Spiritual Gifts and Clarity
In 1998, I found myself teaching a Sunday School class on Spiritual Gifts. It
was a topic that was fairly new to me and I did a lot of preparation and reading
to be able to teach it. At the time, it was just another topic to teach,
something suggested by one of the class members.
I was was unprepared for the impact that this study would have on the class
members. As they went through the gifts one by one, each member discovered
important things about how God had gifted them specifically to do his work. In
short, it brought them a clarity about their purpose in life, work, and personal
ministry.
By the end of the session, the class members were empowered with a
strong sense of mission, fueled by who God made us to be. Over the next year,
the class, which had been fairly passive in the church's ministry, became
active, plugging into activities that they were well suited for by God's
particular gifting.
This was good for the church, but it also was good for each individual,.
because when we are doing what God has equipped us to do, the "work" is easier
and energizing, instead of hard and draining. Burn out became a thing of the
past. Enthusiasm and excitement was obvious, and catching. That was the
beginning of this ministry. Since then, I have preached and taught on Spiritual
Gifts, creating materials that have been used by individuals, churches and
colleges worldwide. The study and ministry inspired me to go for my D. Div degree, which I
completed in 2003 after five years of study.
About Spiritual Gifts
Paul writes of Spiritual Gifts often in his letters. In fact, it is
arguable that he writes more about Spiritual Gifts than nearly any other single
topic. In Corinthians 12:1, he writes: "Now concerning spiritual Gifts,
brethren, I do not want you to be un-informed." He wrote of them often: In
Romans, In Corinthians, in Ephesians. He wrote of them in the body of his
letters, where he generally put his most important doctrines. His message is
clear - Spiritual Gifts are important to Christians.
I believe that most
Christians want to know God's will for their lives. One of the best ways to know
that will is to understand that he has equipped each of us with particular
gifts, and those gifts are empowered by the Holy Spirit. If we know what our
gifts are, we will know much about what we are meant to do.
Most of us join a church and start to fill a slot or few in the church's
work.. But too often, that is just what is going on - people are called to fill
slots. What if, instead, we each were doing something we were made to do, and
uniquely qualified to do?
We believe that two things would happen. First, the work would be done
better, because it would be done by people created to do it. And secondly, I
believe those doing the work would be energized and excited, because now the
work we are each doing is empowered by the Holy Spirit. We would not be alone in
it, but rather working hand in hand with God.
Knowing and understanding our gifts can be transforming to our lives and
ministries. Here at Summit Manor, we offer several ways to learn and grow in
understanding of Spiritual Gifts:
If you have a story of how a deeper knowledge of Spiritual Gifts has changed
your life or ministry, I'd love to hear
from you.
-Tom Atkins
photograph by Tom Atkins
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