Your Truest Ministry (Part 2)

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.. in accordance with your faith...Romans 12:6

 

Before we move on...

• I'm writing to you if you are believer in Christ who wants to follow the Spirit and use your spiritual gifts, but you feel you don't know how to do it practically.  You are my focus if this is your focus. 
• If you know how to follow the Spirit, you know everything you need to know for the effective Christian life. 
• If you know how to use your spiritual gift, you know everything you need to do to be an effective Christian.
• In reviewing what I said in the last post, when you think of "the peace of God," think of His peace as being the same as His agreement with you, and thus your agreement with Him.  In other words, when you sense God's peace, which is perfect and incomprehensible, you are sensing His agreement with your decision, which means you are in agreement with His will for you at that moment. 

KNOW HOW TO USE YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT
Now that you know how to follow the Spirit, you also know how to discover and use your gift: 

Follow the Spirit.

 

The Spirit knows what your spiritual gift is and how to instruct you in using it.  He's the one who gave you your spiritual gift in the first place.  And He gives you guidance through the verse at the top of this post.  I'll break the verse down in three steps for you.  Read the verse again, then read the three steps.

 

1. Know that you do have a spiritual gift, at least one. (We have different gifts)
2. Know that your gift has a limited authority or ability. (according to the grace given to each of us)
3  Know that your gift is based on what you can imagine can happen.  (in accordance with your faith)

 

Start from the assumption that you have a supernatural spiritual ability to bring God glory by helping those in The Body.  You have a spiritual gift.  The Apostle Paul said it.  The Spirit inspired him  to say it.  Because you believe what the Spirit inspired Paul to write, say this quick prayer:

 

"My Father in heaven, thank you for my spiritual gift.  By Your spirit reveal it to me so that I may use it today.  In Jesus name, amen."

 

Now skip step two and go to step three.

 

• What can you imagine yourself doing for God's glory? 
• What do you want to do for members of the Lord's Body, the church, those who believe in God? 
• What is your passion as a Christian? 

 

Do you want people to be close to God?  Do you want prayers to be answered?  This is what Paul means when he says "in accordance with your faith."  Remember how Jesus would often say to people, "Let it be so according to your faith?"  Or Jesus would say something like, "Your faith has healed you."  Jesus also said, "All things are possible for those who believe."  So imagine what you want to happen in the lives of believers, how you want to help them to know and be like God.  How you do you want to encourage them or comfort them. 

 

What you want to do for those who believe in Jesus,

and what you can imagine doing for them,

is your spiritual gift. 

If you want to encourage believers, your gift is encouragement, so encourage them.  If you want to speak words from God to people, your gift is prophecy, so prophecy to God's people.  If you want to pray for people, then that is your gift. Pray.  Do this according to what you can imagine can happen.  And accept the limitation of your imagination right now.  That limitation is the "measure of grace" in step two.  Now go to step two.

 

You aren't God, so you aren't all powerful.  In other words, your spiritual gift is limited in power, authority, and territory.  You can't help everybody with everything.  A 6th grade math teacher has the ability to teach math to 6th graders. Not college students.  Not science.  In the same way, your gift is for a specific purpose and people, according to what you can imagine can happen.  Stay in your zone of authority for God's glory, and you will see God's glory in your life today.

 

You have a spiritual gift.
Your imagination is the limitation of how you use it.

 

Right now,

• Imagine how you want to help people know and be like God.
• Realize that this is your spiritual gift.
• Find two opportunities with two people who need you to use your spiritual gift.

Write me a comment to let me know what happened.
If you have any questions, write me those as well.