Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / January 17, 2019 | Melody Congdon at intentionalMom - Spiritual Gifts

Transcript

January 17, 2019 | Melody Congdon at intentionalMom - Spiritual Gifts · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
0:02
SPEAKER_00: What she really means is I'm the old lady, and I remember when Katie was young, and and uh I remember when most of you were young.
0:09
SPEAKER_00: Some I actually helped powder your bottoms in the nursery, and so uh you're kind and you let the old lady come back and talk every year.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: So um it's great.
0:19
SPEAKER_00: It's fun to be with you.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: I hope today is fun.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it took me a lot of years to get to the point where I could embrace the way God made me.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: Um I had a younger sister, and it was just she and I, and I was the son my father never had, um, which meant I helped him work on the cars and I would clean car parts off with gas and help him bleed the brakes, and I mow the lawn, and he taught me how to paint, and um I played hardware store in the garage instead of Barbies.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: And uh my dad would get really mad at me because I would make my sister come to the hardware store and I would get those little bags and I would, you know, I loved all those little um tool compartments that had little drawers and screws and nuts, and I would take one from each and I would put in a little bag, and then I'd say, Thanks for coming to the hardware store.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: And then my dad would come home and he'd find all these paper bags with all these, and he'd say, Melody.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: And um, so um, I just knew always growing up that I felt a little bit out of place from all my girlfriends who would have beautiful fancy writing and loved smelly gel pens and um things like that.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: And I could have cared less about those things.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: And I was the tomboy and I played uh tackle football until seventh grade, and my mother absolutely uh said she was gonna lock me in my room if I didn't stop.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: Well, of course, you know, I didn't get then what that did to guys, but um um so it uh I grew up but uh with great supportive parents and who always just encouraged me to kind of be who I was, and then I got married, and uh even my start of my marriage was different in that uh I got married after my freshman year of college, and I was 18, a month away from being 19, and I came up to be the senior pastor's wife at Topeka Bible.
2:13
SPEAKER_00: And at that time, you know, it was a small congregation, and the congregation was quite a bit older, and um, you know, they still had things like women's sewing circles and like the women's monthly missions teas and things like that.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: And I was still trying to go to school and get my degree, and um let's just say they didn't get me.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: And um back then we had uh some of the some of you guys um know Doug Stanley, but uh Doug Stanley and Steve Williams and a couple other guys were like old ex army cooks or cooks from restaurants, and they let me uh the only lady into and back then we had an Easter sunrise breakfast service, and we still have our Thanksgiving banquet and things like that, and so I would be the and it just drove the ladies crazy that I wasn't out front and I wasn't at the head table sitting next to Jim.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: I still despise head tables, I despise them, and um, but I it's it's just the way you know I was wired, and I always thought I I had some problems with that, and so uh it took me a long time before I got comfortable with really how God wired me.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: Now, am I the only one though in the room that wishes that um they looked different than they do?
3:29
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so like I always wanted long hair and I wanted long legs.
3:35
SPEAKER_00: God did not grant me either one of those wishes, but I put in the order for my angel body.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: So you're not gonna recognize me in heaven because I'm sure he's gonna give it to me when I get there.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's all physical, but there were times that I wished I was somebody else.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: Right?
3:52
SPEAKER_00: And as women, I think we have a hard time um not comparing ourselves to one another.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: And uh I just think that's the way it is.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: And so there have been multiple times, and I still struggle as old as I am, wishing that, oh, I wish I could do such and such better, or I wish I could be like so-and-so, and oh my gosh, I wish my house looked like so-and-so's because you know, she takes a piece of bark and makes it look good.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: And I don't get that.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: I take a piece of bark and it looks like I trampled something in from mowing the lawn.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: And I just there are times that I still wish that I was somebody else or that I was better or had the same talents.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, so today I'm one of my wheelhouses is just I love to, I love people, I love working with them, I love talking to them.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: And um, there's two sides, right, to what we're gonna talk.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: And today we're gonna talk about the spiritual side, but right, we're all born um with certain personalities.
4:49
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so every one of you have a certain personality, and we could do a whole session on that.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: That's always fun.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: It was life-changing for me in a stage in my life to just again figure out what motivates me and and why I'm wired the way I am, and why I think the way I do, and and to to just sort of become comfortable with the way God made me and my personality.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: So those are you know the natural motivations.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: And then when you become a believer, God gives you gifts.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Okay, uh, so you already have your personality, you were born with it, you got your DNA.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, your personality is formed by your experiences growing up, um, you know, the your family of origin, all those fun things that counselors like me like talk about.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: But um, when you become a believer, God imparts spiritual gifts to you.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: And so uh all of you, was there anybody who didn't have a chance to take the test?
5:45
SPEAKER_00: And that's okay if you didn't.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: Um I would really encourage you to do so.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Um and uh there are many, many versions out there, and some of the versions only give you, you know, uh you end up only in like six categories, or some give you 16 different categories.
6:00
SPEAKER_00: But um uh the one you took today, what we're gonna do is um kind of walk through them.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna talk to you about each of those spiritual gifts, but I want to read um my one of my favorite portions of uh scripture.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: My faculty at school um are really tired of me reading this, but I read it often because I think it's a great um visual um about the body of believers.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: Uh 1 Corinthians 12.
6:29
SPEAKER_00: Now, about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
6:39
SPEAKER_00: Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus be cursed, and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7:00
SPEAKER_00: Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to another, gifts of healing by that one spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another sorry, I lost my place there.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: Another distinguishing between spirits, to another, speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: All these are the work of one and the same spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I think the very first thing I'm gonna say to you, which is not profound, by the way, did I tell you that I don't say anything profound?
7:51
SPEAKER_00: Because I don't.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, all I do is kind of remind you of truths.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so one thing that I I want to say that is is not profound is um there is not one gift better than another.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: Okay, you think that, because I know you do, because I think that too sometimes.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, there are certain gifts that are more visible, right?
8:14
SPEAKER_00: That are uh up front more, um, and some that are very much behind the scenes.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: So you we tend to think, right, what's up front is more important, and uh, you know, and those of us who work behind the scenes that somehow um, you know, like there's this hierarchy of gifts.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm just telling you that there are none, and that's from scripture.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: And if you ever think of that, open up 1 Corinthians 12 and read that portion again.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: There are many parts, but one body.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: So um let's dive in really quickly to at least the this particular test and what they have um what they have categorized uh for you.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to pay particular attention to your first or your second highest, your first or second highest.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: Now, you're gonna probably find that um you scaled something on each one of those categories, but it might be like rock bid up rock bottom, like almost not even on the scale, right?
9:09
SPEAKER_00: And some you have colored in your bar graph all the way up.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: Um but uh I were I really want you to kind of pay attention to the your top two, maybe even three, but at least your top two for this morning, all right?
9:22
SPEAKER_00: And we're just gonna breeze through these, and then I'm just gonna draw us to a close.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, have a little bit of time for you guys to have some QA if we've got some time.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: And uh, you've got a printout there of the explanations.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: It's a little paragraph.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: There are lots of other things that you can do.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: Your tables have one.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, Rosalie, uh just just throw that up.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: Your tables have one that I'm actually reading off of, and then I'll tell you why.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's not important.
9:50
SPEAKER_00: But if you need to look back at it uh afterwards, that's great.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: So um these are in basically alphabetical order.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: We'll just take them as I read through them.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna talk about the gift of administration.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: The gift of administration is seen in those who either like to organize or delegate others.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: Compelled by a strong sense of duty, they like to find things for people to do.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: Unlike the gift of ministry, the gift of administration focuses on team participation.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: They see the big picture and they work to keep everyone on track.
10:23
SPEAKER_00: Not always personally organized, I kind of like that part, um, they prefer delegating tasks.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: They simply like to evaluate what needs to be done, then they design systems or give responsibilities to those who can get the job done.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: They're gifted to forge forward as a group.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: The other profound thing I'm gonna tell you is that every gift has a strength and it can be its own weakness.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
10:48
SPEAKER_00: So the strength of people with the gift of administration, right, is that they look at things, they see what needs to be done, and they come up with a system or checklist, you know, uh, and a way to do and get them done.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Now, in a word, they kind of like the the version that I use, they like to give a word that kind of describes administrators, and it's like they're the initiators, right?
11:08
SPEAKER_00: They get the job done.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay, now what's what could be um something of um an Achilles heel to them?
11:16
SPEAKER_00: It would be that they expect too much.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes if you're in administration, you can expect too much from people.
11:22
SPEAKER_00: I give you this task, I expect for you to get done.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't, then administrators can, those are the gift of administration, can be kind of um get kind of snarky.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: Um the goal is to lead by example, okay, not manipulation.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: I think in every one of yours, you're gonna have some scriptures as well, and we'll let you um uh we'll let you look those up later.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: Okay, um apostleship.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Apostleship.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: Um there are some terms that if I was redoing a spiritual gifts test, I might um rename a few things because sometimes they conjure up certain images in your mind.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: Apostleship, I think, is one of those for me, but um the way at least the test uh likes to describe it, unlike apostles of old who actually saw the Lord and spread the word from place to place, apostles today have a clear vision to start new ministries where others may not.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: They make great church planters and strong leaders.
12:18
SPEAKER_00: Apostles today have a self-spirit appointed calling to reach out where others never dare.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: They demonstrate tremendous abilities in influencing others to follow.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: They also have a contagious and industrious enthusiasm to cross-cultural, geographical, or economical boundaries for Christ.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: Like, in a word, they would be described as pioneers.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: I know people like this.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't score very well on this, just to let you know.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think of the people who started the High Crest Ministry in town and Doc Sazo, um, who have a heart for people in a different economical, you know, boundary and geographical location.
12:57
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't have to be missionaries per se.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: Uh we had a girl here who, those of you who've been around a long time, the um Jim and Marilyn Stewart had a daughter, Cheryl, and she uh um married a man, and their whole calling is to start churches, and they'll go anywhere that God calls them to.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know how many churches they've started, and they but it's what makes them tick.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: And they look for it, they love it, and as soon as they get it started, they're off to the next one.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so uh there, I don't know if you met anybody like that before, but they're a very unique breed of person and um have a very unique calling.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: I should do this, I meant to do this so rewind the tape.
13:43
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all have your top gift was administration?
13:46
SPEAKER_00: One of your two tops.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: It's just kind of fun to see.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: How many of you had uh apostleship?
13:52
SPEAKER_00: Apostle.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: Oh, snap! Okay, no problem.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: See, it's very, very unique.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: I really don't know too many people who um who have that gift um very often.
14:06
SPEAKER_00: So um they um sometimes they can push too hard, um, and their goal is to build deeper and stronger because you can see where if you start something and then jump to the next one, start something and jump to the next one, maybe sometimes you don't need you don't go as deep as you need to.
14:19
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, okay, apostleship moving right along.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Discernment.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: The gift of discernment is evident in those who have unusual ability to see through a lot of confusion and pinpoint problems and solutions.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: They are mostly concerned about right and wrong.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: They tend to listen well and hear the little and seemingly insignificant things that shed light on a specific need.
14:42
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift of discernment are often more serious.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: They distinguish between good and evil, truth and error.
14:50
SPEAKER_00: They like to ask questions and then give advice.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: In a word, they're great listeners, they're great perceivers.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
14:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, overuse, being too critical or too quick to share.
15:02
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all have the gift of discernment?
15:06
SPEAKER_00: Okay, um, so uh I love having friends with the gift of discernment most of the time because sometimes they give me advice I don't really want to hear, but they're right and they're right on target.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: But uh I have been in situations where I've been asked to be the discerning person over a situation, and I tend to like halfway through, I'm like, oh, I got the answer.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: I already know what to tell them what to do to solve all their problems and how to fix it.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: I yeah, I'm not a very good person with a gift of discernment because I don't really maybe think all the way through, or I think of a solution where maybe um it would make them happy, but it might not be the best solution for them.
15:47
SPEAKER_00: But um, people with a gift of discernment um are amazing at being able to pick up, like they said, insignificant things that somebody might say.
15:56
SPEAKER_00: That's a piece of that puzzle, and they're able to put the puzzle together and just say, This is what I would suggest that you do.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Um sometimes the goal is to get more information before responding.
16:09
SPEAKER_00: All right, um, gift of encouragement.
16:12
SPEAKER_00: Encouraging.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: The gift of encouraging finds themselves exhorting others, they are compelled to give advice.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: As counselors, they seem to often have steps of actions.
16:23
SPEAKER_00: While prophets would declare the truth, teachers clarify truth, encouragers like to tell you what to do with truth.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: They bless others with a strong sense of concern, often looking to encourage others, they are sought out as counselors.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: People find encouragers friendly, understanding, and practical.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: They enjoy using their communication skills to share specific insights, right?
16:45
SPEAKER_00: In a word, they're encouraging.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: They can overuse talking too much, okay.
16:52
SPEAKER_00: In in the in with their goal being, oh, I want to encourage this person, they can kind of sometimes have diarrhea of the mouth.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: Well-meaning diarrhea of the mouth, but diarrhea of the mouth, nonetheless, okay.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, their goal would be to apply truth, not create expectation.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: So, how many of y'all have the gift of encouraging?
17:12
SPEAKER_00: So raise your hands high.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: Now, give out your phone numbers because we all need to call you.
17:17
SPEAKER_00: Because there are times, right, where you definitely need encouraging from someone.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, I have a friend who just seems, I'm gonna talk to you about my friends.
17:26
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I'll name their names and sometimes I won't.
17:29
SPEAKER_00: Um I won't name this one, but she is super encouraged, she just seems to know when I need a little text.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: It'll be maybe a scripture or it'll be, I was thinking about you this morning, I'm praying for you.
17:45
SPEAKER_00: Um little gifts, you know, it doesn't have to just be talking, but little gifts that make you feel special, um, or that they know, you know, your favorite cup of coffee at just the right time.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, it is a it is a unique gift because discerning, you're discerning things, but encouraging, you're actually you you're wanting to say something to make someone feel better, right?
18:08
SPEAKER_00: Or or even to point out a piece of scripture again, that would be of an encouragement to them.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so encouragers make you feel warm and fuzzy.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: Everybody wants to be an encourager, I think.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: Um evangelism.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: How many of you all have the gift of evangelism?
18:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: So, right along with apostleship, evangelism, at least in my experience over all the years, um, is a very, very unique gift.
18:38
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that unique is correct.
18:39
SPEAKER_00: It's just people aren't um, you would say that you don't find very many people who feel they have the gift of evangelism.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Now, you've heard Jim talk about we are all to be evangelists, right?
18:52
SPEAKER_00: And we are.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: But people with the gift of evangelism cannot help talking to other people about the Lord.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: There is something different than going on a missions trip and sharing the gospel on a street corner than someone who has a gift of evangelism.
19:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, the one that comes to my mind, and I don't know that any of you are familiar with him, but his name is Mark Cahill.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: And uh, we had him come speak at Kirperville many, many years ago.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: But um he wrote the book, and I'm having one of those brain lady moments here.
19:25
SPEAKER_00: Umne thing you can't do in heaven.
19:29
SPEAKER_00: And right, it's tell them about the Lord.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: So um, but he would, I mean, he's the kind of guy who will, you know, he travels all the time and he's talking to the ticket agent, and he's talking to the flight attendant, and he's talking to the guy who takes his suitcase and he's talking to the turnpike.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Um it they're just wired, they cannot help but talk and and evangelize.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, my experience, like I said, and is that those people are very rare that actually have that gift, but let it not um be said, well, I don't have the gift of evangelism, so I'm not gonna talk to anybody about the Lord.
20:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, that's a that's directed at me, by the way.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: Um so it, you know, I may have a whole different way of doing that, but we are to all tell others about the Lord.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: But gift of evangelism is kind of um uh unique.
20:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, in a word, dynamic, sometimes they can overuse zeal, and your goal is to build disciples, not statistics.
20:29
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: All right, uh gift of faith.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have the gift of faith?
20:33
SPEAKER_00: One of your top two.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: Wow, sweet.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
20:37
SPEAKER_00: All right, the gift of faith is often found in those with the obvious ability to trust God in the most adverse circumstances.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: Every Christian has a measure of saving faith, but those with the gift of faith have a deeper dependence upon God and his word.
20:50
SPEAKER_00: Faith comes by healing or hearing, and hearing by the word of God is their favorite Bible verse.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: The gift of faith is seen in those who believe strongly in the presence and power of God.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: They tend to stretch the faith and commitment of others, they encourage others to act upon their faith and challenge everyone to increase their faith.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: If you were going to use a word for them, it would be optimist, right?
21:13
SPEAKER_00: You just gotta have faith.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: I know God's gonna see you through.
21:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, sometimes can overly be trusting and often proud of their faith.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: And your goal is to combine faith with works.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: Don't just talk about it, but help.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: Connie's relating back there.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: She's raising her hand.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, so the gift of faith, um, I have to say I'm pretty poor in this as well, but God has through some of the experiences that I've gone through and the challenges that I've met in the last five to ten years, um, I could tell you that I feel very stretched in that area.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: And I would say I have more faith than I used to, but I definitely don't have the gift of faith.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay, but the gift of faith really is that ability to truly, truly trust God to see him do his perfect.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Perfect will in the most adverse circumstances.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: So that's a that's a a great thing.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: All right.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: So sorry, we're breezing through.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like school.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: Giving.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: Givers tend to be seriously concerned about financial matters.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: The gift of giving also involves the gift of getting.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: Givers are sensitive to how money is spent and saved.
22:22
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift of giving don't always give to the wheel that squeaks the loudest, but to the wheel that truly needs the most grease.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: Givers have unique financial insights.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: They serve especially well on boards, responsible for maintaining budgets.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: They tend to be conscientious and conservative.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: The gift of giving may not always be evident, but a genuine interest in wise stewardship will be.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: In a word, steward, overuse the power of money.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: How many of you all have the gift of giving?
22:53
SPEAKER_00: That's fantastic.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: So Connie and I were talking ahead of this, and she said she has the gift of giving.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: She gives something to her friend and then something to her.
23:05
SPEAKER_00: And um, and actually we were laughing about how neither one of us are very good in giving.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: But I will tell you that there used to be a man in our church.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh, again, some of you who will who have been here forever will recognize his name, Al Rimmel.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: And Al Rimmel was one of the most giving individuals I know.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: He was in charge of some of the very first remodels of TBC over there across the street.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: He was always very um aware of how much a project would cost, how much it was going to cost people to give, um, you know, wanting to be a good steward of TBC's money and all of that.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: And yet he, the staff will tell you that he was one of the most giving people to us as young couples.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: We were all your age when we all came.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: And um they would have us out to their lake at Lake Javaro every year that we would have, it would be the only year that the staff would eat steak, you know, because we couldn't afford that.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: And um he would take us out on the boat, and he would always slip us money.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if his wife Nancy ever knew that, but um, he would always slip us money every once in a while, just say, hey, go treat the kids tonight to ice cream.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: Now, does that seem super high-powered, you know, spiritual?
24:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh believe me, it it met a need.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: It was it was something that we at the time could not afford, even just that 20 bucks to go take the kids to Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: Back then, you could actually pay for your family back then at the 20 bucks.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, those type of things that were just ways that to give in subtle ways.
24:45
SPEAKER_00: I can tell you that how many times people ministered us by giving us furniture.
24:51
SPEAKER_00: You know, we got married.
24:52
SPEAKER_00: I became freshman uh right after college.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: Jim was a single, he had lived with um guys in houses.
24:58
SPEAKER_00: We owned our two cars, which were total junkers, and we had nothing else to our name.
25:03
SPEAKER_00: And I can't tell you how many people in church gave us furniture.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: So it's not just the giving of money, it's giving of, you know, possessions and things that encourage you and help.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: So um it'd be fun to pass around the mic to those of you guys with the gift of giving and say, hey, how does that work out?
25:19
SPEAKER_00: But um, you know when you've been given to by someone with that gift.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, all right, hospitality, the gift of hospitality.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: Is that special interest in opening one's home for food and fellowship or to just provide a place to stay for someone in need?
25:34
SPEAKER_00: Those with a gift of hospitality seem to always be ready and willing to invite guests over or offer their home for a place to meet for any occasion.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: They love to provide refreshments or prepare meals for individuals or groups.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: They seldom show irritation over last-minute requests to have someone over or to host a group.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: They tirelessly serve to make people comfortable and encouraged.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: In a word, sociable.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all have the gift of hospitality?
26:00
SPEAKER_00: Great.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Give us your addresses, we'll be over today.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, so this is my favorite story, and Patty Delaberto said, You always throw me under the bus.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: And I said, It is not true.
26:11
SPEAKER_00: I do not throw you under the bus, and you'll see my illustration.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: So both Patty and I are high in the gift of hospitality.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it would be up there top.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: The look of our two types of hospitality are like night and day.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: And this would be my another one and another one of my not profound points, and that is two people can have the same gift and they look entirely different.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: Patty, you go to Patty's house.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have been to Patty's house?
26:40
SPEAKER_00: You go to Patty's house, it's beautiful, it looks like Chip and Joanna Gaines.
26:46
SPEAKER_00: It's the Nat and Patty Gaines of TBC.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: And everything matches, and it's just so cute.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: And like you sit down and she's like looked through her recipe, and everything is homemade, and um, it is awesome, and it's on beautiful, you know, plates and cloth napkins and all those kind of things, right?
27:09
SPEAKER_00: With the we yeah, with the candles and the jazz at just the right volume in the background.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: You come to the Congden household, you get paper plates, fish sticks, maybe pizza rolls.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and we slap it down and we're like, yeah, come on in.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: How many?
27:26
SPEAKER_00: Oh, you brought your friends, come on in.
27:28
SPEAKER_00: It's great.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: You may have music, you may not, and the music might be um, you know, 70s from my era, and they're like, wow, dude, nobody knows these songs.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, whatever, but our our place was the hangout place when our kids were growing up, and you never knew how many bodies were gonna be on the floor the next day from spending the night.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: And I would just count heads.
27:49
SPEAKER_00: I go, oh, there's Mikey's head, there's Josh's, there's um, and but there was nothing fancy about it.
27:55
SPEAKER_00: Now, as I've grown older, I mean, I'm just a patty wannabe.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I'm I haven't graduated from the Patty School of Hospitality yet, but um, it's awesome.
28:08
SPEAKER_00: Do people leave Patty's house feeling love and encouraged?
28:12
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: Do people leave Mel's house encouraged and loved?
28:16
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: At least they told me that.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: But we have two totally different ways to pull off hospitality.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Neither one's right or wrong, but it's a great illustration of a not profound point that you can have the same gift of hospitality as someone else and it looked different.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: All right, perfect.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh let's see.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Let's go on to knowledge.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: The gift of knowledge is a supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God, which gives instant and specific information that one would have, no other way of knowing except from God.
28:50
SPEAKER_00: This is not an amplification of human knowledge, nor is it a gift of just knowing a lot of things.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: It's the ability to receive specific truth from the word of God.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes they may overwhelm others and bring more attention to their word of knowledge rather than the purpose of sharing what God has revealed to them.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: But in a word, divine insights.
29:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
29:11
SPEAKER_00: Um misuse of it, you might make other people feel ignorant or like they don't really know.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, and they don't.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all have the gift of knowledge?
29:23
SPEAKER_00: So I have a great amount of respect for people with the gift of knowledge.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: It's one of those, I wish that I said I I would like a different gift.
29:32
SPEAKER_00: I would like the gift of knowledge.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: Um I sort of equate, um, I mean, here we're talking specifically spiritual gifts, you know, right?
29:42
SPEAKER_00: It's like um supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, I have a hard time remembering the books of the Bible.
29:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I know.
29:54
SPEAKER_00: I'm the preacher's wife.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, people, my famous story is people call and they'll say, Hey, is Jim there?
30:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, we're having a Bible study.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: We have a question.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: And I said, No, he's not here.
30:05
SPEAKER_00: So sorry.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: Do you want me to have him call you?
30:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, we're studying in Josh's, and the book of Josh's, you know, was it fact or fiction?
30:13
SPEAKER_00: And they just keep going on and going on and going on and going on.
30:15
SPEAKER_00: And then it gets done.
30:16
SPEAKER_00: I said, I I have no idea.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: I just sleep with the man.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: And so um, I wish desperately that I had more knowledge, um, but I get that it's it's it's just not me, okay?
30:35
SPEAKER_00: It's just not.
30:37
SPEAKER_00: So don't call me with your Bible questions, okay?
30:40
SPEAKER_00: Umuse, like I said, you can make other people feel ignorant sometimes or inferior, but your goal is to change lives, okay?
30:48
SPEAKER_00: Not just impress people with your knowledge, but to change lives.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: All right.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Hanging in, we're almost done here.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: Good job.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: Leadership.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: The gift of leadership, much like the gift of administration, is evident in those who demonstrate an unusual ability to influence others.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: They seem to have an independent determination to challenge and direct others towards a specific goal.
31:08
SPEAKER_00: They stand out, they take stands.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift of leadership tend to multitask, they tend to be multi-talented, excelling with their people and task skills.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: Often results-oriented and driven, they need to guard their strengths.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: They also need to be more sensitive and patient with those who don't respond as well or positive as they.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: They are great motivators.
31:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, their word that they pick is dreamer, I'm not sure I would have picked that word as my word, but um, they can be too demanding and impatient.
31:39
SPEAKER_00: And their goal is to lead by example and willingness to be a servant.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: How many of you all have the gift of leadership?
31:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
31:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, so what's the difference between leadership?
31:50
unknown: Yeah.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: Leadership and administration.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: Administrators tend to be, 10, again, generalities, tend to be more task-driven.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Okay, administrators, right?
32:02
SPEAKER_00: You know of an administrator of a hospital, they're tasked, they're doing the schedules, they're doing HR, right?
32:08
SPEAKER_00: Um, leadership has a little bit more of that people person to it, okay?
32:13
SPEAKER_00: Leading, motivating.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, you think of great leaders in history, or you're right, you know, watching William Wallace give his big speech to the troops before they're going down the hill and getting slaughtered.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that the ultimate people with leadership are able to motivate others.
32:29
SPEAKER_00: They rally them, okay?
32:31
SPEAKER_00: People want to follow them.
32:33
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's heavier on the people's side than it is on just on the tasks.
32:38
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
32:39
SPEAKER_00: So um I have had some incredible leaders in my life, and I hope you have too.
32:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you definitely know because you want to follow them.
32:49
SPEAKER_00: You want to make them happy, you want to follow them, you want to be a part of that team.
32:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, all right, pastor or shepherding.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: The gift of pastor or shepherding is obvious to those who really enjoy leading others in serving the Lord.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: Unlike the gift of ministry or serving or helps, this gift involves the motivation to leave.
33:08
SPEAKER_00: Pastors are compelled to encourage others to work together for the body's sake.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: Influencing others to work together is important.
33:15
SPEAKER_00: Stressing a need for team participation, they emphasize harmony.
33:19
SPEAKER_00: Untrained lay people can also have the gift of pastor.
33:22
SPEAKER_00: They see their service as one of maturing others with a motivation to unite the ministry.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: They feel strong about spiritual health.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: Okay, the word that they use as leader, um, can overuse taking advantage of others' trusts.
33:37
SPEAKER_00: And their goal is to be strong leadership, not manipulating the flock.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: Um, the man that um I think is the poster child for this is Hank Nelson.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: So if you know Hank Nelson, who's been at our church forever and ever and ever, um he's a great example of pastoring and shepherding.
33:56
SPEAKER_00: Now, what's different than that for teaching?
33:58
SPEAKER_00: We'll get to that here in just a minute.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: But um pastoring, I would say, has a softer, more think of that shepherd with the flock feel.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, they're going to be intimately involved in people's lives.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: Um they're gonna be there for births and deaths and job losses and struggles, and they want to be there and and to uh serve the body of Christ that way.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: Um so I don't want to say that pastoring is more loving, but I would just say pastoring is very different than teaching.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, and if you've been at church for a long time, and I'm sorry, it's a disadvantage if you haven't.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: The difference between Jim and Hank, you kind of see that difference.
34:41
SPEAKER_00: So we'll talk about that in a minute.
34:42
SPEAKER_00: Prophecy, how many of y'all had the gift?
34:44
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm sorry, did I ask how many of you had the gift of pastor?
34:47
SPEAKER_00: No.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: How about the gift of prophecy?
34:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is another one like evangelism.
34:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, is very, very rare.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go over it quickly.
34:57
SPEAKER_00: Prophets are not exactly like the prophets you think of in the Old Testament who spoke the literal word of God.
35:03
SPEAKER_00: Today's people with the gift of prophecy, they seem to have the same seriousness and straightforward attitude towards truth.
35:10
SPEAKER_00: They like to share truth regardless of what anyone thinks.
35:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, prophets today are motivated to confront anyone with what they believe is right.
35:20
SPEAKER_00: When controlled by the Holy Spirit, the gift of prophecy is a powerful tool to reprove, rebuke, and exhort others.
35:28
SPEAKER_00: Prophets often find themselves pointing the way, declaring specific truth, or standing up for something significant.
35:35
SPEAKER_00: I will tell you that I have um very I have a very best girlfriend from high school who is a prophet.
35:41
SPEAKER_00: Other than that, I do not think I have I have met another woman in my career who feels like they have the gift of being a prophecy or an exhorter, someone who exhorts.
35:50
SPEAKER_00: But if you are in their presence, you know it because they usually make everyone feel uncomfortable.
35:59
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
36:01
SPEAKER_00: Um right.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: Um you could use exhorter in this in at least in this term, or um it's uh the one that another one they do is proclaiming or perceiving.
36:17
SPEAKER_00: You're a proclaiming person, you're proclaiming truth, and you're gonna do it whether it makes anybody mad or not.
36:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, if you're at a dinner party, you know the ones that are the kind of the perceivers or the proclaimers because they're stirring the pot.
36:31
SPEAKER_00: Because they go, nope, this is exactly what it's like.
36:33
SPEAKER_00: And everybody else is like, oh well, you know, I think.
36:36
SPEAKER_00: And he's like, Nope.
36:38
SPEAKER_00: And they usually never budge.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: There is a time and a place and a desperate need for people like that.
36:44
SPEAKER_00: But they do tend to make you uncomfortable.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: And you, if you are one, then your challenge really is to let the Holy Spirit lead you.
36:52
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, you're not gonna have any friends.
36:56
SPEAKER_00: All right, last four I have anyway.
36:59
SPEAKER_00: Serving ministry helps.
37:01
SPEAKER_00: Those are kind of interchangeable words.
37:04
SPEAKER_00: Uh, when you think of Christians who serve faithfully behind the scenes, you think of those with the gift of serving or ministry or helps.
37:12
SPEAKER_00: They are interested in blessing others to serve the Lord.
37:15
SPEAKER_00: They love to help others.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: They're made motivated by a strong sense of need.
37:20
SPEAKER_00: They feel like, hey, someone has to do it.
37:23
SPEAKER_00: Caring and concern for others, they find themselves doing what no one else likes to do.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: They tend to do whatever is called for.
37:31
SPEAKER_00: Flexible, they adapt to many challenges.
37:33
SPEAKER_00: They simply enjoy helping others and meeting needs.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: Often truly selfless, those with the gift of serving, ministry helps like to be involved.
37:41
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have this gift?
37:44
SPEAKER_00: This is uh usually a really popular one with women, and I'm not saying it's gender specific at all, but um, I think some of it is that that mom thing, right?
37:57
SPEAKER_00: And us, we have to serve and minister.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: But there are people with the gift of serving and ministry and helps who just they really do, they see a need and they're itching to help.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: It's actually what um, you know, motivates them and charges them up is that ability to help and meet somebody else's need.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: Um I will uh in a word, uh they use the word would be selfless.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: Um uh overuse or what what their Achilles heal is taking on too much.
38:30
SPEAKER_00: So sometimes if you have the gift of service or helps, you spread yourself too thin because you want to meet everyone's need.
38:36
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the people that uh are that hurt the most is your own family, your own husband, your own kids.
38:44
SPEAKER_00: Um my uh service is off the chart, and it always has been, and it it was a real frustration for Jim when we were first married.
38:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, because well, I had little kids and all and all I wanted to do was be out there helping.
38:58
SPEAKER_00: And you know, he constantly would remind me, you have four toddlers here who need your time and attention as well.
39:05
SPEAKER_00: And so he sort of had to help me figure out how to do that, and um and what what times were appropriate and how often I would do that for that time in my life.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: But people who with the gift of service and helps can't they can't help themselves.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: They really are the ones who are like, well, somebody's gotta do it, and I don't mind, and I'll do it.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: And and I won't think another thing about it.
39:27
SPEAKER_00: Um, I have um I have uh two, we have two sets of couples that we're very close to.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: And um both sets of couples would have service um and helps at the top of their lists.
39:41
SPEAKER_00: Um and the interesting thing is um we love to do projects together, and we have um, they're also very talented in the area of construction and things like that, and demo and things like that.
39:54
SPEAKER_00: So we we have affectionately called ourselves the dream team.
39:57
SPEAKER_00: And um, so we've traveled places and done things for people, and we love it.
40:02
SPEAKER_00: You know what my hardest thing is?
40:04
SPEAKER_00: Letting them come and do something at my place because people with the gift of service don't take it very well, because then somehow uh them we think, oh, well, we shouldn't need it because we have that gift, right?
40:19
SPEAKER_00: And so I will just tell you that um that's just an interesting little spin on that.
40:25
SPEAKER_00: So um, but you also I think the thing that is most misunderstood if you don't have the gift of serving is that people look at you and they're like, oh, you shouldn't be doing that.
40:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, let someone else do it.
40:37
SPEAKER_00: Or um you've you've done it so often.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: Those people just don't even think like that.
40:43
SPEAKER_00: The people with the gift service don't don't they don't keep a tally of how many times they've done stuff.
40:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think this gift is what got me in trouble when I first got married because I hated the I hated the head table.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: I would rather be back slinging the hash and doing the dishes and cooking the 25 turkeys we do at Thanksgiving or whatever.
41:05
SPEAKER_00: I'd rather be doing that than sitting out, you know.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, I would have been the Martha who would have gotten scolded all the time because I would have been here and there.
41:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, there's not um, I do a makeover ministry here.
41:20
SPEAKER_00: It's been um here since uh Hurricane Katrina, and we adopted some people from Louisiana.
41:27
SPEAKER_00: Um and uh I really call it the haul crap ministry, and you won't find that as a spiritual gift in 1 Corinthians 12, the the haul crap gift.
41:38
SPEAKER_00: But that's what I do, and I but I haul good crap, I'm just saying.
41:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it helps people and we collect it.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: I am the thrift store of TBC.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: So if any of you, and I mean this seriously, if any of you have needs, or like sometimes I get washers and dryers and refrigerators, and one of yours goes on the blink, and you can't afford a washing machine at that time.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: We can give it to you as a loaner, we can give it to you permanently, but that people donate things to that makeover ministry, and then we really just sort of, it's just a kind of a redistribution of goods, and there's no cost involved because it's what people want to do to help the body of believers.
42:16
SPEAKER_00: So um, but I haul that all the time, and it's usually just me.
42:20
SPEAKER_00: I've learned how to load a couch into a into the back of a cargo van all by myself.
42:25
SPEAKER_00: It's all about leverage.
42:26
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't good in physics, but I figured this out.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's those kinds of things, and I don't mind, and people go, Well, you shouldn't be doing that.
42:33
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm like, well, if I'm old enough still that I can and strong enough that I can do it, I'm gonna do it.
42:38
SPEAKER_00: But um, people, again, with that gift of service, um, don't think twice about it.
42:43
SPEAKER_00: So you need to allow people to minister to you, but that's tough, right?
42:47
SPEAKER_00: That's tough for all of us, including myself.
42:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, teaching, the gift of teaching, prefer explaining why things are true.
42:54
SPEAKER_00: While the prophet declares truth, the teacher explains the reasons it's true.
42:58
SPEAKER_00: Interested in research, those with the gift of teaching like to dig into seemingly insignificant details.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: They enjoy presenting what they discover.
43:07
SPEAKER_00: Often negligent of others' needs, they press towards a deeper understanding.
43:11
SPEAKER_00: They love to study.
43:13
SPEAKER_00: Searching patiently and persistently, they may miss the obvious.
43:17
SPEAKER_00: They stretch the limits of learning, setting high standards of education.
43:20
SPEAKER_00: In a word, in depth, can overuse digging too deep.
43:25
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
43:26
SPEAKER_00: Reveal the truth, not exhaust it.
43:28
SPEAKER_00: So I'm sorry, the the poster child for teaching is my husband, hands down, right?
43:34
SPEAKER_00: There is a man who uses his gift of teaching.
43:38
SPEAKER_00: Patty Delaberto, teacher, right?
43:41
SPEAKER_00: Am I right?
43:42
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love that woman.
43:44
SPEAKER_00: Sandy Taylor.
43:45
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all know Sandy?
43:47
SPEAKER_00: Teacher.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: This is one I'm just gonna confess.
43:50
SPEAKER_00: I have a little bit of envy.
43:52
SPEAKER_00: I wished I was that way.
43:55
SPEAKER_00: Again, I can I can look at a piece of scripture and go, oh, really cool.
43:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:00
SPEAKER_00: I got this out of it today.
44:02
SPEAKER_00: And everybody just looks at me and like, okay, that's all?
44:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:06
SPEAKER_00: It was really meaningful.
44:09
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I just, I would love to be able to do that.
44:12
SPEAKER_00: I realize it's not my gift, but I love watching teachers do their thing.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: How many of y'all have the gift of teaching?
44:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:21
SPEAKER_00: So if you come to a Bible study at my house, it's going to be more like topic-y related and relational.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: You come to patties, you're going to come out knowing the word like you've never heard it.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: And it's awesome.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
44:37
SPEAKER_00: Last two, real quick: wisdom, gift of wisdom, unique ability to use knowledge in a practical way.
44:42
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift like to combine what they know with a serious reverence of God in order to influence others.
44:47
SPEAKER_00: They sometimes battle with pride and an attitude of superiority.
44:51
SPEAKER_00: They need to be consistently humble, exhibit a sense of quietness and slowness before responding.
44:57
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift of wisdom are often given some kind of adversity to stay in tune with God and His word.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, those with this gift will tend to be puffed up.
45:06
SPEAKER_00: They make great counselors and give tremendous advice.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: They're perceptive.
45:11
SPEAKER_00: In a word, they're perceptive and they overuse speaking down to people.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: But I love also people that have that gift of wisdom.
45:19
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I that's something I pray for every day in the setting that I'm in at school.
45:25
SPEAKER_00: Lord, just please give me wisdom today.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: Give me the wisdom of Solomon.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: So that when a teacher, two teachers are haggling with each other and they come in, please tell me what I'm supposed to do.
45:37
SPEAKER_00: If a if a family comes in and they're like, this is where we're struggling, I my constant flair prayer is, Lord, give me wisdom.
45:46
SPEAKER_00: Give me discernment when I need it in this situation.
45:50
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
45:50
SPEAKER_00: Gift of mercy is the last one.
45:54
SPEAKER_00: Those showing the gift of mercy demonstrate genuine sensitivity to suffering.
45:58
SPEAKER_00: They're compelled to help people reduce pain.
46:00
SPEAKER_00: They're concerned more with the person than the reason for the suffering.
46:03
SPEAKER_00: They focus on the feelings of those who are hurt.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: They minister by just being there when people really need them, sympathizing or empathizing with their special are their specialties, while others may care more about why, what, when, or how.
46:18
SPEAKER_00: Those with the gift of mercy are just interested in who needs tender, loving care.
46:23
SPEAKER_00: They're caring.
46:24
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have the gift of mercy?
46:26
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have keep your hands up?
46:28
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have the gift of mercy and also have the gift of service?
46:31
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have the gift?
46:33
SPEAKER_00: She's got two hands.
46:34
SPEAKER_00: Now we're going for the foot.
46:36
SPEAKER_00: Do you also have the gift of encouragement?
46:39
SPEAKER_00: Right?
46:40
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, some of these gifts, right, you can see are a little bit um interchangeable, a little bit, and that they're very similar.
46:51
SPEAKER_00: So that was a whirlwind, um, but I was hoping that it just gives you some insight as you walk through those.
46:57
SPEAKER_00: Let me give you a couple just other little pointers, and um we're done.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: Um again, I'm just gonna tell you God, God may lead you to do something that's outside your spiritual gift.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: There's definitely been times where I've been called to teach a Bible study or to fill in in a spot that I did not feel was definitely my talent or my gift.
47:21
SPEAKER_00: God calls you to do that sometimes.
47:23
SPEAKER_00: Lit listen to that call and do it.
47:26
SPEAKER_00: However, I can tell you this if you're in a ministry or you're doing something and you come home and you are absolutely drained, then it's probably not your gift.
47:37
SPEAKER_00: You know, it may be one that you really wish you had and you tried it out.
47:41
SPEAKER_00: Your gift should recharge you.
47:43
SPEAKER_00: Like, usually those of us who have the gift of service or helps, we get done with an event and we're like, yeah, what are we gonna do now?
47:50
SPEAKER_00: It's 11 o'clock at night.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we've been at it since nine this morning.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: What are we gonna do?
47:54
SPEAKER_00: You're jazzed, you're pumped.
47:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you may be tired, but not like drained, okay?
48:00
SPEAKER_00: So a couple things as you're looking and working and experimenting on where to use your gift.
48:05
SPEAKER_00: Know that if you're using your gift, you're charged up.
48:07
SPEAKER_00: It keeps you going.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: It's what you think about, it's what you wake up thinking about.
48:11
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I could do this or I could do that.
48:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, wishing that you had another spiritual gift.
48:19
SPEAKER_00: A wise man told me this one time.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: Wishing that you had somebody else's spiritual gift is slandering the wisdom of God who gave it to you.
48:29
SPEAKER_00: And to me, that was a slap in the face.
48:32
SPEAKER_00: So, by the way, it was my father.
48:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, questioning the spiritual gift that God gave you is slander to God because he gave you that for a reason.
48:41
SPEAKER_00: And to learn to embrace that and figure out how you're how and what you're gonna do with that, right, is the challenge.
48:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, we've also talked about the fact that it looks different on different people, right?
48:53
SPEAKER_00: Even with that same, same um gift.
48:55
SPEAKER_00: I will tell you this too.
48:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, where you are right now as mamas, I didn't do some of the things I'm doing now when I had four toddlers.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: So sometimes you look with somebody else that has that gift and you're like, oh, I wish I could, I wish I could do that.
49:14
SPEAKER_00: You know, there are different stages in your life, and you may not have the time or the resources, and your most important job is taking care of your family and your children right now.
49:27
SPEAKER_00: Um, but there may still be ways that God can can use that gift, right?
49:32
SPEAKER_00: Let's say you have the gift of encouragement, but you're you've got three small babies at home.
49:40
SPEAKER_00: During nap time, grab your stationery, write that note, that old snail mail, right?
49:46
SPEAKER_00: And and and mail it to them, right?
49:48
SPEAKER_00: It might not be that I can go out for coffee with someone and listen to them for two hours, right?
49:54
SPEAKER_00: That maybe there'll be a time and a place for that.
49:57
SPEAKER_00: But your gift looks different at different times in your life.
50:02
SPEAKER_00: And the way I serve people now is is uh oftentimes very different than I did when I had four toddlers at home.
50:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, and uh when your children leave and you're empty nesters like us, it takes on a different look as well.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: So just know that God can still use your gift, even though you're feeling like all I'm doing is washing diapers and washing clothes and cleaning, and now it's time to cook, and now it's time to put them to naps, and now I'm back up again.
50:31
SPEAKER_00: That's dinner, and now they're in bed and I'm exhausted, and I don't have time to use my spiritual gift.
50:36
SPEAKER_00: So just don't be discouraged by that.
50:39
SPEAKER_00: I just encourage you to hang in there and know that um you God can use it even at different stages of your life.
50:47
SPEAKER_00: Um so my last two points are easy.
50:57
SPEAKER_00: Your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: Um be aware of your spiritual gift and how you use it to your strength, but also that um it can trip you up.
51:08
SPEAKER_00: Just like if I do too much service and I've said yes to everything, I do reach this tipping point, and then I kind of become snarky, and I'm like, when's it my turn?
51:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and you have to learn to balance and know yourself and know what recharges your battery, even if service is give, give, give.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: Um again, know those pitfalls of your gift and work on that.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: And then the last thing is know that, and I'm gonna come full circle, know that God needs your gift, every one of them, for the body to be whole.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: Some of you look at other women and go, well, they're like the beautiful head of the body, because they've got all this knowledge and they teach Bible studies, and that's not me.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, hands and feet, and they're serving and they're doing so many things for others, and you feel like the big toe.
52:10
SPEAKER_00: Like I nobody really cares about me or my gift, and I can't really help the body.
52:14
SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you that if you do not use your gift, your your gift, then the body is not whole.
52:21
SPEAKER_00: I never thought big toes were important until I broke my big toe.
52:25
SPEAKER_00: And I broke it because Jim chased me down the hall and I ran into the doorframe.
52:32
SPEAKER_00: He's over there, he can witness it.
52:34
SPEAKER_00: So it was embarrassing to tell the doctor how I broke my big toe.
52:37
SPEAKER_00: But I I then had to wear this wooden shoe, you know, for like two weeks, and it was family camp time, and I tried to climb the wall with the wooden shoe, and it was ridiculous, and I kept falling off.
52:47
SPEAKER_00: And but I was like, wow, I didn't know a big toe could hurt that much or how much you use it, right?
52:54
SPEAKER_00: How many of us think about our big toe?
52:56
SPEAKER_00: Not very much, until it's broken.
52:59
SPEAKER_00: And and I just use it as an illustration to say you may feel like the big toe, but it's still an important part of the body, and we can't be whole or minister to others if the body is not whole.
53:13
SPEAKER_00: So coming back to 1 Corinthians 12, there are many parts, but one body.
53:19
SPEAKER_00: So let that be an encouragement to you.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: All right, I'm gonna pray for us real fast.
53:24
SPEAKER_00: Father, thanks for our time together.
53:25
SPEAKER_00: We have um run through all these things, and um, but we know that you have gifted each and every one of these women in this room.
53:35
SPEAKER_00: Father, I I thank you for the opportunity to take a test that just sort of steers us in the direction and identifies things that we have um gifts and talents in.
53:45
SPEAKER_00: We thank you for that.
53:47
SPEAKER_00: I pray for revelation for these women, if they need it, to figure out how um to use those gifts best for the body to be whole.
53:57
SPEAKER_00: Um Lord, give them patience if now is a time where those gifts look differently or take a back seat sometimes to mothering.
54:07
SPEAKER_00: Um Father, we just know though that you're still working your perfect will in these ladies' lives.
54:12
SPEAKER_00: And uh thanks for a time to just be together this morning and to um think about some of these things.
54:18
SPEAKER_00: I I pray for them for strength in these gloomy, cold days uh with sick children.
54:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh give them strength and may they be an encouragement to one another in Jesus' name.
54:29
SPEAKER_00: Amen.