The Spirit Experiment, Week 3
The Spirit Experiment, Week 3
Remember birthdays when you were a kid? You couldn’t wait to try out that new toy you were given. You ran and jumped around impatiently as Mom or Dad assembled it, read the safety instructions, and installed the batteries. And then …….. FINALLY you got to play with it.
So, have you tried out your Spiritual Gifts, yet? That’s why God gave them to you, you know: to use them to bless the church and your world. If you have taken a Spiritual Gifts assessment, you should have some kind of idea where your gift mix lies. Experimenting is one way of narrowing down what gifts you have, and of developing the gifts that God has given you.
This week, our Spirit Experiments are all about the Manifestation gifts. Remember, the Utterance Gifts, SAY something, the Power Gifts DO something and the Revelation Gifts (wait for it…) REVEAL something.
Prophecy: Spend this week praying specifically about your church. Keep a journal and write down what you believe God is telling you. Is He pleased or displeased? What pleases Him and what displeases Him about your church? Afterwards, schedule to meet with your pastor and talk to him/her about your experience.
Speaking in Tongues/Interpretation of tongues: Visit with someone on your campus or in your community from a foreign culture that does not have mastery of the English language. You could also spend time with someone who has a communication handicap like being blind or deaf. Spend time finding out about their life, their world, their family, their culture, their challenges and joys. People with the gift of tongues are able to overcome communication barriers in a supernatural way.
Faith: Identify one challenge in your community that is holding people/families back from living in the peace and joy that God intended to them. Pray about doing something about this need. Share this with your pastor, tell her/him about what God is telling you and seek their advice and help.
Healing: Start a special section in your prayer journal and call it ‘Healing’. Pray daily for people you know are sick. Where possible, pray with them personally, on the phone, or through facebook/email. Keep follow-up information in you journal. Remember that God can heal emotions, relationships, memories, and minds as well as bodies.
Word of Wisdom: Think about your circle of friends. Identify two (or more) who are in conflict with each other. Pray for each one by name, and pray for the situation. Write them a note telling them what you believe to be God’s perspective on their conflict and suggesting a Biblical path back to reconciliation.
Word of Knowledge: As you pray for people and situations, keep a journal listing impressions you believe God is giving you. Do not share these with anyone. What Biblical principles apply to where these people are right now? As time goes by, check the reliability of these impressions – were they on track or way off the truth? This is a gift that takes careful cultivation over a long period of time.
Discerning of Spirits: Spend a week specifically being on the lookout for indications of great good or great evil. Keep notes in your journal about your experiences and impressions. Look for patterns that indicate accuracy about your ability to gauge spiritual motivations behind events, actions and decisions involving individuals, corporations, and governing powers.
In Conclusion:
Remember, God gives Spiritual Gifts to believers so that they can be a blessing to the Church and the world. As you work to narrow down and develop your gift set, make yourself available to God through His Church to be used for the benefit of His Kingdom.
Let us know how it works out,
Ken
