Part 1: Ministry—God's PLANS for You in His Body

or business experiences are important life experiences. Also, include spiritual experiences in this list. Some of these things may be painful, some are not, but God can use them all to serve other believers.

A-Abilities—What skills, talents, or resources do you have?
Some of your answers to this question may come from the “Passion” that you mentioned earlier. You may be able to sew well enough to make a shirt or dress. Or make a quilt. You may have some sports ability. I play the guitar and sing and write music. But I also make balloon figures, and I can do several computer-related things. Think about other things that you are able to do: cook, bake, clean, write poetry or stories, do math, woodworking, organizing, planning, business skills, mechanic skills, home repair skills, and so on.

N-Nature (Personality)—What is my personality like?
If you’ve had more than one child or grandchild, you know how different their personalities are, don’t you?
There are at least four distinct personality types that most people fall into, and they may be known by different names. And usually, every person will have some mixture of a couple of these.

Dominant (Choleric)—”goal-setter,” achiever (Biblical example: Paul confronted Peter about his shunning the Gentile believers when some Jewish believers came.)
Influencing (Sanguine)—encouraging, verbal, enthusiastic (Biblical example: Barnabas took Saul to the disciples when they were a little uncertain about him.)
Steadiness (Phlegmatic)—supportive, cooperative, deliberate, harmony (Biblical example: Abraham wanted to avoid having a conflict between his servants and Lot’s servants, but continue on with what God wanted, so he arranged a solution.) let’s work through things so we can continue doing what God wants us to do.
Conscientious (Melancholy)-detail-oriented, a little cautious (Biblical example: Moses was very detailed, which was useful for carrying out the details of the Law and writing down all the things God had said.)

Any of these can be carried to an extreme, so it’s best when we can adjust to the situation, so we can be stronger in one aspect when we need to. But thinking about what we’re like in our personality will help us what kind of service we are better suited for.

S-Spiritual Gifts-What spiritual gift(s) has God given me for use in the church?
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7, “4Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. 5There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. 6There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. 7A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.”
There are many spiritual gifts that have been identified in Scripture. Right there in 1 Corinthians 12, several are listed: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, languages, helping, teachers administration, and shepherding. A few others are mentioned in other places in Scripture: evangelism, giving, encouragement, mercy.
Many surveys have been developed through the years to help Christians pinpoint which gifts they may have been given. Usually these surveys will make a statement, like, “I am willing to study and prepare for the task of teaching.” You would respond to these