader’s Guide: What About Prophecy and Tongues?

Before Equip Week 4 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 14:1–40.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions, watch all three Week 4 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to attend Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the biblical text:

During Equip Week 4 in Community Group

Get ready

Before everyone arrives, test video and audio for Week 4: Session 1: Prophecy and Discernment.

Engage the content
  1. When everyone has gathered, ask: What was most helpful in the two videos that you watched on your own during the past week?
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 14:20–29 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  3. Write down people’s questions.
  4. As a group, watch Week 4: Session 1: Prophecy and Discernment.
Start the discussion

After watching the video, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. What is the gift of prophecy? Definition: Spirit-prompted message that applies or reveals God’s truth to a particular person or situation for strengthening, encouragement, and consolation, subject to Scripture and testing by the church.
  2. What are some false assumptions that people make about the meaning of “prophecy”?
  3. Read 1 Corinthians 14:29–31 aloud. What are some of the purposes of authentic prophecy, according to this text?
  4. If someone has the gift of prophecy, how can that individual use this gift to develop resilient apprentices of Jesus at Midtown?
  5. Some people in the first century thought “prophecy” was an ecstatic reaction that the prophet could not control. Read 1 Corinthians 14:32–33. What do Paul’s words suggest about this idea?
Review the content
  1. Review the questions that participants asked about 1 Corinthians 14:20–29. Ask: Which of these questions were answered in the video?
  2. Discuss the questions that were not answered in the video.
  3. Pray together that participants in your group will grow as resilient apprentices throughout this study.
  4. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own before your group meets again:
  5. Important! Direct participants to the Spiritual Gifts Survey and encourage them to complete the survey this week.

Week 5 Leader’s Guide: How Spiritual Gifts Equip You to Be a Sacrificial Friend

Before Equip Week 5 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–26.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions, watch all three Week 5 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to attend Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the topic:

During Equip Week 5 in Community Group

Get ready

Before everyone arrives, test video and audio for Week 5: Session 1: Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts.

Engage the content
  1. When everyone has gathered, ask: What was most helpful in the two videos that you watched on your own during the past week?
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  3. Write down people’s questions.
  4. As a group, watch Week 5: Session 1: Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts.
Start the discussion

After watching the video, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. How can the Spiritual Gifts Survey help us to consider what our spiritual gifts might be?
  2. What are the potential dangers of using a survey to learn what our spiritual gifts might be? How can we avoid those dangers?
  3. What are some specific ways that you’re using your spiritual gifts right now?
  4. What points in this video might help you to use your spiritual gifts more effectively in the upcoming week?
  5. How do you think you’ll be using your spiritual gifts in the future at Midtown?
Review the content
  1. Review and discuss the questions that participants asked about 1 Corinthians 12:12–26.
  2. Pray together that participants in your group will grow together as sacrificial friends throughout this study.
  3. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own before your group meets again:
  4. Important: If any participant hasn’t completed the Spiritual Gifts Survey, urge them to do so.

Week 6 Leader’s Guide: How Spiritual Gifts Enable You to Be a Courageous Storyteller

Before Equip Week 6 in Community Group

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:27–31.
  2. So that you are prepared to answer questions, watch all three Week 6 videos on your own:
  3. Contact everyone in your Community Group, encouraging them to attend Equip as a Community Group and reminding them when and where your Community Group will meet this week.
  4. Bonus: Use one of these resources to dig deeper into the topic:

During Equip Week 6 in Community Group

Get ready

Before everyone arrives, test video and audio for Week 6: Session 1: Using Your Spiritual Gifts to Share the Gospel at Work.

Engage the content
  1. When everyone has gathered, ask: What was most helpful in the two videos that you watched on your own during the past week?
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:27–31 aloud. Ask: What questions do you have about these words from the apostle Paul?
  3. Write down people’s questions.
  4. As a group, watch Week 6: Session 1: Using Your Spiritual Gifts to Share the Gospel at Work.
Start the discussion

After watching the video, ask about three of these five questions:

  1. How do your spiritual gifts shape how you do your work, whether that work is at home or at a job outside your home?
  2. Do you have the gift of evangelism? If so, what would you say to Christians who struggle to share the gospel with people around them?
  3. The “more excellent way” that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12:31 is the way of love (1 Corinthians 13:1). How did the teachings in this video encourage you to be an example of Christ’s love in your workplace?
  4. What is the best first step you can take to display God’s truth in your workplace?
  5. How has this series on spiritual gifts strengthened you to serve God more faithfully and more confidently?
Review the content
  1. Review and discuss the questions that participants asked about 1 Corinthians 12:27–31.
  2. Pray together that participants in your group will continue to grow as courageous storytellers.
  3. Remind participants to watch these two videos on their own:

Going Deeper

If you want to dig deeper in your study of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, here are three recommended resources:

  • Basic: Daniel Darling. Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and How to Use Them. Lifeway, 2022. 144 pages.
  • Intermediate: Andrew Wilson. Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship. Zondervan, 2019. 144 pages.
  • Advanced: C. Samuel Storms. Practicing the Power: Welcoming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Your Life. Zondervan, 2017. 264 pages.
Timothy Paul Jones

About Us

Sojourn Midtown is a gospel-formed, multiethnic family, sent for the city. We are a part of the Sojourn family of churches.



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