Second Friend Day - Elmer Towns

Chapter 6
USING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Now that you are a child of God, you will want to serve Him as did Mardelle Holt. She
had been reared in a Sunday School and knew the Bible, yet never received the Lord. As a
secretary several years out of high school, she couldn't find a mate. She began searching for
answers and her pursuit led her to a gospel-preaching church. She received the Lord and threw
herself vigorously into serving God.
"I want to do everything I can," she told the pastor. They gave her a Sunday School class
where she visited her pupils, held parties and became absorbed in teaching. After a while her
"single" friends told her she was missing life by spending all her time in Sunday School. They
suggested she attend the “career” class where she could enjoy their fellowship. Also, they noted
she needed to study the Bible.
"I'm not sure I have the gift of teaching," Mardelle said while resigning her class. Yet
God was using her in that class. Going into the "career" class, she has made friends but the
person taking over her Sunday School class has not been as conscientious as Mardelle. She has
gifts but now they are dormant. Some people think Mardelle made the wrong
Everyone should be serving God according to the spiritual gift he has. Paul tells us,
"Every man has his proper gift of God" (I Cor. 7:7). And Peter repeats the same truth "As every
man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another" (I Peter 4: 10).
"If I could sing like her, I'd serve the Lord," is an oft-heard excuse. People envy the gifts
of others yet have little guidance in finding their own gifts. Many would like to play a beautiful
piano offertory in church, yet they are not willing to practice three hours a day for years.
"Preaching is not my gift," a young high school boy told his Sunday School teacher, "I
should not preach unless I am called." There was no desire in his heart to be a minister.
"Everybody ought to be able to preach," announced his pastor from the pulpit. Which one
is right? Confusion about spiritual gifts abounds, yet Paul exhorts, "Now concerning spiritual
gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (I Cor. 12:1).
You have a gift. Don't be afraid of that term or the ability God has given to you. This
chapter is written to help you (1) understand spiritual gifts, (2) find your gift, and (3) use it for
the glory of God. A spiritual gift is an ability to serve God. There are three composite lists in the
Bible: Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:28-30, and Ephesians 4:11. Jesus told the parable of the
talents. One servant had ten talents, another five, and the last only one. These talents were
given, "every man according to his ability" (Matt. 25:15). A talent which was a measure of
silver, in the parable, represented a man's ability.
You don't have the same spiritual gifts as other people. In the parable of the talents, each
man was given a different number of talents—ten, five and one. The man who used his talent