Finding a focus
Once upon a time, two friends were building their houses on adjacent lots. One house made good progress, but the other seemed to struggle. Concerned for his friend, the man whose house was now getting its roof put on made a visit next door. When he asked how things were going, the neighbor replied, “We’re encouraged, but you know, it’s slow going as our workmen have only three tools in their tool box.”
This is a picture of some churches today. They know the Lord is building His church, and they have willing workers, but they are ignorant of the wonderful tools He has given to move the work along. The tools, of course, are spiritual gifts. Here is a simple definition: “Spiritual gifts are divine enablements given for service.”
Some Christians have become suspicious of the whole subject of spiritual gifts because of abuses. Certainly there can be no substitute for the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer. But the fact remains that the Lord Jesus gave gifts to His church and expected them to be used. I am often amazed at how many Christians can quote Romans 12:1-2 about presenting their bodies and being renewed in their minds, but they never observe that, in the very next verses, the subject is spiritual gifts. Yet the presenting and renewing instruction is linked to serving in the power of the Spirit using the provisions supplied by the risen Christ.
Some points to remember
Before we consider some points that can help you discover your own gift, there are a couple things we must keep in mind, because spiritual gifts (like all tools) can be dangerous if misused.
Spiritual gifts operate in the realm of faith, so we must believe they exist and that God gives them. They are not ornaments for showing off but tools by which we can bless others. Some gifts are difficult to understand, so don’t get hung up on arguments about which ones no longer exist. There are enough gifts available to get the job done! Also remember that humility is involved (Rom. 12:3). It is not the claim you make about your abilities, but the blessing perceived by those who have been served that counts. Gifts entail self-denial and hard work. Do I have a servant’s heart and hands? Finally, spiritual gifts are love gifts given by the Lord Jesus to His people, and, although different, all have the underlying goal of promoting unity in the body (“profit” in 1 Corinthians 12:7 is literally “carrying together”).
Finding your gift
1. Know the gifts and relevant passages. They’re easy to remember: 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4. Altogether, about 20 different gifts are listed.
2. Pray for wisdom and guidance to identify your gift (Jas 1:5).
3. Fellowship in a New Testament church. You will grow faster in a church that depends on the involvement of all the people and gives opportunities to young believers than in a church where the “laity” are spectators.
4. Seek the guidance of older believers. Rarely will one have a gift that is not eventually seen by mature believers. Elders are called the stewards of God (Titus 1:7). Part of good stewardship is to identify and use resources (people and their gifts) wisely.
5. When you see an area of need in the church, try to meet it. Gifts are discovered and developed among active believers.
6. God gives the gift but we are responsible to exercise it. Gifts are like muscles: they respond to working out.
7. Maintain an attitude of honesty. Both pride and false humility are unacceptable attitudes in servants. We must learn to distinguish between the blessing that comes from the exercise of gift and superficial compliments of well-meaning people.
8. Have patience. “A man’s gift maketh room for him…” (Prov. 18:16). It is not necessary to push open the door. Faithful service is the greater part; identifying your particular gift is the lesser part.
9. Identify areas where you probably have no gift. Do I think I have a gift in an area of administrations, but my affairs are always in a mess?
10. What gift do you desire? A gift lying dormant may be producing desires to be released in service.
A word to elders
No article on helping people discover their gift would be complete without a reminder that gifts need a context in which to operate. This is where the assembly—the training place of the spiritual family—comes in. Here are four suggestions to help elders take a positive and helpful approach to the subject.
1. Be open to accepting help from others. In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul’s supplies some wonderful insights on the matter of gifts. A crucial part comes in vv. 11-12, where we learn that one of the responsibilities of gifted men such as the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher is “ for the perfecting [equipping] of the saints for the work of the ministry.” In other words, these men don’t monopolize the ministry; they train the saints to participate through the use of their own gifts.
2. Preserve flexibility. If we remember that gifts reside in unique individuals with different natural talents, personalities, life backgrounds, etc., it will keep us from looking for something stereotypical and delight us with great variation in expressions of service. In addition, multiple gifts may reside in the same person as many examples in Scripture prove, making the result all the more interesting.
3. Pursue genuineness. It is no help to the individual or the church when someone “fakes” a gift he does not have. Often this occurs because those who should be serving are lazy or asleep spiritually. Assemblies are the ideal environment for the practical exercise of the priesthood of the believer, since there is no professional clergy with its “all-the-gifts-in-one person” approach.
4. Think outside the box. Suppose someone told you that a fine Christian man was relocating to your area and had earned a reputation of being an excellent Bible teacher. Would there be opportunity for him to function in your assembly? Most places I know would quickly answer “Yes!”
Now substitute each spiritual gift, one by one, for the word “teacher” and see if you would have the same enthusiasm! If not, here is a fruitful topic for discussion among elders. How can we take full advantage of all the resources God has given for the building up of His church? You may not agree about every gift listed, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to see God’s people more excited about serving because there are opportunities with which they can identify personally?
This subject reminds me of a verse in Proverbs about two barns—one with and one without an ox (14:4). You cannot expect the blessings of strength and hard work from the ox, yet insist on a neat, tidy barn! Spiritual gifts will bring many blessings but also many challenges. However, those who have taken a practical approach to the subject will testify that they would not go back to a sterile barn for anything!