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sBible
Question: For
the past half year or so, I've been considering what God wants me
to do for the rest of my life to glorify and honor Him. I took a
spiritual gift test, and it turns out (unsurprisingly) that my gift
is leadership. Even before I took the test, I had been thinking about
becoming a pastor, something that has always mildly interested me.
I'm not at all sure what to do, beyond praying.
Bible Answer: The
concept of taking a spiritual gift test to determine which spiritual
gifts the Holy Spirit has given a person is very common today. Unfortunately,
it is only one person's opinion - the one taking the test. Most spiritual
gift tests assume that the person will have strong leanings in the
direction of the spiritual "gifting." Unfortunately, the
test may only be measuring your desires and natural abilities, and
not your spiritual enablements. It is easy to bias a test's results
while taking it. The true test of a person's spiritual gifts is how
others respond to the ministry of that person. The written test can
be a tool, but it is not the deciding factor.
Spiritual Gift Tests. For example, the Apostle
Paul encouraged Timothy to not neglect the spiritual gift that was given to him
in 1 Timothy. Then in 2 Timothy, the apostle told him to use it.
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Do
not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed
upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of
hands by the presbytery. (NASB) 1 Timothy 4:14
And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift
of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (NASB)
2 Timothy 1:6 |
This
implies that Timothy was not using the spiritual gift which was given
to him. Apparently he was not interested. If he had taken a spiritual
gift test, he would have probably failed in the area of his "gifting."
Today the true test of a person's spiritual
gifts is how effective the ministry of their gifts are in the
body of Christ.
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