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GIFTED IN CHRIST. Copyright © 2005 Discipleship Resources. All rights reserved. For information regarding rights and

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Gifted in Christ 16p 4/19/07 2:00 PM

GI F T E D I N CH R I S T

What do Christians do?

The answer to this question is more ex c i t-ing than you may think. Some might say thebest thing a Christian can do is to belong to a local church and teach children in Sundayschool. Others might respond that the tru eChristian leaves eve rything behind and serve sas a missionary far from home. Some say thefaithful Christian hears a call from God andbecomes a pastor of a church. In a sense allof these answers may be true according to the person who answers it. In God’s economyeach follower is GIFTED in Christ. Each person is a unique creation to whom God has given particular personality traits, talents,abilities, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What is your strategy for living out your vision?i. As you see new opportunities for living out

your mission and vision, how do you need to be equipped to do the work? (Education,experience, training?)

j. What people do you need to be on your team?Who will pray with you? Who will help youremain accountable?

k. How does what you do reflect your relationshipto God?

l. To reach a long-term goal what short-term goalsmust you accomplish?

As you see your life through the lens of God’slove, you will find yourself growing deeper anddeeper in Christ. Each day in its own right is a gift of God who calls you to live it to the fullest inprivate prayer and acts of devotion, through publicworship, and in service to others.

Craig Kennet Miller, writer of this pamphlet, followsJesus and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Scripture quotations are from the New RevisedStandard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division ofChristian Education of the National Council of theChurches of Christ in the United States of America.Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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What is your mission?c. A mission is based on values and stays fairly

consistent over time. It is like a picture frame.d. It is your reason for being. (For example, to help others no matter what ittakes or to give all I have to God all the time.)e. It is easily remembered.f. Many people base their mission on a specific

passage from the Bible.

What is God’s vision for your life?g. It is the moving picture inside the frame

of mission. h. It changes according to life circumstance and

personal experience.(For example, if your mission is to help others,while in high school you may volunteer at a head start program, in young adulthood you maybe a school teacher, in middle adulthood you maymake a career change to be the coordinator of ahome for abused children, and in older adulthoodyou may be a mentor to a group of teachers at your church or tutor children in an after-schoolprogram. Your life mission remains the same butGod’s vision for you changes over time.)

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, “But bedoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceivingyourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the wordand not a doer, he is like a man who observes hisnatural face in a mirror; for he observes himselfand goes away and at once forgets what he waslike” (James 1:22-24).

To be a doer of the word, first take a closelook at yourself to discover what God has createdyou to be. Thankfully we are not alone in this ven-ture. As you find yourself in Christ you will findthat who you are makes a big difference to thosearound you. You will discover that the ultimate purpose of the use of your abilities and gifts is notfor yourself, but for the building up of the wholebody of Christ.

Using the word G.I.F.T.E.D. as a guide, youwill want to take a deep look in the mirror of faithto see who God has created you to be.

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G I F T:All that you have comes from God.

One idea that runs through the Bible is r evo l u t i o n a ry: God is the creator. Rather than anaccidental theory of the universe or identification of God with the universe, the Bible proclaims that God created all that is. Just as important, God created yo u .

The writer of Psalm 139 offers this amazingaffirmation of God’s love for each of us: For it was you who formed my inward parts;You knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;That I know well.

My frame was not hidden from you,When I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.In your book were written

All the days that were formed for me,When none of them as yet existed.

(Psalm 139:13-16)

D E S T I N AT I O N :God has a purpose for your life.

As one who is created by God and giftedthrough the Holy Spirit, you have a purpose in life.Your gifted purpose may be that of encouraging afriend, to serve in the church, to provide shelter forhomeless persons, to minister in the community, orto do work that is fulfilling.

How do you know that what you are doing isGod’s will for your life?

Ask yourself these four key questions:

What are your values?a. These are the non-negotiable core ideas and

beliefs that are the bedrock of your life.b. Scripture, prayer, moral values,

and close relationships informthese values.

(For example, one belief is thatGod created you and an ethical

belief is never cheat.)

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EQUIP yourself to take full advantage of what God has given to you.

At one time Paul of Tarsus was in prison. As he was looking at the Roman guard, Paul talked about the Christian’s need to put on the fullarmor of God. That imagery appears in Ephesians6:13-17. To grow into full maturity as a follower of Jesus, you are encouraged to put on these attributes as God shapes your life.

Helmet of salvationBreastplate of righteousnessSword of the Spirit, which is

the word of GodFootwear to make you ready to

proclaim the gospel of peaceBelt of truthShield of faith.

We may not literally walk around in such garb, but we need the spiritual equivalent of this protective gear at all times.

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If God created you, than what about the rest ofthe world? What about all that you have and are?

From the belief in God as creator flows anumber of key implications for your life:

God knows you and loves you.God has created you to be who you are.God has given you particular gifts and

abilities that make you unique.The way you use your gifts and abilities

reflects the way you follow God.

I N T E N T I O N :You make choices about your life.

Another key idea is the concept of free will.Did God create people to be like robots who auto-matically follow the commands of their inventor?Or do people have a choice?

A look at the biblical account of the Garden ofEden gives us a quick answe r. In Genesis 2 we fi n dp u rpose, intention, and results. God created Adam to


t a ke care of the creation. Adam was free to eat ofa nything in the garden. But there was one restriction:Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of goodand evil. With the restriction came a clear wa rning: If you eat from the forbidden tree, you will die.

God gave Adam a clear choice. Fo l l ow me andh ave access to all that I have made, including eatingfrom the tree of life. Disobey me and you will die.

We all know Adam’s choice. We make similarchoices everyday. We may know that eating adonut or smoking tobacco is bad for your health.Yet, many of us make the wrong choice. Do itenough and you will gain weight or die of cancer.

Other choices are life shaping. Getting married, having a child, finding a job, and makinga commitment to be a Christian are all significantchoices that make us who we are.

How do we make these choices? Upon whatfoundation or knowledge do we depend? Does God care about your choices?

The answer is that God cares deeply aboutyour choices. God cares deeply that Jesus Christ,son of God, came to prove that love on the crossfor the sake of our forgiveness.

Paul of Tarsus wrote in the letter to theRomans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the

A Christian is not expected to have all these gifts. Each believer has at least one gift. Some may have

a mix of gifts.No gift is superior to another. They are all needed.Gifts may come and go according to the need of

those around you.Gifts are used in relationship with others in the

church.

T E A M :You live your call in relationship to others.

The fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit are notlived out in isolation. In fact, apart from the com-munity of faith they are worthless. When lived outin community, the gifts blossom. Like a team, yourgifts are complimented by the gifts of others. Asyou connect with others in the body of Christ, youform a unit that can do great things for God.

What being connected with other Christianscan do for you:

Discover and affirm your gifts.Gain opportunities to use your gifts.Find those who complement you.Remain accountable for the use of your gifts.Support others in the use of their gifts.

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I Corinthians 12: 8-9 we find these spiritual gifts:

Wisdom: The gift of spiritual insight thatapplies to specific needs.

Knowledge: The gift of discovering and clarifying information.

Faith: The gift of extraordinary confidencein the will and purpose of God.

Healing: The gift of curing illnesses andrestoring people to health.

Miracles: The gift of being used by God to do extraordinary acts that showcompassion.

Prophecy: The gift of speaking God’s word.Discernment: The gift of determining whether

something is of God’s will.Tongues: The gift of speaking a divinely-

anointed message in a language they have never learned.

Interpretation of Tongues: The gift of making known to listeners a message from a different language.

Here are some basic rules of thumb when itcomes to spiritual gifts:

free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus ourLord” (Romans 6:23).

When we commit our life to Jesus, we aregiven the free gift of eternal life. But with that freegift comes a responsibility. Again read words fromPaul of Tarsus, which he addressed to the GalatianChristians: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedomas an opportunity for self-indulgence, but throughlove become slaves to one another. For the wholelaw is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’”(Galatians 5:13-14).

From freedom springs service. Like Adam youwere created for a purpose, to serve your neighbor.

F R U I T:the Holy Spirit shapes your life.

At your baptism you received a gift. Acts 2:38 tells us that in baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells you much about the HolySpirit. Here are a few of them:

The Holy Spirit is a comforter and teacher – John 14:26

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Gives you joy – Romans 14:17Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit – I Corinthians 6:19Helps you with truth – 2 Timothy 1:14Renews you – Titus 3:5Most importantly, the Holy Spirit makes you

into a new person. Galations 5:22-23 says the following: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.”

These attributes do not happen automatically,but through a lifetime of living by the power of the Holy Spirit you are called to become onewho is loving, joyful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and exercises self-control.

While all Christians are called to bear the fruitof the Spirit, we also are given particular spiritualgifts. In Romans 12: 4-8 we find the followingspiritual gifts:

Prophecy: The gift of communicating the word of God with conviction.

Service: The gift of identifying and meeting the needs of others.

Teaching: The gift of sharing God’s message in a way that others will learn.

Exhortation: The gift of encouraging, consulting,and building up others.

Giving: The gift of contributing materialresources to support the ministryof others.

Aid: The gift of giving time and energyto support the ministry of others.

Mercy: The gift of empathy and compassionto those who are hurting.

In Ephesians 4:11-12 we read about these gifts:

Apostles: The gift of exercising general lead-ership over a number of churches.

Prophets: The gift of communicating God’sword.

Evangelists: The gift of sharing the gospel withthose outside the church.

Pastors: The gift of assuming long-termleadership over a group of believers.

Teachers: The gift of instructing about faith.

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