Gift vs Talent

There is a great deal of confusion about the Gifts of the Spirit in operation; every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift. Why? We are gifted to serve; if Jesus taught us anything, He taught us to serve others in the power of the Holy Spirit! "It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Host." Jesus came and died to alleviate human suffering caused by the meanest of sin. Sin separates us from God; sin isolates us from God; without a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, we'll be the ones in the greatest need for spiritual, emotional, and physical alleviation from suffering. Believers have a command from the Lord to use our spiritual gifts, in whatever form it may be in, to faithfully serve others. But natural talents will destroy the potential of any Christian to live a Christ centered, victorious life! Natural talent should be checked at the door of any Church. When a church is operated exclusively on naturally talented people, look out below because a train wreck is well on the way. Do yourself a favor, commit to only allowing your natural talents to dovetail your spiritual gifts- and not take the place of the Gift. Gifts verses Talents? No contest! Talents are great in their proper place, but talent is unable to sustain the momentum of consistently meeting the needs of others in ministry. Talent is show-n-tell within the walls of the Church; spiritual gifts are the real deal. The Kingdom of God is not show -n-tell, but a matter of spiritual power. Lastly, spiritual gifts empower Christians to live their lives on a supernatural level. This is truly possible-don't let the haters fool you! The gifts of the spirit will always make room for you, because they will always be needed to alleviate human suffering.

Gifted

Christians have grossly underestimated the value of there relationship with the Creator; we know how to take advantage of our relationship with political people, celebrities, business people and so on, but we under estimate the value of our union with Christ! There are so many benefits to being Christian: We are blessed and heaven bound; we are not perfect, but forgiven. The most tangible value of our union with Christ are the Gifts of the Spirit. God has generously lavished on believers spiritual gifts. Most of us have received at least one lavished gift from someone we know personally, but natural gifts, though great, don't whole a candle to spiritual gifts. Sadly, most Christians treat spiritual gifts the same way they treat unwanted gifts. We lay aside unwanted gifts; we appreciate the thought and gesture for the gift, but we find unwanted gifts irrelevant to the moment or mission of our lives. But that's WRONG! Spiritual gifts are the mother-load of gifts. these gifts keep on giving! God wouldn't have given them to you if they would be useless; He wouldn't have presented them to the Church if there purpose would soon become irrelevant. In the Pauline letters of the New Testament, we learn a great deal about these gifts; we know that they are "favored" gifts. That means that God so favored Christians, that He gave them lavished gifts they didn't deserve, and we all know that favor isn't fair! The New Testament identifies 20 different spiritual gifts that God has given to empower believers. Bottom line, it is time for you to unwrap your spiritual gifts and discover there powers. So go ahead and remove the Bow and Ribbons; tear away the wrapping and start using the gifts God favored you with! And remember, the value of spiritual gifts transcend the present, because they are the only gifts on earth that has eternal value! Lastly, you can go back to our homepage and take an assessment designed to help you discover your spiritual gift, and you should attend the upcoming workshop on spiritual gifts discovery, starting on Sunday morning, March 20, 2011. For further information, visit our website.

Call of God

Every person is called by God; non-Christians are called to accept the grace provided through the blood of Jesus. Christians are called upward and higher in their walk with God! The Lord calls us where we are and as we are, but He compels us to grow inward and onward in Christ Jesus! We are first called to the person of Jesus Christ; the power, grace, mercy, and salvation is connected with Jesus. Without His blood, God would only see the sin of our lives and not the redemption of our lives because of the blood. Secondly, we are called to a personal relationship with the Lord; this relationship is the method of transformation. Transformation is the process of discipleship; Jesus called his disciples to follow him in transformation. He clearly told them that if they followed Him, he would transform them! Transformation is vital and necessary for success as a Christian. The call to transformation is a call to successful Christian living on every level. Lastly, we are called to a purpose. God created you for purpose; every aspect of your being solves a problem. Your ears solves a problem with hearing; your eyes solves a problem with sight; your mouth solves a problems with speech. You were created to solve spiritual problems. God has called you to successful Christian living so you can solve the greatest number of problems. To sum it all up, many are called but only a few answer! Resolve to answer the call of God at every level and in every area of your life; your personal, spiritual, financial, and emotional success will depend on it-I promise!