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| More About Spiritual Gifts |
More About Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12-14 is the most definitive discussion on Spiritual Gifts. As Searchlight Ministries continues to grow as a body, we want you to be able to read about people at Searchlight and how God has gifted them for the ministry at church.
And if you are serving at Searchlight and want to tell your story, then click the link to the right that says, "Contact Pastor Manning" and send me your information.
So read on about how God has blessed this body and I pray that you are inspired to discover more about how you can contribute to God's church!
Bob Kessler - Serving
I think of the Searchlight congregation as an extended family. I guess that's why I enjoy serving at Searchlight. God has given me the gift of being able to get along with almost anyone. I love being able to bring people together and centering them around a wonderful fellowship time.
Early in the history of Searchlight, we split into 2 services that really started to drift apart. I felt led that if I could create an atmosphere where people leaving the first service and arriving for the second service could meet and fellowship, the two services would come together again. Since I like to eat, food seems like a good place to start getting creative with supplying such an atmosphere. Over the years, through three locations, the food ministry has brought God's family closer, and He brought me three fantastic friends with the same passion to serve as I. Together, Carl, Emily, Melissa and I have used these gifts to fulfill what I believe God had called me to do those many years ago. I love serving God and fellowshipping with his family at Searchlight.
Carol Natividad - Speaking in Tongues
As I grew in my faith, I had a strong desire to get closer to God. I prayed that speaking in tongues would increase my relationship with God. I sought God for this gift for a while before I was given this gift. (I was very persistent.)
I use my prayer language mostly when I am having my quiet time with God (Matthew 6:6). The gift of tongues is a way in which the Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the believer praying (Romans 8:26). By speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying the will of God for the situation.
As the Prayer Director of Searchlight, this gift has enabled me to pray for needs of the church, even when I am not aware of the details of that need. Since God knows all our needs, I can stand with you in prayer.
To answer a few commonly asked questions: Yes, I can choose to speak in my prayer language or not. It is just like choosing to talk or not. And it is true that even though I don't know exactly the words that I am saying, I can usually know in my mind who or I am praying about.
Diane Gihring - Teaching
Some people say those who can do and those who can't: teach. Well, I have to say that I can teach. I have always had a natural inclination to helping others learn and understand something they don't know about or are struggling to understand. Teaching is one of my spiritual gifts. I feel very comfortable jumping into any situation to help explain or clarify when someone else is struggling. My use of this gift has manifested itself in all areas of my life. I have served as a camp counselor, VBS teacher, tutor, job trainer, high school English teacher, and most recently as the preschool Sunday School teacher for Jesus Time here at Searchlight Ministries. I know God has asked me to be a leader, a role model, an instructor where I have opportunity to share his message of the Good News of Jesus Christ with my students. Every teaching opportunity allows me to give a testimony of my faith or help encourage others in theirs. Even when I think I need a break from one teaching situation, another one opens and I feel led to it. Many times, teaching can be difficult, but it is also easy when you're certain of God's desire for you to use this gift to serve Him. One of the great things about Searchlight is that there is always an opportunity for me and anyone else to teach either in Sunday School or in a small group setting. If you feel compelled to jump in and help, then maybe you have the gift of teaching too.
Dawn Inouye - Discernment of Spirits
I feel blessed to have received some different Spiritual Gifts (not yet including the flashy ones like miracles or spontaneous healings). However, Pastor Mark illuminated that one of my gifts from the Holy Spirit was "discernment of spirits". Discernment of spirits is the special ability that God gives to know with assurance whether certain behavior is of God or if it is really human or Satanic.
This gift is a practical gift. Christians with this gift can recognize the true motives of people and also recognize when a person is distorting the truth or communicating error. This person often can recognize when Satan or other evil spirits are at work in a given person or situation. Here are some Scripture passages to help illuminate this gift: Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 5:1-11; 16:16-18; 17:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 5:14; 1 John 4:1-6.
Personally, this gift manifests itself by giving me a strong internal compass and identifying a correct path from several choices. It feels like a gut feeling about motives, both seen and unseen. I often can feel an invisible power struggle between good and evil. It is similar to the pop culture idea of 'woman's intuition'. However, it does not originate from me, the simple sinner. Instead, it is a gift from God. I'll often sit quietly observing situations listening to my gut feelings and that 'still small voice'. I've also been blessed that God has gifted me with communication skills that can articulate my internal discernment, which often offers others enlightenment - again not of me, but of God.
In all things, I want to give all glory to God.
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