How do spiritual gifts differ from individual talents?

When it comes to spiritual gifts and individual talents, some believers may clump the two into one category as though they are synonymous with one another.  In reality, there are several scenarios where people may have individual talents similar to their spiritual gifts.  For example, a church leader may be described as a great teacher and leader, but does this refer to his or her individual talents or gifts or both?  In this scenario, the believer could possibly have the individual talents of teaching and leading as well as the spiritual gifts of teaching and leading.  As a general statement, gifts and talents do have their similarities, but overall there are major differences between the two.

 

People are born with individual talents at their physical birth.  As a figure of speech, some people are referred to as natural-born plumbers and carpenters while others are naturally gifted singers and artists.  Individual talents are virtually unlimited as people continuously keep finding new avenues to express their natural passions for almost everything imaginable underneath the sun.  Obviously, people have physical and cognitive limitations to their talents as newborn infants.  However, as they grow and become exposed to different situations and environments, people tend to have natural inclinations toward certain hobbies and interests as their individual talents manifest themselves.  Due to various circumstances, it may take some people years, or a lifetime, to find their passions.

Concerning spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit entrusts each believer with a gift or gifts at his or her spiritual birth.  In similar manner to individual talents, believers will normally have natural inclinations to different areas of the ministry, while others may need more exposure to different scenarios and environments to find their true callings.  For example, in a typical church service someone may find him or herself restricted because he or she does not have any musical or speaking talent, but that same person could move to another part of the country and find out that the Holy Spirit has entrusted him or her with the gift of evangelism.  So the hypothetical question arises, did this person receive the spiritual gift of evangelism after moving to the new location or was the gift lying dormant from the day of his or spiritual birth?  In similar manner to talents, spiritual gifts may lay dormant in a believer’s life until the Holy Spirit opens the door of opportunity for their unique service in the ministry.

 

Unlike the virtually unlimited number of individual talents, spiritual gifts are broken down into about eighteen different categories…give or take a number or two, depending on how you classify them.  The spiritual gifts can be summarized as follows: apostleship, discernment, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, healing, interpretation of tongues, leadership, ministering, miracles, prophecy, shepherding, showing mercy, speaking in tongues, teaching, word of knowledge and word of wisdom. (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:1-10, 28-30; Ephesians 4:10-16)

 

Spiritual gifts are for helping others.  In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he explains how the Holy Spirit gave believers various spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the church as a whole.

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.  This is why it says:  ‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’… It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-13 NIV)

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV)

In a nutshell, the Holy Spirit uses spiritual gifts as a way to empower our individual talents for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God.  For example, take someone who may be a talented builder and the Holy Spirit empowers that person with the gift of helps and apostleship to serve as a missionary builder for God by building churches – at the cost of materials – for congregations around the country.  If one believer could have that much impact for God’s service, envision what an entire body of believers could do for the glory of God…simply by allowing the Holy Spirit to empower their lives for God’s will. 

How do spiritual gifts relate to the church?

When you go to a church service, what do you see?  Does one person run every aspect of the church, be it the deliverance of the message, direction of the worship program and the ministration of the small groups?  Or are many people involved throughout the entire church service?  Do you find yourself in an environment where you are actively encouraged to participate in almost every facet?  Or does the leadership subtly discourage you from participating in the church service, due to your perceived lack of qualifications or experience in the ministry?

Overall, churches are supposed to help reach out to people with the message of salvation and help people grow in their relationships with God.  Churches are an ideal place to help people grow in their faith, so they can apply the message of God’s love to their own lives as well as their own individual spheres of influence, such as their families, friends and others around them.  In the same thought, church leaders hold a great responsibility in ensuring they provide an environment that fosters spiritual growth for all people, where God has each of them in their spiritual walk.

When people are looking for a church, you can often hear a wide variety of comments concerning their impressions of churches such as, the pastor gives great messages or the worship team is awesome.  On the surface, these sound like great things in a church, but you often have to look beyond the silver lining to see the whole picture.  In some churches, you may have a talented pastor who can do almost every aspect of the church service each week by giving the message, leading the worship and teaching the small groups.  Other churches may have a similar scenario where the same person preaches each week, the same worship group performs every week, and the same person teaches the small groups.  As a result, you may begin to realize there is something wrong with the picture when you notice a pattern of everything revolving around one or two or three persons, even though you have a church full of able-bodied congregants.  What happens when you decide to make the plunge and jump in with both feet in getting involved with the church?  Will there be a place for you if you want to help preach, get involved in the worship team or teach a small group?

So what do you find beyond the silver lining of the church?  Consider what you see when attending an orchestra.  Do you focus on the conductor for the entire show or do you end up listening to the beautiful sound of many instruments harmonizing with one another?  The conductor and instrumentalists play an important role in the performance.  However, the sound of the music does not revolve around any one individual or instrument, but rather as the whole group coming together for one purpose or goal.  The same premise basically applies to the church.  Does the congregation perceive that the church service revolves around one leader or small group of leaders, or instead, do they see the church coming together for the purpose of sharing the message of God’s love in an unadulterated manner?

In the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians he explains this same concept about spiritual gifts in the church.  The Apostle Paul explains that every believer plays an important part within the church, no matter how major or minor his or her role.

 “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?  If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” (I Corinthians 12:14-10 NIV)

Overall, we need to remember that every single believer plays an important role in God’s church, regardless of his or her stature.  As the Apostle Paul says, we can speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but if we do not have love, we are like a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. (I Corinthians 13:1)  Likewise, the importance of genuinely loving others is of vital importance to our churches, since each and every believer has been entrusted with a spiritual gift or gifts according to God’s purpose.     

How do we move forward when life changes?

How do we continue moving on when life changes unexpectedly?  Obviously, we have to “keep swimming – or start sinking.”  Do we just trudge forward blindly and try to make things work on our own?  Or do we take a moment, pray about the situation, and seek God’s direction for our lives?  Sometimes God uses these life changing moments to get our attention, in order that we get our priorities of life back on track…especially since life is a gift that should not be squandered.   

What we initially see as a roadblock, such as losing a job, may easily end up being a blessing in disguise.  When God closes one door, we have to carefully pray about the situation as we wait for him to open another door or doors.  Metaphorically speaking, we can rattle the handles of different doors to see which doors are stuck shut and which doors open, even if we only catch a glimpse of what is behind the door.  Occasionally, God will give us a few open doors and make us decide our future destiny, even though everything may not be as it appears on the surface.  For example, one door may provide immediate monetary gain at the expense of your family and another door may provide you the opportunity to have a stable family life at the possible expense of financial security. 

Jesus Christ made it clear that sometimes we have to make life changing decisions in our lives, with the following words.

“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)   

Interesting enough, some people may perceive losing a job as a roadblock and the only way out of the situation is to get a better job.  However, other people may see a job loss only as a temporary setback since it allows them the opportunity to bond closer with their family members and try new things in life, such as possibly starting a business or serving fulltime in the ministry.  There is nothing wrong with trying to get a better job, as long as it does not negatively impact your personal relationship with God.

The following words of Jesus Christ help us better understand what open doors we should choose for our personal lives, especially when it comes to choosing new career paths.

“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 7:24 NIV)

Overall, we need to make sure God is the center of our lives for all decisions and be content wherever he places us at different stages of our lives.  The author of Hebrews tells us – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)  James reminds us how Job, an Old Testament patriarch, persevered while enduring numerous hardships and how God later blessed him for his obedience. (James 5:11; Job 1; 2:1-10; 42:10, 12) 

As for a closing thought, the Apostle Paul explains how everything works together for God’s purpose with the words – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

How do we handle life changes?

When life happens – and changes – how do we handle it?  When things change for the better, such as getting a job promotion, we can easily praise God and express our gratitude.  Conversely, we can easily get lost in our successes and possibly forget how God has blessed our path.  What do we do when our life seems to fall apart, like losing a job in a troubled economy?  Do we still have that same zeal for God or do we resent the situation? 

As people face struggles, especially financial struggles, sometimes they feel as though withdrawing seems to be the best answer, be it avoiding family, friends, church and/or God.  When people tighten their belts to accommodate shrinking budgets, the feelings of awkwardness can become overwhelming as their limited finances may make it difficult to dine out, enjoy outside entertainment or financially contribute to their church.  The perception of switching roles from a provider to a recipient can be an extremely humbling experience for some people, no matter how temporary the situation.    

Life happens to everyone around us, whether good or bad.  When it comes to our jobs, sometimes we can make the mistake of identifying ourselves with our occupations, instead of our niches and interests in life as well as our relationship with God.  Basically, a job is only a means of supporting ourselves and/or our families, not our ultimate goal in life.  Although people going through hard times may find it difficult to see God’s providence through the process, the Apostle Paul tells us how God may use these circumstances to make us a better person.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:1-5 NIV) 

Nevertheless, as believers, we need to remember life is a gift and we should be content in whatever situation God places us. (I Timothy 6:6-8)  God will never give us more than we can bear, even though we may not even know our own limits or stamina to endure. (I Corinthians 10:13)  The Prophet Isaiah uses the analogy of the potter and the clay to describe our relationship with God. (Isaiah 64:8)  Whereas, sometimes we just do not know the reason why things happen, but the way we respond to any given situation defines our character.

What does the Bible teach about giving?

What does Scripture teach about giving back to God?  Does the motivation for our giving matter?  Should believers systematically and/ or proportionately give based off an Old Testament ordinance?  Or do we give back out of a grateful heart, as the Holy Spirit guides our lives?  Is giving back limited to our resources?  Or does it include other things such as our time, individual talents, and spiritual gifts?

The theme of the New Covenant is basically summarized with the following words of Saint John – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)  In other words, we give back out of thankfulness and gratitude to God.  Giving of our resources is only one aspect of giving back.  Throughout the Word of God there is no single set standard for giving back to God, other than having a pure heart and the proper motives.  In the Book of Psalms, we find King David describing how a clean conscience before the Lord is an important part of any offering or sacrifice.  The Apostle Paul reiterates this point by saying how we can offer up ourselves as living sacrifices as our spiritual act of worship.   

“Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalms 51:15-17 NIV)

“O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.  Hear my voice when I call to you.  May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalms 141:1-1 NIV)

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is you spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

Scripture goes on to tell us that we no longer have the need for a temporal priesthood to make daily offerings to God on our behalf, since we have permanent priest [Jesus Christ] who made a one-time sacrifice by offering his life for the sins of the world.  As a result, we are no longer under the Law of the Old Covenant, to include having priests offer daily sacrifices as a propitiation for our sins.  Thus, the Old Testament ordinance of tithing has been made null and void by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.   

“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, be he always live to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:23-25 NIV)

Some would say that the Old Testament tithe – ten percent of everything from the Israelites’ land, herds and flocks – should be the starting point for giving, which many equate to ten percent of one’s income.  However, this position has several concerns as well as possible unintended consequences against the church.  For starters, the Old Testament tithe was strictly restricted to a tenth of everything from the Israelites’ land, herds and flock. (Leviticus 27:1-2, 30, 32)  Ninety percent of the tithe actually stayed with the Levites as part of their inheritance and rotational part-time temple duties, since their tribe did not receive any land inheritance in Israel. (Numbers 18:25-26, 28-29)  In addition, the Old Testament tithe did not include the entire harvest from the Israelites’ fields, since it also included an ordinance of gleaning which instructed the harvesters to leave remnants from their harvests in the fields to help feed the poor.  This ordinance was still practiced during the time of Jesus Christ’s ministry, as the gospels record how the Pharisees confronted Jesus Christ while going through the grain fields picking heads of grain with his disciples on the Sabbath. (Deuteronomy 24:19-21; Matthew 12:1-2)  The Israelites who earned an income from a craft or skill gave freewill offerings, not tithes…since tithes always consisted of food.  The poor also gave freewill offerings, as they were never required to tithe.  As a result, suggesting a ten percent starting point for giving disproportionately hurts the poor.  When it came to freewill offerings, the poor still gave less.  Just look at the example of Jesus’ parents giving two turtledoves (or pigeons) instead of a lamb, as an offering, for his purification in the temple?  (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12:8)

When it comes to giving of one’s resources to God, the percentage is not relevant…but rather the heart or motive.  In the Old Testament, we see how the patriarch Abraham responded to his obligation of giving a one-time war tithe to Melchizedek, the king of Salem.  In response, Abraham refused to personally accept anything from the war spoils, other than what was already eaten or rightfully belonged to the men who served in the battle with him, because he wanted God to have the glory.  (Genesis 14:18-20)  Another patriarch, named Jacob, made a conditional vow to God that he would give a tenth of everything he received, if God blessed him.  However, Scripture does not clarify how Jacob dispersed the tenth or to whom he gave it.  (Genesis 28:18-22)  As for both Abraham and Jacob, neither of them were required to give anything to priest or a temple, since both of them were priests as patriarchs of their own households who built alters and worshipped God directly. (Genesis 12:7-8; 28:18-22)     

In the New Testament, there are various examples of people giving in relation to their motives.  We see the story of the poor widow placing her gift of two small copper coins into the temple treasury.  Jesus Christ used her example of giving to contrast how the rich people gave gifts out of their wealth, while the poor widow gave everything that she had to live on. (Luke 21:1-4)  Jesus Christ also said we should help out the needy for the purpose of glorifying God, not bringing attention to ourselves. (Matthew 6:1-4)  Likewise, the Apostle Paul gave instructions to the Corinthian and Galatian churches to have its congregants set aside a sum of money, in keeping with their income, in order that collections can be taken on the first day of the week for the purpose of helping God’s people. (I Corinthians 16:1)

Overall, when it comes to giving, we need to consider our priorities in life.  First and foremost, we have to take care of our individual relationships with God by placing Him first and foremost in everything, to include our personal financial decisions.  All we need to do is take a look at our personal budgets, beyond the basic needs of sustenance, and see how our personal priorities rank in relation to God’s priorities in our lives.  After we figure out how to prioritize our own lives, we can take those Godly principles and apply them by helping our families understand the importance of having God in our lives.  Once we begin to understand how the Holy Spirit works through our own lives and families, we can better help others learn about God’s grace by giving back to God, our churches, our communities and others.  Giving back involves many aspects, to include our resources, time, individual talents and spiritual gifts.  The Apostle Paul makes it clear that Christian leaders needs know how to manage their own families before taking care of other people, with the rhetorical question – “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” (I Timothy 3:5 NIV)

In summary, the key motive that distinguishes Christianity from all other world religions is that everything is done out of thankfulness and gratitude to God.  The Apostle Paul reiterates this point by saying, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Corinthians 9:7 NIV)  With Jesus Christ as our mediator to God and the Holy Spirit as our comforter writing the laws on our hearts, we must not forget one of the most important aspects of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death…believers can now offer their bodies as living sacrifices directly to God. (Hebrews 9:15; 10:15-16; Romans 12:1-2)  Likewise, once we grasp the reality of being free from the former regulations of the Law, we can realize “…a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” (Hebrews 7:19 NIV)  Therefore, as a natural response, we will want to reflect God’s love in our lives by giving graciously and abundantly of our time, resources, individual talents and spiritual gifts to help support the work of the Lord, especially within the local church.