When God calls us into His service, that call is on our lives forever.

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Call on God’s people: (office Gifts)

Apostle (person who is called by God to a special Mission either to a foreign land or to his home nation; he resides with the people; leads them to Jesus and disciples them)

Prophet (messenger of God who imparts God’s word to His people/revelation of Jesus/revivalist preacher– Called to the church, believers),

Shepherd (Pastor, overseer, Bishop – Called to the church, believers),

Administration (to be able to judge, righteously, disagreements and problems and implement a wise decision; coordinates between ministries and finds funds to finance the ministries - Called to the church, believers & to non-believers/policemen, judges).

Leadership (to be able to lead others without provocation, in a peaceful manor, activity directors, youth ministers, choir leaders, teachers, etc. - called to the church, believers & to non-believers/kings, presidents, governors, etc.)

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When God gives us a gift, that gift is with us forever.

The Gifts of the Spirit are: (gifts that assist the office gift)

Evangelism (Missionary, Outreach ministry – Called to non-believers).

Exhortation (to come along side and encourage/counseling),

Teacher (one who teaches others – Men to men, women & children; Women to women and children – called to the church, believers),

Helps (different types of helps – to aid someone in something they are doing),

Serving (to do something for someone (receptionist, secretary, cook, clean, etc.) so they will be free to do the ministry they are called to),

Word of knowledge (a word that imparts knowledge to someone when they need it),

Word of wisdom (a word that imparts wisdom so knowledge can be used in a practical way)

Giving (God gives this person great wealth so he can give generously, it depresses him/her not to give)

Performing miracles (to change the principles of nature or science),

Mercy (to have pity on, to forgive, to take care of a need, to forgive),

Artesian (all kind of crafts – builder, carpenter, brick layer, concrete finisher, tent maker, cook, baker, potter, goldsmith, silversmith, tinsmith, spinner, weaver, dyers, tailor, perfumery, jewelers, refiners of oil, etc.),

Healings (different types of healing – mind, emotional, spiritual, body),

Discerning spirits (be able to tell what is good and what is evil, tell what is of God, what is of man and what is of Satan),

Faith (believes all things and acts on those beliefs),

Tongues (speak a different language),

Interpretation of Tongues (translate whatever language is spoken into the language of the congregation),

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We use whichever gift is needed to do His will in our walk with Him. The gifts He gives us are in accordance with what he has called us to do.

Example: If God calls someone to be a Doctor or Nurse, they would need the gifts of serving, healing, and mercy.

If He called someone to be a parent, they would possibly need the gift of administration, mercy, artesian, etc. God knows what their children will be like and the appropriate gifts they need. By the way, the Bible says our children are gifts.

If He called someone to be a carpenter, they would need the gifts of artesian. Not to say that they would not have more gifts than that, God knows exactly what they need and gives it to them. That is why some people have more gifts than others do.

We all get what we need to do what Jesus wants us to do. If we work outside our gift range, we are inept and not at all joyful. God has put someone in every church to meet the needs of the whole body that congregates in that church.

We are given a measure of faith in order to accept Jesus. We build our faith as we grow in the Lord. We are to use our gifts in accordance with the faith we have: not in accordance with someone else’s faith. It is not a question of do we trust the Lord. It is a question of how much do we trust the Lord? Our faith grows as we trust Jesus and he fulfills that trust. Then, we trust him in another area. It just keeps building. As our faith grows, we use our gifts more often and more boldly. We are to do things as our hearts draw us. It only counts if we are willing (do it because we want to).

People are very complicated. We are a mixture of personality, talents, gifts, male or female traits, background (what we are taught by word and example), culture (where we grew up) and fruit of the spirit (if we are born again). That’s what makes each of us unique and personal in God’s eyes.

There are personality tests that tell us which type of job we would be the most happy in. There are gift tests that will tell us which gifts we have to help us figure out what God has called us to do. The two tests together truly help; but only when walking in a personal relationship with Jesus do we ever know for sure. He is the one who calls us to service and he is the one who puts our whole being together to fulfill that call. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

IE:

When I took the personality test, it showed I am an Agent/Counselor.

When I took the Gifts test, it showed I have the office Gift of Missionary with the working gifts of Evangelism, Exhortation, Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom & Working Miracles.

God called me to be property manager and a lay missionary. To other folks managing a community of 200 families is stressful and hard. Because of the way God created me, it is joyful and I am not stressed out at all. I tell everyone that God created me to be a mouth.

For me to expect other people to do what I do would be wrong because God did not create them the same way he did me. I find it impossible to not talk about Jesus, but I know that is part of the gift of Evangelism.

Someone with the gift of helps would find it awkward to talk about anything all the time. They have a silent gift. By their example and life they may reach more people for Jesus than an evangelist does. They would be wrong to try to get others who don’t have the gift of helps to work as helpers.

Gift projecting makes people feel guilty for not doing what an aggressive or person of authority says they should be doing. Isn’t guilt one of Satan’s tools? (Fear, Guilt & pressure) What a person does (called works) is between them and God. It is no one else’s business.

Back in 1981 I had a lot of jobs in our Church. I was Librarian, Act-teens Leader, in the choir, publicity director for the church, Training Union teacher, Outreach leader for the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), involved in Tuesday night visitation & helping with the Almost Heaven Campground ministry on Sunday morning and one week a month helping with the nursing home ministry.

God told me I was taking away some folk’s blessings because I was doing several jobs he had called other people to do. That night at the beginning of the worship service I asked to speak. I told the congregation what God had showed me and told them that God told me to give up certain things.

I asked that the person God called to do each job to stand up when I called it out. I then named off Librarian, Act-teens, alto in choir,  Almost Heaven Campground ministry helper & Nursing home Ministry. As I called each job off, someone stood up to fill the position.

I was left with teaching (it was more like Exhortation/Counseling) a course in "marriage" and later "witnessing" in Training Union, Tuesday night visitation, Publicity Clerk and Outreach leader for the WMU. All things that God had prepared me in advance to do and I no longer felt overloaded.

It is rare for me to have a job in the church because God created me to work in the world. That is what missionaries do. We go to church to get our batteries recharged and to worship our Lord and Savior. While there we may share something God showed us and in so doing edify our sisters and brothers in Jesus.  We also need the prayers of the Saints in a local body of Christ.  We can feel your prayers.

If I left a gift out, please let me know at franmeservy@yahoo.com and I will research it, pray about it & God willing, include it.

Psa 139:14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Psa 33:15 He fashions their hearts individually; …

Rom 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

1 Cor 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

Eph 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Rom 11:29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Heb 2:4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Eph 4:8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Rom 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Eph 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

2 Tim 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Exo 35:21-22 Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the LORD.

John 21:21-22 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."