Spiritual Gifts

I've done 4 of those test and had the same results each time. Which were confirmed by my pastor. I do think we should take our top highest gifts and learn to develop them. NOw how many those top few are I don't know. To me if you have say 3 top scoring, and then number 4 is a wide margin, then I would focus on the the 3. If God wants to call into use that 4th. He will.
But then thats just me, I don't really have much of anything to contribute here,,
maybe if I were a man I could think more deeply.

 

One of the test I did had 15 as the highest score, and of course 0 as the lowest, so if I scored 12-15 on teaching, and say 2-4 on mercy, it would seem I couldn't even count on having the gift of mercy, that was one question on the test that would have given me that score. I would ahve gotten that score just becasue there are times I feel merceful towards another or their situation. I believe that a persons natrual abilities(not ot be confused with gifts) can sometimes casue them to answer one or two questions on a subject in a positive way , therefore appearing to be a gift, when it may not be. That is why the gifts tests can not be 100% proof positive, but must be confirmed by the church in the fact that they have seen you use that gift. The tests shoulf not give you any surprises, once you know the name of your gift/gifts and hear the proper definations you should be able to see that the gift does in fact exsist in you. If you feel that God truely has given you the gift of say mercy, then expore using that and see how it works for you, you may discover you do not have it at all. Or just the oppsite, that you do. God does not use every gift He has given us at ever moment, sometimes for whatever ministry He has currently called us for may mean using one gift above the others, but you still have the others that He will use when He needs you to use them. The one that you need most right now is the one you will be strongest in right now.

 

I believe that God gives each one of us spiratural gifts to be used to furthur his kingdom, and I think if we are not using, or going into areas where God can use the gift through us, we will have problems.

I also think however that although God may particularly gift us in one or two areas that is not an excuse to be involved in things that require the other gifts. Not all Christians have the gift of discernment, but that doesn't mean that the Christians who don't shouldn't be discerning, it means their ministry will not be focused around it but they still will do it when they need to although not as well as a person who has that gift will.

Bryan

 

Bugman, don't see that we disagree at all.

 

Yes,I think we should exhibit all attributes of these gifts for today,but there are some that we are more naturally inclined to be doing to build up the body of believers...this is where we see how God has gifted us. Whatever we are drawn to be doing,or we seem very comfortable doing is probably our spiritual gift...should we all be hospitable,even if it is not our gift,I think so...but the one who is gifted in that area will go beyond the typical showing of hospitality and it will be obvious that she or he is gifted in that area.

 

Just because my "gift" isn't teaching, doesn't mean I don't teach. People watch and they learn. Plus, teaching isn't always through the most popular means. I teach well by writing, but don't through speaking.

Just because my "gift" isn't mercy doesn't mean I shouldn't be kind.

Just because my "gift" isn't service doesn't mean I shouldn't help pick up after an event.

But having said this, when I am doing my gift, all is joy. When I am doing my gift, it feels like nothing--no weights, no burdens.

 

I agree Saggy, by the way what is your gift?
Murph

 

I might have to change my name to "Stick-In-The Mud" If you gave that same test to a group from the Seventh Day Adventist church or the Roman Cathpolic church down the road or the Mormons, you would get the same kinds of results. You are not measuring "Spiritual Gifts", you are only measuring talents, tendencies, and predispostions. I have done the same thing many times, I have administered a lot of various kinds of tests to a variety of people.

 

My spiritual gifts?

Well. Administration. I can organize with the best of them. And love it. Peicing things together. Coordinating Bible School.

This is the repeated strong one.

 

You are the first person I have heard admit they like doing VBS.
God Bless
Murph

 

uh. Now, I will say that when it is finally over each year, I don't want to do it next year.

But I get over it.

 

We all need to be of service regardless of our gifts, but, I think it is a shame when one has the gift of teaching and doesn't utilize it - Sunday School for example. If somebody's gifts are evident to the church leadership, I think they are missing a bet not encouraging that individual to utilize it (them). Just a thought.