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Thursday, July 19, 2007
Spiritual Gifts Inventory
Many evangelicals have taken a spiritual gifts inventory. Despite the positive aspects of such an inventory, I am wondering if it might also serve to narrow a person's view of the work of the Holy Spirit in one's life. I don't want to rag on such inventories to totally denigrate them, but does anyone else have a view on this?
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Weird you should ask. I had this exact conversation today. A lady asked me if I thougth she should have her ministry team fill one out. I told her that I had my youth workers fill one out but not so I could rearrange them according to their gifts. I did not change anyone's assignments or responsibilities. The only reason I wanted them to fill them out was so that I could better understand how to teach them and direct them in what I asked of them. Some people when you need something done are the "get out of my way, I'll make it happen people." Others are the "I need guidance all along the journey" kind of person. Finding out their "gifts" helped me understand how I needed to approach each one individually.
Also I don't like how they lump Evangelism in there. I believe Evangelism is a calling we all have. If not then just because I scored a 2 on Evangelism then I don't have to worry about it. I guess you could say the same thing about the others as well.
But at least filling in all those little bubbles are fun huh?
That's a good use for the inventories I hadn't thought of. My concern was that people got more concerned about fitting into a slot than the leading of the Holy Spirit, who can of course gift us for anything He wants at any given time.
I for whatever reason have always run screaming from these types of "tests" like my brother-in-law in elementary school running across the playground. Or something like that. Many times I think the church has out-thunk itself. It is our way of telling people what to do without teaching them to know God.
It was funny really. After my team filled theirs out not one of them scored high on "Teaching". Yet they were all in teaching positions. So there I was put into a position of trying to explain to them that they did not need to quit just because some paper told them something.
They can backfire for sure. Let's just say that will probably be the last time I do that little exercise for a large group.
Got the book, Looks great, can't wait to tear it apart!!! Kidding of course!
I hope my book will not be like the Bible Richard Shaffer gave a woman. A year later, he went back and the woman asked for a Bible. He said he remembered giving her one. She said yes and that the pages were wonderful for lighting the burners on her stove.
3I guess what we think we want is a neat package, but the neatest package ever given to man was te 10 commandments, yet they didn't last two weeks. Neat packages negate faith.
I don't have the answer, Donna but I've read a book lately called - Blessing your Spirit - and it talks about what you said - that God gifted us with all kinds of gifts for different situations. I'm kind of torn about that but as your friend Robert said - it's fun to fill in some of those inventories. I guess there's no 1 correct answer, as usual; we might need those inventories for specific purposes some times but should also be opened to operate according to God's will in a gift that we scored 1 or 2 if He is leading us to do that in certain situations. If the inventory is used in a way that will undermine the Holy Spirit's work in our lives than it's not from God, for sure.
I have a not very educated guess about this. I happen to believe that God's gifts are many and unpredictable and He gives us them freely according to what comes our way so we can be empowered to fulfill His desire. I've been working on some missions trips and every year I end up doing something I'm absolutely "not able" to do, as if God wanted to show me anything is possible when I submit to Him. I don't think Paul wanted to create the ultimate list of gifts nor thought about a list of questions to categorize us all.
Well said, Fabio. If we could get all organized, categorized, and know ahead of time just what we are to do, where would faith be? That's one of the problems--we really resist living by faith. It's the unknown factor that drives us crazy.
Knock, knock! Mimi, it has been almost a month since you have blogged. I am getting bored waiting.
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