Charles F. Stanley - Ministering Through Spiritual Gifts: Use Your Strengths to Serve Others

A number of books are available today to help you understand your talents and abilities and learn how to use them to achieve success. This book is unlike them in two ways. First, it is intended as a personal Bible study, not as a standalone book. Second, it is intended to help you discover the spiritual gifts that God has given you so you can use them for the body of Christ as a wholenot just your own personal success. The intent for using any spiritual gift is not personal gain but the building up of others within the church.

Note these gifts are spiritual in nature, so they are not going to be understood by anyone who does not have a relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit is the One who reveals the spiritual gifts and their useand those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior do not yet have the Holy Spirit residing within them. Therefore, this study should only be undertaken by those who are followers of Christ and who desire both to know and to use their gifts effectively.

In this study, we will use the terms motivational gifts and ministry gifts interchangeably. These are the spiritual gifts that motivate you to minister to others. They are ministry gifts in that they are always intended to build up others in the body of Christ.

This book can be used by you alone or by several people in a small-group study. At various times, you will be asked to relate to the material in one of the following four ways.

First, what new insights have you gained? Make notes about the insights you have. You may want to record them in your Bible or in a separate journal. As you reflect on your new understanding, you are likely to see how God has moved in your life.

Second, have you ever had a similar experience? You approach the Bible from your own unique background... your own particular set of understandings about the world that you bring with you when you open Gods Word. For this reason, it is important to consider how your experiences are shaping your understanding and allow yourself to be open to the truth that God reveals.

Third, how do you feel about the material? While you should not depend solely on your emotions as a gauge for your faith, it is important for you to be aware of them as you study a passage of Scripture and can freely express them to God. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will use your emotions to compel you to look at your life in a different or challenging way.

Fourth, in what way do you feel challenged to respond or to act? Gods Word may inspire you or challenge you to take a particular action. Take this challenge seriously and find ways to move into it. If God reveals a particular need that He wants you to address, take that as His marching orders. God will empower you to do something with the challenge that He has just given you.

Start your Bible study sessions in prayer. Ask God to give you spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. As you conclude your study, ask the Lord to seal what you have learned so you will not forget it. Ask Him to help you grow into the fullness of the nature and character of Christ Jesus.

I encourage you to keep the Bible at the center of your study. A genuine Bible study stays focused on Gods Word and promotes a growing faith and a closer walk with the Holy Spirit in each person who participates.

LESSON 1
G ODS S PECIAL
G IFT TO Y OU

IN THIS LESSON

Learning: What exactly are motivational gifts?

Growing: Where do motivational gifts come from?

Do you know your innate spiritual gift? Have you identified the most important gift that God has given to you for the purposes of ministry in His name? Every Christian has been given a spiritual gift from Goda gift designed to be used as part of the body of Christ and for the purpose of assisting others. All believers receive these gifts the moment they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. These gifts are intended to be the main avenue through which a person ministers to others within the church as a whole.

I refer to these gifts as motivational gifts, for they are intended to motivate you toward service. They are gifts that compel and inspire you to act in specific ways. They are the particular bent that you have to serve Gods people and others whom you desire to see become Christians. I believe it is vitally important to your personal spiritual lifeas well as to the overall spiritual life of the churchfor you to recognize these gifts, to encourage their proper use in the church, and encourage one another as you exercise them.

Do you know what your motivational gift is? If so, how are you using it at present?

[Your Response Here]

What are some ways that you have sensed God motivating you toward service?

[Your Response Here]

N ATURE OF M OTIVATIONAL G IFTS

Several things about these motivational gifts are vital for us to acknowledge at the outset of our study. First, every person has received a motivational gift. Some people may seem gifted with a number of these types of gifts, but there is going to be one covered in this study that will be dominant in a persons life. The Lord instills that gift in a person at his or her birth, and it becomes fully operative for its God-given purposes when that person is born again.

Second, the motivational gifts are intended to be used in the church for building up Gods people. As the apostle Paul wrote, The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all (1 Corinthians 12:7). Each of the motivational gifts may be employed in the flesh, or employed by the person for his or own personal gain. When this happens, disaster follows. The misuse of the gifts is actually counterproductive to the work the Holy Spirit desires to do in us individually and in the church as a whole. We must thus rely completely on the Holy Spirit to assist us in the use of our motivational gifts.