Henry Blackaby - Whats So Spiritual About Your Gifts?

WHATS SO SPIRITUAL ABOUT YOUR GIFTS?
published by Multnomah Books.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

2004 by Henry T. Blackaby and Melvin Blackaby

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New King James Version 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Other Scripture quotations are from:
The Amplified Bible ( AMP ) 1965, 1987 by Zondervan Publishing House.
New American Standard Bible ( NASB ) 1960, 1977, 1995
by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Italics in Scripture quotations are the authors emphasis.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission.

For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blackaby, Henry T., 1935

Whats so spiritual about your gifts? / by Henry Blackaby and Mel Blackaby.

p. cm.

eISBN: 978-0-307-56401-6

1. Holy Spirit. 2. Christian life. I. Blackaby, Melvin D. II. Title.

BT121.3.B55 2004

234.13--dc22

2003026158

v3.1

contents

I NTRODUCTION
That the World May Marvel

C HAPTER O NE
Firstthe Relationship

C HAPTER T WO
The Talent Trap

C HAPTER T HREE
Those Whom God Uses

C HAPTER F OUR
Gifting Follows Assignment

C HAPTER F IVE
Our Response to the Gift

C HAPTER S IX
The Adventure of Obedience

C HAPTER S EVEN
The Surrender

T HAT THE W ORLD M AY M ARVEL

Looking back to the first century, its easy to be amazed at the impact and accomplishments of the early believers in launching and multiplying the church. For such a monumental task, they seemed to possess such inadequate resourcesno seminaries, no beautiful church facilities or sound systems or multimedia tools, no such thing as a Bible in every members hand. They had no celebrities to endorse their cause, and very little freedom to promote their belief in Jesus Christ.

They were plain men and women for the most part, insignificant and unknown, fighting against fierce opposition and hatred. But Scripture testifies that they turned the world upside down! (Acts 17:6). Wave after wave of persecution broke over them, yet they emerged victorious.

The message of the early church, as told in the book of Acts, is that the bare simplicity of the Christian faith is what counts. The testimony of these early Christians was that of Gods people proclaiming the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and confirming it with holy lives.

So whats their secret?

There is no secret. The Bible openly tells us of a gift from God that unleashes the power and wisdom of His kingdom, providing everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He instructed the apostles to wait for the Promise of the Father, which He explained in these words: You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me (Acts 1:45, 8).

The result of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples was something earthshaking. No, it extended much further than thatthese Spirit-filled believers literally shook the gates of hell. So dramatic was the Spirits coming upon them that onlookers could not help but be in awe: They were all amazed and marveled; they were all amazed and perplexed; they were filled with wonder and amazement; they marveled (Acts 2:7, 12; 3:10; 4:13).

Does the world marvel at the church today?

Unfortunately, much of what happens in the contemporary church is little more than a reflection of the values and the reasoning of the surrounding culture, instead of a clear demonstration of Gods power. Why is this?

For most Christians, when it comes to discovering our part in the work of Gods kingdom, the question we ask is self-centered: What can I do for God? The question we should be asking is God-centered: What does God want to do through me? What is His particular assignment for me? To make that subtle shift in thinkingand to experience the true giftedness of the Holy Spirit that follows from itwill have dramatic results in your life, for what youll witness will be Gods power to transform lives, not just your own ability to help people in need.

This book is not an exhaustive study on the Holy Spirit, but it will reorient your thinking to biblical teaching on the Spirits role in your life, clarify the apparent confusion between natural talents and spiritual gifts, and help you get in step with Gods purpose. It will guide you practically as you seek to better understand the Spirits assignment and to experience Gods great salvation in every area of your life.

And as you understand more about the strategic plan in Gods heart for sending the gift of the Holy Spirit, you wont struggle with burnout serving God or carry the weight of anxiety and stress. Your Christian life will produce joy, and youll discover that merely watching the activity of God from a distance could never compare with the thrill of being fully involved in the Spirits active work.

F IRST THE R ELATIONSHIP

Why is it that countless believers seem to stand powerless before a world desperately needing what we claim to have? Why does the church have so little impact? Why are so many Christians so frustrated?

There are probably several reasons, but a major one is that Christians are seeking