Does Your Small Group Have Gifted Members?

Do you feel gifted? Do any of your small group members feel gifted?

According to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), it is estimated that academically gifted and talented students make up 6-10% of all students in the US. This means that 90-94% of this student population do not meet the academically gifted and talented criteria! When IQ was the sole criteria for being considered gifted, the statistics reduced those considered gifted to approximately 2-5% of the population.

If you meet the criteria for being gifted, you are in a small minority. For the rest of us, we have to live our lives knowing we are not gifted.

Or do we…

Are You Gifted?

As a Christian, Holy Spirit has given you spiritual gifts. He has given your small group members spiritual gifts if they are Christians. You are ALL gifted.

A spiritual gift is a special attribute given by Holy Spirit to every Christian according to God’s grace. The gifts each of you received from Holy Spirit are for serving and edifying each other. Members have different gifts that work together for the common good.

You can learn what the different, but complementary, spiritual gifts are by reading Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-28, and Ephesians 4:11.

Think about it. You have gifts selected and given to you by God for the purposes of the Church. These gifts are much more important than those based on personal intelligence or talent alone.

Develop and Practice Your Spiritual Gifts

“As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10

Consider studying about spiritual gifts in your small group. Support each other as you determine what each of your spiritual gifts are. This involves more than just taking a written spiritual gifts assessment (although it can be a great step). Then find ways those gifts can be practiced, including  supporting people in your small group and church. Continually develop those gifts.

Imagine if your small group members embraced their spiritual gifts and exercised them together as God intended. Where would your small group and it’s members be a few months from now? Use that image to encourage our small group to step forward in faith and start making the use of spiritual gifts an active part of their lives.

Question: What are some resources on the topic of spiritual gifts you recommend?  You can leave a comment by clicking here.