student handout - northpointe community church...student handout spiritual gifts assessment...

SeSSion 17 • Spiritual GiftS

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Student HandoutWelcome & IntroductIonKey Question: What gifts and skills has God given me to serve others?

Key Idea: I know my spiritual gifts and use them to fulfill God’s purposes.

Key Verse: Romans 12:4–6a “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

old testament storyJot down a few details or questions that popped out at you from the story, or any emotions you are feeling,

having just watched the story:

neW testament storyJot down a few details or questions that popped out at you from the story, or any emotions you are feeling,

having just heard the story:


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Student HandoutThe following Scripture is found in the New Testament, in the book of Acts, and can also be found in the Believe: Student Edition Bible.

neW testament story scrIPtThere are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of

guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.1

1 1 Corinthians 12:4–28


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Student HandoutPractIce & ImagInesPIrItual gIFts assessmentThere are many in-depth spiritual gifts assessment tests that you can take online, or find in books and other resources. What follows is a basic assessment to get you thinking about what spiritual gifts God may have given you. If you wish to go further in exploring your spiritual gifts, consider one of the following resources:

onlIne test:Youth Test — Spiritual Gifts Test at www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/youth

BooK:What You Do Best in the Body of Christ by Bruce Bugbee (published by Zondervan)

Respond to each statement below by considering how true each statement is about you. Answer quickly, assessing how you currently feel about the statement, not how you’d like to feel about it in the future. Respond using the following scale:

3 – This statement is almost always true about me.

2 – This statement is usually true about me, most of the time.

1 – This statement is only true about me sometimes, just once in a while.

0 – This statement is almost never true about me.

1. ___ I like to organize events and the people around me to do something meaningful.

2. ___ I enjoy finding creative ways to describe God or express who God is to others.

3. ___ When my friends are struggling with something, I remind them of God’s love as well as how others feel positively toward them.

4. ___ I have hope in God and God’s love, even in hopeless situations.

5. ___ When I get an allowance or paycheck, I find myself thinking about who else around me might need the money more than I do.

6. ___ I enjoy working behind the scenes, doing small tasks.


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Student HandoutsPIrItual gIFts assessment (continued)7. ___ I enjoy creating an atmosphere where people feel like they are welcome and belong.

8. ___ When friends tell me about something difficult going on in their lives, I feel the best way I can help is to pray for them.

9. ___ When I’m working on a group project, I know others in the group are looking for me to take charge.

10. ___ When friends are hurting, I feel their pain with them, in way that helps me be a better friend.

11. ___ When I talk to people who I know don’t have a relationship with God, I feel motivated to tell them about who God is and how they can follow God.

12. ___ People describe me as a loyal friend, who sticks with them even through difficult times.

13. ___ I enjoy public speaking.

14. ___ I can tell if someone wants to hurt me or someone I know, even before other people can tell.

15. ___ I don’t get overwhelmed by lots of details. I figure out how to organize those details in a way that’s helpful to me and others.

16. ___ I love the arts and feel like I can best express myself through artistic skills such as music, poetry, photography, etc.

17. ___ It’s easy for me to see positive traits in those around me and to tell them what I see.

18. ___ Even when a situation is hard for me to understand, I trust that God is in control and working things out the way God knows best.

19. ___ When I hear about someone having a specific need for money or resources, I think about what I could contribute to help.


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Student HandoutsPIrItual gIFts assessment (continued) 20. ___ When I see things needing to be done around me, I don’t wait for someone to ask for my help. I just jump in and help.

21. ___ I love to make new friends, and find ways to let them know they are welcome with my current group of friends.

22. ___ I believe there are certain problems in life that will only be solved by God when we pray specifically about them.

23. ___ When I’m in a group that feels it is being led poorly, I want to jump in and lead it myself.

24. ___ I root for the underdog.

25. ___ The further people seem to be from God, the more motivated I feel to introduce them to God or help them take a step toward God.

26. ___ I enjoy playing a part in helping those who know God to grow even closer to God.

27. ___ When I read the Bible, I think about ways I could describe what I’m learning to others.

28. ___ I have the ability to sense when I or someone around me might be tempted to do something that would be harmful spiritually or otherwise.

29. ___ People I know describe me as a problem solver. I’m able to break down problems and figure out how to solve them, step by step.

30. ___ I discover truth about God and myself through things like movies or novels.

31. ___ I find the right words to say to those who are doubting God, themselves, or their abilities.

32. ___ When I see others struggling to trust God, I share with them what I believe to be true about God, so that they will trust God more.


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Student HandoutsPIrItual gIFts assessment (continued)33. ___ I feel my possessions belong to God. So I ask God how what I own can benefit others.

34. ___ When people ask for my help, I find it hard to say no. I truly want to help them!

35. ___ I want my house to be a place where people want to visit, because they feel comfortable and at home there.

36. ___ I find it easy to talk with God, and sense God’s presence with me when I talk to God.

37. ___ I have the ability to visualize the potential of a group of people and communicate that vision to those people in a way that causes them to take action.

38. ___ My heart is sensitive toward those with disabilities.

39. ___ It is easy for me to share my faith story with my friends.

40. ___ When I see people engaged in an activity I know is hurting their relationship with God, I want to help them stop that activity so they can grow in their relationship with God instead.

41. ___ I like to create analogies or word pictures that better help people understand core principles of the Bible.

42. ___ I have a reliable intuition about people or situations. Sometimes, I can tell whether a situation will go well or poorly before I know why.


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Student HandoutsPIrItual gIFts assessment (continued)

Now, using the chart below, enter the numbers you used to respond to each question. Once you’ve entered your numbers for all of the questions, add up the total number for each column and place the total in the bottom row.

Once you’ve determined your totals for each column, look at which two columns have the highest total. These are the spiritual gifts it may be likely God has given you. Find the description of the gifts on the following page. As you read the description of your top two gifts, consider how you feel. Are you excited by what you are discovering? Do the descriptions resonate with how you think you feel on a daily basis?

Use your findings — and your feelings about them — as a springboard for discussion with others. Ask those who know you well if they see these same gifts in your life. Consider using another, more detailed assessment to further explore your spiritual gifts.


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Student HandoutsPIrItual gIFts assessment (continued) sPIrItual gIFt descrIPtIons(a) administration — You are able to lead those around you by organizing and prioritizing details and people to accomplish specific tasks and goals that God has given to your church.

(B) creative communication — You gravitate toward using the arts (music, creative writing, photography, filmmaking) to help others understand who God is and what life is all about.

(c) encouragement — You use your words and actions to cheer on those around you, calling out the best in them and telling them when you see them doing good things for God and God’s purposes.

(d) Faith — You have an ability to believe God will come through, even in situations when others may give up hope. You trust God in an unusual way, and even when it doesn’t make sense.

(e) giving — You are always looking for opportunities to serve others and build God’s church by giving your money and possessions to others.

(F) Helps — You enjoy supporting others in their tasks by providing help wherever help is needed. No task is too small for you. You find joy in the fact that you are helping accomplish God’s greater purposes.

(g) Hospitality — You have the ability to make others feel welcome and safe, quickly and easily. You enjoy creating an environment (in your home, school, and church) where people will feel welcome and find themselves included in the group.

(H) Prayer — You pray to God for yourself and for others on a regular basis. Not only that, you find that when you pray, your relationship with God deepens, and many times God answers your prayers directly.

(I) leadership — You are able to cast vision for those around you about what can be done in the church and in the world. People latch onto your vision and are willing to follow you as you lead them through the steps to accomplish that vision.

(J) mercy — Your heart is tender toward those who are hurting, oppressed, or disadvantaged. You have a high level of empathy toward them and look for ways to help them.

(K) evangelism — You find joy in telling others about God and what it means to have a relationship with God. You feel as if no one you meet is too far from God. You believe that God can get a hold of anyone and you love to play a part in that happening.

(l) shepherding — You have the ability to walk alongside others as they go through life, providing specific encouragement or challenge where needed in order to help them grow closer to God. When you see people making choices that lead them away from God, you find ways to help them turn back to God and begin growing again.

(m) teaching — You are able to understand the Bible in a unique way, and then speak to others about it in a way that helps them understand God better. You have the ability to talk to groups of people in an engaging way, drawing them into the stories of the Bible.

(n) discernment — You have the ability to see right from wrong. You are able to quickly determine whether someone’s intentions are good or bad. You are also able to see quickly whether certain personal or group decisions will lead to a positive or negative outcome.


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Student HandouttHIs WeeK:Explore more stories from chapter 17: sPIrItual gIFts in the Believe: Student Edition Bible that demonstrate how people throughout the Bible God gave talents and gifts to in order to worship God and serve others.

Remember that memorizing is not about repeating but about recalling. If you recall certain words from the Key Verse, you can find the other words that fit them together.

On the back of your handout write the verse down, then go back over and retrace the important words of the verse. Highlight them with your pen. Repeat this activity several times this week, to see if you can recall the entire verse from memory.

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