Finally, we reach the end of our journey together. Not THE end, but just a conclusion to these readings. If you have made it all the way through with us, you should feel a real sense of accomplishment. This may be the end of our readings, but it is only the beginning of the next steps of your journey with and IN Christ. We hope what you have learned here will give you a solid foundation for the journey ahead, wherever the Lord Jesus may lead you.
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This is the main question that many have: “How do I know what my gift is???” Before we even deal with this question, I think it is important to understand that you do not simply have a spiritual gift or gifts, but that YOU are the gift that Christ has given to His Body the Church. We like to focus on our gifts because it is easy to quantify what we do. We have all been influenced by the subtle lie (especially here in the US) that what we do is more important than who we are. In the Body of Christ who you are (the whole person) is of first importance. What you do simply flows out of your true identity in Christ.
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Today, we are simply going to scan over the passages in the New Testament which list all of the Spiritual Gifts and see how they fit into the larger picture. The key passages are listed below. Beside each gift listed, there is a number. This number corresponds to the gift in the following list with its description. Read through these passages, then work through the list.
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Psalm 139:13-14
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
In this final week of MilktoMeat readings, we want to focus on how you fit into the larger Kingdom purposes of Father God. In some Christian circles there is a lot of emphasis given to the Spiritual Gifts—finding your gift and using it. The Gifts are important, but it is more important to understand that YOU are more significant than the gift(s) Father God has given you to serve in His Body the Church. YOU are the gift that Father God has given to us all. It is YOU, the whole person, who will display the glory of Father God’s grace in the ages to come.
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One of the truths that we have been trying emphasize in this study is that we are called to a Body, a group or people, that we live and work together with in our Vision and Mission as Christ’s people. As we develop the last questions today, always keep in mind that you will not be doing these things alone, as an individual, but with your fellowship, your local church/assembly—the people you connect with as your spiritual family.
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Ephesians 4:11-12
It was he (Jesus Christ) who gave some as Apostles, some as Prophets, some as Evangelists, and some as Shepherds and Teachers, in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ.
How do all the 5 facets of gifted ministry work together to equip us all for the work the Lord has entrusted to us? that is the question we will focus on today.
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Today, we consider the last two gifted types of people that the Lord Jesus has given to us to equip us. The Shepherds and the Teachers work together to train us in some of the “every-day essentials” of following Christ.
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