Where Do I Fit?

 

The struggle to fit in today is real. And we’re not talking about fitting in at school, your workplace or even with your family.

No. We’re talking about believers finding their place within the Body of Christ. Believers identifying their spiritual gift.

Where Do I Fit In Ministry?

Have you ever wondered; where do I fit in ministry?

When we first learned how to live within the priorities of God, we were eager to find our place in ministry.

Unfortunately, that eagerness only puzzled us with where to serve.

It wasn’t that we couldn’t find a place to serve. As we served any and everywhere just for the sake of…”serving.”

When we should have sought God as to where He wanted us to serve. Because, as you can imagine, that only left us frustrated.

The Frustration In Ministry

When one decides to join a church family, they’re usually asked to find a place to serve.

Let’s keep it real. There’s nothing wrong with that because we all have a place to serve within the Body of Christ.

However, we run the risk of losing our zeal to serve the Body of Christ, when we serve where there’s no grace on us to do so.

“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.”
~ Romans 12:11 (AMPC)

Often times, we serve where there’s a need rather than where we’re gifted.

Although, there are seasons where that’s necessary. The truth is, most of us are unaware of our spiritual gifts.

We have found that it is in the serving where the Holy Spirit leads and the growing in our relationship with Christ that opens the door to discover our gifts.

Identifying Spiritual Gifts

When we talk about gifts, most tend to think about what am I good at?

Although that’s a great place to start, we don’t want to confuse talent with spiritual gifts.

From the world’s perspective, what you’re good at, is called talent.

From God’s perspective, what you have the ability to excel in, is God’s grace on you for that particular gift.

However, we will caution you that talent will only get you so far.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” ~ 1 Peter 4: 10-11 (NLT)

So how do these spiritual gifts work?

Our Spiritual Gifts Work Together

Since we are all a part of the Body of Christ and each member of the body plays an integral role; no one person or spiritual gift is superior over another.

Romans 12:3-8 in The New Living Translation says; “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

These spiritual gifts are not based on our worthiness or personal abilities; rather by God’s sovereign choice.

As our spiritual gifts will always reveal Christ, while natural talents tend to reveal “us.”

The Spiritual Gift Survey

While your gifts are cultivated through your walk with Christ, and each other; there is a resource available to help you discover the gifts God has placed inside of you.

If you’ve been frustrated with not knowing your place in ministry, we encourage you to the take the Spiritual Gift Survey by Life Way Christian Resources.

We discovered this survey while preparing a teaching series and it’s been a great resource to our church family.

In fact, we reached out to Life Way Christian Resources for permission to share it with our Living Our Priorities community. Because, we believe its powerful resource for the Body of Christ.

Survey Tip

In order to get the most accurate results, give yourself time to complete the survey. Answer the questions honestly; and avoid answers that sound righteous, but are not true to who you are.

In The End

When we discover and learn how to operate in our spiritual gifts with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we will reduce frustration and fulfill our purpose.

So, tell us where do you fit in ministry?

PS…Consider having the whole family take the Spiritual Gift survey. Knowing your children’s gifts will give you some insight, in helping them develop their gift to serve the Body of Christ.

This post is being shared at Grace and Truth A Weekly Christian Link Up!

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~ André and Timberley Gray