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Discipling 12
Lesson 27
Individual Giftedness
Concept:
In James 1:17, we see the Heart of God, when James
declares that every good gift and perfect gift comes down from the Father.
James goes on to say there is no darkness in Him so the gift is full of life
and light. In other words, the Father can only give gifts that are good for us
and good for others. Psalms 139:13,14 explains, that we are fearfully and
wonderfully made. That means that each one of us is unique and very special to
the Lord. We are not like anyone else because the Lord wants us to be a place
where the Lord could show His beauty in an exceptional way.
Exodus 35:30, 31 tells of a man named Bezalel, whom God
filled with skill, ability, and knowledge to do construction. After God endowed
him with this wisdom, Bezalel was able to teach others how to build as well as
assist himself in the construction of the Tabernacle. He was able to enter into
a dimension of craftsmanship that he didn’t contain the “natural ability” to do
before the gift from the Lord was given him. Solomon is another example of this
endowment principle. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom and he not only received
wisdom in the spiritual kingdom but also he was able to understand all about
the plant and animal kingdom. His wisdom in the natural realm was so great; no
one could ask him a question that he could not answer. He even wrote some 3,000
proverbs that contained great wisdom for his day and ours. How would you like
to have wisdom like that? The truth is that the Lord has been made unto us all
wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30). Daniel was another person, in the Old Testament,
that received a gift from the Lord. Daniel 1:20 illustrates this gifting of the
Lord upon Daniel, who was found to be ahead of everyone in all matters that the
king choose to discuss. I am sure that Daniel was given one tough oral exam but
he came out the head of his class because of the Lord.
The New Testament has a parable that is commonly called
the Parable of the Talents. Jesus uses this parable, found in Matthew 25:14-30,
to illustrate how people are gifted by the Father to do His business. The
parable states that the master entrusted his prosperity to the servants. Each
servant received the gifts they needed to accomplish the task set before them.
They were to use the master’s goods to fulfill their responsibility. Isn’t that
great news? The master didn’t expect the servants to do the task with their own
goods but wanted them to use his talents. Two of the servants were faithful to
do as they were told and the master came and rewarded them with more talents.
This really shows the heart of the Father is a heart that wants to give
increase to His children. Some have taken this parable to mean that God gives
more to some than others and they have missed the whole point. God gives us
enough and then when we prove faithful He brings increase. God wants you to be
gifted and to increase in every service area of your life. That is why Isaiah
54:2,3 is telling us to stretch out and believe to enlarge so the Lord can fill
us with more of Himself.
II Peter 1:3 reassures us that we have everything we need
for natural life and physical life. I Corinthians 1:30, reminds us that Jesus
has been made our wisdom. This wisdom will manifest itself in our lives as
ability and that will show the world, that it is Christ in us that is causing
good things to take place in our lives. II Corinthians 3:5,6 has always
encouraged me: the verses emphasizes
that we don’t have to trust in ourselves but it is the Lord who makes us
competent to do His will. I Peter 4:10
says the same thing, when Peter writes, that we are to use our gifts to serve
others. The Lord doesn’t expect our natural man to be sufficient; He wants to
be more than enough for us and through us. You and I need to realize that we
will not lack any good thing as we wait on the Lord’s return. (I Corinthians
1:7).
You are gifted by the Lord to accomplish what is in front
of you and I am gifted by the Lord for what is in front of me. The Lord will
constantly change the seasons of my life which means I will constantly have to
believe the Lord for new ability to rise up out of the inside of me and you
will have to do the same. I want to look at how the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit gift us to do the work of the Lord. We all may receive and can use
these gifts to bring honor and glory to the Father who orchestrates all of our
giftedness.
Definitions:
Gift: The first talent which is given as a gift is found
in Romans 12:6-8 and it is a “charisma” gift and it
is given by the Father. Charisma is a gift of grace, a
gift involving grace on the part of God as the donor, His free bestowment upon
sinners. Everyone receives these gifts.
A. Prophet: Discerner: Supernatural insight, active in
prayer ministry (if born again), counseling, strong stand on issues, strong and
persuasive on issues, and a strong desire to deal with situations that do not
line up with their persuasion. Luke 9:51-56.
B. Teacher: Educator: Very detailed, enjoy study an
research, will clarify and help understanding, always validate statements, very
willing to learn, and an emphasis on accuracy. Matthew 13:1,2; Nehemiah 8:7,8;
I Timothy 3:2; Titus 2: Matthew 9:3.
C. Serving: Server: Attendant as a servant, deacon,
sensitive to peoples needs, usually behind the scene, like a waiter, person who
will run errands, and very democratic. Matthew 8:15, II Timothy 1:16, Luke 8:3,
Acts 19:22.
D. Exhortation: Encouragement: Comforter, desire,
exhorts, joyful, spontaneous and quick to find the best, likes activity and
very good students because they like knowledge. Hebrews 3:12-14, Acts 4:36,
Acts 9:27, Acts 11:25, Acts 15:37-40, and Colossians 4:10.
E. Giving: Contributor: Has an anointing to make money
and a desire to give, prefer to give in secret, they are visionaries, and their
lives and giving are a testimony to the world of the touch of God on their
lives even if they don’t give the Lord the credit. II Samuel 17:27-29, II
Samuel 19:31-39, I Kings 2:7Acts 18:1-3, 18-26.
F. Leadership: Ruling: Facilitation: Managers or facilitators,
able to see how to do something and who to put in charge, self starters but
will wait to lead until asked, highly motivated to get things accomplished,
efficient, detailed people, competitive, like to delegate, but like authority.
Genesis 37-50, Luke 10:38-4.
G. Mercy: Very alert to physical and emotional needs of
people, they are quick to reach out to those hurting, good listeners, lots of
compassion, very tender, bring balance to a prophet, able to reach over
cultural barriers, like to meet emotional needs. Matthew 5:7, Matthew 9:13,
Matthew 12:30, Luke 10:30-37.
Gift: Doma: Lends greater stress to the concrete
character of the gift, than to its beneficent nature.
Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13, Ephesians 4:8, Philippians 4:17
A. Apostle: Visual encounter with Christ, excellent
teacher of Doctrine, pioneer, likes to start but seldom finishes, moves in the
supernatural, able to bring all other gifts together, a leader in innovative
methods, loves to release people into ministry, and will always have specific
boundaries. II Corinthians 12:12; Romans
15:18,19; I Corinthians 9:2; Romans 1:1; Romans 16:7; I Corinthians 15:9;
Galatians 1:19; Ephesians 4:8
B. Prophet: Proclaims a message from the Lord, announcer
of the heart of God, works on the national or international level, deals with
moral and national issues, teachers of fundamental doctrine, work in the
supernatural realm, has the ability to discern the thoughts and intents of
people through the gifts of the Spirit, and is very strong in personality when
under the anointing. I Kings 13:1-4; I Kings 17:1-6; I Kings 19:19-21; I Samuel
3:4; Psalms 74:9; Amos 8:11,12; II Kings 22:3-20; Acts 11:27; I Corinthians
14:29,32
C. Evangelist: Announcer of good news, glad tidings,
preaches about Christ, and will love to work in the miraculous. Acts 21:8, Acts
8:1-4
D. Teacher: Ability to teach and instruct learning will
take place, able to break difficult things down to simple understandable
peaces, no detail is left out and every t is crossed, and loves to go verse by
verse in scripture. Acts 18:28; Acts 9:22; Acts 17:3; James 3:1,2; Galatians
6:6; Exodus 35:30-35
E. Workers of Miracles: Gifts of Healings: Miracle is
creative and healing is reproductive, both are not able to be natural
explained, and God is the one who gets the glory. Acts 8:1-4, Acts 5:16, Acts
19:11,12; Acts 9:40-43; Acts 14:8-10
F. Helps: People who come along side to cause ministries
to increase in scope and impact; giftedness in practical areas of ministry, and
ability to do and practically get movement in areas of ministry that require
oversight.
G. Administration: The ability to organize and teach
people to fit into a team, able to facilitate large amount of activities in a
legal and structured way, very detailed but doesn’t always see the big picture,
very frugal with the Lord’s money, and loves to see ministries succeed. I Kings
4:7,27; I Timothy 3:4; Romans 16:23
H. Pastor/Teacher: Oversight of people, compassion of the
Lord for people, desires to see spiritual and physical growth, likened to a
shepherd in the Old Testament, not concerned about spectacular but is a
plodder, and is very much into relationship. Jeremiah 23:4, Ezekiel 34:23; John
21:17; I Peter 5:2, Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17
I. Intercession: Those that stand in the gap for others,
ability to sustain a fervor in prayer until the manifestation takes place,
ability to birth in the natural what has happened the realm of the Spirit, and
a strong desire to see the purposes of God accomplished before most know what those
purposes are. Isaiah 62:6,7; Jeremiah 6:17; Acts 12:5: II Corinthians 1:11;
Colossians 4:12; I Thessalonians 1:2,3
Gift: Dorea: A free gift, stressing its gratuitous
character, the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself, is according to the measure
of Christ. John 4:10, Acts 8:20; Acts 2:38; Romans 5:15, 17; II Corinthians
9:15; Ephesians 3:7; Hebrews 6:4
A. Word Of Wisdom: Unveils, in part, the purpose of God
in the earth. Involves speaking the hidden things: things we would not normally
or naturally know. It is only a fragment of the total wisdom. I Corinthians
2:7, Daniel’s dreams, Prophets visions
B. Word of Knowledge: Is the revealing of a fact in
existence, which can only be supernaturally revealed. I Kings 19:14, II Kings
5:20-27, John 4
C. Discerning Of The Spirit: Judging through seeing right
through to the unseen reality so that the judgment is based on insight not
emotions. Three areas in which gift can operate: divine, demonic, and human.
Can discern the activity of a demonic spirit that is motivating an individual.
Acts 8: 20-23, Acts 13:6-12
D. The Gift Of Faith: God bringing to pass supernatural
change: no human effort, God will work independently of you. Exodus 7:10-13, II
Kings 6:5-6
E. Gifts Of Healing: God supernaturally heals the sick
through a ministry anointed by the Holy Spirit; The Spirit endows His servants
with special gifts to deal with diseases. Matthew 17:21, Matthew 8:14
F. Working Of Miracles: A person doing a supernatural act
by the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, A supernatural occurrence beyond our
natural comprehension. Mark 11:12-14, Numbers 22:21-23
G. Working Of Prophecy: The gift of prophecy is not
foretelling the future but forth telling. Prophecy is to edify, exhort, and
comfort. Words supernaturally given to the church from God. I Thessalonians
5:20, Romans 12:6
H. Different Kinds Of Tongues: Proclaiming in a public
meeting a message from God in a language not understood by the person giving
it. A sign to the unbeliever. Designed to edify the total church. I Corinthians
14:13, I Corinthians 14:18-19
I. Interpretation Of Tongues: The Holy Spirit interprets
the message supernaturally; the person who operates in the gift of tongues
should seek the gift of interpretation. I Corinthians 14:13. I Corinthians
14:18-19
Scriptures:
1. Genesis 1:15
2. Genesis 11:1-8
3. Genesis 12:1-3
4. Genesis 26:12-15
5. Genesis 30:31-43
6. Genesis 39:3-6
7. Genesis 39:21-23
8. Exodus 3:11,12
9. Exodus 31:1-6
10. Exodus 32:1-4
11 Exodus 35:34,35
12. Numbers 7:12-17
13. Numbers 10:1,2
14. Numbers 21:8,9
15. Deuteronomy 34:9
16. I Samuel 10:9,10
17. I Samuel 3:19-21
18. I Samuel 16:13
19. II Samuel 23:8-29
20. I Kings 7:13,14
21. I Kings 19:19-21
22. I Chronicles 12:14,15
23. I Chronicles 18:12,13
24. I Chronicles 26:6-8
25. I Chronicles 26:20
26. I Chronicles 28:20,21
27. I Chronicles 22:14-16
28. II Chronicles 1:8-12
29. II Chronicles 2:5-10
30. II Chronicles 15:11-13
31. II Chronicles 24:12-14
32. Nehemiah 3:13
33. Nehemiah 7:1-3
34. Esther 1:13
35. Esther 10:3
36. Psalms 90:17
37. Psalms 138:8
38. Proverbs 8:10,11
39. Proverbs 10:22
40. Proverbs 28:19
41. Ecclesiastes 3:12-14
42. Ecclesiastes 3:22
43. Ecclesiastes 5:19,20
44. Ecclesiastes 10:10
45. Jeremiah 1:7-10
46. Jeremiah 10:23
47. Daniel 1:17,20
48. Daniel 5:14
49. Amos 7:14,15
50. Micah 3:8
51. Habakkuk 3:19
52. Matthew 10:20
53. Matthew 25:14-30
54. Luke 1:35-38
55. Luke 5:4-7,10
56. Luke 12:16-21
57. Luke 22:10-13
58. John 5:19,20
59. John 6:1-4
60. Acts 18:1-7
61. Romans 13:1-6
62. Romans 16:1,2
63. I Corinthians 4:7
64. I Corinthians 9:3-14
65. I Corinthians 12:12-14,27
66. II Corinthians 6:1,2
67. Ephesians 6:5-9
68. Colossians 1:10
69. II Timothy 1:9
70. I Peter 4:10
71. 3 John 5-8
Summary:
After looking at the scriptures, I hope that you have
come to the conclusion that God has invested part of Himself in you. The gifts
that we have looked at are not just given to preachers but everyone is gifted
to accomplish the job that the Lord desires them to do. Whatever your call, the
Lord has given you the necessary ability to achieve success that will cause His
purposes to be accomplished. If you are really having a hard time where you
are, then you may not be using the gifts that the Lord has given you but are
working in your own strength. The Lord’s yoke is easy and what He calls you to
do should bring joy to your heart. Ask the Lord to put you into a place where
the gifts that are inside of you, will begin to flow out and you will be
blessed as well as others.
Keep in mind, that as the character of Christ in you
grows, there will be a greater release of the Lord’s giftedness through you.
The Lord’s desire is that your gifts and calling develop and come to maturity
just as the character of Christ and the fruit of His love manifests in your
life. Paul developed as an Apostle as he learned to crucify the flesh and its
selfishness and walk in the spirit and manifest holiness. Paul learned the
revelation that he could do all things through Christ and then the Lord allowed
His giftedness to be obvious to everyone around him. Our identity is completely
and totally in the Lord. We need to continue to abide in Him and allow His word
to abide in us and then our purpose will be seen and understood. As we worship
the Lord and study His word our giftedness will manifest. The more we find out
about God the more we will understand about ourselves. Your giftedness will
manifest with very little human effort as we learn to abide in the Lord,
because He is the author and finisher of everything in our lives. We are saved
by grace through faith and we mature by faith as we continue in grace. The Lord
will promote us as we learn to trust in Him. Joseph was promoted to the palace
and the Lord’s ability worked through him to deliver his family, and the nation
of Egypt. Be encouraged that the Lord has gifted you and He will put you into a
place where all of your gifts will manifest and the Lord will receive glory and
people will be blessed.
Application:
Make a commitment to read the life of Joseph three times
and write down things that the Lord shows you. Then pray I Chronicles 4:9,10
and watch the Lord expand your borders of influence.
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