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NASB | Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:16 From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love. |
Bible Question: identify what your spiritual gifts truly are? as opppose to what you want them to be. |
Bible Answer: Hello God's Favorite, Welcome to the Forum. As to your question on spiritual gifts, It is Bill Gothard who suggests that individuals react to given situations in the light of their gifts. If a waitress spills someone’s meal all over the restaurant floor and a group of Christians are sitting nearby, each individual will react in accordance with this spiritual gift. The gift of mercy responds by concentrating on cleaning up the mess, the gift of giving offers to pay for another meal, the gift of exhortation seeks to cheer up the waitress. The gift of administration delegates and organizes the whole matter to avoid confusion. The gift of teaching suggests some ways to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Your spiritual gift makes you sensitive to certain needs that others may not perceive. Do what you see needs to be done.Spiritual gifts are not given to benefit any individual, but for the benefit of the entire body. Anyone who seeks a spiritual gift and uses it in order to give themselves advantage in any situation, or to seek a kind of spiritual ‘high’ is missing the whole point of spiritual gifts. In obedience to the Scriptures, do the things which need to be done. It is almost impossible for one with the gift of teaching not to show his hand at a discussion-type Bible study. There is no way you can keep a gifted teacher quiet. If one senses a need to teach, and, if given the chance, the need is filled by sharing what the gifted knows to be God’s answer. The one with the gift of giving is the one who is most sensitive to financial needs. The same is true of the administrator. He will sense the lack of organization and immediately move in to meet that need. Bill Gothard suggests that individuals react to given situations in the light of their gifts. If a waitress spills someone’s meal all over the restaurant floor and a group of Christians are sitting nearby, each individual will react in accordance with this spiritual gift. The gift of mercy responds by concentrating on cleaning up the mess, the gift of giving offers to pay for another meal, the gift of exhortation seeks to cheer up the waitress. The gift of administration delegates and organizes the whole matter to avoid confusion. The gift of teaching suggests some ways to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Your spiritual gift makes you sensitive to certain needs that others may not perceive. Do what you see needs to be done. When you once begin to meet the needs which you see you will quickly discover that you enjoy some things better than others. Most often, the things that you enjoy are the ones that you are good at, or possess a natural talent for. The fact that you do not do something very well is no indication that you are to cease in that area. Pay attention to your own evaluations and the suggestions of others. This will lead to the development of the gifts which you possess. Whatever opportunities come up which will aid you in enhancing your spiritual gifts, make the most of them. Spiritual gifts are no mystery. You can know your gift; it helps to know your gift to be a faithful steward. Yet there is a great variety and diversity between gifts, and also between individuals who possess the same gift. Don’t make the mistake of measuring yourself with the superstars of spiritual gifts. And don’t confuse spirituality with the greatness of your gift (or the lack of it). If you would discover your gift, simply obey the Scriptures by doing the things which you see need to be done, and devote yourself to what you and others agree you do best. All of God’s gifts are gifts of grace in that we do not earn them; they are given in spite of us, rather than because of us. The above info was gleaned from the following source: Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) By: Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M. Found at Bible.org |