Understanding Your Gift-Mix in Christ
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all give gifts. These gifts shape who we are, how we mature, and how we interact with the world. God uses these gifts and graces to express Himself through us.
In Christianity, the gifts and graces that operate in our lives are commonly called our “Gift-Mix”. Understanding our Gift-Mix helps us understand ourselves, our ministry, and our overall purpose in the body of Christ. Our Gift-Mix is part of our identity, our spiritual makeup. It is the heart of who God created us to be.
God’s grace is far too magnificent to explain in a few words. However, there are two primary aspects of God’s grace that we can clearly see throughout scripture.
Grace as Unmerited Favor:
Grace is a gift from God that we do not deserve and cannot earn. It is distinct from mercy, which is God withholding a punishment that we do deserve. Grace, instead, is God bestowing blessings upon us that we do not deserve, such as forgiveness, salvation, and imputed righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. This aspect of grace is commonly known and at least partially understood by most believers.
The second major aspect of grace has to do with God’s power, influence, and purpose that causes us to function in partnership with Him. This part of grace is less understood. This expression of grace is the way God hardwired man at creation. It is the divine influence upon the heart of man that causes him to reflect and manifest God’s life and nature on the Earth. It is God’s way of making Himself seen and known through our lives. It is our empowerment to be like Him and express certain aspects of His nature.
Grace as Divine Empowerment:
Grace is an active, transformative power in a believer’s life. It strengthens and equips believers to overcome sin and to do good works, allowing them to live a life that reflects God’s character.
When a body of believers comes together in unity, each person’s divine empowerment (gifts and graces) complements the others, causing the group to become far more than the sum of its parts. This births true biblical fellowship with each other and causes us to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.
Gifts from the Father: Graces (motivational gifts)
Romans 12:3-8 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
The Father, in this instance, is giving graces. These seven graces listed in Romans 12 are God’s empowerment to function and are often labeled motivational gifts. They are sometimes mistakenly lumped together with Christ’s ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4 as if they were the same. They are not.
These graces are given at birth. They are a part of God’s original design for mankind. Christ’s gifts are special anointings; they are a “calling” designed to equip the Church for the work of ministry. We don’t receive these gifts at birth. Although they are marked and set aside for us at birth, we don’t receive the calling to walk in them until we are born again. Once we answer the call and embrace our Gift, our graces become supercharged with new purpose and power to enable us to function in our calling.
Romans 11:29 (AMP) For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].
Everyone born in this world is born with graces woven into the fiber of their being. These particular graces are a part of God’s nature that is placed inside man to influence the way he interacts with the world around him. They influence the way we see the world, solve problems, and interact with others. They are at the core of what makes each individual unique.
Graces are God’s way of hard-wiring each individual to function and respond a certain way to fulfill their God given purpose. Graces are the divine influence upon the heart of man that produces a specific reflection of His nature in man’s life. There are seven graces listed in this passage, and while every person will have some measure of each of these graces in operation in their lives, they will have one or two of these in a noticeably greater measure.
- Prophecy
- Ministry/helps/service
- Teaching
- Exhortation
- Giving
- Leadership
- Mercy giver
No grace is any better than the others. They are all equal in value and importance. The key is to find your specific graces and how they manifest in your life so you can better find, fulfill, and understand your God given purpose.
Take notice how some of these graces manifest themselves to the unsaved person and the born-again Christian?
Prophecy:
The grace of prophecy is sometimes referred to as simple prophecy or inspired utterance. This is not to be confused with the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy, which is only manifested as the Spirit wills. You can find these in 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
All believers will operate in the grace of prophecy to some degree because the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
This is a big reason that we don’t need to be experts at sharing the gospel. As we share our faith with others, no matter how awkward we may be, there is the grace of prophecy that comes from us to inspire others to believe in Christ.
When this grace is combined with one of Jesus’ five-fold ministry gifts, they work in conjunction with each other to represent God on a supernatural level that can’t be attained or expressed by human effort, intellect, or worldly reasoning. It is a divine partnership with God’s nature that enables us to operate effectively in the spirit to bring change to the physical realm.
An unsaved person with a strong grace of prophecy (inspired utterance) will be known as “good talkers, storytellers, people who can influence others easily.
Exhortation:
All senior Pastors who are truly called by God will have a strong grace of Prophecy and Exhortation. These two graces help them inspire and motivate others to follow him as he follows Jesus. When a grace flows through a five-fold ministry gift, that gift is amplified and supercharged. At the same time, their grace is magnified and functions more fully because gifts and graces are designed to complement each other.
An unsaved person with the graces of Prophecy and Exhortation may find themselves good at jobs like coaching, sales, motivational speaking, or corporate leadership. People tend to gravitate to jobs that are suited to their graces.
Teaching:
This is self-explanatory. We see teachers who are Christian and non-Christian, but for the most part, they all have a passion and a driving desire to teach others, to educate them in whatever discipline they are called to.
When a person who has a grace for teaching and has the five-fold ministry gift of a teacher, they not only become supernaturally equipped and anointed to teach but also anointed to learn and interpret scripture.
Ministry/helps/service:
This grace is the backbone of the body of Christ. These people are the ones who do the practical work of ministry. They are the help ministry, deacons, ministry assistants, grounds keepers, cleaning teams, hospitality teams, parking lot attendants, ushers, and greeters. These people find fulfillment in doing practical things, working with their hands, interacting with people, and being productive in a tangible and measurable way.
In the broadest sense, they are the helps ministry. The Holy Spirit is called “the Helper”. People who function in this grace become a Holy Spirit enabler. They help create and maintain an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can be seen and heard by all. It is through the support and work of the helps ministry that strengthens all the other graces and gifts and helps maintain an atmosphere of Peace and unity.
John 14:25-27 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Unsaved people who are born with this grace will stand out at their various jobs as hard-working, faithful people with a strong work ethic. They enjoy being good at their job and are often called upon to train others. They will have opportunities to advance in their profession, but many times are more satisfied working and being productive without the burden of being a leader. They thrive when doing the physical work, but if they don’t also have the grace of leadership, they will be less effective and less satisfied in their job
Giving:
This is an interesting grace. These people are usually very good with money, and everything they touch seems to succeed. They are generous with their money, resources, and time. When they see a brother or sister in need or in trouble, the first thing they think about is; What can I give them that would help them?
If someone needs money, they are quick to give it. If someone needs understanding, they may buy them a teaching series to help them learn. If they need transportation, they will lend them a car or take them themselves. If someone needs a place to stay, they will invite them into their home. They are generous and liberal givers.
Some who have this grace can easily fall into the trap of accumulating, or even hoarding resources, because they haven’t fully discovered the purpose of blessing and giving. Our culture has taught us to “Get all you can, Can all you get, and Sit on your can.” A graced giver is designed to be a conduit through which God’s blessings flow to others.
A person with the grace of giving needs to come to the realization that the more God can move blessings through them, the more blessings God will bring to them. The more they give away, the more successful and prosperous they will be. God has designed these people to be an expression of His loving generosity. The more lovingly generous they are, the more resources God will bring into their lives.
Leadership:
Another grace that is self-explanatory. A person graced as a leader will inspire others to do what they want simply because they ask. A graced leader will avoid managing people but will inspire others to follow. They will cast vision and fill people with a sense of purpose and destiny. They create unity and focus a good portion of their energy on identifying and developing emerging leaders. They understand how to invest in people to bring out the best in them.
They are also good at delegation. Identifying people’s strengths and weaknesses and giving them the tools needed for success. They inspire others to take ownership of their area of responsibility and bring out the best in them. Good leaders are a joy to work with and work for.
When a person with the grace of leadership is born again, they step into a realm of influence that has far-reaching spiritual impact on the body of Christ.
Mercy Giver:
A mercy giver thrives on meeting the practical needs of those who are sick, disabled, hurting physically or mentally, or hospitalized for whatever reason. They feel the need to ensure that the needs of hurting people are met, that they are comforted, acknowledged, and feel loved and cared for.
Almost all doctors and nurses, saved or not, will have a strong grace of mercy-giver upon their lives. Many times, it will be accompanied by a grace of exhortation.
Now that we have had a peek at what graces look like, let’s explore Christ’s gifts
Gifts from Jesus: The Calling to Five-fold Ministry.
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.
Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Notice in these two passages how graces and gifts are complementary and dependent on each other.
The Father ministers His grace through us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The stronger the gift, the more grace becomes available.
Our gifts are different according to the graces that are in our spiritual makeup. For instance, if a person is called to be an evangelist, but his primary grace is ministry/servant, he will likely gravitate toward servant evangelism. His gift will manifest in accordance with his graces.
If that same evangelist is graced with leadership, he may surround himself with others, discipling and mentoring them in evangelism. He may start an evangelistic ministry that enables others to function in their gifting.
Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
These are Christ’s specific callings and anointing designed to equip the Saints for their work in the ministry. These gifts are a calling given at salvation, and as we accept the call and mature in the Lord, these gifts become stronger, more pronounced, more refined, more developed, and are expressed in a more powerful way.
The five-fold ministry gifts of Jesus are another form of God’s manifold grace.
1 Peter 4:10-11 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The graces that we are born with will change and adjust according to the measure of the five-fold ministry gift upon our lives and will increase as we grow in our calling. The more we mature in our gifting, the more we increase the grace that moves through our lives.
Recognize that not everyone is called to a pulpit ministry or public speaking. Yet all are called to equip others. because to some degree, all have at least a portion of all five-fold ministry gifts living within them. The Spirit of Christ dwells in all believers and He is the embodiment of the five-fold ministry.
God may call you as a warehouse worker to be a minister and a witness at your job. There will be times when God wants you to pastor and disciple people at your workplace by organizing Bible studies or prayer times. He may call you to be very evangelistic in your walk with God to bring people to Jesus as you work alongside them. He is the Lord, and we should not deny Him the right to express Himself through us in any way He chooses.
In 1934, two 14-year-old boys were walking down the street past a tent revival in Charlotte, North Carolina. They overheard a minister by the name of Mordecai Ham preaching about the amazing love of God. The boys went into the tent meeting to see what was going on, but the place was packed with no room to sit down, so they turned around and walked out. An usher, unknown to this day, ran outside to catch them and said Please don’t go, I will find you both a place to sit. They turned around, went back inside and the usher found them two seats.
That night, both young men gave their hearts to the Lord and consecrated their lives to follow Jesus. One of those boys was a fellow by the name of Billy Graham, who preached the gospel to maybe more people than any other person in history. The other young man was Grady Wilson, who assisted Billy Graham in organizing all of his evangelistic crusades.
This man was one of the most influential men in the last few hundred years. Not Billy Graham, not Grady Wilson, not Mordecai Ham, but the unknown usher who was quietly doing his job, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Whatever your gift-mix, whatever your calling, God can use you to change the world.
Gifts and graces are free. We don’t earn them, but we are required to steward them. Some people may have a gift mix that makes them look more powerful and more influential than others, but those gifts and graces were not earned, so they have nothing to boast of. No matter your gift mix, understand that what God has given you is significant and important for the body of Christ. God created you this specific way for His good pleasure. And He delights in His children finding out who they are in Him and walking in the fullness of what He created them to be.
Remember that gifts are free, but maturity is expensive.
JESUS IS COMING!
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