The Basics
This is the most common spiritual gift in the church often leading to it being overlooked and yet this spiritual gift is indispensable because exercising this gift allows others to serve with their gifts
What is the gift of helps?
Helps: refers to the capacity to unselfishly meet the needs of others through very practical service; those with this spiritual gift have an urge to help others and seem to notice areas of need without being told.
These two love gifts involve loving Jesus more than our desires and even life itself
What are celibacy and martyrdom?
Celibacy: a special ability to remain single, and enjoy it, and not suffer undo sexual temptation.
Martyrdom: a special ability to undergo suffering for the faith even to death while consistently displaying a joyous and victorious attitude that brings Glory to God.
While we are all called to the discipline of this, those with this spiritual gift find that they can’t stop talking about Jesus Christ. They find themselves consistently returning discussions back to the gospel and pointing people to the cross. In situations where others may feel timid, hesitant, or fearful, Christians with this gift often courageously share the Gospel.
What is the gift of Evangelism?
This is one of the gifts most associated with burnout as Christians with this gift may be tempted serve out of their own strength and not God's. If you have this gift, you may sometimes feel used, maybe even asking yourself, why am I always the one serving or available? Those with this common spiritual gift may struggle with jealousy and bitterness since the practical use of this gift may be less flashy than other gifts.
What is the gift of helps?
Helps: refers to the capacity to unselfishly meet the needs of others through very practical service; those with this spiritual gift have an urge to help others and seem to notice areas of need without being told.
The reason spiritual gifts are given
What is for the common good and benefit of the church?
God designed the Church to need every gift and He chooses not to give any one individual every gift requiring the Family of Believers to work together for His Kingdom.
The three types of spiritual gifts
What are Love gifts, Word gifts, and Power gifts
Although the office is now closed, this Word spiritual gift, of the same name, lives on
What is apostleship?
Apostleship (the gift): God-given ability to pioneer new Kingdom work by providing visionary leadership, establishing ministries and churches, strengthening leaders, and extending the Gospel into places where Christ has not yet been proclaimed
If you have this gift, you likely pray to God for opportunities to use this gift more, find great joy in helping others without them knowing, hold to possessions and resources lightly, lean toward simple living, and you genuinely want to have more resources so you can release them to others and feel sad when you can't do more
What is the gift of giving?
Giving: the capacity to give liberally to meet the needs of others, and yet to do it with a purity of motive, which senses that the giving is a simple sharing of what God has already given you.
Christians with this gift may come to rely on natural charisma rather than on God’s direction and may begin pursuing popularity, personal preferences, perceived needs instead of pursuing God's future. If a Christian with this gift fails to grow in humility and integrity, their giftedness often becomes a liability instead of a blessing
What is the gift of leadership?
Leadership: God-given ability to receive, communicate, and steward God's vision for a group of people, exercising spiritual influence that unites and directs the Body of Christ toward God’s ordained purposes.
Difference between spiritual gifts and spiritual discipline (e.g. Giving and Evangelism are both spiritual disciplines AND spiritual gifts)
A spiritual gift comes with a sense of power, ease, and joy in the act whereas under spiritual discipline, we are still obedient in our serving, acts, and/or decisions but lack the supernatural ease typical of a spiritual gift
These gifts reveal God’s heart and manifest His love in practical and tangible ways.
What are love gifts
This love gift often gets confused with the gift of leadership (a word gift)
What is the gift of administration?
Definition: a divine enablement to understand what makes an organization function, and the special ability to plan and execute procedure that accomplish the goals of the ministry.
Unlike others who may feel overwhelmed by broken and hurting people, if you've been given this gift you have an impulse to embrace them. You are quick to defend the weak or the wronged. You are more drawn to the parts of the Bible that speak of Jesus’ compassion.
What is the gift of mercy?
Mercy: the special ability that God gives to feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals (Christian or not) who suffer distress, physical, mental, or emotional, and translates that compassion into cheerfully done Deeds which reflect Jesus's love and alleviate suffering.
Beware, if you have this gift, you can become controlling with your personal preferences replacing kingdom priorities and you may begin acting like the captain rather than a helmsman.
What is the gift of administration?
Definition: a divine enablement to understand what makes an organization function, and the special ability to plan and execute procedure that accomplish the goals of the ministry.
These 3 things are ways we can come to understand what spiritual gifts God has given us
Ask God, surrender our lives to God, and ask those around us (our Church Familia)
Bonus answer: Step out in faith to serve as God leads because gifts often do not become clear until you serve in them
These gifts reveal the character and nature of God including Who He is and what He likes and dislikes
What are Word gifts
The difference between two Word gifts: shepherding and leadership
Leadership asks where the church is going vs. shepherding asks how the church is doing. Shepherding gifts ensure nobody is left behind whereas leadership gifts move the church forward
Shepherding: God-given ability to lovingly assume ongoing personal responsibility for the spiritual care, protection, encouragement, and growth of believers by nurturing them toward maturity in Christ through biblical truth, faithful presence, compassionate care, and spiritual oversight.
Leadership: God-given ability to receive, communicate, and steward God's vision for a group of people, exercising spiritual influence that unites and directs the Body of Christ toward God’s ordained purposes.
Christians with this gift are enthusiastic learners and often seek mentors with the same gift to grow in it. They have a daily dependence in God's Word (as we all should). They become disturbed or alarmed when they think scripture might be misuse, misunderstood or misapplied. And lastly, this gift results in others actually moving towards life change and feeling as if God is speaking directly to them.
What is the gift of teaching?
Teaching: God-given ability to explain, instruct, and expose biblical truth so that believers understand God's Word with supernatural clarity leading to obedience, the leadership of Jesus Christ, and addressing the deepest root of our world, views, motives, ideologies, and culture.
People with this gift often become lonely especially if they carry burdens alone in silence. Ironically, they can become easily discouraged.
What is the gift of Exhortation/Encouragement
Definition: the capacity to urge people to action in terms of applying biblical truths, to encourage people generally with biblical truths, or to comfort people through the application of biblical truth to their needs.
Pastor Dandy's sermon series on Spiritual Gifts is based on a similar sermon series by this person
Who is Jon Thompson
These 3 things are demonstrated by power gifts
The power, presence, and reality of God
While some people have both the gift of teaching and the gift of Evangelism, the difference between the two gifts is
The gift of Evangelism is the supernatural ability to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with *UNBELIEVERS* vs the gift of teaching is the supernatural ability to share God's Word with believers.
Evangelism: the God-given ability to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ clearly, persuasively, and faithfully so unbelievers understand the message of salvation and are invited to place their faith in Christ and begin following Him.
Teaching: God-given ability to explain, instruct, and expose biblical truth so that believers understand God's Word with supernatural clarity leading to obedience, the leadership of Jesus Christ, and addressing the deepest root of our world, views, motives, ideologies, and culture.
Christians with this gift naturally move toward people remembering names and stories. They patiently disciple believers and faithfully pray for others. These Christians are known to quietly build unity wherever they serve
What is shepherding?
Shepherding: God-given ability to lovingly assume ongoing personal responsibility for the spiritual care, protection, encouragement, and growth of believers by nurturing them toward maturity in Christ through biblical truth, faithful presence, compassionate care, and spiritual oversight.
People with this gift often become impatient. Because they often see years ahead, they can sometimes miss what's happening in the present and can unintentionally push people faster than they are spiritually prepared to go. They can sometimes value expansion over shepherding. They can confuse personal ambition with God's calling.
What is the gift of apostleship?
Apostleship: God-given ability to pioneer new Kingdom work by providing visionary leadership, establishing ministries and churches, strengthening leaders, and extending the Gospel into places where Christ has not yet been proclaimed
Name one of the 4 principles to keep in mind regarding spiritual gifts (first listed in a sermon from May 30th but all principles have been re-mentioned as an aside throughout the series)
- Do not dismiss spiritual gifts
- Weird does not always mean wrong
-Different orders of service do not mean it's wrong
- A gift wielded incorrectly does not mean it's not from God