Sunday, July 23, 2006

TASTES OF GLORY

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! I just got in from sitting on the front row to watch the musical "Les Miserables." First of all, that is my favorite musical ever. I delight in the redemptive themes, the grace, the love, the honesty about life on earth, and the anticipation of the Creation restored. I already saw it this week (I am a big sucker for musicals), but as it is my favorite, and as I know something about performing, and as this was this company's last performance, I decided to go again. I thought they might be really up and it would be a top notch performance, and it was. I went on my own and was going to buy a last minute ticket, when a man gave me an extra one for free. Then, they don't mind if you move down closer to the empty seats, and so I moved down - all the way to the very front row!!! It was on the side, and that was fine with me because I could see the orchestra and I could see back stage, and having been in theater productions before, that made it all the more special. I was able to see their faces and examine their acting. The man who sings Jon Valjean is incredible. Experiencing Les Mis is something that is always glorious for me, and this experience was more of a taste of glory than ever. God is so incredibly complexly creative. A few blogs ago I had really tasted the nastiness of the fallenness of this world (by the way, that baby is doing great now), and today I had the contrast of a taste of the goodness of this world. That's what can help us hang on when it is so dark sometimes. I hope you have one of these tastes of glory soon too. Wow. Thank you, Lord.

Monday, July 17, 2006

SPIRITUAL GIFT SURVEY FOR THE WOMEN OF MY CHURCH

Hi everyone. The women's ministry team at my church decided that the best way we can get all the women in our church access to this survey is to post it on my blog. So I'm using my vulnerable church blog to help my church specifically become more vulnerable!

Spiritual Gift Assessment

1 Cor. 12:1 (RSV) Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed.

Women of Crossroads, take this test, and then turn in your top 4 gifts by writing it on the cards available at the back of the church. The grid for scoring the test wouldn't transfer to this blog, but you can bring your answers to church and find a grid on the back table. Also remember that one of the church Friday e mails had a survey attached to it, if you want to use that one. Thanks!

GIFT INVENTORY TEST
For this inventory to be valid, do not respond on the basis of what you think you ought to say, but rather on the basis of your interest and experience. Do not let modesty hinder you from answering honestly. Fill in the chart below as you answer each question with a number from 0-5.

0 - The statement is not relevant to my experience, or not true of me
1 - Not quite zero, but close
2 - Only a slight response
3 - Medium or moderate response
4 - Greater than average response
5 - Strong agreement with statement


1. I feel empowered to stand alone for Christ in a hostile, unbelieving environment.
2. Often I have a burning desire to speak God's word when I know it will not be well received.
3. I seem to have insight on when people are ready to give their lives to Christ.
4. God has shown me sources of sound teaching and rich fellowship, and I guide people to such.
5. I love to meditate on the patterns of God and His ways, and speak to others of such things.
6. I enjoy serving others so that they, in turn, may perform their ministries.
7. I can identify with weakness and temptation so as to encourage people to repent and believe.
8. When I give to others, they do not feel as if they owe me anything.
9. Other Christians have imitated me when I have led the way in serving the needs of others.
10. I often am overcome with emotion for the person I am praying for.
11. I have special joy singing praises to God either alone or with other people.
12. There is great joy in having people in my home.
13. I find that the repair and maintenance of things in my environment come easily to me.
14. I seem to recognize prayer needs before others.
15. Sometimes God gives me an insight into the proper course of action others should take.
16. I easily get "the big picture" when studying an area of knowledge.
17. I have an extraordinary confidence in God and an ability to embolden others.
18. I usually detect spiritual truth from spiritual error before fellow-believers.
19. The Spirit often leads me to do a favor for someone that touches them deeply.
20. I can serve others by organizing and harnessing their gifts to solve a particular problem.
21. I often think that God is calling me to be a missionary.
22. My words often bring conviction to others, leading to repentance.
23. I find it easy to ask people to believe in and commit to Christ
24. I tend to be patient with Christians who are making slow spiritual progress.
25. I think it is very important to use words accurately and in context.
26. I believe my ministry in life is to be humbled before men by being obedient in service.
27. I have a special gift of helping others get "reset" emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
28. I believe God has given me the ability to make and share money.
29. I am willing to "go first" when it comes to meeting the needs of others.
30. I believe that God wants to reach out to people by using me to share in their suffering.
31. God has given me the ability to play a musical instrument and I enjoy it.
32. I do not feel uncomfortable when people drop in unexpectedly.
33. I have enjoyed creating various kinds of arts and/or crafts.
34. Prayer is one of my favorite spiritual exercises.
35. Other Christians seek my advice when they are uncertain of their direction.
36. I can take in, retain and recall large amounts of information.
37. I am not moved from my personal belief in the truth by ridicule, apparent failure, or pain.
38. God has often used me to encourage others to accept difficult, but biblical teaching.
39. People often try to give me glory for helping them, which I am able to direct to God.
40. I can recognize talents and gifts in others, and find ways of using these for God.
41. I desire to learn another language, culture, or religion so that I could be a better witness.
42. Ridicule or rejection for speaking forth the truth, by family or friends, does not effect me.
43. I tend to conclude my vocal witness with an appeal for others to become Christians.
44. I want to be in unity with other mature believers to earnestly seek God's will for the body.
45. I get troubled by "testimonies" which contain false teaching or unsound advice.
46. I often recognize ways that I can minister to others indirectly without speaking or teaching.
47. I can challenge others without making them feel condemned.
48. I have strongly sensed the Spirit leading me to give money to a specific person or cause.
49. Obeying Christ now is my passion in life. It is not about mere words, but deeds.
50. Sometimes God gives me a taste of other people's pain.
51. Leading others in singing songs of praise to God or for pure enjoyment is personally satisfying.
52. People seem to feel very comfortable in my home.
53. I like to create things with my hands.
54. God consistently answers my prayers in tangible ways.
55. God uses me to dispel confusion about God's will with supernatural insight.
56. I am an eager learner, love to discuss and think about ideas, and enjoy the academic world.
57. I am totally convinced God will fulfill his word even if He is not doing so yet.
58. I often sense when people are moved by the Holy Spirit, evil spirits, or by their own flesh.
59. In the church, I gravitate to undone work, even if unpopular.
60. People often look to me for guidance in coordination, organization, and ministry opportunities.
61. Strange customs, cultures, and unusual behavior don't offend me or my faith.
62. I love to find creative ways to confront people with the truth of God.
63. I minister better to the spiritually "unborn" than baby, adolescent, or mature believers.
64. God has shown fruit in my life in the effective discipling of other believers.
65. I love to learn Biblical principles from my studies and then share them with others.
66. I don't mind helping others even if they are not deserving or if they take advantage of me.
67. People will take correction from me because they know I am on their side.
68. I strive to seek ways to give to others without calling attention to myself.
69. God has given me an ability to "rally the troops" in giving aid to others.
70. Sometimes I feel so much love for others that I am at a loss for words.
71. I have enjoyed being involved with Church, school and/or local musical productions.
72. When missionaries come to our church I (would) like to have them come to my home.
73. I see that the results of my working with various objects in God's creation help to improve and beautify that which other people have not seen nor developed.
74. I faithfully pray for others recognizing that their effectiveness and total well-being depends on God's answer to prayers.
75. My advice to others has led them into mature Christian living.
76. I am often more idea-oriented than people-oriented.
77. I seem to be less "shakable" than most Christians.
78. I sometimes get the sense that what I am reading or hearing is divinely inspired.
79. God often supernaturally enhances my service to others.
80. I have a knack for getting people together in the body of Christ, and enjoy doing this.
81. I have a deep understanding of the Gospel, and I want to tell others about the good news.
82. I am more interested in saying the right thing than making people feel good.
83. I'm troubled when salvation is not emphasized.
84. I feel that I am responsible to help protect weak Christians from dangerous influences.
85. I reflect on my own life so that I can learn to help others to grow and know what to expect.
86. I would rather work in secret than have my work recognized publicly.
87. The Spirit gives me the ability to call forth the best that is in others.
88. Everything I own is Christ’s, and this is no secret among the brethren.
89. I can motivate others to obey Christ by the living testimony of my life.
90. I have a desire to visit prisons and rest-homes in order to minister comfort and hope.
91. I feel secure in the fact that my musical ability will be of benefit to other people with whom I come in contact.
92. People seem to enjoy coming to my house.
93. There is pleasure in drawing, designing and/or painting various objects.
94. I find myself praying when I possibly should be doing other things
95. God uses me to bring clarity to other believers when they are uncertain what to do.
96. I am bored with small talk and gossip.
97. My hope in God, against all odds, is inspiring to others.
98. God has used me to warn others of the danger of a certain teaching.
99. I cannot stand idly by while things go undone.
100. People come to me when they need help in desperate situations and I know people who can help.
The next column of questions is a self-rating of God-placed desires to exercise a particular gift. Dreams and desires can be useful clues to the reality of a latent gift. Rate your relative agreement from 0 to 5.

101. I dream of being a missionary to some group of people who have never heard the gospel.
102. I dream of God speaking through me in a powerful way.
103. I dream of winning many souls to Christ.
104. I dream of myself and other leaders working together in unity, love, sound doctrine, and mutual submission.
105. I dream of teaching God's Word so as to help others in the way of faith.
106. I dream that I will experience the presence of God by serving others.
107. I dream of speaking words of hope that God will confirm in others by the Holy Spirit.
108. I dream of being used of God to meet someone's financial or material need.
109. I dream of being first to lead the way in finding new ways to minister to others.
110. I dream that God will use my emotions to feel His feelings for others.
111. I dream of being used by God to lead others in worship of Him.
112. I dream that God will use me increasingly to open my home for ministry.
113. I dream of praising God by improving the attractiveness of our church building.
114. I dream of seeing God provide supernatural answers to intercessory prayer.
115. I dream of being used of God to help people know what God's will is.
116. I dream that God will give me the Biblical insight needed to provide perspective in time of need.
117. I dream that I will be stronger than others when persecution comes.
118. I dream that I could help those who are confused about teachings, spirits, and events.
119. I dream that God would anoint my every move as I give help to others.
120. I dream of coordinating the gifts of others so that they will be at their best in Christ.
What gifts are lacking among the believers you know? You may be surprised at how differently people perceive these needs. This can be a useful clue as to what problems God wants to solve by the Holy Spirit giving you grace. What need has God put on your heart to meet? Rate from 0 to 5 the relative intensity of need in the Body of Christ from your perspective.
121. We need more people to take what we have and go out as missionaries.
122. We need more prophets in the Church to preach against sin and of the coming judgment.
123. We aren't spending enough time trying to win souls to Christ.
124. We need more people who are willing to take care of the spiritually newborn and young.
125. We need more and better teaching.
126. We lack people willing to be humble and serve the brethren and outsiders.
127. We need more exhortation and encouragement to do the right things.
128. We have un-met, real financial or material needs among us.
129. We need someone to take the first step in starting a new initiative to help others.
130. We lack compassion for the hurts, pains, and struggles of people.
131. We need more believers with the true gift of music in the Church.
132. We need more people who are willing to have people in their home for ministry on short notice.
133. We need more people who are willing to help make the church building beautiful.
134. We need more people who are willing to spend much time in prayer about the Lord’s purposes for our church.
135. We need wisdom from above to know what God would have us do next.
136. We need the gift of knowledge to make up for our deficiencies in understanding God’s purposes.
137. We need more examples of faith that have stood the test of adversity.
138. We lack discernment in identifying unclean spirits, the flesh, and false teaching.
139. We need to stop talking and start really helping people in practical ways.
140. We need someone to direct the spiritual gifts of our group more effectively.

After responding to all of the statements, look at the Key. Now write in the specific spiritual gift next to the appropriate letter.

Next, add the scores in each horizontal line and place total in the far right column. Since some people tend to respond more conservatively than others, the important thing is the relative scores. Highlight or check the five highest gifts, taking note of the highest value.

Rom. 12:6 (NEB) The gifts [charisma] we posses differ as they are allotted to us by God's grace [charis], and must be exercised accordingly.

1 Peter 4:10 (TEB) Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.

2 Tim. 1:6 (NIV) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God...

Luke 19:12-27 (Read from the NIV the parable of the talents)

KEY:
A = Apostleship, B = Prophecy, C = Evangelism, D = Shepherding, E = Teaching, F = Serving,
G= Exhortation, H = Giving, I = Leadership, J = Compassion/Mercy, K = Music, L = Hospitality,
M = Craftsmanship, N = Intercession, O = Wisdom, P = Knowledge, Q = Faith, R = Discernment,
S = Helps, T = Administration.

Spiritual Gifts in Brief

Administration is a gift that provides insight into other people’s spiritual gifting as well as natural talent, which allows for placing people who want to minister in a particular way together with those who need just this ministry. These are "well connected" advisors in the body. (The Septuagint uses this same word in Proverbs 24:6 & 11:14.)

Apostleship or the Missionary gift is the ability to communicate across cultural barriers and plant churches where there is no knowledge of the gospel. In Greek (apostolos) "a sent one", or "a messenger", a Missionary.

Compassion or Mercy transcends both natural human sympathy and normal Christian concern, enabling one to sense in others a wide range of emotions and then provide a supportive ministry of caring and intercessory prayer.

Craftsmanship
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit endows certain Christians to use hands and minds to build up the Kingdom through artistic, creative means. See Exodus 28:3-4.

Discernment is the heightened ability to read or hear a teaching, to encounter a problem, or to consider a proposed course of action, and then determine whether the source behind the teaching, problem, or action is divine, merely human, or satanic.

Evangelism is a special ability to lead unconverted persons to a saving knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The person with this gift has the wisdom to know when, who, and how to call the rebellious into the Kingdom of God. Evangelists are the spiritual "obstetricians" in the church.

Exhortation is the gift of being able to encourage others by well timed and wise counsel. This gift builds the Body of Christ by helping new, young and adolescent disciples to turn from sin and believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Also called the gift of Counseling or Encouragement.

Faith as a gift is an extraordinary confidence in God that is unshakable by situations, pain, apparent failure, or ridicule. This gift strengthens the individual and other believers (by example) to endure persecution and wait upon the Lord.

Giving empowers one in a sensitive way to detect material or financial needs and meet those needs with Spirit inspired generosity. Recipients of help from Christians with this gift have a clear sense that God has provided, not man.
Helps enables one to assist people in skilled ways that are supernaturally enhanced by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The helped person has the impression that they have been touched by God. Those with this gift should be highly esteemed in the Body.

Hospitality is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to open their homes willingly and offer lodging, food, and fellowship cheerfully to other people. See Genesis 18:1-15.

Intercession is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to pray for extended periods of time with great positive effect for the building of the Kingdom. See 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

Knowledge is the special ability to discover, organize, relate and clarify information and ideas from Scripture.

Leadership Those with this gift go first and lead by example, so that others are motivated to follow. (1Cor 11:1) Those with the gift of leadership are quick to identify problems and show by doing how to minister to those in need.

Music is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to praise God through various forms of music and enhance the worship experience of the local congregation. See 1 Corinthians 14:26, Mark 14:26.

Prophecy or Preaching is speaking what God wants said with clarity, creativity, and power. The primary ministry in this gift is not prediction, but in confronting people with the truth about God and man—with conviction and empowering as the result.

Serving is a gift which expresses the love of Christ by taking care of lowly or time-consuming tasks to allow others to be more effective ministers. Similar to the gift of Helps, but here the work performed is menial rather than skilled. Those with this gift are the truest and highest leaders in the church, and ought to be recognized as such.

Shepherding is ministering to an individual or community of Christian believers. This gift is a special passion and empowering to lead people into green pastures, steer others away from danger, fight off predators, and bind up wounds.

Teaching is the ability to understand and communicate the Christian faith so as to make the truth clear to others. The result of this gift is the equipping and maturing of others in the body of Christ so that they will grow in grace and be more effective disciples.

Wisdom is special illumination that enables one in a specific instance to grasp divine insight regarding a fact, situation, or context. This gift is useful in directing the Body in what to do next; in making God's will known.

Body Building--We Need Each Other

1 Cor. 1:4-9 (NIV) I always thank God for you because of his grace [Greek: charis] given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way... Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift [charisma] as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Cor 14:12 (RSV) ...Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

1 Tim. 4:14 (NIV) Do not neglect your gift...

Desire the Gifts of the Spirit!

1 Cor 12:29-31 (Phillips) As we look at the body of Christ do we find all are his messengers, all are preachers, or all teachers? Do we find all wielders of spiritual power, all able to heal, all able to speak with tongues, or all able to interpret the tongues, you should set your hearts on the best spiritual gifts.

1 Cor 14:12 (Jerusalem) ...Since you aspire to spiritual gifts, concentrate on those which will grow to benefit the community.

1 Cor 12:31 (NIV) ...Eagerly desire the greater gifts.


The gift definitions and questions in the Spiritual Gifts Inventory are based in part on K. C. Kinghorn's Discovering your Spiritual Gifts, A. Jordan's Spiritual Gift's Outline. The gift table and test format are derived from Kinghorn's Gifts of the Spirit.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

A BAD DAY

Boy, I'm having a bad day. And its only 6:30 in the morning. My head hurts because I didn't get enough sleep, and my foot and back hurt because I am getting old! All night long, Satan pelted me with dreams concerning my biggest fears, one of them being about loneliness. I am tired and frustrated. I am definitely not happy. So what I am tempted to do is numb or distract myself from the pain. I think that instead, I want to try today to not do that at all, but to cry out to the Lord like he wants us to. What if I was actually able to cry out to the Lord all day? How cool would that be, giving me great intimacy with him, fulfilling one of my biggest longings - to not be lonely. What if I stay away from caffeine and chocolate which numb the pain and give momentary pleasure, what if I stay away from distracting TV? What if I deny myself other temptations that I usually long to give into? I wonder if I can do it. I know I can through the Holy Spirit, but there's also personal responsibility involved in seeking the Lord. We'll see at the end of the day.....