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Click Here to Claim Your Prize!

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You won! No really, this isn't one of those scams that you get in your inbox or mail box, this is the real deal. There are no shipping and handling charges, no taxes, and best of all these gifts are yours to keep forever!

You actually won them on the day you trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation. Not only were you given eternal life, you were also entrusted with some amazing abilities called spiritual gifts. Let me show you the guarantee in writing:

A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church...It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. (I Corinthians 12:7, 11)

Maybe you didn't know you were given these gifts, but that doesn't make them go away. When you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit came to live inside you, and He brought with Him certain abilities He wants you to use to help encourage and build up the church. There's nothing real mysterious or complicated about it, you have spiritual skills that you didn't have before you trusted Christ, and they need to be used in your youth group/church.

Think of it like an unopened gift just waiting to be unwrapped and put into action. And believe me, you have no idea how cool it is to exercise your spiritual skills through the power of the Spirit for the glory of God. Christians who don't know their gift or choose not to use it are some of the most bored believers I have ever met. And no wonder! They are missing a huge opportunity to make an eternal difference.

I don't want you to miss your opportunity, so let me take you through the steps to discovering and using your unique God given gift.

First, pray that God will give you wisdom and sensitivity and read through the major Bible passages that list spiritual gifts. Here they are:

• Romans 12:3-8
• I Corinthians 12:1-31
• Ephesians 4:4-8,11-16
• I Peter 4:10-11

Second, get together with your pastor, youth leader, parent, or mature Christian adult and make a list of spiritual gifts and their definitions (or use the sheet provided in the "hands" section.) Talk to him/her about what gifts he/she thinks you might have based on what you like to do, past experiences, and what others have said about you. For example, I have the gift of teaching. I didn't know I had the gift of teaching until my youth pastor gave me some opportunities to teach. Pretty soon after, people told me that God used the teaching in their lives. The more I developed my gift, the more it was used by God.

One of the best ways to have a discussion about spiritual gifts is to talk about how you would react in a specific situation. For example, if a server spills someone's meal all over the restaurant floor and a group of Christians are sitting nearby, each individual will react differently based on his/her spiritual gift. The gift of mercy responds by helping to clean up the mess, the gift of giving offers to pay for another meal, the gift of exhortation seeks to cheer up the server. The gift of administration delegates and organizes the whole matter to avoid confusion. The gift of teaching suggests some ways to make sure the spill doesn't happen again, etc. Your spiritual gift makes you sensitive to certain needs that others may not see. Another way to get educated and get help with discovering your spiritual gift is to complete a spiritual gifts inventory. Talk to your pastor, youth leader, parent, or mature Christian adult about where to find one and how to interpret the results.

Finally, after you have discovered your gift, find a place in your youth group/church to use it! There are way too many Christians who could write a book on this subject, but have never lifted a finger to put their skills into action. Then there are others who think their ability isn't as "good" as other people's, so they put it back in the box because they are ashamed. And there a few in the church that God isn't using anymore because they have gotten so proud of their gifts.

Remember, every gift is equal in God's sight. I truly believe the people in heaven receiving huge rewards will be the "behind the scenes" servants, not the "up front" speakers.

So go and claim your prize, and at the end of your life you can give it back to Jesus as He looks at you and says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant". (Matthew 25:21)

Head: What you need to know about this truth

The Holy Spirit gives every Christian spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation. These unique abilities are used to encourage and build up the church. Believers should discover and use their spiritual gifts in the context of their church.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Excited. Think about it, the Holy Spirit has empowered you with skills that you didn't have before that, if used, will earn you reward in heaven and make a difference for eternity. This truth should also make you feel curious. Deep inside many Christians lies an undiscovered ability just waiting to be used. This should stir up an interest to find out what gift or gifts are there and how to use them.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Get together with your pastor, youth leader, parent, or mature Christian adult and fill out the sheet below. Make a copy for the adult and put yours in a place where it will remind you of your responsibility to use your spiritual gifts.

Name _________________________________

Date __________________________________

Adult Leader's Name _____________________

Look up the following passages:

• Romans 12:3-8
• I Corinthians 12:1-31
• Ephesians 4:4-8,11-16
• I Peter 4:10-11

What observations do you have about each passage?

Romans 12:3-8

 

I Corinthians 12:1-31

 

Ephesians 4:4-8,11-16

 

I Peter 4:10-11

 

Why is it important to use your gifts?

 

What gifts do you think you might have? Do others think you have?

 

What is your plan to try out your possible gifts?

 

What might you have to sacrifice in order to be faithful in using your gifts?

 

Today I commit myself to discovering and using my spiritual gifts in the context of my youth group/church. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I will be a faithful and obedient servant who will continue to develop my unique spiritual abilities as long as I live.

Signed ___________________________________

Witness __________________________________