Jeff Garrett's Blog: May 2009

What is a spiritual gift? A spiritual gift is a God-given skill or ability that enables Christians to be fruitful and fulfilled as they edify the body of Christ. Some people confuse the gifts of the Spirit with the gift of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. These three are not synonymous. The gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38) is the Holy Spirit himself, who indwells every Christian. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) are the Christ-like qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in us such as love, joy, peace, patience, etc. But the gifts of the Spirit are God-given skills or abilities that enable every Christian to be fruitful and fulfilled as they edify the body of Christ. ........................................................................................... Don’t wait on some church program to use your spiritual gifts. Ask God to help you use your spiritual gifts every day as you go about your normal routine. Use your gifts at home, work, school, and community. If you want to volunteer for a ministry a church that’s great, but don’t wait for the church to organize something for you. Think, pray, experiment, and fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you (2 Timothy 1:6). Listen for feedback. Consider the results. When you use your gifts asked simple questions like: Did it help someone or something? Did it glorify Jesus Christ? Was it fruitful? Was it fulfilling? If you answer yes to one or more of these questions you may be on track. It’s really exciting and I hope you will share with me what you learn about yourself and your spiritual gifts. But it’s really up to you. It’s a special, on-going conversation between you and Jesus. You’re not relying on the church to organize a program. You have a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ and you are eager to learn what he wants you to do and how he has gifted you to serve. So, I encourage you to take risks, stretch, grow, and begin to discover and use your spiritual gifts. Click on this link and you will find 101 ways to use your spiritual gifts http://www.servantevangelism.com/matrix/matrix.htm - - Below are brief descriptions of some of the spiritual gifts are discussed in Scripture. ........................................................................................... Administration: 1 Corinthians 1.28 The special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals. This gift is a leadership gift and is often characterized by people who lead the body by steering others to remain on task. These people generally are concerned with the details of how to accomplish tasks, and tend to be masters at delegating specific tasks to other people according to their gifts and talents. Scriptures: Luke 14:28-30; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Titus 1:5. ........................................................................................... Craftsmanship: Exodus 31.1-5 The special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ who practice a craft with great skill. Although this gift is not mentioned in the New Testament, the Lord said of Bezalel in Exodus 31.1-5 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.” ........................................................................................... Evangelism: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to readily share the gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women often become Jesus’ disciples and responsible members of the Body of Christ. This gift is a practical gift. While the task of evangelism is an important spiritual exercise that all Christians should be involved with, God gifts certain members with an ability to have unusual sensitivity to someone who is ready to accept Christ, and will generally have greater success in leading people to Christ than other Christians. People with this gift should be active in training others to share their faith. Scriptures: Acts 8:5-6, 26-40; Ephesians 4:11-14; 2 Timothy 4:5. ........................................................................................... Encouragement: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to minister words of comfort, consolation, encouragement, and counsel to other members of the Body in such a way that they feel helped and healed." This gift is a communication gift. Those who use this gift within a teaching or ministry situation are often driven to give practical application to their insights. Often, those gifted in this gift desire step-by-step plans of action to help others mature in Christ. Encouragers often find it natural to discover insights from personal experience when validated and amplified in Scripture. Scripture: Luke 3:16-18; Acts 11:23; 14:22; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 4:12; 5:1; Hebrews 10:25. ........................................................................................... Faith: 1 Cor 12.8-10 The special ability that God gives certain members of the Body of Christ to discern with extraordinary confidence the will and purposes of God for His work. Those with this gift often scare other people with their confidence. People with this gift are often very irritated by criticism, as they consider it to be criticism against God and His will. Probably the biggest danger for those with this gift is that they often try to project their gift onto other people. Scriptures: Acts 11:22-24; 27:21-25; Romans 4:18-21; 1 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 11. ........................................................................................... Giving: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to contribute their material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality and cheerfulness. While all Christians should practice the discipline of giving, God gifts certain members of the body to give remarkably greater amounts of their income with liberality and great joy. You don’t have to be wealthy to have this gift. People with this gift have an acute awareness that all they have belongs to the Lord and they are merely stewards, therefore they know that God will supply their needs and richly bless them in their giving. Scriptures: Matt 6:2-4; Mark 12:41-44;Luke 21:1-4, Rom 12:8; 1 Cor 13:3; 2 Cor 8:1-7; 9:2-8; Phi 4:14-19. ........................................................................................... Helps: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to invest the talents they have in the life and ministry of other members of the Body, thus enabling those others to increase the effectiveness of their own spiritual gifts. People with this gift often enjoy doing routine tasks in order to free others to do the ministry God has called them to do. People with this gift are often not looking for recognition for the work they do. Scriptures: Mark 15:40-41; Luke 8:2-3; Acts 9:36; Romans 16:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Timothy 1:16-18. Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion. Service focuses on accomplishing tasks that may otherwise go undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church toward completion. ........................................................................................... Hospitality: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to provide an open house and a warm welcome to those in need of food and lodging." Those with this gift have an acute awareness of visitors and have a desire to make all people feel welcome. People with this gift enjoy visitors in their home, and are usually not bothered if someone stops by and their home is not spotless. Scriptures: Acts 16:14-15; Romans 12:9-13; 16:23; Hebrews 13:1-2; 1 Peter 4:9. ........................................................................................... Intercession: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their prayers. Those with this gift often feel compelled to pray for specific requests when they are made known. Gifted intercessors have a greater occurrence of specific answers to prayer than most Christians. Many intercessors experience times when God moves them to pray for situations when they are not entirely sure what they are praying for. Scriptures: Luke 22:41-44; Acts 12:12; Rom 8:26-27; Col 1:9-12; 4:12-13; 1 Tim 2:1-2; James 5:14-16. ........................................................................................... Knowledge: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to discover, accumulate, analyze, and clarify information and ideas which are pertinent to the well-being of the Body." Those with the gift of knowledge love to be 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. 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 Tim 2:15. ........................................................................................... Leadership: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to set goals in accordance with God’s purpose for the future and to communicate these goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God." People with this gift are often focused on the greater goal of the group and are not overly concerned with the details. Leaders delegate tasks and details to others to accomplish the greater goal. Leaders are visionaries. Leaders have followers-a visionary without followers is not a leader. Scriptures: Romans 12.8 Luke 9:51; Acts 6:1-7; 15:7-11; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17. ........................................................................................... Mercy: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals (both Christian and non-Christian) who suffer from distressing problems, and to translate that compassion into cheerfully done deeds which reflect Christ’s love and alleviate the suffering.” Scriptures: Matthew 20:29-34; 25:24-40; Mark 9:41; Luke 10:33-35; Acts 11:28-30; 16:33-34; Romans 12:8; Jude 22-23. Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion. Service focuses on accomplishing little tasks that may otherwise go undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church toward completion. ........................................................................................... Missionary: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to minister whatever other spiritual gifts they have in a culture other than their own. Those with this gift find it easy or exciting to adjust to a different culture or community. Missionaries find great joy working with minorities, people of other countries, or those with other distinct cultural differences. Those with this gift have a strong desire to be a part of the fulfillment of the Great Commission around the world. Scriptures: Eph 3.6-8, Acts 8:4; 13:1-4; 22:21; Romans 10:15; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 ........................................................................................... Singing/Music - The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to present personal witness and inspiration to others through singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs and/or playing instruments. Scripture: Eph 5.19, Col 3.16, Psalm 96:1-9, Psalm 100:1-2, Psalm 149:1-2. Psalm 33:1-5, Psalm 150. ........................................................................................... Pastor: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to assume a long-term personal responsibility for the welfare of a group of believers." Those with the gift of pastoring have a great need for long-term relationships. Shepherds will sacrificially give themselves to other people in such a way that they are built-up in their faith. Shepherds take personal responsibility for the successes and failures of those in the group that they invest themselves in. You do not have to be an elder to have this gift. Scriptures: John 10:1-18; Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 5:1-4. ........................................................................................... Prophecy: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to communicate a message of God to His people with authority and urgency. Those with the gift of prophecy will often feel as though they have a word from God that will guide, warn, or rebuke the Body of Christ. Prophets are concerned about evangelism and will have a desire speak strongly against evil in society or in the church. Prophets have a great sense of urgency to their message. Unless paired with the gifts of exhortation or teaching, prophets will often not feel the need to explain their message, but will expect immediate response. Scripture: Luke 7:26; Acts 15:32; 21:9-11; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 14:3, 24-25, 29, 36-38; Ephesians 4:11-14. ........................................................................................... Service: "The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God’s work, and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired results." Those with the gift of service enjoy doing routine tasks. Those with this gift enjoy menial tasks and do them cheerfully. Service-oriented people would rather take orders than give them. Scripture: John 12:26; Acts 6:1-7; Romans 12:6-7; Galatians 6:2, 9-10; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Titus 3:14. Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion. Service focuses on accomplishing tasks that may otherwise go undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church toward completion. ........................................................................................... Teaching: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of the Body and its members in such a way that others will learn. People with the gift of teaching enjoy studying the Bible and related materials in order to communicate what they have learned to other Christians. Those with this gift find it easy to organize vast amounts of information in such a way as to make it easy to communicate, understand, and remember. Scriptures: Mat 7:28-29; 28:19-20; Acts 15:32; Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:10, 28; Eph 4:11-14 ........................................................................................... Wisdom: The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to know how given knowledge may best be applied to specific needs arising inside and outside the Body of Christ. Those with this gift have an excellent ability to apply spiritual truth to everyday life. Often, people in the church naturally seek out people with this gift when they are facing complicated spiritual problems. When a person with this gift considers past experience, they realize that they often make good and correct decisions and judgments. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12.8; Proverbs 4:5-8; Acts 6:3, 10; 15 ........................................................................................... Note: Encouragement or Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching are considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these gifts. Encouragement or Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application of the message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses purely on the message or truth to be communicated. Teaching focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or truth being communicated. Note: The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian works and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy focuses on people in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion. Service focuses on accomplishing little tasks that may otherwise go undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or church toward completion. ........................................................................................... References Discover Your Spiritual Gifts (1995). Peter Wagner .......... He Gave Gifts: Bible Study Guide (1992). Charles Swindol .......... Purpose Drive Church (1997) Rick Warren .......... Spiritual Gifts Discovery Tool (2004). www.cforc.com .......... Team Ministry: A Guide to Spiritual Gifts and Lay Involvement (1990) Larry Gilbert

I want to explain something and then say something. First, I want to explain our approach to evangelism. Our approach to evangelism is service oriented (showing God's love through kindness, meeting needs, inviting, etc) and it is sort of seasonal. We share Christ in season and out but I love when the season hits. I view summer and winter as "out of season" and fall and spring as "in season". During the sunny days of summer people vacation and during the cold days of the dead of winter they tend to stay in. In-season hits in the fall about September (when school starts) and climaxes with Christmas. Then the winter lull. The spring season begins around the last of Feb - peaks at Easter, then lingers till mid-May. This is important to understand (for me at least) because it helps us plan ahead. We have a strategy for sharing Christ -- it's sort of like a fall and spring campaign. We've prayed about it, we're excited about it and God is blessing it! God has poured out a double blessing on our church this spring. God has sent us many people who are either searching for God and/or a church home. You have done an excellent job bringing your friends to the assembly and many of them keep coming back. In fact, nine families and two singles and four Marshall students keep coming back. Praise God! Second, here's want I want to say. We need to finish strong. We began this spring "campaign" together in late Feb. Remember, you responded by praying and bringing a friend and they came - 370+ people on Easter! Many of them stayed. But the summer lull is almost here. The Marshall students will be leaving, families will be going on vacation, etc. all this is good and natural and we plan for it. But we need to finish strong. Here's how - three things. 1) Strengthen your relationships with newcomers. Show them the love of God. Do simple little acts of kindness over and over. Don't preach or pressure them. Build a bridge so Jesus can walk across and save them. Invite them to join a small group. Encourage them. Pay attention to their needs, hurts, etc. Cry with them, laugh with them, stay in tune with them and when the time is right put in a good word for Jesus. Share your story. If they ask to study the Bible and you need help call one of the elders (or me). 2) Pray for them. Pray they make a commitment to Christ. Pray they make our church their home before June. Ask God to keep them from drifting away and draw them to himself and us. We'll show them the love of Christ. Just pray for them. 3) Pray for me - this Sunday I will be preaching about fellowship and I want our newcomers to respond. I am going to interview two people (Jason Moore and Megan Hensley) and they are going to share why they made Norway their church home. Then I am going to preach Acts 2. Pray I do a good job. Lets finish strong. Love, Jeff P.S. We're already working on summer outreaches - we are so excited about it and will share it with you soon.

Jeff Garrett's Blog

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Saturday, May 23, 2009

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Finish strong

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Allen and Jeanie are headed for the 2009 NEXT Saddleback Conference in Cinci