Foundations: What Every Christian Ought To Know

How to Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; – Romans 12:6 (ESV)

In the movie, “The Legend of Bagger Vance” Bagger says, “Inside each and every one of us is our one true, authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that is ours and ours alone. Something that can’t be learned … something that’s got to be remembered.” 

Romans 12:6 teaches us to remember that God has put different spiritual gifts inside each one of us by His grace. Ray Stedman has some insightful thoughts on “spiritual gifts”:  “Suppose I had here a number of electrical appliances — a toaster, an iron, an electric fan, a hair dryer, and a few other gadgets such as we have abundantly available today. Each of them is designed to do a different thing, and each has a different function, but they all use the same power — and unless they are connected to that power, they are useless.” It is the power of God that gives every believer the gifts they need to serve God and His church.

Reflection

Pastor Jim defined spiritual gifts as “a God-given ability to serve.” What are some of the abilities God has given you? Are you using them to serve?

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for the undeserved spiritual gift that He has given you. Ask God to give you clarity about what your gift is and how He wants to use it.

We Need to Understand Spiritual Gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

Lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster was a powerful orator who gave early evidence of his quick mind and his way with words. One day, Webster’s father, who was to be absent from the home, left Daniel and his brother Ezekiel specific work instructions. But on his return, he found the task still undone, and questioned his sons about their idleness. “What have you been doing, Ezekiel?” he asked. “Nothing, sir.” “Well, Daniel, what have you been doing?” “Helping Zeke, sir.”

Many believers are “doing nothing” with their spiritual gifts because they don’t understand spiritual gifts. Romans 12:6-8 walks through several gifts and how God wants them to be used. Winston Churchill said, “Give us the tools and we will do the job.” The truth is we have been given the tools but do we know what they are or how to use them.  Many of these gifts overlap with each other and even include each other, and therefore are not mutually exclusive or even rigidly defined. We can get the job done if we work together.

Reflection

How well would you say that you understand how spiritual gifts work? In the sermon, Pastor Jim stated, “There are three kinds of people in the church – those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who don’t even know what’s happening.” Which category would you put yourself into within our Second Family? 

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for giving our church the tools we need to do the job He wants us to do in our community and around the world. Ask God to help you grow as part of the people who are making things happen in our church.

Serving Gifts

If service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:7-8 (ESV)

We have troops scattered around the world. Within those troops are the ones peeling potatoes, hauling water, or building outdoor toilets and they may not seem to be doing much for the cause of world peace. But apart from these vital functions being done, no army could survive, much less win, a military conflict. Each army member has a vital role. Each member of the body of Christ plays a vital part in the work of the body, as a whole. 

One of the categories of gifts we learned about is serving gifts. We learned these are “generosity, leadership, hospitality, and mercy.” The word “serving” basically means to wait on a table. Most of these are behind-the-scenes gifts. Rivers gain more attention than the little streams that create them. You can name the great rivers of the world but you cannot name their tributaries. However, without the tributaries, there would be no river. It must be remembered, too, that the smaller streams, while less well known, are purer and are found on a higher elevation.

Reflection

Who have you seen at our church “serve” well behind the scenes? Write them a note, text, or email this week and let them know how much you appreciate the part they play in helping our church accomplish our mission.

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for the people in our church with the gift of service. Pray our church would be known as a church that serves our community well.

 Speaking Gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

A church nominating committee was interviewing a prospective Sunday School teacher. They asked, “Do you know the Bible?” “Yes, I do!” “What’s your favorite Bible story?” the chairman asked. The candidate replied, “I like the story of the good Samaritan best.” “Fine,” said the committee, “tell us that story.”

So the man began his account of the famous parable. He said, “There was a good Samaritan going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among the thorns, and they sprang up and choked him and left him half-dead. So he said, ‘I will arise!’ He arose and came to a tree for forty days and forty nights, and the ravens fed him. Then Delilah came along with a pair of shears and cut off his hair, and he fell on stony ground. He said again, ‘I will arise!’ So he came to a wall, and Jezebel was sitting on that wall; and he cried out, ‘Chunk her down!’ So they chunked her down. He said, ‘Chunk her down seventy times!’ And great was the fall thereof and of the fragments that remained they picked up twelve baskets full, but whose wife will she be in the Resurrection?”

We learned in the sermon another category of spiritual gifts is speaking gifts. These gifts are “teaching…wisdom…prophecy…exhortation…” All of these gifts involve verbally communicating the truths of God’s Word. The root word for “prophecy” means “to cause to shine” and thus means to bring to light by speech. It follows that each of these gifts has the ability to take the Word of God and “make it shine.”

Reflection

Comedian Jay Leno said, “ Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak.” Why are biblical teaching and other speaking gifts so crucial for a church to thrive?

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for Pastor Jim and the others in our church who have been given speaking gifts. Pray that the people in our church with speaking gifts would use them to make the Word of God shine and encourage.

We Need to Use Spiritual Gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

During quail season in Georgia, an Atlanta journalist met an old farmer hunting with an ancient pointer at his side. Twice the dog ran ahead and pointed. Twice his master fired into the open air. When the journalist saw no birds rise, he asked the farmer for an explanation. “Shucks,” grinned the old man, “I knew there weren’t no birds in that grass. Spot’s nose ain’t what it used to be, but him and me, have had some wonderful times together. He’s still doing the best he can — and it would be mighty mean of me not to encourage him at this stage of the game!”

We all need encouragement from time to time. When Christians use their spiritual gifts, the church tends to be encouraged. Paul continues to urge the church to identify their gifts and then use those gifts. You have been made and shaped by God for a specific purpose.  You are gifted by the Spirit of God for a certain job inside the body of Christ. The church needs you to do your job.

Reflection

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – all the more as you see the Day approaching.” How do you think God could use your spiritual gift to encourage someone else?

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for the encouragers in your life. Ask God to lead you to someone who needs encouragement today.