What Does My Gift Mean? (Finding Your Gifts pt. 2)
Sunday Morning
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream
5/16/21
{All scriptures are NIV unless stated}
Have you taken your Spiritual Gifts test?
Here is the online link:
https://giftstest.com/test
We discussed 2 weeks ago the importance of knowing what your Spiritual Gifts are.
We’ve learned:
God has poured out many things on us.
Each of us has a purpose for being here.
That purpose is something that is created to give God glory.
But not only do we have a purpose, we have gifts that God has given us also!
Every person has gifts given to them from God himself.
Romans 12:6-8
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Your gifts will do great things for you when you use them.
We talked about Joseph and what his gift did in making room for your purpose.
Proverbs 18:16 (NKJV)
16 A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
So we have gifts from God.
We have taken the tests and know what it says.
The great thing about these tests is it shows us multiple gifts.
What do these words mean?
How do we apply them?
How do we use them for the greater good?
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be discussing them.
Why?
Because they’re our gifts!!
They’re nothing to be ashamed of!
It’s what God has gifted us for!
It’s what we’re to be working in!
For the benefit of each other!
Let’s talk about them:
Spiritual Gift:
Administration:
(Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
-Spiritual gift that God gives to some members to build up the church. The word in greek also describes the ability to lead or hold a position of leadership.
Let’s look at what the definition says:
- According to this, God gives this to some members to build up the church.
1 Corinthians 12:28
28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
All of these are tied under the same heading…
What God appointed in the church.
“And in the church God has appointed…those with gifts of administration.”
If You Have The Gift Of Administration, God Gave It To You To Build Up The Church
- The word says you have the ability to lead or hold a position of leadership.
This means you have an ability to be able to lead, manage, plan, organize and supervise.
Those With The Gift Of Administration Can Lead, Plan, Organize And Supervise.
This doesn’t make you perfect at each of these.
It means God gave you an extra ability to do these.
It also means you can grow in these areas.
You might be great at planning, but you aren’t good at leading.
You might be great at leading, but not good at organizing.
It shows where there’s room for growth.
Administration In Action:
Exodus 18:1
18 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Jethro was a priest of Midian.
He had heard of what God did for Moses and the Israelites in Egypt.
He went to meet them.
Verse 13-16
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.”
Moses served as the judge for the problems the people had.
It was estimated to be as many as 2.5 million people who left Egypt during the Exodus.
He said, the people come to him to seek God’s will.
So he had to see them because they wanted God’s will.
Moses was the only judge who spent the whole time trying to get their issues worked out.
Verse 17-23
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
Jethro showed Moses how to better administrate.
BOTH of them had the gift.
Moses was able to lead, but needed help with organizing and planning.
Jethro was able to help with that.
Your Gift Of Administration Is There To Help Make Things More Effective And Efficient!
There are many good ideas that don’t work because the foundation wasn’t strong.
Great ideas need great planning.
Even with Moses seeing everyone alone…how long would that last?
But there are things to be careful of when dealing with these gifts also.
2 Things Administrators Need To Be Careful Of:
- Misunderstanding Your Gift
Having the gift of administration doesn’t mean you are called to lead the group/church/organization.
The great thing about GLC is we have different ministries.
Some of them might need better help organizing and planning for growth.
They may have events or ideas that need to be planned and organized.
There are different DP-12 groups you can help with.
2 Things Administrators Need To Be Careful Of:
- Thinking Your Way Is The Only/Best Way
This goes for people who are in administration positions already also.
There are a lot of companies who refuse to listen to anyone outside of their own advisors.
It happens in the church also.
If you served as Head Deacon of the Usher board for 20 years, never assume things can’t be better.
God can speak to others also!
You aren’t the only one with the Administrator gift.
Moses way DID work, but Jethro made it more effective!
What if Moses was unwilling to listen or offended because Jethro had an idea?
If You Have The Gift Of Administration, We Need You!
We need your ideas!
We need your gifts!
Each one of our gifts are designed to work together for God!
Spiritual Gift:
Discernment:
(A Dictionary Of The Bible)
- To discern is to separate things so as to distinguish them.
To discern something is to be able to determine what something is vs what it is not.
for example:
Genesis 27:17-27
17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
Isaac can’t see well at all.
He is about to give his blessing to his oldest son before he dies.
Jacob is about to steal the blessing from his brother Esau.
His mother put him up to it…but this was very serious.
Isaac had a lot, and ALL of it, including the hand of God is about to go to the wrong son.
All of this is a lie.
Isaac seems to think something is weird.
Verse 21
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. 25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.
Isaac was unable to tell what was going on because he was tricked by his wife and younger son.
You’d think he knows his sons…but he’s being tricked.
Verse 23
23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
But in the King James it’s more specific.
Genesis 27:23 (KJV)
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
Isaac was unable to see the truth through the lie.
People With Discernment Are Good At Finding The Real Truth When It Comes To Things Of God
It can happen when listening to others talk about God.
When you hear something someone says and it doesn’t “sit right” in your spirit.
When someone tells you what the word says, and you get the feeling “that’s not right.”
It also works for people too!
When you can look at someone and tell if they’re genuine or not.
You might not know everything, but you know something isn’t right.
It’s Not A Gut Feeling, It’s A God Feeling!
Because it’s a gift from God…
It’s given for the sake of others.
Your Gift Of Discernment Is There To Help Others Better See Attacks Of The Enemy!
Your gift can save others from attacks of the enemy.
God can reveal things to you that others can’t see!
1 Thing People With Discernment Need To Be Careful Of:
- You Better Make Sure
When it comes to seeing things others can’t. You have to make sure you’re right.
It’s okay to make judgement calls…but falsely accusing someone is very bad.
Matthew 7:1
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
People out here will label true Men of God as demons because THEY don’t like them.
That’s not discernment.
If someone makes you angry, and now they’re a bad person…that’s NOT discernment.
If you call someone in the middle of the night and they don’t answer…believing they aren’t for your good is NOT discernment.
Spiritual Gift:
Evangelism:
(Evangelical Dictionary Of Biblical Theology)
- “To evangelize” is to proclaim the good news of the victory of God’s salvation.
This one is easy.
All of us are to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation!
Psalm 96:3
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
We should declare his glory among the nations!
The great things!
The marvelous deeds among his people!
We used the great commission scripture from earlier.
There are others to say how we are to share the gospel with everyone of God’s greatness!
Those With The Gift Of Evangelism Have A Great Ability To Share The Gospel With Others
Not everyone who learned about God learned in the church.
Some learned from Grandma who had the gift of evangelism.
Some learned from their parents.
Some learned from their friends.
Your Gift Gives You A Way With Words Many Don’t Have
You have the ability to be interesting.
You have the ability to reach people.
1 Thing People With Evangelism Gifts Need To Be Careful Of:
- It’s More Than Just Telling People About Jesus
It’s not JUST about getting people in the door as getting them the ability to grow.
People don’t always make lifestyle changes over a 5 minute conversation.
You want people to stick with it.
Make Sure To Invite Them To Church!
In person, or live stream!
Make Sure To Suggest Materials To Help Them!
Bibles, Study Bibles…commentaries…etc!
Spiritual Gift:
Exhortation:
{one of my gifts}
(Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible)
- Translation of a greek work literally meaning “a calling of someone alongside to help.” In the NT, its primary meaning is urging of someone to do something. The word in other contexts also means to comfort and consoling.
If You Have The Gift Of Exhortation, Your Words Can Inspire Others!
Luke 3:7-18 (Read on Your Own Time)
In this passage John exhorted people to literally change their ways.
People who have this gift find that they are good encouragers.
People who have this gift find they can inspire others to be all God has called them to be.
Those With The Gift Of Exhortation Can Help The Church By Encouraging Others!
Acts 15:32
32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
Your words hold weight!
The Bible tells you who have that gift to use it!
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
You have the gift of being able to support others.
Every one can use a pat on the back every so often.
Every one needs encouragement every now and again.
If you have the gift of exhortation, your words are powerful.
Spend more time encouraging others.
It’s your gift.
1 Thing People With Exhortation Gifts Need To Be Careful Of:
- Remember Your Words Are Powerful And Can Influence
Make sure you are working to inspire others to be all that God has called them to be.
Don’t influence others for your gain.
Don’t ask for money.
Don’t make this about you.
God Chose You To Be The Vehicle, Not The Driver
Also remember that because your words can influence:
Make sure you constantly build others…because your words can tear down also.
Your gifts are important.
They are meant to help others and build the kingdom.
Online Spiritual Gifts Test:
https://giftstest.com/test
This test will tell you the top 5 gifts you have.
The physical copy will rank 12 different gifts for you.
If you haven’t taken a test like this in over a year, you should retake it.
One gift might have gotten stronger than the other.
Because we are working towards purpose and achieving your divine potential here.
We want to know your results so we can help you find a place in ministry to help us.
Many times we want to serve but don’t know where to start.
Knowing your spiritual gifts is a GREAT start!
