Spiritual Gifts

I spend a decade earning 2 advanced degrees guaranteed to be completely useless in the workplace. I'd say I volunteered for poverty about as much as Saint Francis of Assisi did when he sold all his belongings and started his new career dressed in sackcloth as a travelling beggarmonk.

Truth is, SUV's, big guns, cocaine breakfasts, private swimmingpools and televisions (bigscreen or otherwise) just don't hold my interest all that much.
After this admission I'll never get a greencard.

 

Marcia: //I have also heard that the idea of a test for spiritual gifts is ridiculous.//

YOu know one can hear anything they want to tickle their ears with
on the internet. I don't know why some which to maraud a group of folks
having a joyful occasion together to figure out how to serve the
Lord better.

Marcia: //One thing that bothers me about them is that they are very
subjective -- it is leaving it up to the person to answer
all this and we tend to be very biased and non-objective about
ourselves. I know I am.//

This is your comment on page 5. Here is something said on page 2:

Edwards: //If you cannot take the test over and see which are the 2 or 3 most
foremost gifts in your life now, then let a trusted other person
answer the questions for you.//

Of course, a trusted person who knows you well can be more objective.
But quite frankly, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are VERY SUBJECTIVE.
The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts we need to do the ministry He assigns
to us. I know i have different gifts now that i'm teaching older
Adult men (well 34-60) then when i was taking care of my Church's
Children worship (4-6 year olds). The Holy Spirit gives to whom He
will on a very SUBJECTIVE basis.

Marcia: //The list of spiritual gifts in the Bible does not include
some given on this test.//

And the lists in the Holy Bible do not each match one-for-one.
ThHis leads me to beleive that each list in the Bible is suggestive
and not exhaustive -- there are other gifts of the Holy Spirit than
those names. Anyway, each different 'Gift Survey' is different.
The one i suggested early has been adapted and is different from
mine though both are based on the same earlier 'Gift Survey'.

The Surveys of Spiritual Gifts are good
tools to help us obey Biblical injunctions such as:

Ro 14:19 (nKJV):
Therefore let us pursue the things which make
for peace and the things by which one may edify
another.

1Co 10:23 (nKJV):
All things are lawful for me, but not all things
are helpful; all things are lawful for me,
but not all things edify.

1Th 5:11 (nKJV):
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another,
just as you also are doing.

Mioque: //I spend a decade earning 2 advanced degrees guaranteed
to be completely useless in the workplace.//

But then you still serve the Lord FULL TIME.
And that is what it is all about!
(so, poverty makes you closer to a PROPHET and
further from a PROFIT )

 

Hello, Mr. Edwards,

Thank you for your thoughts. Just a few comments:
1. The idea that a test for spiritual gifts is ridiculous is not something I heard on the Internet but from Christians that I know.

2. My point about being subjective is in answering the questions, not about the gifts themselves. When one answers the questions, I think we can easily err since we are so biased. I agree that having others who know you well look over the answers or say what they thing would be helpful. Of course, when I was a new believer, no one knew me because I had lost all my friends in the New Age. I had no friends and that's a fact (except 2 Christians back in Atlanta but I was up here in DC).

3. Your comment about having different gifts at different times of life is interesting. I am not sure I ever heard that from anyone. Also, your comment that the list in the bible is suggestive and is not exhaustive is interesting. Food for thought.

Thanks!

 

Marcia: "Thanks!"

You are welcome.

As my cannibal friend says:
We are eager to serve you any time

 

Identifying Spiritual gifts is definitely more art than science. The Networks program encourages a personal evaluation of your gifts in an inventory in addition to finding three people who have served with you or know you well as external confirmations of those gifts.

As the "Spiritual Gifts" guy at my church, those are both points I make sure I emphasize.