Assessing & Using Your Serving Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
(Note: If you would like the spiritual gifts assessment we used, email me and I will send it to you)
Recap
Slide
We started talking about Spiritual gifts last week.
We looked at sign gifts and talked about the debate within Christianity as to whether they are still needed and what their purpose in history was, but then we turned to the serving gifts recognizing that they were definitely still needed and that God has given each person who has received Christ as Savior a gift to be used for the common good and for the building up of the church.
We talked about 11 of those gifts (there may be some disagreement in regards to the number) but these are the ones that I believe are to be used for the building up of the church.
Introduction
This morning is going to be a bit different than normal. Normally people get to sit and listen as I have the privilege to expound on the word of God, and I am sure to the disappointment of many, you won’t hear me as much today as we will all be seeking to discern how it is the Lord has gifted each of us who have received Jesus as Savior, by taking a Spiritual Gifts Assessment.
Slide
Before we do that, however, I want to read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
I want you to hear what Paul says about the unique aspects of the people who make up the body of Christ, the church, and how it is necessary for us all to be different with different gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Pray
Each one of us here is a part of the body when we Receive Jesus as Savior.
I think that sometimes they can’t do anything in the church. They don’t have the gifts necessary to help.
That is simply not true.
Paul tells us each part is necessary to the functioning of the body, therefore everyone one of us is needed to accomplish the mission of the church.
So often, people will see someone else and wish they could do what they do and because they can’t do that they aren’t useful.
I want everyone to look at their hand for a moment.
The hand is an amazing thing. It allows us to do many things.
Type, sign our names, pick things up, hold things.
Those who have lost use of their hands, can understand and have a new appreciation for their hands.
But what if you were to break your ring finger and you had to have a splint on it and lost use of it for a while.
The ring finger doesn’t seem to be all that important to us, does it? We still have use of our thumbs, we still have our index finger, etc.
But without the use of that ring finger, everything we do seems to become harder.
Yes we can still turn a door knob, but doing so now requires more thought and more effort.
It wasn’t as easy as it used to be and the loss of its use has affected the ability of the rest of the hand to be as useful and efficient as it once was.
The same could be said for you when you don’t use the gifts you have been given within the church and for the purpose of accomplishing the great commission.
You are needed to help accomplish things that have an eternal nature, things that will affect the eternity of people.
So, recognizing that everyone of us is needed, sometimes people just don’t know how they have been gifted or what they should be doing.
Spiritual Gifts Assessment
That is why today, we are going to take some time and take a Spiritual Gifts Assessment.
In the first seat in each row are some books with several sheets of paper in them.
I would like the person closest to them to grab them and hand them down the row so each person has a booklet.
If you don’t have enough, either the row in front or behind should have some and if not, just raise your hand and an usher will come by with some.
As you get your booklet, you can take the papers out and you only need for right now the long answer sheet and booklet.
If you need something to write with, raise your hand and we will get you something.
Instructions
Here are the instructions
In answering the questions, you want to answer for what is true of you right now, not what you wish were true of you.
You answer 1 if this statement would be true of you 0 to 30% of the time.
You answer 2 if this statement is true of you 31 to 70% of the time.
You answer 3 if this statement is true of you 71 to 100% of the time.
Be honest and this tool will be useful to you.
A couple of things to note.
The answers go across the page on the answer sheet, not up and down, so be aware of that.
I am going to give you about 15 minutes to work on this, and then I will give you some further instructions for going over this assessment.
Give 15 minutes.
If you are not done yet keep going. If you are done, you can begin adding up your score in columns. Add your score going down in columns. At the top of the sheet you see letters A, b, c, etc. Add up the scores of the A column and so on. Your total will be somewhere between 8 and 24.
Now grab the other 2 sheets that were in your booklet.
After you have added up your scores at the bottom of your answer sheet, right those numbers down next to the corresponding letter.
The highest 2 or 3 totals are what your primary spiritual gifts are. When you are using these gifts, you will find the greatest enjoyment and fulfillment from what you do.
Now here is what I want you to do with this information.
First,
Slide
I want you to fill out the personal information sheet that was in the booklet and at the bottom where it says to list any ministries you would like to serve in, I want you to write your 2 or 3 highest gifts and their score.
Secondly,
Slide
I want you to talk with this to someone close to you.
Ask them if they see these gifts in you. If you have these gifts, they should be evident in some way.
Thirdly,
Slide
I want you to think about your highest one of 2 gifts and think about what your passions in life are to see if there might be an area that you could use your particular gift in that would give you the greatest joy.
For instance, with the gift of shepherding. Maybe you have the gift of shepherding and a passion for kids. You would probably make a good Teacher in our Powerzone ministry.
Don’t you need a teaching gift for that? Not necessarily. Shepherding is being able to guide people along to spiritual maturity. If your passion is for kids, this is a great area for you.
After you fill out your personal info sheets, pass them down to the end of the row, the ushers are going to come and pick them up.
Conclusion
As they do that, I want to encourage you to use your gifts.
You will never find fulfillment in life until you are using the gifts that the Lord has given you for eternal purposes.
And as we use our gifts, it will make this time we spend on this earth, more fruitful and enjoyable as we wait for our Lord to return.
Because He is coming back one day for His church, for each of us who are part of the body, to take us to be with Him forever.
Wouldn’t it be good to be found doing the things that He has equipped us and gifted us to do? Oh what a day that will be.
I am going to invite the worship team up to lead us in worship as we close. We are going to sing about that day that the Lord comes back, a day that will be glorious for those who have received Jesus as Savior, a day that we will all “fly away to glory”
