Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The Holy Spirit is just as much alive today as He was when the New Testament was written. Before we move forward in exploring the dynamics of Knowing Our Spiritual Gifts, we need to accept all the work of God through the Holy Spirit in modern times just as the disciples were called to accept the work of the Holy Spirit over 2000 years ago.

IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS Understanding and knowing what God says about Spiritual Gifts is the starting place of our journey. Even though man has many opinions about the topic, God has plenty to say about His gifts to us – after all, He is the giver of these gifts. Many Christians choose to “stay in the dark” as to the full understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ignorance is not bliss! If I was to give you a gift and you choose not to open it, you will never have the privilege of using the gift for its intended purpose. The same thing goes for our spiritual gifts, we were given these gifts upon the day of our salvation and God expects us to open the package and use the gift to accomplish His purposes.

It is my desire for each person that goes through this study to experience the fullness of His gifting within them. It is the responsibility of your church leadership to help you discover your gifting. Do not hesitate to contact your pastor to get your questions answered. This study is to start the process of you embracing all that God has for you regarding His spiritual gifts.

STEPHEN R. PHINNEY is the President and co-founder of the Institute Of Ministry (IOM America). Steve is also the co-founder of the Men Mapping Outreach Ministry. A ministry dedicated to equipping men to be protectors of women, children, community and nation. Dr. Phinney has authored teaching series such as the Alpha & Omega, Men & Warfare, New Covenant Living, Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts, Faithful Father and others relating to spiritual growth. Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Masters in Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate in Ministry. He and his wife Jane have three grown daughters and four grandchildren. Steve and Jane reside in Sterling, KS. IOM America P.O. Box 71 Sterling, KS 67579 www.iomamerica.org KSG1002

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Pre-edit version

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Revised Standard (NASB),  1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1973 by the Lockman Foundation, are used by permission. Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts ISBN: In application process Printed in the United States of America Copyright  2004 by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney IOM America P.O. Box 71 Sterling, KS 67579 602-292-2985 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Phinney, Stephen Ray Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts/by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney. In application process.

 2004 IOM America Sterling, KS

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Dedicated to:

Quintin Eason A son in-law who became a true son! It is a delight watching God reveal Himself to you as you discover His gifting within you!

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS Section

Page

Introduction Ignorance Is Not Bliss A Few Things To Keep In Mind Using Your Elders For Understanding Do Not Look Down On Your Youthfulness Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts First Things First The Body of Christ Is Like A Tool Box Who Gets The Gifts? God Gives The Gifts And A Calling Manifestations As We Gather

5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 10 10

OCCUPATIONAL GIFTS Gaining Understanding Prophecy Teaching Exhortation Leadership Apostle Administration Pastor Service Evangelist Mercy Giving MANIFESTATION GIFTS Gaining Understanding

13 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33

Word of Wisdom Word of Knowledge Faith Discerning of Spirits Healing Miracles Kinds of Tongue

35 36 37 38 39 39 40 40 41

IN CONCLUSION Some Final Things Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Act Unbecoming The Superior Gift

43 44 45

Not To Be Childish Children

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Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts INTRODUCTION “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The Holy Spirit is just as much alive today as He was when the New Testament was written. Before we move forward in exploring the dynamics of Knowing Our Spiritual Gifts, we need to accept all the work of God through the Holy Spirit in modern times just as the disciples were called to accept the work of the Holy Spirit over 2000 years ago.

A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND There are four requirements presented in the scriptures that each of us will need to embrace before we can discover the fullness of His gifting in us: 1. We must have the Holy Spirit living within us. (Born-again Christian) 2. Do not to be afraid of having the Holy Spirit live and operate through us in the capacity He desires to manifest through us. 3. We should desire to have the Body of Christ function in the capacity it is intended and designed to operate – being willing to allow God to use us to edify one another. 4. We should join god where God is at work, not following our flesh or using God’s gifts to benefit ourselves.

THINGS TO COME Here are a few topics to look forward to in this study:  Discovering your spiritual gifts  The Body of Christ is like a tool box  Who gets these gifts  What is a spiritual gift?  Understanding the Occupational Gifts  Understanding the Manifestation Gifts  Spiritual testing

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USING YOUR ELDERS FOR UNDERSTANDING The Lord Jesus reveals to us in 1 Timothy 4:14;”Do no neglect the spiritual gifts within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery (church leadership). It is my desire for each person that goes through this study to experience the fullness of His gifting within them. It is the responsibility of your church leadership to help you discover your gifting. Do not hesitate to contact your pastor to get your questions answered. This study is to start the process of you embracing all that God has for you regarding His spiritual gifts.

DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON YOUR YOUTHFULNESS Many people do not think they are mature enough to use their gifting or they think that they have not been saved long enough to be used by God fully. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you have received the Holy Spirit upon salvation, you are qualified to be used by God. 1 Timothy 4:11-16 tells us: “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gifts within you, which were bestowed upon you; through the prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; preserve in these things; for as you this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” God wants us to be prescribing and teaching these things. Prescribing meaning, writing them down, and then teaching them to the Body of Christ. We are being called by God to know our gifting. We are not to look down on our youthfulness. He wants us to speak with the power of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us. He allows the fruit of the Holy Spirit to show through our conduct, His love, appropriating the measure of faith He has put within us and walk in the purity of His light while we live. In fact, we are to be examples to those who are Christians, teaching them by example how to walk after the Spirit and operating in the fullness of His gifting within us. How do we accomplish this? It is accomplished by being devoted to the scriptures. Since the Word of God is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword, by teaching what God’s Word says, we will exhort one another to function in their God given gifts.

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God wants us to take pains with these things – take this matter on as a burden. He desires for us to be absorbed in them, soak them up like a sponge. This is how we reveal our progress in our walk with Him to the world around us. When people see God’s gifting flowing through us, they see God! Lastly, God wants us to pay close attention to our teachings regarding this topic. This topic needs to be handled by God through us. Many churches have been divided over the topic of spiritual gifts. The gifts are for unity, not to bring more division.

DISCOVERING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS You have just begun the process of discovering your spiritual gifts. Some of you have known for many years and some may be just “looking into it.” In either case, God knows you are interested in Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts. Here is a list of items to keep in mind as you explore the realities of God’s gifts: 1. Be willing to explore what God has for you. Read each of the scriptures stated in this study. Use this booklet as a Bible Study. Pray through each scripture. Learn what the gifs are, how they are used, what characterizes them and how they function within the Body of Christ. 2. Don’t lean upon your feelings. Many look to their feelings to label their gift. God will reveal your gift(s) through the presbytery (elders) of your church. The Spirit will bear witness with the process and the location of the gift if it is of God. It is true that when you are functioning in your gift, you will “feel” like you have found your “niche.” When or if you are functioning in a task that is not your gifting, you will “feel like a fish out of water.” You just won’t be able to function in a comfortable and free manner. It is a true statement that God does not strap you with a gift you will not enjoy. 3. When functioning in your gifting, you will see the positive results. Since spiritual gifts are designed to benefit the Body of Christ, not yourself, you should see the fruit developed in the lives of the people you are helping. You will not see a positive result if you are using your gift to exalt yourself or by using a gift, you really don’t have. 4. Expect confirmation from the Body of Christ. It is a good idea to allow the Body of Christ to be a part of the process of confirming your gifting. God speaks through the Body. People observing us are equally as important as the Spirit’s revelation in our prayer time. That’s because it is the same thing. If you believe you have particular gifts and no one else agrees with you, then you should go to the presbytery (church leadership) for confirmation. 5. The Lord is the One to lead you to discovering your gift. Even though God uses the above process, God reveals His gifts in you. Remember that He is the gift Giver and He knows what is in His “gift bag.” 6. As God reveals more of His supernatural ways, you openly accept His manifestations of the Spirit in a manner that is worthy of His calling. Do not limit God to your human reasoning – let God be God even in your gifting.

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FIRST THINGS FIRST Before you can move forward in Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts, you need to be willing to be sacrificed. Allow me to explain. Romans 12:1 tells us; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this work; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Before God moves through us mightily, He needs to know that you and I are willing to be used in any way He desires. We must be Holy (walk after the Spirit), acceptable to God (in His Son). When we are doing things of the world (walking after the flesh), you can pretty much forget your gifting being manifested within you by the Lord. God will not use His precious gifting to better the world. He only uses His gifting to better the Kingdom of God. Of course, that leaves us with a small problem, what if the mind is worldly? Then it is time for renewal. Our lives are transformed into the image of Christ through the process of having our minds renewed. There is nothing you can do to renew your mind; reading, praying, talking, listening or having hands laid on you will renew you. This renewal process is a Spirit work. As we set our minds on heavenly things, we then are allowing the Holy Spirit (who lives within us if we are saved) to renew our minds. When we set our mind on worldly things, we act worldly. When we set our mind on the Spirit within us, we then experience being Spiritually minded, having Spiritual thoughts, then Spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:13). When we lay our lives down as a living sacrifice and then allow the Holy Spirit to renew our worldly minds, then we can prove to the world (and fellow Christians) what is good, truly acceptable and what the perfect will of God is. This is accomplished by and through God using His gifts within His children.

THE BODY OF CHRIST IS LIKE A TOOL BOX The Word says that we are the very Body of Christ. We also are to understand that we are all individual parts that make up this Body (Romans 12:4). Christ is the head over the body just as your head is in charge of your body. Your body does what the head decides to do – that is why your mind needs daily renewal. Your thoughts need to be yielded to the Holy Spirit. Let’s take a look at Romans 12:4-8; “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have Gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly…” Picture the Body of Christ as a toolbox and the tools within the toolbox are the members of the Body of Christ. God is the Owner of the Fix and Repair Shop, Jesus is the manager and the Holy Spirit is the mechanic. Individual members of the Body of Christ are the tools the Holy Spirit uses. The Owner determines the project and all those who work for the Owner use all their very being to carry out the commands and desires of the One who owns all things.

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I would think that it would be critical for the Holy Spirit to know everything there is to know about the tools within the toolbox. The Holy Spirit does know the design and function of each tool in order to carry out the will of the Owner (Heavenly Father). Therefore, it now becomes quite important for the tools to be who they are and not attempt to be anything other than themselves. Imagine one or more of the tools trying to be another tool instead of being who they are – you know, a screwdriver tries to do the job of a pair of pliers. Sounds silly huh? Not really! This is exactly what the Body of Christ has the tendency to do. Tools trying to be like tools they admire. Tools want to be like tools that seem to have greater importance and rewards. Tools want to be in the hands of the mechanic more than not. If I were a tool, I certainly would not want to be in the hands of the mechanic as much as possible. In fact, it would be fun to be the mechanic’s favorite tool! Also, imagine that these tools having legs, arms, mouths and minds of their own. Now we have some potential problems. When the mechanic reaches into the toolbox to get the right tool to do the Owner’s will, one or more of these tools are running around the shop doing their own thing, it makes it challenging to get anything done. What is the mechanic to do? Well, He will use the tools that are willing and waiting. For the waiting tools are secure in their design. They will wait on the mechanic as long as it takes to do the part of the job they were designed to do. Think of the work the mechanic could get done if every tool accepted who they were, understood their purpose and was willing and ready to be used by the mechanic. Wow! We could have the world “fixed” in no time. I certainly hope you are seeing the parallel. God has many members to His Son’s Body. Within each of these members, God has carefully and methodically placed His Gifts to accomplish the work assigned to His Son and the Holy Spirit. Having each member exercise their gifting when the Holy Spirit calls upon them, would pull the Body of Christ together and unify the Church in such a way that the world, flesh and the devil would be in serious trouble. Don’t get me wrong, God is in control and He is accomplishing all of what needs to be done, fully knowing He doesn’t have full cooperation with His Son’s own Body. However, God certainly is calling us to join Him where He is at work. The Body members joining Him where He is at work will add to the proving of the will of the Father to the world, all of flesh and even to the enemy, Satan.

WHO GETS THE GIFTS? The Lord has not given everybody a gift(s), only those who have accepted the Lord into their lives. Once a person has accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit delivers the gift, so to speak. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us; “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The Holy Spirit also gives a manifestation. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:7; “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” It is for the good of building up the Body of Christ.

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The Church’s growth is dependent upon God causing the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). However, the Lord is also clear that we are to plant and water. The planting and watering is done through the very gifting He has placed within each Body member.

GOD NOT ONLY GIVES GIFTS BUT A CALLING AS WELL Once a person gains an understanding regarding their gifting, they need to have a ministry of “a calling” to have the gift to function within. When a person functions in a gift that is not theirs, they end up laboring to do the work. They seem to “run out of energy” in doing good. If a person is using their gift but it is being used within the wrong “calling,” it usually causes more work for the people they are working alongside. They end up giving the appearance of “doing their own thing.” Therefore, understanding the calling can be equally as important as understanding the gifting. There is a general calling and a specific calling. General calling is the Body of Christ, as a whole – being called to serve one another. Specific calling is like an occupation or a job. Specific calling determines a particular way or a particular setting in which the person uses their gift i.e.; Sunday school teacher, worship team, clean up duty, secretarial work, or preaching from the pulpit. IMPORTANT POINT: God does not give a gift without giving a calling. If the person does not have a calling with the gifting, the person will spend the gifting on himself/herself, which is self-abasement. More like self in the basement!

WHAT IS A SPIRITUAL GIFT? A spiritual gift is a God given ability planted within your soul by the Holy Spirit given upon the day of your salvation. Every member of the Body of Christ receives at least one. The Greek word used for spiritual gift is “charisma,” which means, “grace.” Each member of the Body is given a special measure of grace – unmerited favor (Ephesians 4:7). In this unmerited favor, God moves through this measurement to accomplish His will. Grace means God does the work and law means man does the work for God. When grace is motivation us, we know that God is doing the work through us. When the law motivates us, we can be certain that it is self who is doing the work and that means we are using our gifting to do what we want. Understand this, Grace and Gifting have the same meaning. God is the One using the gifts. In conclusion: spiritual gifts are supernatural or God breathed abilities to empower believers to do His work for the common good of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7).

GIFTING MANIFESTING AS WE COME TOGETHER The time God moves the most significantly is when the Body is gathered together. When two or more gather together in His name, He will be there ready to move

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

within the Body. It could happen in a one-on-one discipleship setting or in a group dynamic. The fact that we are looking to a God that is alive and ready to reveal Himself to us puts us in a position of expecting God to do a work. First, we need to come empty handed. If you have any things that you need to hand over to the Lord (acts of rebellion), now is the time to drop those before the feet of Jesus. God, most likely, will not fully use you if you are struggling with present acts of rebellion. If you do decide to use your gifting with the rebellion in your heart, the gifting will promote self - mixed with flesh. That spells PROBLEMS. You certainly will end up hurting someone and/or yourself. Secondly, when you gather, come to listen. Watch your leader! God moves through leaders. Be listening inside for the Lords prompting and be watching in the group as to what might be going on in the lives of the people. God will often prompt one Body member to help another member to use their gifting. For example, I am noticing Jim that you might have something to say, would you like to share with the group? Are you receiving a Word from the Lord? Etc. Be watching for pain. The eyes never lie. Constantly be on the alert for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facial responses. Many times new comers do not feel comfortable sharing unless they are prompted to do so. Thirdly, it is important to know that when you come together that you be transparent. You need to be willing to share your life openly with everyone in the gathering. Transparency is what communicates trust. If you are willing to be open and transparent, then the person(s) God wants to minister to will be more apt to receive the help God has for them.

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The Spiritual Gifts There are 25 gifts found in the Word of God. There are two primary distinctions regarding the gifts, first there are Diakonai or Charismata, the functional ministry gifts, which we find in 1 Corinthians 12;28 and Romans 12:3-8. Second, we find Phanerosis, the manifestation of the Spirit gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). The third element that we will be talking about is Domata, the Anointed gifted men and women of God assigned by the Lord Himself. Therefore, it is very important that we accept the stated three elements of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Diakonai, Phanerosis and Domata (the ministry, the manifestation of the Spirit and the anointing). If we expect God to use us, He will be ready and willing to do so. God knows who needs ministry and whom He needs to use to get the job done. When you are in line with the above three items, God is bound to use you. It is important not to set standards on God. Be careful not to tell Him how you want to be used and what gifts you want Him to put in you. Fear of the unknown is a big problem with many Christians in allowing God to do anything He wants with and through them. In any case, the important thing is being willing and expectant of God to do a great and mighty work by using His gifts in you.

OCCUPATIONAL GIFTS When we use the term “occupational gifts”, we are referring to the gifts that the Holy Spirit uses to manifest Himself. Occupation is a job or profession the action, state, or period of occupying or being occupied by the Holy Spirit. The fact that the Holy Spirit comes into our bodies when we become born-again puts us in a position of being living vessels for God. God designs this vessel for a specific purpose and “calling” in mind. Your occupation is your calling. Let us look at the list of occupations of the Holy Spirit.

PROPHECY Definition: Prophecy is a reception and declaration of a Word from the Lord through the direct prompting of the Holy Spirit and the human instrument He uses.

PURPOSE: True prophecy builds up and edifies. It builds up because God is always building up the Body of Christ. This person may bring encouragement to the

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church using strong words. ( 1 Corinthians 14:3) This person is used by God to bring rebukes to Body members, as well as the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 1:9-10). This person blessed with this gift oftentimes functions under direct revelations of God (1 Corinthians 14:29-31). Prophets shed new light on the fullness of our salvation. This person will have the tendency to “preach to the nations.” Prophets build up because they are an overt picture of what a believer is all about (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). Prophets oftentimes reveal whether God is present in an assembly, thereby confirming the believer in his faith and even causing the unbeliever to confess God’s Presence (v24). Prophets also build up because they lay bare the secrets of the heart (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). This is why they intimidate many Body members. Prophets are usually loved or “hated” due to this. Prophets normally prevent people from hiding behind masks or pretending to be righteous when they are not. Where prophets are, honesty and integrity are indispensable (Ananias and Sapphira- Acts 5). Bottom line: Prophets are used by God to show the people there is a God!

Fleshly Liabilities: People with the gift of prophecy, if walking after the flesh, can become dictatorial, domineering, demanding, get upset when things don’t go their way, are intense about things that don’t matter, can be too forceful, too direct and oftentimes are accused of being bossy. They can be afflicted with weaknesses (to keep them humble before the Lord) and have a problem tolerating weak or sick people. When walking after the flesh, they have problems accepting indecisive and/or lazy people. They are tough on people who do not understand authority or those who won’t accept challenges. Prophets except people to think quickly, gain understanding quickly and except most people to keep up with them (Isaiah 30:30).

Places of Service 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Offer personal prophecies to individuals. Offer church-wide prophecies to the Body of Christ as a whole. Church promotions Message to the Body of Christ Sunday school teachings Church activist in the political arena Evangelism campaigns

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TEACHING Definition: This gift gives special ability to communicate the Word of God in such a way that it is organized and the Body of Christ learns easily.

PURPOSE: Christians that have this gift have an overwhelming desire to explain the Truth to those around them. A prophet declares Truth, while a teacher logically explains it. Oftentimes prophets and teachers do not get along, although in God’s eyes, prophets and teachers make great working partners. Their gifting brings balance to one another. Teachers are interested in searching things out. They love details and better yet, love presenting the details they have uncovered. Teachers love to study and usually encouraging others to be men/women of the Word. Many times, they think that education equals transformation through studying the Word of God. At times, forgetting that transformation only comes through the Spirit. The gift of teaching is mentioned in all three scriptural references listed regarding spiritual gifts: Romans12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. Scripture often confirms that many body members receive this gift. This gift is needed for most areas of the local church and the church world-wide; for example: the morning message, Sunday school, special electives, children’s church, day-care, training classes, the music ministry and many others. People who have the gift of teaching oftentimes use their gifts as an occupation: schoolteacher, professors, learning institutes, sales education, etc… Teachers are normally patient with their students. They like to come up with new ideas on how to reach their students and to help them better understand what is being taught. God uses the teachers to communicate His day-to-day points of living (Ephesians 4:11). They are often seen as pastors, motivational speakers or trainers. In fact, many people with the gift of teaching think they are pastors. As we will learn latter in this study, pastors are very different in the way they care for people.

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Fleshly Liabilities: It is common that teachers have a difficult time establishing and maintaining friendships. This is because if they are walking after their flesh, they have the tendency to be too serious, haughty, high-minded, critical, contemplative, oftentimes judgmental, and moody and they tend to analyze everything. People who are trying to establish relationships with them at times get frustrated. When they are with the teacher, the teacher seems to communicate by teaching. Many teachers do not know the difference between teaching and just communicating with someone. Teachers have the tendency to be bothered by “shallow” thinkers, people who state things that are not supported by the documented truth, people who do not present truth in an organized fashion or who simply do not prepare properly before they teach. This is why a teacher often times has difficulty relating to the prophet-type – who hears the Truth directly from God. Many times teachers have a problem with authority because they believe what they are saying is the authoritative way. Teachers need to remember to rest in Christ, focus on building their existing relationships, build new friendships, ask more questions of people, allow for more group discussions, and spend more time being practical (application). Overall, the teacher needs to be more fun loving, light hearted, and animated.

Places of Service 1. Sunday morning messages 2. Sunday school teacher 3. Children’s ministry 4. Small groups 5. Radio/TV ministry 6. Community Outreach 7. Conduct Bible-studies 8. Preaching 9. Elective classes 10. Mission work

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EXHORTATION Definition: This gift gives special abilities to minister words of comfort, encouragement (to put courage into), confrontations and clarifications on revelations from “prophets.”

PURPOSE: This gift is often times confused with the gift of pastoring. It is primarily a one-on-one gift. They love encouraging people around them. They are compelled to give advice. Many look at them as “counselors.”

CHARACTERISTICS: Prophets tell the Truth, teachers clarify the Truth and exhorters tell you what to do with the Truth. They usually are very practical and life application oriented. They bless people with a keen sense of care and concern. The exhorter can work with complete strangers, but pastors have harder time with this. Barnabas in the Bible is a great example of this (Acts 4:36). Like (Barnabas), the exhorter loves picking up people right where they are and molding them into an instrument of the Lord All Christians have been ordered to exhort one another but exhorters have a special ability to do it well (Heb. 3:13). Exhorters have a wonderful ability to communicate using their supernatural insights given to them by God. This person is ideal person to be working in the church discipleship center. As an occupation, they often end up with jobs like acting, sales, community relations, promotions and like-minded jobs. These Christians have a strong sense to help the church grow and often times struggles between leaving the “work world” and joining “full time ministry”.

Fleshly Liabilities: An exhorter can become “wired” or “hyper” about what they believe. They can be overly optimistic in presenting their ideas. They can be convinced that “their way “is the only way for the people they are helping. If walking after the flesh, they can take on the appearance of being immature, emotional, irrational, silly, wordy, and simply selfish. Those who don’t appear to be interested in what they are saying irritate them. Pessimist agitates them and those who are “too detailed” seem to frustrate them.

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If not hearing the Lord, they live by their own schedule, which means they are usually late. The Exhorter becomes "phobic" having to live under heavy structure. Lastly, people who are not very enthusiasticâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly about what they are saying, put them off. The exhorter needs to keep in mind that they should listen more, count the cost before taking action, yield their emotions to Christ moment by moment and stay humble before the Lord. They need to avoid being caught in the rejection cycle. They need to stay disciplined, be punctual, hear the Lords words, not their own, and respect those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agree with them.

Places of Service: 1. Discipleship ministry (counseling) 2. Alter call ministry 3. Follow up ministry for the evangelism team 4. Marriage discipleship (counseling) 5. Pre-marriage work 6. Preaching 7. Small Groups 8. Sunday School teaching 9. Nursing Home ministry 10. General visitation 11. Comforting the sick 12. Reconciliation Meetings

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LEADERSHIP Definition: Those with the gift of leadership have a spirit-given ability to guide and motivate God’s people in the ways of the Lord to accomplish His purpose. This person is able to gather the Body together, to aid them in setting and revealing God’s goals, and to help fulfill them (Rom. 12:8)

Purpose: Many Christians are confused with the use of this gift—particularly the ones with the gift. In order to be an effective leader, the leader must be an effective follower or servant leader. The primary role of Jesus was that of a servant (Mark 10:45) but still He was the greatest leader of all. Leadership without servant hood (love) equals dictatorship (fear). The overall purpose of this gift is to lead the flock through serving the flock.

Characteristics: Leaders must have followers. A true leader does not have followers because they are recruiting them, they have followers because people want to join them in their special ability to lead and serve. Men and women with this gift never have to manipulate or force people to listen or follow. They generate a supernatural confidence that reveals God’s direction and plan. People who truly have this gift are relaxed in their leading. They are confident in what needs accomplished and know that they need a team of people to get the job done. Therefore, they work with the Body to develop the right skills in the people to accomplish the plan. Those with the gift of leadership understand the importance of multiplication. Leaders often times have problems with the details, particularly administrative ones. They have the tendency to delegate responsibilities. There are certain qualifications that a leader needs to have that do not come with most gifts. Longevity is one of them! It takes time to establish leadership in a flock. Many are attracted to strong leaders but with this attraction often times comes people who are rebellious against authority. Many followers are new to the idea of submitting to authority. Due to this challenge, the leader needs a heart of long-suffering. A Christian that has this gift understands it takes time to bring a flock to the point of being willing to submit to their leadership. An example of this is the Israelites grumbling against Moses because he was a leader. God called His people to obey these men and women (Heb. 13: 7, 17). When you obey them, you obey God (Rom. 13:1-7).

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Some of the possible leaders in the scriptures are Jesus (Mark 10:45, Phil 2:7, John 13: 14-16) Moses, Nehemiah, Church officials) Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5) and Apostles were recognized as leaders (Acts 4:37 and 9:27).

Liabilities: Leaders can sometimes become too intense about the people that are following them. They have an ongoing passion to make sure that people submit to them. They are quick to notice rebellion. One of their biggest liabilities is that they have the tendency to be too regimented and overbearing. A true leader is a servant but a leader who loses sight of this expects followers to serve him/her. Another liability that has been noted is that they are prone to have a problem with authority. This is why many of them become dictators instead of servant- leaders. When walking after the flesh, leaders have the tendency to use the flock for their goals, tasks, and personal gain. In other words, they take advantage of people. This has been a noted problem for generations. Look at the life of Solomon (Book of Ecclesiastes). Places of Service: 1. Elder 2. Cell leader--particularly zone pastor 3. Cell intern 4. Group leader 5. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ministry coordinator 6. Finance Chairman 7. Community spokesperson 8. Fund raising 9. Community projects 10. Events coordinator

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

APOSTLE Definition: This person carries a special ability to recruit people, start projects, and then asserts the leadership necessary to train and equip leaders to take over the project. This person is used by God to start churches and ministries that edify the Church body.

Purpose: Apostles normally have a blend of the gifts of leadership and apostleship. Look at the 12 apostles, the 12 church starters. They have a unique place in the Church history. In fact, they will have a special place in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:14). When the first 12 apostles died, the gift did not. Many assigned to this job throughout the generations (1 Coe. 15:5, 7). Most missionaries have this gift. We cannot have the organized structured Church without the apostles. Apostles lay and pour the foundation for the local Church. Without this foundation, we would not be meeting to discuss this topic.

Characteristics: Some possible apostles other than the first 12 could include Matthias (Acts 1:26), Paul (Rom 1:1), Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus and Junias (Rom 16:7), Timothy and Silas (1 Thess. 2:6). Many times the pastor of the church is given this gift. This person is quick to give counsel to those who are starting new programs or attempting to establish a new work. They have the tendency to be peacemakers, troubleshooters, and certainly enjoy solving problems. They are quick to accept others and their gifts. They see the need to use every Body member in order to establish the work of the Kingdom of God here on earthy as it is in Heaven. In summary, apostles transplant the Christian faith to new areas/cultures. They simply get things started. They are pioneers for the Church, laying the roadwork for preachers and teachers to go into all the world and makes disciples. They pave the way for the Body of Christ to function in their original design.

Liabilities: Apostles can be fleshy like all other workers in the Kingdom of God. The apostle can be carried away with their â&#x20AC;&#x153;position.â&#x20AC;? Desiring others

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to look on them in a special way because of their “special revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). In other words, they have the tendency to boast, be caught up in the prestige of the job, and enjoy the personal politics a little too much. Since followers make the mistake of looking at the apostle, instead of at Christ, as the foundation of the Church, they have a fleshy tendency to enjoy the attention of being “the man with the plan.” Overall, the apostle has the same liabilities of the leader, that of using the flock for their own goals, tasks, and personal gain.

Place of Service: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Church planting Cell churches Program Promotions Educational/Training Opportunities Elder Community leaders Civic placements Political activists (city council, major etc…)

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

ADMINISTRATION Definition: The Administrator has a special ability to organize and manage what the Apostle laid out as a foundation for the local church or ministry.

Purpose: The Administrator understands the ministries immediate and long-term goals and how to execute the plans needed to keep these goals on target.

Characteristics: The description of the gift is found in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Romans 12:8 clearly communicates the difference between the gift of administration and the gift of leadership. Many Christians confuse the two; they are very different in function and outcome. The Greek word for administration is the word helmsman (a person who steers the ship). The helmsman is the person in charge of getting the ship to its destination, organizing the details that are to be given to the captain. Then the captain can give the orders necessary to get the ship from point A to point B. The helmsman sees details that the captain and the crewmembers do not see. They are quick to see all the angles in each decision to be made. The helmsman is expected by the captain and crewmembers to make sure they are fed the right details throughout the journey. God appears to give the gift of Administration to apostles, pastors and ministry leaders when they are left to start the ministry alone. Ideally, apostles, pastors, leaders, and prophets have an administrator in order to stay organized and focused. In smaller ministries, a secretary may assume this position because he or she has this gift. Larger ministries actually hire a full, or part-time, administrative pastor. Administrators have the supernatural ability to recruit, train and manage people in order to accomplish the goals laid out by the leadership team. Someone with the gift of Administration will organize or will delegate to others who are good at organizing. They are compelled by a strong sense of duty; they like to find things for people to do. The Administrator focuses on team participation. They see the big picture and work to keep the details together and keep the team on track. They enjoy systems, action lists, and telling people what to do.

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Liabilities: The Administrator is known for being moody, critical, contemplative, negative and worrisome. Details can and often do overwhelm them. Inconsiderateness, inactivity, anger, disloyalty, lack of volunteers, and laziness agitate them. Administrators are in need of being encouraged to be assertive, bold, enthusiastic, and expressive. They often need encouragement to delegate responsibilities. Administrators have the tendency to be perfectionist; therefore, they take on jobs that they could be delegating but don’t because no one can do it like they can. Others seem to drop or forget details that the Administrator believes are important. They tend to be judgmental with folks who don’t remember, or refuse to, do what they have been assigned to do. The Administrator is quick to discontinue relationship with people who consistently “drop the ball” when asked to serve in a given area. They tend to have strong relationships with people who are faithful, loyal and diligent at completing tasks assigned to them. The Administrator has the vulnerability to put task before relationship. This is why they have the tendency to be performance oriented. This is why the Administrator needs constant encouragement to maintain and build quality relationships.

Place of Service: 1. Conference coordinator 2. Church/ministry administrator 3. Secretary 4. Personal assistant 5. Church service coordinator 6. Ministry coordinator 7. Facilities manager 8. Finance committee 9. Special programs coordinator 10. Clerk 11. Department heads Scriptural Study: Scripture 1 Corinthians 12:28 Romans 12:8 Book of Nehemiah Exodus 18:12-26 Acts 6:1-7

Summary Statement

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KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

PASTOR Definition: The Christian blessed with the gift of Pastoring has a God given ability to provide long-term care for the Body-members within the flock assigned to him or her by God.

Purpose: The purpose of a Pastor is to keep the flock unified with Christ, one another, as well as the Body of Christ as a whole.

Characteristics: The person is known by the world as the reverend, minister, rector, parson, or preacher. None of these words clearly communicates the gift of Pastoring. In fact, very few senior pastors today actually have the gift. Many prophets, leader, apostle types carry on the role of a pastor but few are blessed with the gift itself. This is why many “pastors” leave the ministry due to “burn-out”. Pressure is on them to pastor the flock when they are gifted with gifts that don’t support this role. Those who carry the title of Senior Pastor and are not gifted with this gift need to hire pastor types to work for them. If they don’t, the flock will feel neglected and will scatter. The word “pastor” comes to us from the animal kingdom, particularly sheep raising. A pastor is someone who works directly for the Shepherd. They work to minister to the needs of the flock. The pastor is mainly concerned about one thing: relationship with the Shepherd (Jesus). They will teach, feed, heal, develop unity, help people find their gifts, and do whatever it takes to help the people follow the Shepherd Jesus. Contrary to popular opinion, pastors are not always gifted teachers, preachers and communicators. There are pastors who have these gifts but a pastor with the gift of Pastoring, is simply good at pasturing or caring for the needs of the flock. Whatever it takes, that’s what they do. They feel the hurts and needs of their people deeply. They are concerned about what the flock thinks and feels about things, sometimes to a fault. This gift is obvious in those who really enjoy leading and caring for the needs of others. They are compelled to encourage other to work together for the Body’s (flocks) sake. Influencing others to work together is top priority to them. Team participation is what keeps the flock together – following the same Shepherd, completing the same tasks.

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Liabilities: The pastor is not to do everything. This is one of the biggest liabilities for the pastor. He often functions as the church janitor, secretary, deacon, teacher, departmental supervisor – the list goes on and on. When a pastor is walking after the flesh, he/she will have the tendency to become too intense, insensitive, overly concerned, nosey, controlling and even will carry slight traits of a dictator. They are hypersensitive to people who are continuously weak, indecisive, immature: lacking in selfdiscipline, plans, vision, direction, or consistency. Pastors can assume too much responsibility. In fact, they have the tendency to believe (overly or covertly) that they are the Master Shepherd, thinking that the church focuses on their leadership. Some think that without them, the church wouldn’t be able to go on. Many pastors fall into the “Senior Pastor” deception. Many churches today are built on this deception. Therefore, the church is built around one man instead of a group of leaders who are operating in their calling and gifting. Jesus is the Master Shepherd (Senior Pastor) of the church and the elders are to use their gifts to point the people to the Master Shepherd. The elders with the gift of pastor become the “point man” to get this job done.

Place of Service: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Teaching pastor Discipleship coordinator/director Pastoral leader Visitation pastor Supplemental food coordinator Counselor Small groups leader

Scriptural Study: Scripture Hebrews 13:20 1 Peter 5:2-4 Romans 15:14 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15 Ephesians 4:11 John 10:2 John 10:10-12 Revelation 7:17 Do Word study - Shepherd

Summary Statement

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KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

SERVICE Definition: The Christian blessed with the gift of Service helps identify the unmet needs of the Body of Christ and is willing to help meet the goals that the ministry leader establishes.

Purpose: The purpose of a Service person is to assist other Christians in areas they are weak or areas they are unable to assist themselves.

Characteristics: The literal Greek translation for the word Service is “ministry”. Since the term ministry typically describes the use of gifting as a while, many English translations use the word Service instead of ministry. Going beyond the American view of ministry, we find ministry to be “one who serves another”. To look at the literal interpretation of the Greek word diakonos (minister or servant), we find the Bible’s word for deacon. This gift is not one that necessarily ministers to the heart of people; it is a task-directed gift. The gift of Service is directed primarily toward an institution and secondarily to a person. The gift of Service is to better the ordained institution of God and the Church. People with this gift have a wide variety of skills and talents and are typically good at doing multiple tasks. They thrive on seeing others progress because of their efforts. When other succeed – they succeed. These individuals normally like being behind the scenes. They are uncomfortable with having their “name in lights”. They are more interested in blessing others so they can better serve the Lord. They find themselves doing the very things that others do not like doing. The gift of Service is essential for the completion of the Body of Christ. Other gifts cannot work correctly without this gift. The Service person oftentimes cleans up the “mess” of the prophet, exhorter, teacher etc. They also spend a great deal of time and energy in getting the “people-topeople” ministers ready to do their jobs. The Service gifted person is a Biblical example of the Good Samaritan.

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Liabilities: The person with the gift of Ministry, or Service, often feels abused and taken advantage of by others. They become selfish, overly committed, weak-willed, and overly sensitive. They can become indecisive and immature: lacking in discipline, planning, vision, or sense of direction, and too intense about the details. People with this gift need to delegate more, be more assertive, bold, expressive, creative, confident, and learn to her God regarding their dayto-day tasks. The Service gifted person invariably takes on too much. Saying “no” can become difficult for them. “Burn out” is their greatest threat. Since humans can only accomplish so much, they are pushed to their limits on a regular basis. The reason they come back for more “abuse” is that many times they find personal significance in “doing”. Service oriented people need a leader or administrative type to help them become more focused and not over commit themselves.

Place of Service: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Deacon Facilities management Food services Nursery Usher Office worker Secretary Church correspondent Program assistants

Scriptural Study: Scripture Acts 6:2-7 Timothy 4:11 Acts 19:22 Romans 16:3,4 Romans 16:6 Luke 10:30-37 2 Timothy 4:13 Romans 12:7 2 Corinthians 9:12 Ephesians 6:7 Colossians 3:22

Summary Statement

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KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

EVANGELIST Definition: The Christian blessed with the gift of the EVANGELISM has a God given ability to share the Gospel with unbelievers in such a way that people come to know Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Purpose: Many body members seem to believe they have this gift because of their excitement of leading people to the Lord. This is another misunderstood gift. All believers are given the desire to see others come to know the Lord. The Holy Spirit desires all men to come unto Jesus for Salvation. Surveys have determined that about 10% of the Body of Christ actually has this gift. Although there is a far greater percentage that believes, they have the gift. Evangelism is a very important part of church growth. This is why so many body members put such an emphasis on evangelism. Many members believe that discipleship cannot start unless the person is saved. This is not true. Evangelism is a part of the discipleship process. Most Christians believe the “great commission” is going into the world to get people saved. This is not the great call. God has called us to

Characteristics: Those Christians that truly have this gift feel compelled by the Lord to lead lost souls to Him. It does not matter where they are; they constantly are sharing and attempting to lead strangers, family and friends to Jesus. They seem to have supernatural ability to communicate the gospel. Even the verses they remember are “salvation” scriptures. Their concern for the lost and dying generation is evident to all those around them. They typically support ministries that are involved in soul-winning. Those with the gift of EVANGELISM desire to have the message of the gospel mentioned in every message they hear. Those with this gift are mission-minded. They are always ready to give an answer regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you talk with them (even socially), their conversations usually turn to eternal things. From their perspective, the most important thing in life is seeing people come to know the Lord as their Savior.

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Some Possible Examples:  

Philip, Acts 21:8 Timothy is told to do the work of an evangelist, 2 Timothy 4:5

Liabilities: When an Evangelist is walking after the flesh, he or she is known for being judgmental. They become hyperactive, too talkative, poor listeners, pushy, insensitive, and give off an attitude that what they are doing is the only thing that matters. They typically don’t have much time for the exhorters. Exhorters take the time to grow people up on the Lord. Exhorters also do the follow-up work on the salvations that come from the EVANGELIST. Evangelists are normally irresponsible at follow-up. The ongoing day-to-day growth of the believer is not something they want to involve themselves with. It is too “messy” for them. People who are apathetic, indecisive, lazy, all talk and not action, agitate them. Since they are able to talk to strangers anywhere, anytime, they think that others should be able to do the same. Therefore they become impatient with those who are shy and not socially active (Luke 24:45).

Place of Service: 1. Street witnessing 2. Door-to-door ministry 3. Visitation 4. Missions 5. Evangelism training classes 6. Backyard Bible clubs 7. Altar-call counselor 8. Preaching 9. Alpha groups 10. Inner-city outreach

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

MERCY Definition: The gift of mercy is a supernatural ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to experience true empathy and compassion for individuals, both in the Christian world and in the nonChristian world.

Purpose: This gift is used not only for people who suffer from distressing physical and psychological problems but with people in general. The Mercy person notices the relational and emotional issues related to what the person is going through. There doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a problem at hand. This person will major on the compassion and love expressed by Christ.

Characteristics: Those with this gift love one-on-one ministry. They seek out those who are in need. They are drawn to hurting people. They enjoy hearing and seeing hurting people receive comfort. The love and compassion they give to others is very practical. Kindness and tenderness flow from them like raindrops from heaven on a rainy day. The Mercy person takes the exhorterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words of love and turns them into deeds of love. The Mercy person is compelled to rid people of their pain. They are far more interested and concerned with the person than the reason for their suffering. This why a Mercy person is not good at confronting others. The Mercy person is the one you send in to do the cleanup after a prophet or exhorter has confronted someone. The Mercy person needs special counsel, and training to work with members of the body that have strong gifting, such as prophets and exhorter. If Mercy is not working and submitting to others gifts, Mercy will attempt to bail the one being confronted and being disciplined by the Lord. The person with this gift needs special prayer and training to stay in tune with the other gifts of the Spirit. They have the ability to put a monkey wrench into the works. Someone being confronted is quick to look for the Mercy person, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Every Christian is called by God to have mercy on all of mankind. This person has mercy as a lifestyle. A special consideration should be taken regarding the liabilities of a Mercy person.

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Some possible examples:     

Onesiphorus visited and refreshed Paul in prison, 2 Timothy 1:16,17 Jesus healed the blind and sick Jesus died on the cross for us Believers sold property to care for the poor, Acts 2:44,45 Tabitha (Dorcas) helped the poor, Acts 9:36

Liabilities: Because Mercy people do not want others to suffer, they – if walking after the flesh, have the tendency to help the hurting person escape the consequences of sin. They also have the liability to be over-committed and overly involved in people’s problems. This sets them up for being gossips. They give themselves permission to speak too openly about trusted issues. Asking for prayer can become gossip sessions. Mercy people can have problems with sleeping at night. They lay in bed thinking and caring for those who are hurting. If walking after the flesh, they will carry the burden for those who are hurting instead of giving it directly to the Lord. Of course, this will rob them of their joy and peace. A person is robbed of his joy is robbed of his strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Other liabilities are: struggling with feeling subservient, insecure, fearful, or embarrassed; bailing when confronted; and being embittered at people with strong gifting such as prophets and exhorters. People who are pushy, loud, confrontive, inflexible, unfair and proud offend them. The Mercy person needs to become strong, courageous, challenging, aggressive, assertive, confrontational, and supportive of those who have strong gifting.

Place of Service: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Hospital visitation Visiting the elderly Follow-up calls after church confrontations Homeless ministry Outreach to the physically and mentally challenged Widow ministry

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

GIVING Definition: The gift of giving is a supernatural gift that God gives to contribute material and relational resources to the work of the Lord freely and cheerfully. This gift is not limited to money or possessions. It is best described as a person who gives of themselves and everything they have to further the work of the Lord.

Purpose: God has called all of His children to give of all of their resources. The Giver has a supernatural ability to tune into the needs of the body. Many other body members must be told what the needs are. Not the Giver! The Giver is aware of needs in the body because of a special revelation from the Lord Himself.

Characteristics: Givers have a strong tendency to be seriously concerned about financial matters. People with this gift seem to have a special ability to get things as well. Not only do they love giving but they also love being resourceful in obtaining more resources in order to give more. Givers are typically sensitive to how much they spend. They have the ability to manage a budget and stay with it over a long period. Making money is easy for many with this gift, although this is not always true. They tend to be conservative and careful in how they, as well as others, spend their money.

Liabilities: If walking after the flesh, the Giver can give more that God is asking them to give, putting their personal responsibilities in jeopardy. They also have the tendency to bail people that are irresponsible with their finances. God wants these individuals to suffer the consequences of their poor choices, and the Giver tends to bail them out. The Giver can become perfectionistic, judgmental of those who are unwise in finances, overly sensitive about other givers, manipulative (thinking all Christians should be as wise as they are with finances) and they can become extremely vulnerable (people taking advantage of them materially).

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The Giver has very little time for people who waste resources, are stingy, lack in self-discipline and direction and those who are poor stewards. The Giver needs to be more flexible and patient, take more risks, be more understanding with the irresponsible, and be forgiving of those who take advantage of them. Some Guidelines For Giving: 1. Giving should be done generously, and not for recognition. 2. The use of the gift does not necessarily involve money. 3. Direction on how the rich should spend money is found in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. 4. Givers should not give grudgingly. 5. Seek God’s guidance, and don’t necessarily give to everyone who asks. 6. We are all commanded to tithe; giving is beyond tithing. 7. People with this gift may find “great deals” on things that will be given to those who have need. The body of Christ needs to rely on people with this gift. 8. Don’t be offended when body members lean on you for help.

Some possible examples: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Barnabas sold land to alleviate a need, Acts 4:34-37. Macedonian churches, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Philippians church, Philippians 4:14-16. The poor widow, Luke 21:1-4.

Place of Service: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Financial committees Board of Directors Elder Deacon Church supplies coordinator Church treasury Benevolence ministry Financial planning classes

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

MANIFESTATION GIFTS

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

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MANIFESTATION GIFTS Gaining Understanding: Since the very beginning, the Spirit of the Living god has been seeking to find where believers would be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself. In referring to Eldad and Medad, not your dad, Moses writes in Numbers 11:26-30, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them.” In Acts 2:14-21, Peter says the day prophesied by Joel has arrived. We now live in that day and God is manifesting in those who desire His manifestations. Please know that God works in all of His children, but God pours Himself through willing vessels. Many Christians do not like the idea of God healing people through them, casting out demons, performing miracles, speaking in tongues, or speaking words directly from God’s mouth. God desires to manifest Himself through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in any way He deems necessary to further the work of the Kingdom of God. These manifestations are not to be thought of as residing gifts (gifts that stay with you 24 hours a day like occupational gifts). Manifestation gifts are the inward and outward signs of the Holy Spirit welling up in a believer to do a powerful and mighty work of God. These manifestations belong to God. They are God’s personal tools in the Holy Spirit to do His work of service in and through the believer. These manifestations are delivered by the sovereign hand of God (1 Corinthians 12:11). All Christians receive manifestations. The more willing the Christian, the more manifestations there are for them. The less willing the believer, the more a manifestation passes on to another who is saying: Lord, here am I, send me. This is why it appears that God is picking favorites. God is not picking favorite vessels; He simply is picking willing vessels. God is interested in getting His work done (1 Corinthians 12:7). In general, manifestations are given by the moment for the ministry moment. Manifestation gifts are at the disposal of the Holy Spirit, not the believer, whereas occupational gifts are at the disposal of the believer (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Each of these Holy Spirit manifestations is for the common good of the body of Christ. The Spirit will never use theses manifestations in a believer to bring division and fear. God uses them for the good of the Body of Christ. When do we see these manifestations? When God chooses. One time we will see God manifest through someone to bring healing to a sick, blind or distressed person. However, the next day we may see someone who is worse off than the person is the day before and God will do nothing. This is why the Manifestation Gifts are truly a manifestation of the sovereignty of God.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

A place we see God manifest consistently is in worship. This seems to be a time that the Holy Spirit relates the most to God.

How do you know a manifestation is real? Satan is the great deceiver! He loves duplication the work of God. Since he cannot create or invent something on his own, he steals from God and signs his own name to it, trying to deceive others into believing he created it. This is for the sole purpose of vain self-glory. He uses his “manifestation” to bring division, and God uses His manifestations to bring unity. When you see the “manifestation gifts” bringing division and fear, be assured that Satan is at work pretending, duplication and stealing more of God’s Glory. Here are a few things to keep in mind when watching for true manifestations: 1. Fruit (Galatians 5) 2. Character (Matthew 5) 3. Submission (Ephesians 5:18-21) 4. The presence of God Using this guideline: if a person is claiming a manifestation and the fruit of the Spirit (all of the fruit) is not present, the question needs to be asked, Is this of God? When studying the manifestation passage (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), notice the number of times God mentions the terms same Spirit, same Lord, & same God. God is stressing the importance of unity in the manifestations of the Spirit. It is time to take each manifestation and look at the definition and purpose of each.

WORD OF WISDOM A Word of Wisdom is seen as the “instant insight” that comes through a revelation. A special manifestation of the Spirit that God gives to deliver His message to the saved and unsaved. It is best applied to a specific situation or need that has arisen in the Body of Christ.

Purpose: Through a Word of Wisdom, the Spirit of God indicates how to apply His

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insight and knowledge to a person’s life or situation. God is able to get to the heart of the problem quickly. When this kind of wisdom is spoken, the receiver typically knows he or she has heard from God. It is as if the person delivering the message has read the mail of the person being ministered. When this type of manifestation occurs, the whole Body knows that God has spoken. Jesus used this with the woman at the well (John 4:16-18). This gift is also used by the Sprit to warn people of dangers. Jesus tells us that He will give us utterances that others cannot refute. These utterances are the Words of God Himself (Luke 21:15).

WORD OF KNOWLEDGE A Word of Knowledge is a supernatural revelation of facts about a person or situation, facts that have not been acquired through any means except by the mouth of God. It is the Spirit of God revealing the mind of God.

Purpose: This manifestation is often used by the Lord to reveal hidden SIN. Some examples of this are when God revealed: to Nathan, David’s adultery (II Samuel 12:1-7), to Jesus for the Samaritan woman’s secret sins (John 4:7-25) and to Peter, Ananias’ deception (Acts 5:1-6). This manifestation can be used to locate lost items; for example Samuel spoke to Saul regarding his lost donkeys (I Samuel 9:15-20). Another purpose would be warning and providing safety, such as Elisha’s word to the King of Israel about the plans of the king of Aram (II Kings 6:8-23). God also uses this manifestation to reveal thoughts of others in time of need or warning (I Corinthians 2:10-14). This is how Jesus knew the thoughts of the Scribes in Matthew 9:1-7. A Word of Knowledge often occurs just before a healing takes place (Matthew 9:1-7, Mark 9:17, 25, John 4:45-54, and John 5:1-9). The overall purpose of the manifestation of Word of Knowledge is to bring healing into the hearts, minds and bodies of God’s children.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

FAITH The manifestation of FAITH is a supernatural surge of confidence (the confidence of the Lord Himself) flowing from the Holy Spirit within the believer when faced with a specific God-ordained circumstance. This manifestation is God is taking action on a stated WORD OF KNOWLEDGE or WORD OF WISDOM. It is the act of the Holy Spirit being obedient to the Heavenly Father’s commands through the believer. This manifestation is a “mountain-moving” response of God to which both Jesus and Paul refer – a movement of God, stimulated by God, to bring what is in the unseen world to the world we live in. The manifestation of FAITH is what brings the effects of God (Matthew 17:19-20; Matthew 21:18-22; 1 Corinthians 13:2; James 5:15; Hebrews 11:32-34).

Purpose: FAITH comes during times of danger (Daniel 6:23). God uses this manifestation to remind His children of His Holy protection He uses it to remove evil spirits from indwelling or oppressing people, although then it is usually accompanied by WORD OF KNOWLEDGE or WORD OF WISDOM and even DISCERNING OF SPIRITS (Acts 16:16-18; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:41-42). FAITH is often used by the Lord to display God’s power and presence (i.e.; Peter walking on the water). Water walking is just one of the many ways that god calls out believers to join Him where He is at work. To join God where He is at work requires a manifestation of Faith, because we cannot join Him without His initiation. Faith is required where healings are required. Without the manifestation of FAITH, people would nit experience miracles such as physical, emotional or spiritual healings (Luke 5:17-26; 7:1-10; 8:43-48; 8:48-56; 17:15-19).

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS The Holy Spirit manifests Himself within the believer to enable him to discern the spirit behind certain actions or words, whether the spirit operating is the Holy Spirit or demonic. The person with this manifestation has been given a supernatural ability to see into the spiritual realm for the protection of the Body of Christ.

Purpose: This manifestation is used in the testing of prophets and prophesying

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(1 John 4:1-6). Most of a prophet’s words are to convince the Body members around them. The manifestation of DISCERNMENT is used by God to keep prophets in line. This manifestation can unmask a “body member: who is an evil worker and expose their deception to the Body of Christ. The Spirit often uses this manifestation to expose a source of error in a believer or expose the source of one’s “revelation.” This manifestation becomes a protection agent for the gifts God has provided. This gift will determine immediately if there is demonic activity going on in a group or in an individual. The Body member will have an overwhelming sense that spiritual warfare is going on around them. This manifestation gives a special insight into a person’s physical sickness, whether it is spiritually or physically based. Paul experienced this in Acts 16:16-18. Paul was able to discern what spirit was speaking through the slave girl.

HEALING God uses this manifestation to cure human illnesses. The Greek definition of healing is “to cure”. This manifestation does not mean to “Band-Aid” or to bring relief but literally to cure. The Greek leaves us with the understanding that once the person has been healed, the illness is completely gone – cured.

Purpose: The purpose is to bring permanent healing to physical, psychological and spiritual disease. Many think that once the Spirit manifests through them with this gift, they have the power to heal the sick anytime they choose. This is not the way this gift works. When the Holy Spirit is directed by the Heavenly Father to bring a cure to someone who is sick, then the power is released in the Body member to do the work. We do not know why God leaves certain people with illness and heals others. We do know that God has His reasons and lessons for His suffering children (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). When God does choose to heal, He does it so all mankind will now His glory. Healing is a result of God’s releasing His power. Paul was so filled up with the power of God that when people would take handkerchiefs from his body, they would be healed. Body members that are filled up with the power and presence of God are more likely to see healings because they have the power of God powering through them.

MIRACLES

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

The manifestation of miracles reveals how the Holy Spirit conducts powerful Acts of God through a body member. The Greek definition is “power”. This includes parting water, walking on water, water into wine and everything in between.

Purpose: The purpose of miracles is for God to bring what is in the unseen world (God’s world) into the seen world (man’s world). Many Americans believe that God can and will perform miracles in the third world but not here in America. If the people don’t believe by faith that God can and will manifest this way, He probably won’t. It takes FAITH and WORKS to activate this manifestation. In many third world countries, people don’t have the prerogative to trust in science and modern inventions. They simple have to rely on the ways of the lord, and God’s miraculous is His normal place to functional. God's natural way of living is our supernatural way of living.

KINDS OF TONGUE The word Tongues comes from the Greek word Glossa. There are three findings of the word tongue in the New Testament: two kinds of tongues of man and one kind of tongue of angels.

Purpose: God gives the first tongue to man when he is born (Mark 7:33-34). The family and friends in the culture the child grew up in helps develop this language (tongue) in the child. God gives the second kind of tongue of man when God deems it necessary. This tongue is a supernatural manifestation of God giving to man and language he never learned (Acts 2:4, 11). This occurred in me when I was on a mission trip in Uganda. I was on stage waiting to speak when I began singing out in a “strange” language. After the service, the worship leader approached me saying; I didn’t know you could speak Ugandan? I didn’t of course but God had his reason for me manifesting in this way. The third type of tongues is a language of angels. When this Spirit manifests in a Body member like this, the person is not speaking to men, but to God, for no one understands, but in his spirit speaks mysteries (1 Cor. 14:2).

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The First Tongue The first tongue is simply the tongue you and I learned as we are trained up as children. Many families teach their children several languages. This is because children notice multiple languages more quickly than adults do. No matt3er how many languages you teach your children they are all of this type of tongue.

The Second Tongue The second tongue was used for the fiery tongues appearing upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3). It was a tongue, and earthly language. The apostles were given tongues of other men so foreigners in the room could understand (Acts 2:5, 6). This language is a foreign or strange language that one did not learned but was enabled to speak because of the supernatural intervention of the Holy Spirit. This type of manifestation, like all manifestations of the Spirit, does not occur until you are saved. These were languages foreign to the speaker, which he never learned but was enabled to speak at that time. Rarely is someone given a foreign language and then able to speak it from then on (although God cans do what pleases Him). This gift is never to be used unless there are ears to hear. Why would God manifest in this way if there were no listeners to hear what God had to say (Acts 2:5, 6).

The Third Tongue The third tongue was used for private/personal reasons like prayer, unless God was sending a message to His people through a body member acting as a messenger. People who speak in tongues of angels edify themselves (1 Corinthians 14:4). This is because of the overwhelming feeling it gives the person when the angelic tongue is spoken through them. The body member is given the privilege of joining the Holy Spirit communicating with God. This is

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS certainly a supernatural privilege. This type of tongue, when spoken publicly, needs an interpretation (1Cor. 14:5). When God manifests Himself this way, He is delivering a message to the body or in some cases, in the unsaved world. If a body member speaks in tongue when there is no interpretation, this person is seeking to edify him or herself publicly. Correction is needed in this case. Body members who use speaking in tongues are often selfish and controlling. Many who are extreamamatics (a word I made up) use this manifestation to cause division. If they cannot convince their church/ministry that everyone needs to speak in tongues or have the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” as a second blessing, they leave the church and find one that supports their self-proclaimed beliefs. All of god’s gifts and manifestations are practical and God uses them not to build self but to build the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:4) Most believers who can be categorized as extreamamatics do not Notes: understand authority. They believe that are to hear from God directly and not from the leadership that God has placed over and around them. It they don’t like what their authorities are saying, they fall back on what they “heard from the Lord”. Who is to argue with that? This is why many, if not most, go uncontested. This reinforces what they believe and that their way is the right way. In reality, they are gaining more uncontested supporters, and soon they have started a movement of self-willed, selfproclaimed prophets who use the name of the Lord to bring division to the established church of God. The deceptive thing is that they do not believe they are divisive. They move quietly and are very deceptive. They gather their own and plot to gain more members who will believe as they do. They believe God has them on a mission. This group of extreamamatics is almost cultist. I consider them a threat to the Body of Christ. The bottom line is this: unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? These people are speaking into the air if it is outside the order of God (1 Cor. 14:9). There are many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning (1 Cor. 14:10). If we don’t know the meaning of the language, we are the foreigner, and the ones speaking in tongues will be foreign to us as well (1 Cor. 14:11). If anyone does speak in a tongue in the church, it should be by two or three at the most, each in turn (God is a God of order), and each and every tongue needs an interpretation. If there is not an interpreter, the Body member is to keep silent in the church and use this gift manifestation in their prayer closet before God Himself (v27-28). Therefore, those who seek to be zealous with the Gifts and manifestations of God should seek to abound in the gifts that edify the church, not themselves (1 Cor. 14:13). I, like Paul, am grateful that I speak in tongues; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others also,

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

rather than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Cor. 14:19).

SOME FINAL THINGS Knowing and discovering your Spiritual Gifts is a fun and exciting journey. Always know that there may be many different types of gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but it is one Spirit that works all these together. He is the one who distributes them. It is not something you can pray in, practice having or even study to attain. God gives each of these gifts as He desires. It works that way!

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If others have gifts that we believe are not as important, know this; God uses the lesser parts of our human body to support the major parts. For without the lesser parts, the major parts could not function at all. Can you imagine your body without the hypothalamus (one of the smallest parts of the body); for without it your whole body would be unmanaged and short circuit itself within hours? God places each human body part in its place in order for the whole body to function under the loving command of God. All of our body parts work for doing what we are being told to do. God’s order is for obedience. Obedience is for fulfilling the Great Commission of the Lord. We are gifted for His divine purpose and not our own (1 Cor. 12:11-21). We need to give special honor – higher honor – to those we see as not as gifted as others (1 Cor. 12:22-23). For God Himself gives more honor to the lesser than the greater. In fact, He says he gives abundant honor to those who have smaller or behind-the-scenes gifting that lack honor (1 Cor. 12:24-25). We should do the same. The body of Christ is gifted in such a way that when one member of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. We are to respond by using our gifting to help and comfort the suffering body member, restoring them back to functioning within the Body of Christ. We can perform all the works of God, such as speaking in tongues of men and angels, casting our demons, healing the sick, leading thousands to the Lord or even moving mountains with our faith. However, if we do not have a strong love life with God and man, these gifts are simply a lot of noise to God (1 Cor. 13:1-2). In fact, the Word goes as far as to say that if we do not have love when using these gifs, we are nothing. Our love life with God and man is probably the most important item on God’s agenda. The only way these gifts profit us is if we are filled up with love and are giving unto God and man for His common good. We should desire a profit or a return on all our gifts – this profits God. When it profits us nothing, we function as

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS nothing.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Act Unbecomingly When functioning in our gifting, we are to be patient with people, kind, tenderhearted and full of compassion (v4). Remember, many of the people that are on the other end of our gifting are often times threatened by what the Lord is reveling in their lives. This is why we need to function in the fullness of His love. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever brag or boast about your gifts, as if you have something better than the other body members do. People who understand the purpose of their gifting do not seek their own with their gifts. Seeking their won would be using their gifting to benefit themselves, as common problem in the church today. Evidence that you are functioning in your gifting correctly is that you are NOT easily provoked and you are not taking an account of the wrong done to you. Body members who are dysfunctional in their gifting rejoice in unrighteousness instead of rejoicing in TRUTH. Those who rejoice in the truth bear all things people are giving to them, believe all things others are telling them, hope for the best in others at all times and endure all things that God in His sovereignty gives to them (v5-7). The key here is; LOVE never fails. The gifts will cease and knowledge will end, but the Lord of God will go on forever and ever (v8-10).

THE SUPERIOR GIFT The scriptures do speak to us about a gift that stands out above them all. God has His reasons for this. Keep in mind that people who have this gift do not get any special blessing. Prophets are given the same command to pure love (1 Cor. 14:1). Remember, without love, it is all for nothing. Therefore, we can conclude that the purpose of the gifts is to introduce the unsaved or Body members to the LOVE of God. If we are to desire gifts, we should desire above all to prophesy. For the people who speak prophecies speak to people for edification and exhortation and consolation. In general, the one who prophesies edifies the church. Many body members put the emphasis on the manifestation of speaking in tongues but God says that the one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues (v5). The goal is to edify the church and not an individual. Prophecy is focused on the edification of the body members

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within the church, as well as the church as a whole. Tongues are a sign not to those who believe, but to the unbelievers, and prophecy is a sign NOT to the unbelievers but the believers (1 Cor. 14:22). For when unsaved people come to the church and can’t understand what is being spoken (speaking in tongues with a manifestation of interpretation), the visitor will know that God is doing something supernatural. The unsaved person will truly know that God has given a sign (or will think that the people are simple crazy). Prophesy on the other hand is for the believer, body member who are familiar with the ways and wonders of the Lord (v22). When a visitor hears and sees that the secrets of the heart are being exposed in the lives of the believers, the visitor is more apt to fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among the members of the church.

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When prophecy is delivered in a gathering, it is to be done one by one, so that everyone who attends may hear what God is revealing to each person. When prophecies are given in shotgun fashion, the body does not have time to process what God is saying (1 Cor. 14:30-31). The attitude should be, God is speaking here and I need to listen – even if it is not directed at me. God is not a God of confusion, but of peace and order (v33). If you are in a gathering and it sounds confusing, noisy, and out of order, then God is probably not the One doing the manifesting.

NOT TO BE CHILDISH CHILDREN We need to grow up in Christ and not act like childish children. When we were children, we thought like children, spoke like children and responded like children. Now that we are men and women of God, we need to put away the reactions of a child. We need to have the mind of Christ, allowing Christ to think through us. We need to reason with the logic of Heaven, not with what makes sense to the desires of man. For we will not live and breathe in the miraculous if we function through the walls of man’s logic. Finally, we need to speak with the voice of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. God can and will speak through teach of us if we set our flesh (self-life) aside and let Him do what He does best – be God (1 Cor. 13:11). We are not to be children in our thinking but at the same time, we are to be like babes in our responses to evil (1 Cor. 14:20). Evil often hides itself in the church under the cover of spiritual gifts. We need to be mature in our thinking, to protect ourselves against the subtle workings of the enemy in spiritual gifts. If anyone thinks he/she is prophet or functioning in spiritual things, let them recognize that the Lord writes by way of command regarding our Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 14:37). If no one accepts the Word’s guidelines on Spiritual Gifts, then God does not recognize them (v38). Ouch!

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IN CONCLUSION: Each of us should desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. However, let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner (1 Cor. 14:39-40). Have fun using all of what God offers you. Enjoy with the fullness of His life in you.

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APPENDIX

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Scriptures to Get You Started If you are like most Christians, you may find it challenging to know where to begin searching out the scriptures. The section is to offer you topical scriptures to help you get started in getting to know the Word of God.

Gifts

(Gen 25:6) but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east. (Exodus 28:38) "It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. (Lev 22:2) "Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD. (Lev 22:3) "Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. (Lev 22:4) 'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, (Lev 22:6) a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. (Lev 22:7) 'But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food. (Lev 22:12) 'If a priest's daughter is married to a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the gifts. (Lev 22:15) 'They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the LORD, (Lev 22:16) and so cause them to bear punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.'" (Lev 23:38) besides those of the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD. (Num 5:9) 'Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they offer to the priest, shall be his.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

(Num 5:10) 'So every man's holy gifts shall be his; whatever any man gives to the priest, it becomes his.'" (Num 18:8) Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, "Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. (Num 18:9) "This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. (Num 18:10) "As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. (Num 18:19) "All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you." (Num 18:29) 'Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.' (Num 18:32) 'You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.'" (1Ch 26:20) The Levites, their relatives, had charge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated gifts. (1Ch 26:26) This Shelomoth and his relatives had charge of all the treasures of the dedicated gifts which King David and the heads of the fathers' households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated. (2Ch 17:11) Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. (2Ch 21:3) Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. (2Ch 31:6) The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of sacred gifts which were consecrated to the LORD their God, and placed them in heaps. (2Ch 32:23) And many were bringing gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter. (Est 2:18) Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king's bounty.

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(Est 9:22) because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Psa 68:18) You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there. (Psa 68:29) Because of Your temple at Jerusalem Kings will bring gifts to You. (Psa 72:10) Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. (Psa 76:11) Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared. (Pro 6:35) He will not accept any ransom, nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts. (Pro 19:6) Many will seek the favor of a generous man, and every man is a friend to him who gives gifts. (Pro 25:14) Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely. (Eze 16:33) "Men give gifts to all harlots, but you give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every direction for your harlotries. (Eze 20:26) and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD."' (Eze 20:31) "When you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by you. (Eze 20:39) "As for you, O house of Israel," thus says the Lord GOD, "Go, serve everyone his idols; but later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. (Eze 20:40) "For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. (Dan 2:6) "But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation." (Dan 2:48) Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

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(Dan 5:17) Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. (Hos 8:13) As for My sacrificial gifts, they sacrifice the flesh and eat it, but the LORD has taken no delight in them. Now He will remember their iniquity, and punish them for their sins; they will return to Egypt. (Mic 1:14) Therefore you will give parting gifts On behalf of Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will become a deception to the kings of Israel. (Mat 2:11) After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Mat 7:11) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 21:1) And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. (Luke 21:5) And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, (Rom 11:29) for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Rom 12:6) Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; (1Co 12:1) Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. (1Co 12:4) Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1Co 12:9) to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, (1Co 12:28) And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (1Co 12:30) All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? (1Co 12:31) But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way. (1Co 13:8) Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

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(1Co 14:1) Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. (1Co 14:12) So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. (Eph 4:8) Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." (Heb 2:4) God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. (Heb 5:1) For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; (Heb 8:3) For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. (Heb 8:4) Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; (Heb 9:9) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, (Heb 11:4) By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Rev 11:10) And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Gift

(Gen 30:20) Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. (Gen 33:11) "Please take my gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty." Thus he urged him and he took it. (Gen 34:12) "Ask me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl in marriage." (Lev 22:10) 'No layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. (Lev 22:14) 'But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

(Num 8:19) "I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary." (Num 18:6) "Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. (Num 18:11) "This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. (1Sa 25:27) "Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord. (1Sa 30:26) Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD: (1Ki 10:25) They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. (2Ki 8:8) The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'" (2Ki 8:9) So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels' loads; and he came and stood before him and said, "Your son Benhadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'" (2Ch 9:24) They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. (Psa 45:12) The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor. (Psa 127:3) Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Pro 18:16) A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. (Pro 21:14) A gift in secret subdues anger, and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. (Ecc. 3:13) moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God. (Ecc. 5:19) Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

(Isa 18:7) At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, Even from a people feared far and wide, a powerful and oppressive nation, Whose land the rivers divide-- To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, even Mount Zion. (Jer 40:5) As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, "Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go." So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go. (Eze 46:16) 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "If the prince gives a gift out of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. (Eze 46:17) "But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince. His inheritance shall be only his sons'; it shall belong to them. (John 4:10) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (Act 2:38) Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Act 8:20) But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! (Act 10:45) All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. (Act 11:17) "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" (Rom 1:11) For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; (Rom 3:24) being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Rom 5:15) But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. (Rom 5:16) The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. (Rom 5:17) For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

(Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (1Co 1:7) so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1Co 7:7) Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. (1Co 13:2) If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1Co 16:3) When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; (2Co 8:20) taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; (2Co 9:5) So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness. (2Co 9:15) Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (Eph 2:8) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Eph 3:7) of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. (Eph 4:7) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. (Phi 4:16) for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. (Phi 4:17) Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. (1Ti 4:14) Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. (2Ti 1:6) For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (Heb 6:4) For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, (Jam 1:17) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

(1Pe 4:10) As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Manifestation

(1Co 12:7) But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (2Co 4:2) but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Spiritual Gift

(Rom 1:11) For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; (1Ti 4:14) Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

MEN MAPPING MATERIALS Consider obtaining the Men & Warfare – Small Group Leaders Guide and leading a group of men through the Men & Warfare – The Study Guide. This practical, systematic, guide is written in such a way that you do the leading and we do the guiding.

Prices are subject to change.

You can obtain a copy of the Small Group Leaders Guide and the Men & Warfare Conference by logging on to our online bookstore: www.menmapping.com

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

MEN MAPPING OUTREACH MINISTRY The Vision of Men Mapping is to target men for developing leadership skills that will enhance and equip men to be protectors of women, children, community and nation. Men Mapping has a specific mission to disciple men to be more qualified and adequate leaders as:       

Servants of Christ Husbands Fathers Leaders of their Homes Businessmen Servants in their Communities Leaders with their state and/or nation

Men Mapping has specific targets in reaching the overall vision and mission statements by helping men discover their identity as:        

Men of God Men of Integrity Men as Spiritual Warriors Men of Power Men of Intimacy Men of Freedom Men as Culture Changers Men as Ministers

Men Mapping conducts five primary activities throughout the year. They are as follows:     

Men Mapping Monthly Rallies Transformation Small Groups Weekly Restoration Classes Community-wide Leadership Training Annual Men’s Advances – weekend retreats

To learn more about this ministry or to obtain a schedule of events: Men Mapping Outreach 18646 N. 42nd St. Phoenix, AZ 85050

602-292-2985 sphinney@iomamerica.org Website: www.menmapping.org or www.menmapping.com

KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

NEVER FORGET “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 24-25 You are a victor in Christ Jesus! Don’t ever forget this. The enemy will do all he can to have you consider this to be just another study. God has done a mighty work in your heart and life. You are blameless in Christ and you should embrace this Truth with a great deal of joy. Give God all the glory, majesty, dominion over your life and authority to rule you each day. When you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 It is my daily prayer that God will give you His peace each day. I ask the Lord to sanctify you in every area of your life. I hope your spirit, soul and body will be made complete and without blame until Jesus comes to greet us in His second coming. God is faithful in calling you to daily repentance and Godly living. He will bring all of your struggles with temptation to pass. This is a promise and commitment to you by the one and only living God. “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 The Lord’s covenant (promise) with you comes through the seal of the blood of the eternal covenant of Jesus Christ. Because of this seal, He has equipped and empowered you to accomplish His will in your life. When you rest in the reality that God does this work through you, through the Holy Spirit that resides in you, He will be well pleased with all the efforts you apply in the Spirit. This promise, written in blood, will “seal the deal” in all of your warfare activities. We may be sheep, but He is the Lion of Judah! “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 I trust that you will dedicate all of your efforts to the One who is able to do for you more than you could ask or even think about asking. Your resources are limitless in Christ Jesus. Never fall into the trap of thinking that God does not care about the small and insignificant things in your life. He not only cares about the small things, He reveals to us that those of us that are faithful in the small things, He will entrust much to us (Luke 16:10). -Stephen R. Phinney