{"id":604,"date":"2008-11-26T00:01:52","date_gmt":"2008-11-26T00:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html"},"modified":"2008-11-26T00:01:52","modified_gmt":"2008-11-26T00:01:52","slug":"questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html","title":{"rendered":"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 14 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\n1. “I’m pretty new to this ‘spiritual gifts’ stuff. How can I begin to experience spiritual gifts?”<\/strong>
\nIf you’ve been a Christian for a while, even a short while, and if you’ve done any kind of ministry, you’ve probably already experienced spiritual gifts. You may not have known exactly what was happening, but you knew the Spirit of God was empowering you to do God’s work.
\nIf you want to continue to experience God’s power in the form of spiritual gifts, do the following:<\/p>\n

First, be open to everything the Lord wants to do in you and through you. Don’t limit God’s work by your past experiences or your fears.
\nSecond, get plugged in to a group where you can grow in your ministry: a small group, Bible study, ministry team, etc.
\nThird, ask the Lord to guide you into ministry, and then step out in faith. Remember that gifts come as you need them for God’s service.
\nFourth, as you serve the Lord, ask for whatever spiritual gifts you need. The Spirit will often give what you forget to ask, but asking in prayer is always advisable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. “I have lots of familiarity with spiritual gifts, but I’ve always thought about them with the ‘discover and use your gift’ model. I’m excited about the possibility of being gifted in new ways, but I don’t know exactly what to do with my older ways of thinking. How should I proceed?”<\/strong>
\nPerhaps the most important thing I should say here is that, in the end, precise definitions don’t matter. If they did, surely the Lord would have been clearer in the biblical teaching on spiritual gifts. If you are open to God, if you pursue love and, in that context, eagerly desire spiritual gifts, if you seek to build up the body of Christ, these things matter most of all.
\nAs I noted above, what you “discovered” in the past was not “your spiritual gift” so much as how the Spirit had gifted you in the past. This pattern might very well point to how God is calling you into ministry. If, for example, you have been regularly given gifts of teaching, it’s reasonable to assume that you may be called to be a teacher. What you discovered before might indeed still indicate the primary focus for your ministry.
\nBut notice I said “primary focus.” No matter what you have discovered previously, don’t let this limit what God might do through you in the future. If you are primarily a teacher, the Lord might still put you in places where other spiritual gifts are needed. I know several missionaries, for example, who have gone to Third World countries primarily to teach God’s word. As they come to love the people they teach, they also recognize their physical suffering from various diseases. Love leads these missionaries to pray for the sick, to seek spiritual gifts of healing. (Photo: A couple leaders from Irvine Presbyterian Church helping to build a fellowship hall for a small church in Mexico. I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a spiritual gift of hammering, but in the context of such service God empowers people to minister to others.)
\nSome churches use diagnostic tests to help members “discover” their gifts so as to use them in ministry. This can be a helpful exercise, just so long as it is not used to put a cap on what the Spirit would do in anyone’s life or ministry. No matter what God has done in us previously, we should always “pursue love and keep on eagerly desiring” spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 14 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series 1. “I’m pretty new to this ‘spiritual gifts’ stuff. How can I begin to experience spiritual gifts?” If you’ve been a Christian for a while, even a short while, and if you’ve done any kind…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-gifts"],"yoast_head":"\nQuestions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Part 14 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series 1. “I’m pretty new to this ‘spiritual gifts’ stuff. How can I begin to experience spiritual gifts?” If you’ve been a Christian for a while, even a short while, and if you’ve done any kind…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-11-26T00:01:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"Part 14 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series 1. “I’m pretty new to this ‘spiritual gifts’ stuff. How can I begin to experience spiritual gifts?” If you’ve been a Christian for a while, even a short while, and if you’ve done any kind…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2008-11-26T00:01:52+00:00","author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html","name":"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-11-26T00:01:52+00:00","dateModified":"2008-11-26T00:01:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/questions-and-answers-on-spiritual-gifts.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}