What
are my spiritual gifts?
Network
4
It wasn't too long after creation that the animals got together to form a
school. They wanted the best school possible-one that offered each students a well-rounded curriculum of swimming, running,
climbing, and flying. In order to graduate, the animals agreed
they would each have to take all the courses.
The duck was excellent at swimming. In fact, he was better than his
instructor. But he was only making passing grades at climbing
and was getting a very poor grade in running. The duck was so slow in running
that he had to stay after school every day to practice. Even with that,
there was little improvement. His webbed feet got badly worn from running,
and with such worn feet, he was then only able to get an average grade
in swimming. Average was quite acceptable to everyone else, so no
one worried much about it-except the duck.
The rabbit was at the top of her class in running. But after a while,
she developed a twitch in her leg from all the time she spent in
the water trying to improve her swimming.
The squirrel was a peak performer in climbing but was constantly
frustrated in flying class. His body became so bruised from all the
hard landings that he did not do too well in climbing and ended up being pretty poor in running. The eagle was a continual problem student. She was
severely disciplined for being a nonconformist.
For example, in climbing class, she would always beat everyone else to
the top of the tree but insisted on using her own way to get there.
Each of the animals had a particular
area of expertise. When they did what
they were designed to do, they excelled. When they tried to operate outside their area of expertise,
they were not nearly as effective. Can
ducks run? Of course they can. Is that what they do best? Definitely not.
Just
as each animal has an area where they are naturally gifted for survival, so when we trust in
Your spiritual gift indicates the role, function, or particular
way in which God has intended you to serve. Do you know your spiritual
gift or gifts? I know for many years I was hazy as to what mine were and that
impacted my teaching on the subject. And yet its ironic
– if I asked you what GCSE grades you got 20 years ago
or what A level subjects you took or your degree subject, you would probably be
able to tell me. Just as it is difficult if not impossible to get a meaningful
job with no training or study reflected in academic of practical qualifications,
so we should not expect to be fulfilled in the Church if we have not identified
our gifts or undertaken some means of evaluating or nurturing those gifts. That’s
why this course is so important to both you and the future of our Church.
What
Are the Spiritual Gifts?
Last
week we looked at a definition and here it is again. This week we want to look
at spiritual gifts in more detail. There are several passages that mention
some of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians
4; 1 Peter 4). There is a list of the spiritual gifts identified from these passages
in your news sheet along with a CWR questionnaire that
may help you identify your gifts. As you
read about the gifts, reflect on your own ministry and experience. See which of
these seem to be most true of you. Also, note which gifts sound like someone you
know. Remember, there is no right or wrong spiritual gift. They are just
different.
In both the Network participants guide and Bugbee’s
book, “What you do best in the Body of Christ” you will find a spiritual gift
assessment. I invite you to do the assessment and attend the next Network course
on Tuesday 18th and 25th February.
Confusion About
Spiritual Gifts
We have identified many of the
gifts mentioned in Scripture and have
already focused on the reasons, benefits, definition, and descriptions of the spiritual gifts. While we have been focusing on why the spiritual gifts are, we need to be careful not
to confuse spiritual gifts with other terms and important concepts.
1. Don't confuse spiritual gifts with natural talents
Talents
can be an indicator to your giftedness but do not necessarily
equate to your spiritual gift. Everyone has some nature abilities, but God has reserved his spiritual gifts
for believers. Only those who have personally trusted
Natural
talents are given at our physical birth; spiritual gifts are given at our spiritual birth. In the same
way that we have particular talents that distinguish
us from others when we are physically born, we receive a spiritual gift that enables us
to make a unique contribution when
we are spiritually born. Natural talents
are an expression of God's common grace to all who have life. Spiritual gifts are his specific
grace given to those who have received new life. Although natural talents
and spiritual gifts are not the same, all that
we have ought to and can be used to glorify God and edify others.
Natural talents may be transformed by the
Holy Spirit and empowered as spiritual gifts. For example, someone may
be an effective nurse in a hospital and be recognized as having
a mercy gift in the church. A graphic designer
working for a publisher may discover that they also have a
spiritual gift of creative communication. The successful salesperson could
be affirmed with the gift of evangelism.
Being
an effective bank manager does not guarantee
anointed leadership or administration gifts in the church. In order
to determine whether or not there is a relationship between a natural talent and a spiritual gift, ask yourself, Does my natural ability regularly
glorify God and edify others in the church? Both natural talents and spiritual
gifts can vary in degree and kind. Just as there are athletes with tremendous natural
abilities and others with less, so too
spiritual gifts may fulfill different capacities according to God's purposes.
Just as there are good singers and great
singers, some of those with the spiritual
gift of leadership will lead tens, others hundreds, and others thousands. Just remember, both natural talents and spiritual gifts are God-given.
Both natural talents and spiritual
gifts need to be identified, developed, and used to the glory of God. We are all stewards, responsible for all
that he has given us. Our talents and gifts are specific
ways in which God has extended his grace
to us in order for us to be a gracious blessing to others. Your spiritual gifts are your primary ministry
contribution to the body of
2. Don't confuse spiritual gifts with the fruit of the
Spirit
Both spiritual gifts and the fruit of the
Spirit are necessary for us to be productive
and fulfilled in our ministry, but they make very distinct contributions.
The fruit of the Spiit are "being"
qualities; spintual gifts are "doing" qualities. "The fruit of the Spirt is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control"
(Galatians 5:22-23) These are inward characteristics of the believer's heart,
revealed it their purity and holiness as that person grows
and manifests grace The fruit of the Spirit indicates what we should be. Spiritual gifts are task-oriented
functions or roles that God has called and equipped each believer
to perform. Spiritual gifts indicate what we do. The
fruit of the Spirit is a natural by-product of an abiding and obedient relationship
with
Both the fruit of the Spirit and spiritual gifts
are essential for
effective ministry. Spiritual gifts and fruit of the Spirit both need to
be developed. God is not as much concerned with what we do as he is with the
spirit in which we serve. For example, if we use our spiritual gifts
to the fullest but do not have love, it does not please God or make
a kingdom difference (1 Corinthians
13:1-3 – Read verses).
To maximize our ministry and life potential, we need to express both the
fruit and the gifts. What are the gifts without love? What is love
without the expression of gifts? Both are essential for fruitfulness
in ministry. I think we have discovered that
Spiritual gifts cannot be used effectively when there is confusion
surrounding what they are and how God intends them to be expressed.
Knowing what your spiritual gifts are and how God intended
them to function within the church is crucial for you, our church, and the
Your Passion and Spiritual Gifts
So far we have noted that every Christian has at least one God given spiritual
gift… We’ve covered the first two dimensions
of passion and gifting. Your passion reveals your heart's
desire and your spiritual gifts indicate your task abilities. As
we have seen, these are not the same thing. Your passion will indicate where
you are best suited to serve. Your spiritual gifts will indicate what you will
do when you serve.
You will see
how these fit together when your servant profile has been
completed. Next week we shall explore in more detail the relationship between
spiritual gifts and fruit for it is vital we employ our gifts with love. It is
no coincidence, for example that teaching on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in
John 14 and 16 is sandwiched between a chapter on love,
chapter 15. Similarly in 1 Corinthians between two chapters on the Holy Spirit
12 & 14 we have a chapter dedicated to love. Finally we will examine the third
dimension of our personal style.
How we relate to others and the world
around us. For example, how is it that some of us are dreamers, while others are
realists? Why are some people thinkers, and other people
are more feeling-oriented? How is it that some of us are wallflowers, and others
are the life of the party? God has given each of us our own personal style to complement our passions and gifts. For now lets pray and ask God to confirm in our hearts and minds the
spiritual gifts he has given us for his glory. Lets pray.
This talk is based upon chapter
5 of “What you do best in the Body of