Spiritual Gifts - by Kelvin Fizzell

When I became a member of the Redeemer Church ministry staff in January, 2007, as part of my orientation, Pastor Rod asked me to fill out a Spiritual Gifts inventory. As it says on the front page of the survey, every Christian is given specific spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the body of Christ…His church. God has granted to each community of faith all the people (each with their own individual gifts) needed to fulfill His vision of ministry through that community. The individual gifts of each member are needed to complete the mission. As disciples of Christ, it is our personal responsibility to discover and then purposefully use these gifts.

Taking the Spiritual Gifts inventory was a way to help me begin to discover my individual gifts. My top 3 gifts were not really a surprise to me. If I were to name my strengths prior to taking the survey I would have come up with a similar list. The surprise for me is how the list changed after serving in ministry for several years.

I took the survey again in early 2009. The surprise wasn’t that the original top 3 gifts moved down the list. The surprise was in the appearance at the top of the list of gifts that barely registered on the initial survey. In particular, the gift of intercessory prayer began to show up in a significant way…and not just on the survey. God not only uses our gifts (strengths) to further His vision, he also places opportunities in front of us to make us stronger where we are weak. Six months earlier, I had become a member of a newly formed prayer ministry small group. The mission of this group is to offer intercessory prayer on behalf of people in need within our congregation and the surrounding community. As I mentioned earlier, intercessory prayer barely registered on the first survey…yet here I was… a member of a group dedicated to intentionally spending time in prayer for others. God was using this ministry designed to fulfill His vision for praying for people in need to strengthen an area of my life that was weak. I’ve been blessed to be a part of this prayer ministry for 5+ years. While I’m in no way an example of an ultimate prayer warrior...prayer is a more significant part of my life that offers me a way to serve others in a way I never imagined I would be able to do.

If you have never filled out a Spiritual Gifts survey, I encourage you to do so. Taking a Spiritual Gifts survey is part of the Redeemer Church new member class. It will help you begin to discover your areas of strength and where you can purposefully utilize those gifts to fulfill God’s vision for the ministry at Redeemer Church. The next new member class is scheduled for October. Watch the worship folder for details. Begin to learn the gifts God is using in you today…and the gifts He may begin to use in you tomorrow.