Spiritual Gifts - The Quiz

You probably already have yourself, or your spouse, or your best friend (or all of the above) pegged. You want to verify that or just figure it out?

I have put together a quiz to help you determine just that.

It is a 37 question quiz. I apologize for the first two. They have nothing to do with the rest of the quiz, but were a requirement from the site that helped me created the quiz.

Word of warning that I must heed myself when taking the test:

Please don’t answer how you think you should or how you wish you could. It’s not about your shortcomings in any of these areas, as we all have them. Honestly answer the questions as they describe you at this moment in your walk with God. Otherwise you just won’t get a clear depiction of who you are or who God is working you out to be!

Just for fun, when you are done, come back here and post a comment with your results. I think it will be fun to see how everyone is different and how we all can be used together as the body of Christ.

Okay…click here to quiz!

*This quiz was taken from Lifeway resources here.

Spiritual Gifts - Mercy

This is a series put together to examine the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12:3-8. The focus passage is as follows:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Definition: The gift of mercy is another gift that is vital to letting believers and non-believers alike see God’s love in action. These people have a special gift for seeing the needs of others and sympathizing or empathizing in a way that leads them to act to show them God’s love through action. They seem to know where the hurting person has been and see a way to meet the need and help alleviate the hurt. It can translate through physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or financial needs. They often serve in very undesirable circumstances but do so joyfully in order to help those in distress.

Jesus Models This Gift: Jesus often spoke of compassion and mercy (Matthew 5:7, Matthew 23:23) as well as demonstrated it—as with the adulterous woman. He wept for his friends when their brother had died. He taught about the Good Samaritan and showed the disciples that the children were important to Him when they tried to run them off.

Other Biblical examples of this Gift: We are all recipients of God’s mercy, which is greater than any other example imaginable. Dorcas demonstrated mercy as one of the foremost members of the first church (Acts 9:36). The prodigal son’s father was forgiving and compassionate when his son returned home. Joseph forgave his brothers in Egypt after they sold him into slavery. Zaccheus was moved to give back to those he had stolen from an exponential amount.

Strengths: These people serve the church by meeting real and tangible needs of others by living out loud and helping those in the name of Christ. They are sensitive and compassionate. They give without hesitation.

Pitfalls: Those with the gift of mercy often act without hesitation and therefore can be easily taken advantage of or seem entirely naïve.

Ideas of How to Work for God using this Gift: Visit sick or shut-in people. Listen to those with difficulties and provide counseling or just a shoulder to cry on. Work in a pantry or soup-kitchen environment. Serve as a foster parent.

Do You Have This Gift? (ref The Resurgence - Spiritual Gifts)

• Do you find yourself being drawn to people who are needy, hurting, sick, disabled, or elderly?
• Do you often think of ways to minister to those who are suffering?
• Do you sense a great deal of compassion for people having personal and emotional problems?
• Do you find that when you visit those who are suffering it brings you joy rather than depressing you?
• Do you find yourself responding to people more out of compassion than judgment?

Summary: Like servants, these people are critical to non-believers coming to a relationship with Christ as often their example touches others to find out what Christianity is all about. And in the meantime, they make others’ lives just a little bit better.

Mark Twain might have something here...

It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand. --Mark Twain

Spiritual Gifts - Administration

This is a series put together to examine the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12:3-8. The focus passage is as follows:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Definition: Leadership is a vitally important role in the body of Christ and one that many people want to take on whether or not it is their primary gift. Of course, it works best when those in leadership are those set apart by God to be. These people can encourage and manage others with a great deal of organization to accomplish a task as God would will it to be done.

Jesus Models This Gift: Jesus ran quite a tight ship if you think about it: He had three close disciples that accompanied Him practically everywhere (Mark 9:2); He then had an expanded group of 12 followers among His disciples (Mark 3:13-14). He even used larger groups to precede Him into towns and prime the pump, so to speak (Luke 10:1).

Other Biblical examples of this Gift: Joseph was chosen to run Egypt (Genesis 41:41-57; 47:13-26), which must have been quite a task. Titus was told to manage things by Paul (Titus 1:5)

Strengths: Saves time and money as one who completes tasks efficiently and in an organized manner. It helps if they are charismatic so that others easily follow, but this is not always the case. They have an eye for detail and problem solving and reasoning skills that surpass others.

Pitfalls: It can be easy to get wrapped up into the project itself so that the people-aspect of the project falls (mentally) by the wayside. It can be hard to understand why others are not as organized and deal with this accordingly. It can be easy to fall into the “easy to do it myself than tell someone else how” mindset, but with a room full of servants, everyone’s spirits will be killed if this occurs.

Ideas of How to Work for God using this Gift: Organizing activities, groups, or even getting people checked into the nursery. Any type of teamwork or planning committee needs to have someone on it with this gift to head up projects once they are ready to come to fruition.

Do You Have This Gift? (ref The Resurgence - Spiritual Gifts)

• When things are poorly organized do you get frustrated and want to help fix things?
• Can you bring order out of chaos?
• Do you naturally organize your life, schedule, finances, priorities, etc.?
• Do you become energized working on tasks and projects?
• Do things like efficiency and promptness matter more to you than most people?
• Do things like spreadsheets, budgets, organizational charts and software, files, highlighters, and label makers make you happy?

Summary: These task and people managers offer a key piece of the puzzle to effectively working for God. These people are the go-getters, the organizers, the planners, the team-leaders. It takes these people to get the rest of us to work together sometimes!

Spiritual Gifts - Giving

This is a series put together to examine the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12:3-8. The focus passage is as follows:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Definition: The gift of giving is recognized by one who recognizes their blessings and in turn gives of their time, talents, and resources cheerfully and without hesitation. These people often live a simpler life than they could just so they can give more than the minimal. They see that all that they have is truly God’s, and they truly desire to use it most effectively to serve Him. These gifts are all above and beyond the tithe (10%) that is expected of all believers.

Jesus Models This Gift: Jesus was the ultimate giver as He surrendered His life for all of mankind. In addition to this, He lived meagerly in order to promote His ministry on earth yet still managed to feed thousands while He taught. He also taught frequently on giving and stewardship.

Other Biblical examples of this Gift: The woman with the two mites who gave all she had was highly praised by Jesus in Luke 21:1-4. The Macedonian church was also known for its generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)

Strengths: These people are usually financially responsible and have a great a deal of faith that God will provide. They give joyfully without expecting return on their investment (although God continues to hand out blessings to them exponentially).

Pitfalls: Arrogance works against those in this category. They must fight the urge to feel financially and faithfully superior to those who struggle with this aspect of their faith. They also must not get attached to the idea that they are the sole provider of resources and remember that God is enabling them to be generous.

Ideas of How to Work for God using this Gift: Giving to special funds or offerings to promote those ministries God is leading you to further support. Fund a need such as new equipment for a ministry. Give to a friend in need or a complete stranger who appears down on their luck.

Do You Have This Gift? (ref The Resurgence - Spiritual Gifts)

• Do you tend to see the needs of others more than other people do?
• Do you enjoy giving your time, talent, and treasure to others?
• Do you see giving to a worthwhile project as an exciting honor and privilege?
• Do you give to the church regularly, cheerfully, and sacrificially?
• Do you often hear people commenting that you are a generous person?
• Do you find yourself looking for opportunities to give your money—even when no one asks?

Summary: These people can always be depended on to support a ministry of the church that is God-filled. They provide much-needed resources to reach out to the community and the world-wide mission field. Without the money to perform tasks, those getting their hands dirty would not be able to serve in their capacity.

Spiritual Gifts - Encouragement

This is a series put together to examine the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12:3-8. The focus passage is as follows:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Definition: Encouragement, often also called exhortation, is the gift of motivating, comforting, consoling, counseling, guiding, and over-all cheerleading. These are the people who inspire others to be what God has called them to be and mature into their relationship with Jesus. Sometimes this is through boosting one’s confidence while other times it is more of a soothing role. These people really “toy” will people’s emotions to promote other’s into their roles in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Models This Gift: Jesus encouraged his disciples with promising to prepare a place for them in John 14:1-4. He later encouraged many people, including the woman at the well in John 8 to leave behind their lives of sin.

Other Biblical examples of this Gift: Barnabas, was the very "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36) and acted out this role to Paul and Mark. Judas and Silas were also encouragers in Acts 15.

Strengths: These people are typically sensitive to the needs of others and are quick to offer words of encouragement. They are people-persons and optimistic.

Pitfalls: There is a temptation to give a person a “quick-fix” and not truly listen to their problems. This is not in congruence with the body of Christ and needs to be avoided so that relationships can be the focus of the encouragement.

Ideas of How to Work for God using this Gift: Great for working with those in a counseling role or even as part of the welcoming committee. Mentoring others would be a wise and helpful place to serve as an encourager. Visiting those who have become inactive would be a wonderful outreach ministry opportunity.

Do You Have This Gift? (ref The Resurgence - Spiritual Gifts)

• Do people seek you out for advice and encouragement?
• Do you enjoy walking with someone through difficulties?
• Are you attracted to those who are hurting and needy?
• Are you patient with people?
• Would you rather speak personally with someone about their problems rather than send them to someone else for help?
• Do you find it easy to express joy in the presence of those who are suffering?

Summary: Often these are the people who have been the biggest influence in the lives of people and have had a major role in them finding a relationship with Christ as they see God’s love in action.

Spiritual Gifts - Teaching

This is a series put together to examine the spiritual gifts discussed in Romans 12:3-8. The focus passage is as follows:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Definition: This is the gift to take the Word of God and present it in such a way that others understand it and can apply it to their lives. Christians with this gift find it easy to organize information in such a way as to make it easy to communicate, understand, and remember. They find true joy is studying their Bibles and can honestly put together information in ways that the rest of us just cannot see without their help.

Jesus Models This Gift: Jesus was the ultimate teacher it seems. Throughout scripture He is called Rabbi (Teacher) and where would Christianity be without His parables? It was evidenced by the massive crowds that followed Him (and often would not just let Him be) that he was a phenomenal teacher.

Other Biblical examples of this Gift: Aquila and Priscilla were mentioned teaching Apollos in Acts 18:24. Paul was obviously a truly inspired teacher, traveling throughout Asia and into present-day Europe to spread the message of Jesus to the masses. Peter and John were jailed for teaching in Acts 4:3

Strengths: These people are detailed and find the greatest importance in accuracy. They are often charismatic, as people hang onto their every word. Some of the most knowledgeable about the Bible due to their love of study and reading it.

Pitfalls: Sometimes people’s understanding of the Bible can lead them to believe they are more intelligent than their students rather than focusing on the fact that their understanding is a gift from God. Teachers must remain focused on the heart of the ones being taught rather than giving themselves over to the joy of the content of what they are teaching to be most effective. When preparing a lesson it is tempting to rely on one’s own teaching skills rather than the God’s guidance.

Also be aware: James 3:1 warns, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” This statement seems to indicate that there is a special level of responsibility attached to the role of teaching.

Ideas of How to Work for God using this Gift: These are some of the more obvious ones: teaching a Bible study or Sunday School class. Some preachers are especially gifted teachers.

Do You Have This Gift? (ref The Resurgence - Spiritual Gifts)

• Do you enjoy studying and researching?
• Do you enjoy imparting biblical truth to others?
• Do others come to you for insight into Scripture?
• When you teach, do people "get it"?
• When you see someone confused in their understanding of the Bible do you feel a responsibility to speak to them about it?
• Do you enjoy speaking to various sizes of groups about biblical issues you have strong convictions about?

Summary: There are those people who can read something and then immediately retell it with an explanation that seems to bewilder the rest of us. They have a gift of seeing what is right in front of us and showing us how to use it in our own lives. Where would we be without our teachers? A confused bunch I am sure.