Now turn to the third listing of gifts in the New Testament, found in the book of Romans.

“Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith; [He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; he who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness.” Roman 12:6-8

Charisma is the Greek word here, the same word used in 1 Peter 4:10. We believe this list is the category of gifts that Peter was referring to when he said we were to employ them to benefit one another. Notice the Romans passage urges us to use them. This verse is like a repetition, an echo of Peter’s statement.
This list of gifts is the focus of this book. These are the gifts we possess. These are the gifts that God has built into us and made part of us to be used for the benefit of others and for His glory. Like all the others, they are grace gifts. We do not deserve them. But because God loves us He gives them to us. Since they provide the motivating force for our lives, they have been called motivational gifts. They are gifts that shape our personalities.
Because God has created us with free will, we can choose to use our motivational gifts appropriately, or we can choose to neglect them or even abuse them. To be able to choose to use these gifts according to the will of God, it is important to have some understanding of what they are and how they function. That will be our goal in the following pages.
Right now we will just touch on the seven gifts briefly by presenting the seven keywords we have chosen to identify the various recipients.
Perceiver, one who clearly perceives the will of God. We have purposely chosen this word rather than the word “prophet” to avoid confusion since the same root word is also used in the two other categories of gifts. Also, in today’s culture, the word “prophet” has rather ominous connotations.
Server, one who loves to serve others. Another appropriate word is “doer.”
Teacher, one who loves to research and communicate the truth. We almost selected the word “researcher,” since that motivation is so strong.
Exhorter, one who loves to encourage others to live a victorious life. These are extremely positive people who can equally well be called “encouragers.”
Giver, one who loves to give time, talent, energy and means to benefit others and advance the Gospel. Another word could be “contributor.”
Administrator, one who loves to organize, lead or direct. Other words could be “facilitator” and “leader.”
Compassion person, one who shows compassion, love, and care to those in need. We say “compassion” instead of “mercy” since this word is more comprehensive in today’s usage.