The Gifts & The Body 37: Many Members, But One Body
The Gifts & The Body 36: Identifying Your Spiritual Gift
What is a "spiritual gift?"
"Gift"- charisma- A supernatural endowment graciously bestowed on believers in Christ for the sole purpose of building up one another.
This may be more properly understood as "grace gifts."
1 Peter 4:10-11
1. Each believer has received a gift (v.10a)
2. This gift is for serving other believers (v.10b)
3. Serving one another makes us good stewards of this gift (v.10c)
4. Spiritual gifts demonstrate the manifold grace of God among the Church (v.10d)
5. The first category of spiritual gifts is "speaking" (v.11a)
6. Those with "speaking" gifts are to use them as "speaking the utterances of God" (v.11b)
7. The second category of spiritual gifts is "serving" (v.11c)
8. Those with "serving" gifts are to use them as "serving by the strength that God supplies" (v.11d)
* #6 & #8 show that spiritual gifts must be done by faith, not by flesh.
9. God is glorified through our use of spiritual gifts when they are used His way (v.11e)
Spiritual Gifts Inventory
1. I speak up for Christian principles even when what I say is not popular.
2. I enjoy encouraging and giving counsel to those who are discouraged.
3. I have an ability to study a passage of Scripture thoroughly and effectively share its truth with others.
4. I often have insights offering practical solutions to difficult problems.
5. I enjoy studying difficult questions about God’s Word and tend to find answers more easily and more quickly than others.
6. I am confident of achieving great things for the glory of God.
7. I enjoy giving money to those in serious financial need.
8. I enjoy comforting people in hospitals, prisons, or nursing homes.
9. I enjoy working behind the scenes without public recognition.
10. People seem to look to me for leadership in a group where none exists.
11. People often say I have good spiritual judgment.
12. I feel a need to speak God’s messages from the Bible to help people know what God expects of them.
13. After I talk one-on-one with people, they often are spurred to take positive action.
14. When a question arises from a difficult Bible passage, I am motivated to research the answer.
15. When they don’t know what to do, people often ask my advice.
16. Gathering information from multiple sources to find answers or information is one of my abilities.
17. I often step out and start successful projects other people won’t attempt.
18. I joyfully give money to the church well above my tithe.
19. I feel compassion for hurting and lonely people and like to spend time with them to encourage.
20. I would like to assist my pastor and other church leaders so they will have more time to accomplish their essential ministries.
21. I can easily delegate significant responsibilities to other people.
22. I am a good judge of character and can discern spiritual falsehood.
23. It is comfortable for me to apply biblical principles to present day situations.
24. I feel a need to challenge others to better themselves in their spiritual growth without condemning them.
25. Others listen to and appreciate my teaching of Scripture.
26. The Lord enables me to make appropriate application of biblical truth to practical solutions.
27. I can independently recognize difficult biblical truths and principles.
28. I trust God’s faithfulness even when everything looks bad.
29. I wouldn’t mind lowering my standard of living in order to be able to give more to the church or to others in need.
30. I want to do whatever I can for the needy people around me, even if I have to give up something.
31. I enjoy relieving others of routine tasks so they can get special projects done.
32. I am able to organize people, ideas, and projects to reach a specific goal.
33. I am able to distinguish between right and wrong in complex spiritual matters that other people can’t seem to figure out.
34. I speak clearly and am able to organize and present biblical truth so that others understand what I have to say.
35. People will tell me things they won’t tell anyone else because they find it easy to talk to me.
36. My thinking is organized and my approach systematic when presenting Bible lessons to a group.
37. I am able to interpret and apply Scripture with keen insight.
38. I will stick with a study once begun in order to develop a more complete picture.
39. I often exercise my faith through prayer, and the Lord answers my prayers in exciting ways.
40. When I give money to someone, I don’t expect anything in return, and often give anonymously.
41. When I hear of people without jobs who can’t pay their bills, I do what I can to help them.
42. I enjoy helping others get their work done.
43. I can work under pressure with discipline to accomplish established goals and objectives.
44. People come to me for help in distinguishing between spiritual truth and error.
45. I find the fundamental truths of Scripture to be worth repeating over and over.
46. I will stay with people and encourage them to finish a task once they have started it.
47. I can explain the teaching of the Bible clearly and concisely.
48. I can put ideas into words easily and can analyze and explain situations well.
49. I have understood issues or problems in the church and seen answers when others didn’t.
50. I am willing to take on difficult assignments with a determination to meet obstacles head on.
51. I desire to share my personal financial resources with others and to assist them in worthy endeavors.
52. I will lay aside my own personal desires in order to help others.
53. In difficult situations I am able to get to the heart of the problem and take steps to resolve it.
54. I can see the “big picture” of a project and am able to coordinate others who only see various parts.
55. I am able to pinpoint the sources of difficulty when evaluating a situation.
56. I challenge people to set high standards of biblical conduct for their daily activities.
57. I have deep concern for the spiritual welfare of Christians who are in a crisis.
58. I have shared biblical truth with others in a way that they have found it meaningful and helpful.
59. While discussing a problem I can share in such a way that clarifies what is needed to resolve it.
60. I study the Bible systematically, trying to see how one part relates to another.
61. I confidently expect God to respond to situations committed to Him in prayer.
62. Sharing of my financial resources for Christian ministry is one of the greatest joys of my Christian walk.
63. People tend to call on me when help is needed for someone in distress.
64. I openly share my material possessions with others when they are in need.
65. I enjoy working out the necessary details in order to organize people and resources for a more effective ministry.
66. I seem to know when a situation is not right.
67. I desire to proclaim the truth of God’s Word with authority and with conviction.
68. I enjoy sharing God’s promises from Scripture as a means of encouragement.
69. I enjoy communicating biblical truth to others and then seeing growth in their knowledge of the Christian faith.
70. I apply spiritual truth effectively in my own life.
71. I study matters thoroughly so as to locate information others often overlook.
72. I have had great dreams and aspirations which have turned into reality despite the unlikeliness of accomplishing them.
73. I feel confident when I give sacrificially that the Lord will provide for my needs.
74. I receive great satisfaction and pleasure in preparing meals or in helping those less fortunate.
75. I enjoy short-term tasks rather than long-term projects.
76. People often respect my opinion and follow my direction.
77. When counseling a person, I can identify a problem correctly.
The Gifts & The Body 35: The Spiritual Gift of Helps
The Gift of Helps
"the ability or capacity to help or assist."
This is derived from the word that means "to grasp, to lay hold of."
The God-given ability to see tasks and to do them for or with someone in order to lift external burdens. (1 Corinthians 12:28)
Choose short-range projects on which to work
Like to be told what to do
Hard worker
Stick to a task until it is finished
Likes to be reassured that their efforts are needed and appreciated
Considers any job important whether large or small
Support and help those in leadership
Takes orders well
Joins in quickly to assist when needed
The Gifts & The Body 34: The Gift of Discerning of Spirits
The Gift of "Discerning of Spirits"
"Discerning"- 1. "the ability to distinguish and evaluate,"
2. "engagement in verbal conflict because of differing viewpoints."
"[T]he ability to evaluate and judge—‘to be able to judge, ability to make judgments, ability to decide.’"
- Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 363.
"This is the spiritual capacity to determine whether a teacher, prophet, or preacher is speaking under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, his own human spirit, or the evil spirits." -William McRae
The Gift of Discerning of Spirits-
The God-given judicial ability to stand over people in order to detect genuine or non-genuine motives by distinguishing the spirit-source behind any person’s speech or act. (1 Cor 12:10)
Evaluate situations quickly and accurately
Good intuitive sense
Quickly spot weak points in a presentation
Willing and able to speak out
See hidden motives or agendas
Keen insight in seeing Biblical principles and in bringing them into practical situations
Pinpoint difficulties in a situation when things aren’t going well
Can apply principles to the decision-making process
The Gifts & The Body 33: The Gift of Prophecy
The Gift of Prophecy-
The God-given ability to set before people the Word and wisdom of God persuasively through personality as a herald. (1 Cor 12:10; 13:2, 8-9)
A strong emphasis on Biblical authority
Speak clearly, organize material well
Encourage and challenge people in matters of Biblical conduct
Look for response, results
Comfortable in working with groups of people
Confident
Ability to confront people when they are doing wrong
The Gift of "Prophecy"
Prophecy- propheteia (noun)- "the capacity or ability to utter inspired messages."
Compound word:
phemi- "speak" & pro- "before"
Prophesy- propheteuo (verb)
1. "to proclaim an inspired revelation,"
2. "to tell about something that is hidden from view,"
3. "to foretell something that lies in the future."
The Gifts & The Body 32: The Sign Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:4–11
The Gift of "Healing"
Healing- iama- "the capacity to cause someone to become healed or cured—‘the power to heal, the capacity to heal.’"
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 268.
The Gift of "Miracles"
Miracle- dunamis- "a deed manifesting great power, with the implication of some supernatural force."
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 680.
1. By false prophets in the Great Tribulation
Matthew 24:23–24
2. The mark of a true apostle in the 1st century
Acts 2:42–43
Acts 5:12
2 Corinthians 12:12
3. A validation of God's message with God being the source of power
Acts 2:22–24
Acts 4:29–30
Acts 14:1–3
"The apostles and New Testament prophets laid the foundation as they evangelized others and wrote New Testament books. The foundation was completed when the last apostle died. Although the church has continued to grow through the centuries, the foundation has remained firm and constant. No new foundation can ever be built. The revelatory and sign gifts validated the foundation, the doctrinal basis for church belief and behavior. The purposes for those gifts ceased when the apostles and prophets completed their tasks."
Robert G. Gromacki in Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 523.
The Progressive Silence of Sign Gifts
-Any use of "tongues" after 1 Corinthians speaks to either the digestive organ in the mouth or the dialect of Gentile people. It is never used again in reference to a sign gift.
-Any mention of "miracle" after 1 Corinthians refers to either the authentication of an apostle (2 Cor 12:12) or is attributed to God alone (Gal 3:5; Heb 2:4). These last two references emphasize the message of the gospel as greater than the Law.
The uses of "healing" after 1 Corinthians speak of physical or metaphorical restoration, but not through the means of a sign gift (Heb 12:13; James 5:16; 1 Pet 2:24; Rev 22:2).
Hebrews 2:1–4
Acts 19:11–12
Acts 20:7–12
1 Timothy 5:23
Finally, an account of "signs and wonders" after 1 Corinthians refers to the work of the Antichrist (2 Thess 2:9) or the authentication of the message of the apostles (2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4).
The Gifts & The Body 31: The Spiritual Gift of Faith
The Gift of "Faith"
"a special endowment of faith for a special service"- F.F. Bruce
"Wonder-working faith"- Vincent
The Gift of Faith-
The God-given ability to see through mountainous problems to the Ultimate Resource with the vision that it is timely to rely absolutely on both God’s ability and willingness to perform in this particular matter. (1 Corinthians 12:9; 13:2).
Can quickly change from one task to another
Confident
Persuasive in getting others to join in on a project
Challenge people to assume greater responsibilities to accomplish what needs to be done
Set a pace for others
Determined in spite of difficulties when working on a project
Make decisions quickly, act quickly
Willing to tackle the seemingly impossible
Strong rest in God
A leader
"Many of the most useful men in the church are distinguished mainly for their simple confidence in the promises of God; and often accomplish more by prayer and by their faith in God than others do who are distinguished for their wisdom and learning.
Humble piety and reliance in the divine promises, and that measure of ardour, fearlessness, and zeal which result from such confidence; that belief that all obstacles must be and will be overcome that oppose the gospel; and that God will secure the advancement of his cause, will often do infinitely more in the promotion of his kingdom than the most splendid endowments of learning and talent.
The Gifts & The Body 30: The Spiritual Gift of Knowledge
The Gift (Word) of "Knowledge"
"A person who has an insatiable desire to study exhaustively every facet of a subject, leaving no stone unturned, and to bring it forward, and to organize it, and put it forth in such manageable fashion that someone else can take it and use it." -Radmacher
"It is the ability to be able to comprehend the Word of God and to see unifying principles in the Word of God. It is the ability to put the doctrines of Scripture into a meaningful whole." -Fruchtenbaum
The Gift of Knowledge-
The God-given ability to arrange the facts of Scripture, to categorize these into principles, and to communicate them to repeated or familiar situations.(1 Corinthians 12:8; 1 Corinthians 13:2, 8; 14:6)
Enjoy study, digging for facts or details
Persistent, thorough
More task-centered than people-oriented as a rule
Tend to become impatient with people who fail to learn
Very precise
Patient, stay with the project until completed in all its details
Continually looking, searching for new information or data
Enjoy talking to well-informed people
Logical, scientific, serious
Tend to avoid games or discussion on deeply personal matters
"The gift of knowledge is the ability to perceive and systematize the great facts God has hidden in His Word. A person exercising this gift is able to recognize the key and important facts of Scripture as a result of investigation. The gift of wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to apply those insights to a specific situation. It is wisdom that puts knowledge to work."
Ray C. Stedman, Body Life: The Book That Inspired a Return to the Church’s Real Meaning and Mission, Revised Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1995), 63.
The Pitfalls of the Gift of Knowledge
1. Arrogance- Because of such great learning, superiority sets in. The point of the gift is to edify the Body. -1 Cor 12:7
2. Insensitive- Facts can be cold, but the one who ascertains them should not be.
-1 Cor 8:1
3. Misapplication- Are these truths changing the one with the gift?
4. Underappreciated- Feels that the time, sacrifice, and skill exercised was in vain. -Col 3:23-
The Gifts & The Body 29: The Gift of Wisdom
The Gift of "Wisdom"
"Wisdom is intelligence, then practical action in accord with it." -Robertson
"The supernatural power to speak with divine insight, whether in solving difficult problems, defending the faith, resolving conflicts, giving practical advice, or pleading one’s case before hostile authorities." -William MacDonald
The Gift of Wisdom-
The God-given ability to locate formerly unknown principles as well as to combine known principles of God’s Word and to communicate them to fresh situations (1 Corinthians 12:8).
Understand complex matters quickly
Easily pick out main points (a view to the practical)
Can come up with alternatives when faced with difficult situations
Consistent
Try to discern God’s mind in daily activities
Assist people sometimes at the risk of being misunderstood
Very responsible in tasks undertaken
Ability to make decisions quickly and to put ideas into words
Confident
Able to take details and puts them together to make a complete picture
A Common Mistake
The Gift of Wisdom is NOT advice from worldly sources, "the school of hard knocks," or clever stories that should be accepted because they are "logical."
The Church is NOT the world.
It is not a strategy that "works."
"The word of wisdom doesn’t come from one’s ability to figure out a situation. It is supernaturally given to answer a question or solve a problem." -Jon Courson
(1 Corinthians 3:18-23)