Category Archives: Ministry Focus & Equipping

The Spiritual Gift of Service Defined

to identify undone tasks in God’s work, however menial, and use available resources to get the job done

Examples of the Importance of Gifting Accomplished Behind the Scenes

Servant #1:  She helped with cleaning the church, even when she wouldn’t get paid to do so.  She showed up at church work days helping to paint, plant flowers, or whatever was still undone.  She offered to set up for or clean up after special events.  Whatever needed to be done, she would pitch in.  And, she enjoyed it!

Servant #2:  When the facilities needed to be renovated for the children’s ministry, he was there with his hammer and saw.  He wasn’t afraid to get dirty and do hard manual labor.  No one knew the countless hours he invested into this project.

What these servants did was usually behind the scenes.  They may or may not have been noticed or recognized.  The work they did was not glamorous and didn’t directly result in souls being saved or people being discipled.  But, if they and others like them did not do these kinds of tasks, it certainly would be noticeable.  That first impression visitors get would not be so good if the facilities were unkempt.  The learning environment would have been less ideal.

Lesson to be learned:

Everyone’s contribution to the Body of Christ is important and needed.  Whether we have speaking gifts or serving gifts, we need to faithfully exercise them with the strength He provides to His glory.  All gifts are distributed on the basis of grace and to be administered as His grace into the lives of others.  People with the spiritual gift of service should not view themselves as any less important or less needed in the Body of Christ.  Watch for comparing yourself with someone else.

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.  (1 Cor. 12:15-18)

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.  (1 Pet. 4:10-11)

Get this example of the ways the spiritual gift of service can be used, along with 20 other gifts, in the Ministry Handbook: Spiritual Gifts in Use. In addition, the handbook suggests spiritual gifts most typically used in 16 broad ministry areas and 27 specific tasks that may need to be accomplished in most of those areas.

The Spiritual Gift of Prophecy Defined

to speak forth the message of God to His people

     Greek word: prophetes (‘pro’=forth; ‘phemi’=to speak)

Example of How Gifting Must Be Used According to God’s Purposes and Ways

Servant #1:  He was a retired pastor who no longer did much preaching, but often would lead in the pastoral prayer.  You could still hear the pronouncements toward sin and righteousness as he prayed about the social woes and problems in the church.  Often your own heart would be brought under conviction as you listened to his prayers filled with Scripture about God’s desires for His people.

Servant #2:  He worked with young people in his church.  His lessons tended to focus on what he saw wrong in their lives.  His heart was for them to grow in the Lord and to live holy lives.  Though well-intentioned, his persistent and strong emphasis on the sin in their lives caused students to feel put down.

Both of these servants had the gift of prophecy.  They couldn’t help but see the contrast between what should be and what was in people’s lives and speak up.  They felt compelled to speak forth the Word of truth into a situation.  Yet, you see a different outcome in the lives of those to whom they spoke truth.

Lesson to be learned:

Let’s remember that spiritual gifts must be used through God’s power and line up with His purpose and principles.  The ultimate purpose of any gift is for the common good and building up of God’s people.  Gifts can be misused which was happening in the church of Corinth.  1 Corinthians 14 specifically states that the use of the gift of prophecy is to be done for the purpose of edification, exhortation, and consolation.  It is not simply about saying what you believe needs to be said or bringing people under condemnation.  It must be coupled with grace for people to get beyond simply feeling condemned.  Jesus, who left us an example, was full of grace AND truth (Jn. 1:14).  We are to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

Get this example of the spiritual gift of prophecy in use, along with 20 other gifts, in the Ministry Handbook: Spiritual Gifts in Use. In addition, the handbook suggests spiritual gifts most typically used in 16 broad ministry areas and 27 specific tasks that may need to be accomplished in most of those areas.