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"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it..." Ephesians 4:7.
Every Christian is full-time in the ministry, not just a professional few (Ephesians 4:12). Only as each member of the Body "does its work" (Ephesians 4:16) will the Body grow and express Christ to this world. Each believer has a vital contribution to make. But how do we discover our ministry gifts?
What Is My Ministry?
In order to discover the ministry potential that God has placed within each one of us, it is important to understand three things:
Ministry gifts are not unnatural
Even though there is a supernatural element to the gifts of God - they are called "grace" - they will never sit uncomfortably with a believer. If there is strain and pressure in ministry, this is an indication that you are possibly stepping beyond that grace. It is important to learn how to flow with, not against, the gifts God has given you.
Start with your general calling
Many experience confusion when trying to identify their gifts and calling. But God has provided a field of reference for all ministry - our general calling. Every person has the same general calling:
- A Ministry to the Lord (Romans 1:1; 12:1-3)
- A Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
- A Ministry to the Saints (1 Corinthians 16:15)
It is very difficult to discover ministry gifts if a person is not actually ministering! Gift recognition comes out of observation. It is only as we operate in our general ministry that our special gifts and calling become obvious. Like a jigsaw puzzle, it is best to work from the outside in, establishing the outer frame before working on the finer details at the centre.
Ministry is outward-looking
Ministry is people-focused (Matthew 9:35-36). If we concentrate on ourselves - our needs, our desires - it will be difficult to discover our ministry. As we begin to look out - to see the needs in others, the cries for help, the gaps in ministry - and move to meet those needs, our gifts will be clarified.
Measuring Ministry
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" 2 Corinthians 10:12.
There is a common temptation to measure our gifts against the gifts of others. But Paul tells us this is not wise. This is because the gifts are so different that they cannot be compared. An elderly lady who is an intercessor may be moving in a greater depth in her calling than an apostle who is still young in his ministry.
Each ministry gift has only one measure - the ministry of Christ Himself (Ephesians 4:13). As an intercessor, how do we measure up to the standard of Christ's ministry of intercession? As a server, to Christ's standard of serving? As an apostle, to Christ's standard of apostleship?
Finding Your Level
"...Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" Romans 12:3.
Apart from your gifting itself, there are three levels of operation that will distinguish your ministry from other similar ministries in the Body:
Capacity
Ministry gifts are distinguished by capacity. Some people have the capacity to minister to thousands, some to hundreds and some to tens, while others operate best one-on-one.
Field
God assigns a field to our ministry (2 Corinthians 10:13-16). That field may be a particular location, age group or ethnic/sub-cultural group (Galatians 2:7-8).
Emphasis
Your gifting has one further dimension - your personality make-up. You will flavour your ministry with your own uniqueness (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). One example is each believer's broad ministry emphasis, which tends to major on one of the following:
- Gathering
- Nurturing
- Teaching
The Starting Place
"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man�s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" Romans 12:6-8.
These seven gifts are often called "motivational gifts", since they identify emphases in a person's personality make-up. They are God-given tendencies upon which our ministry is built.
- Insight: A person with this gift has a natural insight into problems and complexities, which lends itself well to the anointing of prophecy. There is a sensitivity to human emotional make-up and a foresight into the development of events.
- Serving: A person with this motivation loves to serve people. Take the opportunity to serve away from them, and they will feel frustrated.
- Teaching: A teacher is motivated by a quest for knowledge in God�s Word and a desire to impart that knowledge to others.
- Encouraging: A person with this motivation loves to exhort, to encourage, to build others up.
- Giving: A giver simply loves to give. They don't need to be forced to give. They live for it.
- Leading: A leader is one who facilitates. Put a leader in the middle of a group of people and they will naturally begin organising.
- Showing Mercy: Someone who has the motivation of showing mercy may not know the answer to a person's problems, but will put their arms around them and weep with them. They minister the compassion and comfort of the Lord.
Most people will have a mix of two or more of these gifts, but generally one will stand out predominant. God wants us to develop in all these giftings, however, even as we express our predominant one strongly. And we should never use these gifts to classify one another into boxes. They are simply pointers to help us understand ourselves in ministry. They are our starting point of understanding our ministry.
Anointing of the Spirit
There are also nine "gifts of the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). These are "point of contact" gifts. They are not in-built, but are expressions of the Spirit's anointing at the point of ministry to people. The nine gifts can be grouped into three types:
- Gifts of Supernatural Understanding: The Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, Discernment of Spirits.
- Gifts of Supernatural Power: Faith, Healing (various gifts), Miracles.
- Gifts of Supernatural Utterance: Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues.
A Mosaic of Ministries
Apart from gifts of leadership (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, overseer and deacon), and the motivational and spiritual gifts already listed, there are numerous other gifts and ministries within the Body of Christ, far too many to list exhaustively. But some of these ministries include: Administration, Helps, Caring/Nursing, Visiting, Hospitality, Cooking Ministry, Crafts Ministry, Contacting, Gathering, Nurturing/Discipling, Intercession, Deliverance, Counselling, Writing, Recording, Singing, Worship Leading, Song-writing, Musical Instruments, Drama, Dance. Add to these expressions of ministry the tremendous variety of ministry "fields" - to women, to men, to children, to the elderly, to the street people, to ethnic groups, to homosexuals, to the unemployed, to single parents, etc, and you begin to see the vast opportunies for ministry that exist.
No two ministries will be identical. God takes elements of many of these gifts and creates a "ministry mix" which is unique to each believer.
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Copyright © 1995 Paul, Bunty and David Collins. All rights reserved. This study may be freely used and reproduced, wholly or in part, by the Christian Church for the non-profit purposes of study and training only, provided copyright and contact information is included.
Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, © New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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