From a test I took a few years backs... still true!
Your
dominant gifts are Exhortation, Pastor/Shepherd
The
results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your number one
dominant gift is EXHORTATION! The Greek word "parakaleo" means to
admonish, to encourage, to beseech. You are a "how to" person. You
have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by motivating others to
action by urging them to pursue a course of conduct. In a teaching position,
you are able to explain how to apply God's Word. Your goal is to present
material that enables the Holy Spirit to promote change in the student's life.
You reach out and help Christians become more mature.
As an
exhorter you are a very practical person, a good counselor, tolerant of others,
serious-minded, orderly, and usually impulsive. You are expressive in a group
setting; the group listens when you speak. You are comfortable working
one-on-one or in groups. You are enthusiastic and talkative and enjoy
encouraging others.
You
are burdened to show how Scripture relates to conduct and have a desire to
unify people by using practical rather than doctrinal issues. You likely place
great importance on God's will and believe that His Word has the answer for
every problem. You tend to make decisions logically rather than on feelings and
are very orderly.
Be
careful not to interrupt other people; your enthusiasm sometimes makes you
guilty of this. Others may think you don't use enough Scripture in teaching because
you tend to use Scripture to support what you are teaching rather than starting
with Scripture.
Unlike
teachers, you have the willingness to teach the same material again and again,
updating and perfecting it as you do. As a counselor you usually have the
ability to leave other people's problems "in the office" rather than
letting them drag you down.
Beware
of Satan's attack on your gift. He may cause pride in your motivational
abilities. He may influence you to lose sight of people because of program
emphasis. Don't become discouraged when results are not evident. Be careful not
to encourage others to do the wrong things through your persuasive abilities.
The
results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your second dominant
gift is PASTORING/SHEPHERDING! The Greek word "poimen" means pastor.
In Paul's spiritual gifts listing in Ephesians 4:11, this term is translated
"pastor." Although the word "poimen" is translated pastor
only one time in Scripture it is used sixteen additional times. The remaining
sixteen are all translated "shepherd." Therefore, we are actually
discussing the GIFT of shepherding, not the POSITION of pastor. Though a good
pastor must have the gift of shepherding, everyone who has the gift of
shepherding is not called to be pastor. The gift can be used in many positions
in a church.
As a
gifted shepherd, you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by
overseeing, training, and caring for the needs of a group of Christians. You
are usually very patient, people-centered, and willing to spend time in prayer
for others. You tend to be a "Jack of All and Master of ONE," meaning
you are usually dominant in one of the speaking gifts (evangelist, prophet,
teacher, exhorter) as well. You are often authoritative, more a leader than a
follower, and expressive, composed, and sensitive. Your pleasing personality
draws people to you.
You
have a burden to see others learn and grow and are protective of those under
your care. You want to present the whole Word of God and do not like to present
the same materials more than once. You are willing to study what is necessary
to feed your group and are more relationship oriented than task oriented. You
are a peace-maker and diplomat - very tolerant of people's weaknesses. You tend
to remember people's names and faces. You are more concerned with doing for
others than others doing for you. You are faithful and devoted and may become a
workaholic. You can become an all-purpose person in order to meet needs.
People
with the gift of shepherding make the best Sunday school teachers and group
leaders because their desire is to go beyond just teaching or leading, to
shepherd and minister to the daily needs of their students. The position of
Sunday school teacher or group leader is an extension of the pastoral ministry
in the church. These groups should be shepherded on a small scale the same as
the pastor shepherds the whole congregation on a large scale.
Be
careful to involve other people; don't try to do it all yourself. Work on
making people accountable. Do not be overly protective of your
"flock." Because of these potentially weak areas, other people may
think it is your job to do all the work; they rely too heavily on you. You may
be expected to be available at all times, know all the answers, and be at every
function. Learn when to say no.
Beware
of Satan's attack on your gift. He will cause discouragement when the load gets
heavy, and pride because your "sheep" look up to you. You may develop
family problems because of too little time and attention. You may become
selfish when "sheep" feed in other pastures.
