John 4:10

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

What Gift(s) has God Given You?

We have all been gifted…

1 Corinthians 12:7&12, Now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good. All these are the work of the one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.

Romans 12:6, We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Ephesians 4:7-8, But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.

How do we know what they are?

Knowing what you like to do and what you are good at are excellent indicators of what gift(s) God has blessed you with, Proverbs 22:6 speaks to this in regards to our children…

Others often help us to see what our gifts are…

A spiritual, or strengths, inventory is a great way to help you focus on your God given abilities, your GIFT from God…

To download and take a Spiritual Gifts Assessment:

http://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/

click on: Spiritual Formation

and then click on: Strengths & Spiritual Gifts Assessment

Or Email me at: rudihameister@msn.com

Encouragement

This gift equips one to “lift the spirits” of a person, positively affirm someone’s ability, or strongly urge someone to take some action for God. An example of someone leading through encouragement would be seeing potential in someone and calling on him or her to use this potential (Acts 11:23).

Leadership

This gift equips one to influence others in such a way that they willingly follow this person, often by painting a vision of the ministry or project. An example of leading through the gift of Leadership would be initiating an annual mission trip and inspiring others to participate in this ministry (Acts 18:18).

Evangelism

Those gifted in evangelism are effective in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the lost and helping them come to faith in some way. An example of leading through evangelism would be a person telling someone what Christ has done in his or her own life (Jn. 4:39-42).

Administration – Tasks

This is an organizational gift that helps the church fulfill its purpose. Those with the gift of administration (tasks) are attentive to detail, and they can bring order to and efficiency in accomplishing tasks.

Mercy

This gift equips one to respond lovingly and compassionately to those who are suffering or have struggled with sin or the conditions of life. An example of leading through mercy would be feeding a homeless person (Mt. 25:35).

Discernment

This gift equips one to know instinctively what is going on beyond the surface, whether a situation or an individual. Those with the gift of discernment have the ability to determine genuineness or phoniness. An example of leading through discernment would be a person judging that someone wants to be in a position of leadership out of a wrong motive (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

Faith

This gift equips one to have a strong belief that God can overcome any problem and can be trusted to act on our behalf. An example of leading through faith is believing that God can change lives, acting on that belief, and inspiring others with it (Rom. 4:18-25; 1 Cor. 13:2).

Helping

This gift prepares one to build up and support a person in what they are trying to accomplish. Unlike service, which is primarily task oriented, helping is primarily about helping a person. An example of leading through helping would be lightening the loads of those who are getting behind in their work by working alongside them (Phil. 4:3).

Wisdom

This gift equips one to makes wise life choices and to help others do the same. An example of leading through wisdom is correctly choosing the right course of action when faced with multiple options (1 Kings 3:16-29).

Knowledge

Those with the gift of knowledge are at home in a book or studying. Those with this gift will often spend countless hours researching information. These people are interested in ideas and problem solving through gathering information and studying. Often, those with this gift have a low need for people. On rare occasions, people with this gift will gather vast amounts of information through studying and analyzing personal experience, but the primary method of learning with this gift is reading and studying books and other written materials. Scriptures: Luke 1:1-4; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 12:8; 2 Corinthians 11:6; Colossians 1:10; 2:2-3; 1 Timothy 2:15.

Teaching

Those gifted in teaching are able to deepen people’s understanding of God’s truths through instruction of Scripture and life sharing, enabling people to be shaped into the image of Christ. Teaching is primarily interactive communication, whereas speaking is more one way. An example of leading through teaching is helping a group of Christians to better understand a passage of Scripture (Acts 20:7-11). While it is possible that “teacher” was an office (e.g., Acts 13:1; Jam. 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:7), this study defines the gift of Teaching in terms of function.

Giving

This gift equips one to regularly give in generous fashion of one’s financial resources. An example of leading through giving would be helping support a missionary family out of one’s own means (Mt. 8:3).

Missions

Those gifted in “apostolic” or Mission Leadership are pioneers, seeking to open new frontiers of mission and expand the church’s outreach to new people groups (i.e., unreached ethnic, religious, or generational groups). These missionary leaders often serve as foreign missionaries, domestic church planters, or vision setters for the church’s mission in established congregations (Acts 14:1f). In this study, it is the function of going out and leading the church into new mission fields.

Service

This gift equips one to do practical jobs that others may deem to be tedious or beneath them, but that actually are very much needed to be done. This gift is to be distinguished from helping by its focus on tasks, whereas helping is more focused on lending assistance to a person. An example of leading through service is cleaning the church building, sharpening pencils for the pews, or folding bulletins (Jn. 13:3-5).

Hospitality

Those with this gift have an acute awareness of visitors and have a desire to make all people feel welcomed. People with this gift enjoy visitors in their home, and are usually not bothered if someone stops by and their home is not spotless. Those with this gift are a key to helping new people become a part of the group. Scriptures: Acts 16:14-15; Romans 12:9-13; 16:23; Hebrews 13:1-2; 1 Peter 4:9.

Imagine a church where…

Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God has blessed us with the skills, abilities, and talents needed to serve Him through our service to each other…

How would things be different if we were all using our gifts…

Imagine a church where…

Hebrews 13:20&21, May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God hasn’t asked us to do anything without providing us with everything…

What happens if we don’t know?

We can’t be faithful with what God has blessed us with…

Serving God may become a miserable task, serving God should not be a CHORE…

Our joy is stolen…

But worse than all of that…

The Body Suffers

Ephesians 4:12&13, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Verse 16, From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

A Closer Look

Using your gift helps… serve others

Using your gift helps… build up the church

Using your gift helps… create unity in faith and knowledge

Using your gift helps… lead the church towards maturity

Using your gift helps… lead the body towards receiving the whole measure of Christ

Through our service to each other we experience

real Love

If all of this is possible through the exercising of our gifts does

that mean the opposite is true?

Each One…

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…

If you haven’t been baptized yet, you’re not one of the Each Ones that God has gifted…