You often notice practical needs before others do and tend to jump at the opportunity to meet those needs in the church and in the lives of other people, quietly working behind the scenes to accomplish the tasks at hand. You may be “others-oriented” and can have a powerful influence on the lives of those you touch. Then you probably want to develop your gift of serving! This book addresses: What Is Serving? Developing the Heart of a Servant, Serving Others with Passion and Purpose, Pursuing Excellence in All You Do, Influencing Others through Character and Service, Balancing Your Life and Service, Finding Your Place on the Ministry Team, Identifying Your Gift of Serving, A Two-Year Plan to Begin Thinking Like a Servant.

What is a spiritual gifts? How can I know what gifts are spiritual gifts? The original edition of Identifying Your Gifts and Service was a program for whole church congregations, led by a teacher, to discover their gifts and place of service. It contained a survey, as does this book, but that is not a typical scientific survey designed to discover what kind of personality you have, what you feel like doing, or even what your talents are. The author believes that the key to identifying spiritual gifts is a process of spiritual discernment, a process that takes place in the Body of Christ, your local church congregation or group. This Small Group Edition is designed for a group of people to study together. The lectures and study materials are provided in the various chapters. With the cooperation of your pastor and church leadership, you can identify your gifts and find your place of service in your church congregation. In going through this process you will be invited to shake off some of the walls and limitations you have placed on yourself and open yourself up to the full call that God has on your life. Discovering and using your Spiritual Gifts is an adventure! Get involved!

This book has two messages and they are: you are gifted and the gifts are your kingdom asset to access the blessings of God. You are an embodiment of God-given gifts or abilities for the pursuit of your purpose. However, you need to discover your purpose in order to unveil these gifts. It is in the discovering and utilization of your gift is the key access to the inexhaustible blessings of God. From Biblical and God¡¦s Kingdom perspective, you will discover many wonderful things about your gifts which include: Ï What makes your gift an asset; Ï The power of gift, Ï The source and purpose of your gift, Ï How to discover and develop your gift Gifts or our endowed abilities are means by which we exercise our domineering role on the earth in putting it in better shape, preserving and developing it. Jump into this book for a transformation as you partner with God in establishing His purpose.

I will build this short text first on the most familiar ideas - that is, natural talents & abilities, then work my way up through gifts of the Father, then gifts of the Spirit, and finally gifts (callings, or anointings) of Jesus. Next I will work through some questions to be addressed in the operation of the gifts. Then I will invite you to look at a few examples of all of these working together cohesively, and an opportunity for a laboratory session to help you discover your gifts and callings, and finally turn the entire book upside down and begin with your calling, flowing through the gifts of the Spirit, through the gifts of the Father, and finally through your natural talents & abilities and out into the world around you.

A comprehensive listing of service-tested programming material designed to supplement a church's creative process of service planning. Second edition.

Feeling overwhelmed and unproductive? The answer isn’t to do more. What image forms in your mind when you think of productivity? An assembly line? Spreadsheets? Business suits or workplace uniforms? In the ancient world, productivity didn't conjure images like these. Instead, it referred to crop yield and fruit bearing. This agrarian imagery helps us understand productivity through a biblical lens. Jesus taught, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:8). Who doesn’t want to have a truly productive life—to bear much fruit? But how does this happen in the places we hold dear—the home, workplace, and in our communities? We often feel overworked and overrun, defeated and discouraged. The world says be productive so that you can get all you can out of this life. The Bible says be productive so you can gain more of the next life. In Redeeming Productivity, author Reagan Rose explores how God’s glory is the purpose for which He planted us. And he shows how productivity must be firmly rooted in the gospel. Only through our connection to Christ—the True Vine—are we empowered to produce good fruit. This book shows how we can maintain the vitality of that connection through simple, life-giving disciplines. Readers will discover manageable applications like giving God the first fruits of our days. Additionally, Reagan discusses how our perspective on suffering is transformed as we see trials as God’s pruning for greater productivity.

Although I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at a young age, I did not understand what my salvation meant. I did not understand the fruitfulness of my relationship with Christ. I thought that being a Christian was going to Church when I felt like it and praying to God whenever I needed something. Through many trials in life, God continued to pursue me and revealed himself. For many years, my heart was hardened because most Christians I met were either judgmental, envious, or hypocrites. Many of them could not explain the questions I had about the scriptures. I concluded that many Christians were using the Church and God to benefit themselves. During the trials, God planted seasoned Christians to encourage me to give Christianity another chance. It was not until I faced many challenges with my career that I understood my purpose and appreciated the importance of having a relationship with Jesus. "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

When we are gripped by the astonishing fact of Christ’s love for us, we want to draw close to Him and worship Him. But what can we do to deepen our relationship with Jesus? What does He expect of us? And how can we be more like Him? Navigator author Jerry Bridges presents the essential elements of Christian life in a highly readable, practical form that men, women, and teens can enjoy. Learn how to: Feed your spiritual life by taking in the Scriptures Rely on the Holy Spirit in obedience and prayer Trust God during the trials of life Contribute your unique spiritual gifts to serve others These essentials of the Christian faith can help you disciple others.