Spiritual Gifts

I've done several gifts surveys.
No surprises, I don't think anyone should actually be surprised. All the survey does is put a name on your gift, something you've already been doing(using the gift). I think most people are already using their gifts if they've been a christian very long, some are affraid of it not knowing it is their gift and God does it through them.
Mine are adminstration, and teaching. Something I already knew. Had no idea the name of what I was doing with adminstration, now i do and can see when and where my gift can be used and needed. I already knew about the teaching, but I was affraid to do it for several years. But now I know it is God working through me, He is accomplishing what He wants, all I got to do is show up and do what He says. Not affraid anymore.

 

I found it to be much the same as Donna. My highest was mercy, which I pretty much already knew as well.

I've taken the survey a couple of times, too, but I don't know where you'd go to get that.

 

Here in the Bible Belt we have lots of Bible Book stores.
I use FINDING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS, a Wagner-Modified
Houts Questionnaire (Peter Wagner, 1995). Beware that it
has the miracle sign gifts that some say were for the first
centrury only. (plus some i've never heard of like:
Voluntary Poverty and Celibacy)

I score high in Teaching, Knowledge, and Discerning of Spirits.
Oops, Discerning of Spirits is one of those sign gifts
that the Church no longer needs. Well I still have it.

"Discerning of Spirits The gift of discerning of spirits
is the special ability that God gives to
certain members of the Body of Christ to know with
assurance whether certain behavior purported to
be of God is in reality divine, human, or Satanic."

I used to use another tool for Spiritual Gifts, but it used
that Discerning of Spirits was just to see if a behavior
is of divine or Satanic origin. In fact, most behavior is just
human nature showing itself. Needless to say, even when i was using
that Spiritual Gifts tool, I always knew that there was lots of
behavior out there that wasn't of divine origin and wasn't
of Satanic origin - it was just human being things to do.

Yes, i can tell over the internet wheather many sayings and doings
of folks is "in reality divine, human, or Satanic".

Check the Dr. Bob post of October 03 at:
http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/10/4136/15.html?
Don't forget about your BACK key

 

I need to run to work.
But it looks like there is an on-line
example of this test i use at:

http://buildingchurch.net/g2s.htm

 

Have taken three, don't remember names or where.

teaching, helps, administration.

No surprises.

They are as you say, helpful but not infallible. Would be great for a new Christian, if they work on newbies that might be another thread that would be very interesting.

 

I've used that one.

 

I have taken many such tests. They are merely aptitude tests and nothing more. As Christians who are growing in maturity our answers will change from one year to the next, gifts wouldn't. There is nothing in scripture to indicate that spiritual gifts are aptitudes. There are lost people with an aptitude for learning languages and have learned to speak many foreign tongues but this is not a gift of languages. God did not give an aptitude for languages at Pentecost and then the people learned other languages. He gave them the ability to speak other languages at once.

 

I have seen and taken several of these instruments, and though they always agree with me regarding what I think my spiritual gifts are, I don't really recommend them.

They are more a measure of "how you see yourself," than an accurate measure of what your gifts are. For instance, one of the more popular ones says something like:

I feel that I have a special insight in selecting the best alternative in a difficult situation. Always Often Seldom Never

If you answer "always" that doesn't mean you do have a special insight into selecting the best alternative. Your friends and family may think you should have selected "never" because they think you're always wrong.

That said: I have always, and I mean, always, tied on: Discernment, Knowledge, Teacher, and Faith

Which fits how I view my own gifts.

There are, without a doubt, people on this board who would see that and go, "She has GOT to be kidding herself."

 

Seriously Texas,

How did you score on mercy? Just based on what I know of what really seems to be close to your heart I would have thought you'd have a very high score in Mercy, or maybe its Helps that I mean?

I know what you are saying, too. One really does have to be very honest with oneself on those tests. If you answer with brutal honesty, and not with what you WISH were true, than it can be pretty accurate. My top one was not a real big surprise, although I didn't know for sure. But if I remember right my second and third were not what I would have thought. I just can't remember what those second and third finds were!

The one that Ed Edwards linked to has far more "gifts" listed than any test Ive ever taken.

 

Artimaeus,

Id agree with what you said, too. Except for that if the tests are given correctly, they will measure what is most natural for each person, from the time they were little.

The most natural thing in the world for me to do is work with the mentally handicapped. Other people tell me I have some kind of "gift" for it, which I really don't understand. Because to me, it's nothing special, its just natural.

I think thats what these tests are supposed to measure. We are all supposed to be growing in many of those areas as we mature, but which ones come so easily to you that you don't realize its even a gift? Thats hopefully what the test can reveal.

 

Very interesting! I took Ed's test. Makes much sense for as I study the results. I'd say it's accurate.

 

I don't recommend using those tests to find one's spiritual gifts. A lot of the time, they are just personality tests. Spiritual gifts manifest themselves in God's way in God's timing and through His Spirit.

Also, these tests give people an excuse to NOT do certain things because they scored low on the test. People have a tendency, in light of a low score in hospitality, for example, to say, "I can't let the missionary stay at my house. Hospitality is not my spiritual gift."

Teach people about what the SCRIPTURAL spiritual gifts are and exhort them as Paul does:

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy...So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:1, 39-40 ESV)

 

Bapmom,

That was such a kind thing to say. I was one point below the others on mercy.

I think when I was young my mercy score would have been higher, and teacher lower. When I was young I assumed that most people wanted to be kind to others, and wanted to do "the right thing," but that when they were frustrated with life and trials of life they slipped into mean or wrong. I'm many years older now, and a bit more jaded. I believe that there are people out there who just enjoy being mean, and who enjoy getting by with evil just to see if they can.

 

bapmom, I taught Special Education for 15 years. From the first day that I interacted with mentally handicapped students I felt an ease and comfort that most do not feel. It is easier for me than for others but, I still had to learn everything that I know about working with these kids. None of it was a gift except my aptitude or predisposition. This does not seem remotely close to having a spiritual gift as outlined in the Bible. Gifts in the Bible are more in the line of sudden abilities and not merely inate probabilities.

BTW, I'll bet you have some great stories about your kids (or adults). It used to break my heart when I would see parents who weren't proud of their kids and I am talking about some great kids who just happen to have a difficult time learning in the usual educational setting but were terrific people.

 

I just took Ed's test, and actually, I have to say, it is MUCH better than most of the spiritual gift tests I have seen before.

Much more like a professional balanced assessment test would read.


The scores came otu about the same. Discernment, wisdom, evangelism, teaching and faith tied.

Knowledge, mercy, and miracles came in a close second.

 

I've only taken one of these surveys so far, and that was when I was a fairly new Christian.
I scored high in Helps, Exhortation, Service, Giving, Mercy, and Intercession.

I'll have to check out that link, see if anything has changed. I've wondered if by growing in Christ, our gifts change, maybe something is added or if we don't use a gift that God would take it away? Hmmm

 

A lot of the results also depend on the authors definition of the gift also. I suggest reading that info first to see if you agree with them.

 

This time I got teaching, knowledge, adminstration and shepharding.