My ministry partner, Esther, taught this lesson as part of our curriculum in China. I liked it so much, I want to post it here: (these include her words, Chip Ingram’s words, and of course verses from the bible)
Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s workmanship! Before we were born, he prepared things JUST FOR US to do. Isn’t that special? He created some of us to be missionaries, to work in the church full-time, to work in business, to be a farmer, to be a teacher, to be a chef, to be a janitor, to be a construction worker. Each of these is equally as holy and pleasing to God, none is better than the other. God designed all of us differently!
How did God design you? What is your spiritual gift from God?
Today we will concentrate our study on Romans 12. Which one is your primary gift? Which one defines you best? I am going to talk a little bit about each of these. Ask the Holy Spirit to start telling you which gift is yours. It’s ok if you don’t know immediately. Learning is a process.
1. Prophesy.
This gift will motivate you to say God’s truth and to speak God’s word correctly. If you have this gift, you will ask questions like, “What went wrong? What caused this?” They will look for the real reason for the problem. People with this gift are usually very good public speakers. They are opinionated, and see things as “right” or “wrong” – no in-between. They often enjoy speaking to large group settings.
The dangers of this gift: You can be very proud. You can depend on your speaking ability instead of the Holy Spirit. You can be insensitive.
2. Service
This gift will motivate you to serve others in a very practical way. You show your love to others by serving them. If you have this gift, you will ask questions like, “How can I help?”
The danger of this gift: You can become bitter if you’re not recognized. This gift is often not appreciated enough.
3. Teaching
This gift will motivate you to learn the detailed explanation of God’s truth. When you hear someone teaching, you will ask, “Is that true? Where did he get that? Why?”
The danger in this gift: Focus too much on content and not enough on application. You can become proud of your knowledge.
4. Exhortation (Encouragement)
This gift will motivate you to encourage someone spiritually. You will give them strength and support. You will challenge their faith. You know how to apply the Bible to your everyday life. You will ask questions like “How can I fix this? How can I make you complete?”
The danger in this gift: You can be discouraged if the other person doesn’t show progress or get better. You can spend too much time with a person who does not want to get better.
5. Giving
This gift will motivate you to earn money, manage it well, and give cheerfully. You will ask the question, “What can I give?” It doesn’t have to be money. This person will be very generous.
The danger in this gift: You can be proud and look down on somebody who does not manage money well. You can be proud when people respect / honor you for this gift.
6. Leadership
This gift will motivate you to organize and coordinate. You will see everything that needs to be done. You will be good at telling other people what to do. You enjoy responsibility. You will ask, “What’s the goal?”
The danger in this gift: You can be bossy. You can focus too much on the work instead of the purpose.
7. Mercy
This gift will motivate you to be cheerful with people who don’t deserve it. When people suffer, you want to help. You do not want them to be punished, even if they deserve it. You are very sensitive to other people. You will ask, “How can I make you feel better?”
People with the gift of mercy and the gift of leadership often disagree.
The danger in this gift: Hard time to discipline when necessary. Be careful if you are a parent. Be careful when dating.
What’s your spiritual gift? The Bible tells us to do all of them, but we each have one primary gift.
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