In times of tragedy our thoughts often go to giving to the less fortunate. The recent Philippine typhoon and mid western tornadoes make us look for ways to help the victims. We send money, supplies, food, water, etc. to help them recover from disaster. Here in the Memphis area I had a chance to join over 100 local pastors as we brought Convoy of Hope here to minister needs in this area. The gifts we give at these times often come by way of personal sacrifice and are intended to help others who are unable to give back to us.
God’s gifts are also given to help others. When we look at Spiritual Gifts they work similarly to those gifts mentioned above. They come by external inspiration, their purpose is to bless others and they are not intended to exclusively benefit the one through whom they operate. Before I address what Spiritual Gifts are, let’s look at what they not.
Spiritual Gifts are NOT Talents
When some think of God given gifts they are really talking about talents. Talents are natural abilities given at birth. Some people have a natural ability to sing, draw or play music. Some are natural athletes or dancing comes easy to others. Talents are also cultivated by use. The more a person works on the area where they are naturally gifted or talented the better they become.
Talents are also abilities that help the possessor relate to the outside world. When we express ourselves through our talents we can communicate deep feelings, beliefs or viewpoints to others.
Talents draw honor and attention to the person who possessed the talent. When we use our talents others admire our abilities and celebrate them. People pay large sums of money to see their favorite singer or athlete.
Talents also give the possessor physical and emotional freedom. Freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Talents provide their possessor with a platform, where people follow and respect what they do, say and think. This is why product companies look for talented entertainers and athletes to endorse their products.
Gifts are NOT Personality Drives
Personality Drives are those attributes of the natural man. Your personality drives are acquired at birth assist in accomplishing that, which is temporal. Anyone who has taken a personality inventory has heard of the Basic emotional drive [Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic]. These drives are either inherited from our parents or come as we adapt to life experiences.
Personality drives govern our actions and reactions in the flesh. When we react to things that happen around us, our ‘natural’ reactions are driven by our personality. As we learn more and mature these decrease in importance. This is because we learn to think more and react less.
Gifts are not Callings
A calling is a distinct call from God to engage in a specific area of ministry within the Body of Christ. What we are called to is what we do, God gifts us to do it.
We will look at what gifts are in the next entry.
Taken from the ‘LeaderShift: Ministry Leadership Development and Empowerment Training. Avalable at http://trainingdisciples.org
You need to be a member of Black Preaching Network to add comments!
Join Black Preaching Network