The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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The Giftedness of Others—Questions for Reflection
It is clear from I Corinthians 12:14-26 that each member of the body needs every other
member. That, to take it a bit further, even those members with what appear to be self-sufficient
gifts have needs that can only be met by others in the body.
It is easy to think that persons with the gift of apostleship or of prophecy, as well as those of
pastor, evangelist or teacher, are independent. They’re so capable, they have no need. Paul warns
those with those gifts not to think of themselves as independent; it is equally important that we
not ascribe to them a false superiority.
For each gift, therefore, look for answers to one or more of the following questions.
What shortcomings typically accompany this gift?
What unique needs for reassurance and encouragement is a person with this gift likely to
experience?
What are the probable or possible areas of pain or struggle for a person with this gift? In our
humanness, to be thrust into a role, even though gifted for it, brings certain kinds of anguish.
Witness Christ himself, in Gethsemane.
What does this person, the one so gifted, especially need to be held accountable for?
In what ways do other members of the body need to hold a person with this gift “in check?”
What other gifts, exercised by others in the body, are particularly needed to complement and
supplement this one area of giftedness?