1 Peter 4:10 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
We talked about spiritual gifts tonight.
Would You Rather...
kiss a dog or a cat on the mouth?
eat cow eyeballs or monkey lips?
die by a fire or by a drowning?
win free tickets to a professional football game or baseball game?
live without TV for one year or be homeless for one month?
have a phone or a TV in your room?
keep your siblings or be an only child?
win a million bucks all at once today or get $1000 a week for the rest of your life?
lose both arms or both legs?
work during the summer or stay at home all day?
Everyone is alike in some ways and everyone is different in some ways, as the previous game revealed.
I also showed up tonight wearing some crazy mismatched knee socks. After a few strange comments and even stranger looks from the kids, I explained that in the early morning darkness and rush of getting ready, I didn’t manage to grab socks that were exactly the same. The socks didn't match. They were different. However, both of them will keep my feet warm. They will still accomplish the purpose for which they were made. They do not look the same. They might even feel slightly different. But they will still protect my feet so they can function well.
We explained that, as people, and as members of the church, we are like that, too. Paul writes in the book of 1 Corinthians about the church as compared to a body…there are different parts, but all work for the same thing:
1 Corinthians 12:27-30 - Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Some people might not seem to “match” others…some are older, some are younger. Some look different. Some approach problems or tasks in unique ways. But each and every person is created by God and we can all serve the same purpose…just like my funny socks!
Then we talked about what a spiritual gift is and is not.
What it is not:
- A talent (something you just happen to be good at)
- An ability (a developed skill)
- A personality trait (whether environmental or genetic)
What it is:
- You get it when you become a Christian (Ephesians 4:7, I Corinthians 12:7)
- There are no believers without gifts
- There are no unbelievers with gifts
- It is a supernatural ability that works through God's Holy Spirit (I Peter 4:11)
- The reason you have it is to do God's work
- You supply the availability and God will supply the ability
- Your gift is not for you -- it is for the youth group and the Church (Ephesians 4:12)
- God gave us all different ones so that we could all work together (Romans 12:4 - 6)
So what exactly are the spiritual gifts?
Apostle/Missionary (I Corinthians 12:28)
- Leave home/family/friends
- Travel on the road
- Adapt to foreign cultures/food/etc.
Ministry opportunities
Missionary (home or foreign)
Traveling business person who adapts to and witnesses in each new situation
Reaching beyond your own clique and group at school to reach people different from you
Prophet/Preacher (I Corinthians 14:3-4)
- Not afraid to tell individuals and groups that they are right/wrong in God's eyes
- Apply God's Word to specific situations to determine right/wrong
- Sense the need for revival in the youth group or Church
Ministry opportunities
Help individuals see that they need to turn back to God
Bring about revival in the youth group and Church
Help others resist peer pressure by encouraging them to do what's right
Evangelist (Ephesians 4:11, II Timothy 4:5)
- Talk about Jesus anytime, anywhere
- Identify with people right where they are and explain the Gospel in related terms
- Know just what to say to people when witnessing
Ministry opportunities
Form a specific witnessing effort at school
Win people to Christ one by one
Come up with new and unique ways to share Jesus
Pastor/Teacher (Ephesians 4:11-2, Romans 12:6-7, James 3:1)
- Strong desire to see individuals and groups learning God's Word
- Sensitive to people caught in sin -- you want to help them get back on track gently
- Can communicate easily and well to others
Ministry opportunities
Lead small group Bible studies
Counsel Christian friends on what to do in tough times
Unify the youth group and Church
Encourager (Romans 12:6-8)
- Sense when someone is down
- Help others see the bright, spiritual side of things
- Spend time and energy cheering others up spiritually
Ministry opportunities
Christian comedian
Deliver or send cards/letters/gifts to people who are down
Spend time one-on-one in person or on phone with people who are down
Messenger of Knowledge/Wisdom (I Corinthians 12:8)
- Know what to do in a crisis situation
- Know what to say to unbelievers' questions about God
- Know how to defend your faith on the spot when it is attacked/challenged/debated
Ministry opportunities
Pull the youth group closer together during a crisis
Step to the front of the pack during times of persecution
Explain to others intellectually why Jesus is real
Server (I Corinthians 12:6-7)
- See things that need to be done and do them
- Accomplish tasks very well
- Work behind the scenes to take care of things others don't think about
Ministry opportunities
Help set-up and tear-down for youth activities
Form a team to Adopt-a-Highway and pick up trash in the community
Ask youth workers/leaders how you can help
Hospitality Giver (I Corinthians 12:8)
- Sense physical needs of others
- Give time, money, effort to helping meet those needs
- Let go of your own possessions to help others for a time
Ministry possibilities
Collect and send food/clothes to disaster relief victims
Let others borrow/have your things to meet their own needs
Share your room with a foreign exchange student and help them fit in here
Giver (I Corinthians 12:8)
- Sense a financial need/burden in others
- Give your own money to help others
- Organize people to give money to help others
Ministry possibilities
Donate money to help someone else go to camp
Organize youth to give money to help someone in the group/Church that has a need
Find and meet financial needs of lost people in your school/community
Leader/Administrator (I Corinthians 12:28)
- Sense what needs to be done and how to do it
- Accept challenges and organize people/resources to solve them
- Motivate people to become a part of your vision for God's work in the youth group and Church
Ministry possibilities
Organize teams of people in the youth group to perform a specific function
Plan and lead a Backyard Bible Club made up of several youth group members
Take charge of problems and help solve them
Mercy (Romans 12:8)
- Have deep compassion for people who are in pain (emotional/physical/mental/etc.)
- Can comfort others with ease
- Very considerate of other people's feelings
Ministry opportunities
Reach out to the handicapped in our group/church/community
Defend and stand by those who get made fun of
Instill confidence and comfort in the underdogs around you
Faith (I Corinthians 13:2)
- Sense God's presence when no one else can
- Sense that God is at work when no one else can
- Trust in God in spite of tremendous obstacles
Ministry opportunities
Organize a prayer ministry to pray for big things
Challenge others to win their campuses to Christ
Motivate others in the youth group and Church to rely on God in tough times
Discernment (I Corinthians 12:10)
- Sense hypocrisy or dishonesty in the others
- Sense when God is at work
- Sense when Satan is at work
Ministry opportunities
Steer the youth group clear of Satanic influences (astrology, Ouija boards, etc.)
Steer the youth group toward depending on God's Spirit for guidance
Point out hypocrisy in the youth group and Church
Obviously, the youths' lives are ever-changing at this age and so they are likely not sure what their spiritual gifts are yet, but we wanted to give them an overview of the gifts just the same so they could start thinking about them.
