God’s Imprint on Our Lives Fearfully & Wonderfully Made …we were made for God’s glory, pleasure & purpose “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good….All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. ” 1 Corinthians 12:7,11

Spiritual Gifts Defined  A Spiritual Gift is an individual manifestation of grace from the Father that enables you to serve Him and thus play a vital role in His plan for the redemption of the world.  A Spiritual Gift is special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ according to God’s grace for use within the context of the Body.  A Spiritual Gifts of believers enable the Church to accomplish tasks, develop the local congregation, serve the needs of the fellowship, and help it establish a community witness.

The Gift of Leadership  In Romans 12:8 the word translated “ruler” indicates care and diligence with reference to the local church. The ruler is to attend to their work, with constant diligence, which is to watch over the flock and to be ready to sacrifice personal comfort to look after needy sheep.  Paul also connects leadership to caring for others when he asks, “If someone does not know how to manage (proistemi) his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” 1 Timothy 3:5  The Greek word for the spiritual gift of leadership is “proistemi.” which translates to rule, to govern, to protect and to care for others. In these verses one with this gift is one who is set over others, or who presides or rules, or one who attends with diligence and care to a thing.

Characteristics of Holy Spirit Gifted Leaders  Describe what you know about David: his life and his leadership

The Gift of Administration  The Greek word for the spiritual gift of administration is “Kubernesis”. This is a unique term that refers to a shipmaster, a helmsman, or navigator. The literal meaning is "to steer," or “to pilot." It carries the idea of someone who guides and directs a group of people toward a goal or destination. We see variations of this word in verses like Acts 27:11, and Revelation 18:17.  With this gift the Holy Spirit enables certain Christians to organize, direct, and implement plans to lead others in the various ministries of the Church.  This gift is closely related to the gift of Leadership, but is more goal or task oriented and is also more concerned with details and organization. See also I Corinthians 12:28, Titus 1:4-5.

Characteristics of Holy Spirit Gifted Administrators  This person will manage projects and is very efficient in what they do. People with this gift help save the church time and money by being able to see how things can be done better.  People with this gift are able to really see the details clearly. They are good problem solvers, and they keep their eyes on achieving the goals in front of them. They have an ability to organize information, money, people, and more.  A person with the gift of administration is a good strategic thinker, organized, has supervisory skills and manages people and projects well.

Characteristics of Holy Spirit Gifted Administrators  Acts 6:1-7 tells us how the early Church selected their first ministry administrators; their requirements included being “full of the Spirit and wisdom”.  Administrators are excellent detail people who prefer to focus on the business of the church or ministry project. They will naturally see all the details that must be addressed.  Administrators excel at people dynamics. They naturally think of both individual needs and also how the individual can add value to an overall team dynamic.

Do you have the gift of Administration? Those in Scripture that were gifted with Administration:  Joseph (Genesis 41:41-57; 47:13-26)  Jethro (Exodus 18), and  Titus (Titus 1:5)  When things are poorly organized do you get frustrated and want to help fix things?  Do things like spreadsheets, budgets, organizational charts and software, files, highlighters, and label makers make you happy?  Can you bring order out of chaos?  Do you naturally organize your life, schedule, finances, priorities,etc.?  Do you become energized working on tasks and projects?  Do things like efficiency and promptness matter more to you than most people?

The Gift of Apostleship “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers…” Ephesians 4:11 (NIV) “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28 (NIV)  Definition: to be sent forth to new frontiers with the gospel, providing leadership over church bodies and maintaining authority over spiritual matters pertaining to the church.  Greek Word: “apostolos” – “apo” = from “stello” = send; one sent forth

Do not be confused: “office” vs. “gift”  The spiritual gift of apostleship is sometimes confused with the office of Apostle. The office of Apostle was held by a limited number of men chosen by Jesus including the twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19) and Paul (Romans 1:1).  The requirements for the office of Apostle included being a faithful eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry and His resurrection (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1) and being personally called by Jesus (Galatians 1:1). The Apostles were given authority by Jesus to do many different things to establish the church, including writing Scripture and performing miracles (John 14:26, 2 Peter 3:15-16, 2 Corinthians 12:12).  There are no more that hold the office of Apostle today, but the gift of apostleship continues in a different sense.

The Mission of Apostleship  The mission for those with the gift of apostleship today is to:  These are leaders of leaders and ministers of ministers. They are influencers. They are typically entrepreneurial and are able to take risks and perform difficult tasks.  Plant new ministries and churches.  Go into places where the Gospel is not preached.  Reach across cultures to establish churches in challenging environments.  Raise up and develop leaders.  Call out and lead pastors and shepherds.

Who do we see with this gift?  Missionaries, church planters, certain Christian scholars and institutional leaders, and those leading multiple ministries or churches often have the gift of apostleship.  These people often have a number of gifts, such as evangelism, teaching, leadership, faith, and exhortation and are motivated by difficult new tasks.

Do you have the gift of Apostleship?  Can you effectively minister cross-culturally?  Are you called and qualified to plant a church?  Can you start a church from nothing?  Are you an entrepreneur?  Has God given you leadership and influence over multiple churches as a movement leader?  Can you pioneer a ministry where others have failed? Those in Scripture that were gifted with Apostleship:  Barnabas (Acts 14:3-4, 14),  Apollos and Sosthenes (1 Corinthians 4:6-9),  Andronicus and Junias (Romans 16:7),  James (Galatians 1:19), and  Silas and Timothy(1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:6).

The Gift of Discernment  The spiritual gift of discernment is also known as the gift of "discernment of spirits" or "distinguishing between spirits."  The Greek word for the gift of discernment is Diakrisis. The word describes being able to distinguish, discern, judge or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment.  In the New Testament it describes the ability to distinguish between spirits and to discern good and evil.

The Gift of Discernment  The Holy Spirit gives the gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation. The church needs those with this gift to warn believers in times of danger or keep them from being led astray by false teaching. See also I Corinthians 12:10, Acts 5:3-6; 16:16-18; 1 John 4:1.  In the New Testament it describes the ability to distinguish between spirits and to discern good and evil.

Do you have the gift of Discernment?  Are you a good judges of character?  Are you able to understand different personality types?  Are aware of things that go on under the surface in people and situations?  Can you quickly recognize authenticity and see through falsity?  Can sense the Spirit’s working (forces of good) and Satan’s attacks (forces of evil)? Those in Scripture that were gifted with Discernment:  John (1 John 4:1),  Paul (Acts 16:16-18),  Peter (Acts 5:1-11), and  the disciples (Matt. 10:1) all demonstrated the gift of discernment.