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TechnoratiDo you like to serve? Then find a place to serve!
Are you a good listener and encourager? Then let people know you're available!
Do you enjoy helping get things organized? Then let your youth leader know! (Believe me, he or she will be very glad to get some help).
The power of Tetris is great, but believe me, the power of learning where you fit in with your spiritual gifts and using them to help others is one of the greatest powers the universe has ever seen.
Ready to play?
Head: What you need to know about this truth
When a person trusts in Christ as his/her only hope of salvation, the Holy Spirit gives them a unique ability called a spiritual gift that should be used to help fulfill God's plan for the church and the world.
Heart: What you need to feel about this truth
You should feel amazingly special and responsible. Amazingly special because God chose you to accomplish a mission on earth through your spiritual gift. Responsible because this is one of the main purposes to your life, and you will be judged on how well or not so well you used your gift.
Hands: What you need to do about this truth
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 a mature Christian adult about where to find one and how to interpret the results.
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with to provide resources for youth leaders and students. Dare 2 Share exists to energize and equip teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries or the GameDay youth conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
