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What is your spiritual gift?

D

dwmoeller1

New Member
Oh man, don't get me started on groups that
- confuse personality with spiritual gifts
- assume that spiritual gifts can be quantified in some manner
- act as if the gifts are particular to a person instead of a situation or need
 
Baptist Believer

Baptist Believer

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
dwmoeller1 said:
Oh man, don't get me started on groups that...
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I wouldn’t want to get you started! :D

- confuse personality with spiritual gifts
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I’m with you. Members of the Body of Christ are gifts to each other.

However, I am convinced that there are spiritual gifts which are bestowed upon individuals as extensions of one’s redeemed personality, and work in coordination with our redeemed inclinations as empowered by the Spirit.

Discerning the difference between many of the spiritual gifts and the redeemed personality is difficult or impossible because of the way God has put them together.

- assume that spiritual gifts can be quantified in some manner
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Well, Paul listed quite a few gifts (and one would be hard-pressed to come up with more), so I think there is some use in analyzing how God typically works within individual members of the Body of Christ so as to more effectively position individuals for effective ministry within the church. Too often churches align ministry roles exclusively along the lines of professions instead of abilities and interests.

- act as if the gifts are particular to a person instead of a situation or need
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God tends to empower certain gifts through persons who have personalities that effectively support/manage that gift. However, all believers are potentially equipped with all of the power of the fullness of the spiritual gifts according to the needs of the moment. I get a little frustrated when some of our youth see spiritual giftedness as some sort of “X-Men” God Squad type of superhero situation.

We are equipped to do every good work, according to God’s will and our willingness to be used of Him.

As to the original question, I took this quiz and received Prophecy and Teaching as the two dominant gifts (scored both at 19). I think that’s a fair assessment of the standard ministry gifts found in Romans.

Other gifts that are often manifested through me:
- Pastor
- Exhortation
- Word of wisdom (understanding and communicating what God is doing in a situation)
- Word of knowledge (having actionable knowledge of a situation without having to be told or even in communication with someone)
- Ability to distinguish between spirits

Other gifts that are occasionally manifested through me:
- Evangelist (extraordinary situations – I try to do the work of an evangelist every day)
- Service
- Leadership
- Faith

Other gifts that are rarely manifested through me:
- Giving (extraordinary amount)
- Mercy (extraordinary depth)
- Working of miracles (only once)
- Gifts of healing (very few times)

Other gifts that have never been manifested through me:
- Apostle
- Tongues
- Interpretation of tongues
 
preachinjesus

preachinjesus

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
freeatlast said:
By the way teaching is not a spirtitual gift. It is an avenue to use a spiritual gift. Teachers is a poisiton, not a spiritual gift.
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The master list of spiritual gifts comes from Romans 12:6-8...its listed there...

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[a]faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
 
Dr. Bob

Dr. Bob

Administrator
Administrator
Showing mercy.

That, my fiends, is the only reason 99% of you haven't been banned from the BB . . . yet.


:saint:
 
F

freeatlast

New Member
preachinjesus said:
The master list of spiritual gifts comes from Romans 12:6-8...its listed there...

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[a]faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
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preachinjesus
I will at this time give to what you hold to, but the translation you used differs a little from the Greek and the Greek seems to me to suggest that this is an office and the one holding it needs to stick by it and teach well. However since my Greek is not on a scholarly lever I will say you are correct for the sake of argument.
 
D

dwmoeller1

New Member
Baptist Believer said:
However, I am convinced that there are spiritual gifts which are bestowed upon individuals as extensions of one’s redeemed personality, and work in coordination with our redeemed inclinations as empowered by the Spirit.
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Maybe, however...
1. Scripture doesn't really teach such. Thus it is something we should be very careful with even if we agree. It is just as possible that He gives someone a gift which is not in line with their redeemed personalities. Thus, unless we can be certain that God always, or even usually, combines gifts and personality in this way, it would be fallacious to try and test for spiritual gifts based on personality.

2. Inclinations and personalities are very different things. One can be inclined to teaching and yet be a very mild and retired personality, while another can also be inclined to teachings and be very forceful and vehement in manner. Gifts and inclinations of the believer are Spirit empowered but this has no necessary parallel in the realm of personality.

3. And even if I granted what you say without quibble, this still doesn't negate the fact that personality and spiritual gifts can be confused. The kicker? Give an unbeliever one of these tests and most all of them will still test as having some "spiritual gift". If a test of spiritual gifts can apply equally (or with very minor changes) to believer and unbeliever, then, in my book, that is a classic sign that spiritual gifts and personality have been confused. That some who promote these tests claim that the results for an unbeliever merely indicate what gift an unbeliever would have if he were a believer merely reinforces my point.

Discerning the difference between many of the spiritual gifts and the redeemed personality is difficult or impossible because of the way God has put them together.
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Even if I ignore point 1 and grant the general truth of this, the problem still arises: How do you know which characteristics represent teacher, apostle, prophet, etc. w/o begging the question?

Furthermore, allowing that there can be irreconcilable confusion between gifts and personality would tend to put spiritual gifts as being no more than inclinations or desire or personality. Such a view would, IMO, downgrade the true power of spiritual gifts.

Well, Paul listed quite a few gifts (and one would be hard-pressed to come up with more), so I think there is some use in analyzing how God typically works within individual members of the Body of Christ so as to more effectively position individuals for effective ministry within the church. Too often churches align ministry roles exclusively along the lines of professions instead of abilities and interests.
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Oh I agree. However, a test like this assumes that gifts cannot only be analyzed in action but also quantified such that so many points on these questions = spiritual gift X. I agree (tentatively) the church should find some way of identifying spiritual gifts and analyzing how each person's gift would best fit within the church. I say tentatively though because such a process assumes that the gifts are given to the person instead of the person being sent to the need and then receiving the gift to meet the need.

God tends to empower certain gifts through persons who have personalities that effectively support/manage that gift.
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I just can't find such a teaching in Scripture - either explicit or implicit. Thats not to say you are wrong, merely that its an assumption which needs to be treated as such - not a foundation of the doctrine of gifts. Plus it raise plenty of difficulties as well - enough to make me be even more wary of it.
 
S

SBCPreacher

Active Member
Site Supporter
I have two, and I exercise both of them as often as I can:
Eating and sleeping!

But seriously... encouragement and service.
 
A

Alcott

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
This is not a favorite subject of mine to discuss... but since the question was asked, I have virtually concluded there are no spiritual gifts today. Those "tests" (and I did take a few years ago) just show what you want to believe about yourself. And when it gets down to it, they show no ability you mysteriously lacked before your conversion to the gospel that you suddenly have in abundance. Thus, the 'gifts' are just traits, or "natural talents", or persuasions you already had, or everyone is given "spiritual gifts" from birth. The evidence just does not add up.
 
A

annsni

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
My husband says that I have the "anti-mercy" gift!! ;) It's so true. LOL I'm SUCH a bad counselor and tend to be thinking "Just get over it!! Sometimes life stinks. Move on!" Doesn't work really well, does it??

But my gift is service (I think. It's been a while since I did the test - goes to show how much I worry about labels.) :)
 
A

abcgrad94

Active Member
Mine are the same no matter what kind of spiritual gifts test I take:
Exhortation
Serving/Administration

Dr. Bob, I for one am glad you have the gift of mercy. It seems those of us with the gift of Exhortation have a shorter fuse!
 
R

rbell

Active Member
I've just been informed that my top two gifts--sarcasm and criticism--are not Spiritual Gifts.

(gasp)

Service here.

Plus: Love helping folks. Not too worried about credit.
Minus: Can stretch myself too thin. Not as good at delegating, which has hampered me as our church has grown.

Then, teaching.

Plus: Love to see God turn on the lightbulbs.
Minus: Sometimes I don't involve others as much as I should in helping to teach/mentoring other teachers.
 
menageriekeeper

menageriekeeper

Active Member
Hmmm, interesting: teaching (which I already sorta knew) and evangelism????? How did it not pick up that I HATE, HATE, HATE speaking in public? (teaching children does not rise to my definition of public)

Showing mercy was down on the list.
 
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