Taking a spiritual gifts test is always exciting and filled with curiosity. As a matter of fact I believe that taking a Spiritual Gifts Test can rekindle your spiritual life.

Now with 35-plus years as a Christian, the excitement is tempered, but God always has a card up his sleeve. Right? Taking a Spiritual gifts test is not new to me or rare, and I have taken enough tests to recognize how answers bend the test results. I also learned that the surest way to determine the proper outcome is to answer from the heart and be yourself.

So the best choice is to be impeccably honest and sincere. Do Christians have a choice? Not really. This recent test revealed some things I had never noticed previously. I discovered that we answer questions based on the season of our life and through our current job profile.

As Seasons Change, Our Roles Change

As recently as two years ago, I was a Senior Leader in a large Charismatic Church. As a pastor, my thoughts were focused on the duties of a leader and pastor. As a pastor, I wrapped my thoughts around helping other pastors as spiritual fathers.

During this season, my spiritual gifts test revealed my primary gifts were apostle, pastor, teacher, wisdom, and discernment. These gifts fully affirmed the skills I possessed for that season of my life. My profile and job description recently changed. I now serve my son as an assistant pastor and perform various jobs with many hats.

I am the same person with the same skills but in a different role. While taking the most current spiritual gift test, I based my answers on what the organization needed. I also noticed my desires and passions had shifted. These new roles affected my answers on the test. The test revealed my current gifts were different than five years ago.

My new gift assessment revealed the gifts of serving, teaching, and being a pastor as my primary spiritual gifts. So the question is when we accept new roles, does it change our thinking and ultimately change the results of our spiritual gifts test? I say Yes. Why?

Because we see life through the filter of our duties and demands. For instance, if there is no demand to use a gift of administration, the score in that area will be low. Even though the gift is present to the believer.

Maturity Changes Us

Using my gifts for personal attention was my goal as a younger man, and I wanted to use my skills in the most prominent places and land on the most influential platforms. The focus of my spiritual gifts was on personal promotion and wearing my gifts as badges to gain prestige.

Of course, the motive is a wrong and total misuse of spiritual gifts. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (I Peter 4:10, NLT). We can see from this passage the focus of spiritual gifts was not to make anyone famous. Spiritual gifts are given to serve the members of the body of Christ and the church.

Gifts are not rewards for special people. God is special, and we are special, but gifts are not so special. Every believer has a gift, and possessing a spiritual gift is not proof of God’s love for you or a reward for your spiritual level.

Gifts are not rewards or trophies of God’s favor. Some folks brag about being God’s favorite, but gifts are not tags to God’s favorite kids; they are given to all believers to edify other believers. We don’t receive gifts because we are holy; we welcome them because God freely gives them to us.

 

Maturing Brings Better Understanding of Spiritual Gifts

The more mature you are, the broader your experience with gifts. After a couple of decades around the church, God has plenty of opportunities to use you.

Mature believers get called on to jump into all sorts of mess and ministry.

I also noticed that the mature saints scored high in several categories — sometimes seeing 3–4 secondary gifts with high scores. This is possible because of the multiple ministry opportunities the mature saints have shared through the years.

The younger believers typically have one gift that scores the highest, followed by lesser scores for secondary gifts. This is due to limited experience and limited experiences. Young Christians are unsure of their gifts and not confident enough to take risks.

Gifts Build Up the Church

Spiritual gifts are given to build and edify the church. The Lord chose to give each child a limited number of gifts rather than multiple gifts.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, we, being many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. (Romans 12:5, NKJV)

So we are totally interdependent and not self-dependent

Yes, we are interdependent, and that means we are needed, and we are needy. God has a place for every member in His church. Your gifts are irrevocable and progressive. They are also distinct for this season and change according to your life’s season.

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (I Corinthians 12:17–21, ESV)

Yes, God designed the gifts to collectively serve one another. There are no stand-alone heroes in the body of Christ — everyone contributes.

Some of you think your best days are behind you. I’m afraid I have to disagree.

Consider taking a new spiritual gift test and discover the unique ways that God wants to use you.

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