Presenter Script: God s Design For You! A 60-minute training to help people understand and discover their spiritual gifts!

Transcription

1 Presenter Script: God s Design For You! A 60-minute training to help people understand and discover their spiritual gifts! Supplies Needed Gather these items before you begin this training. Note the items that you ll need per person and per table group. Student handout for each participant Name tag material and markers Pens/pencils CD player and upbeat Christian music CD One medium-sized gift bag for each table A variety of objects, gizmos, magazines, and such to fill each gift bag. Find items that represent different subjects such as the arts, sports, science, music, mechanics, and so on. Each bag should contain about 8-10 items. Getting Started Read through the entire presenter script so you re familiar with the content, and gather the supplies needed for the training. Schedule a date and time on the church calendar, and reserve a room large enough for the number of participants you expect to attend this training. If possible, arrange seating at round tables with 4-6 chairs per table. Use rectangle tables if round tables are not available. If there are no tables available, place 4-6 chairs in small circles throughout the room. Play upbeat Christian music as people arrive. If refreshments will be served, set up a place in the room where people can gather to get a cup of coffee or a snack. Set up a location where people can make a name tag when they arrive. Fill each gift bag with the items and magazines gathered. Place one bag at each table that will seat participants.

2 Presenter Script Say: Welcome to God s Design For You. During this time we ll examine what the Bible says about spiritual gifts and help you begin the process to discover your gifts and determine how to use them! Let s talk about gift giving and receiving. At your table [or circle group, if tables are not being used], share your name and recall a gift you received last Christmas or at your last birthday. Describe what it was and if you still have it. After 2 minutes, call time and pull the group back together. Ask: How many of you had a hard time remembering what gift you received? Share a personal example of a gift you received but never used. Say: When we receive a gift, the giver of the gift wants us to use it. And sadly if we don t, it just ends up in a closet somewhere and we forget about it. That s how it is with the gifts God gives us! Before we get started, I d like to pray for our time together that it may be an opportunity of real discovery! After you pray, make sure everyone has the handout material and a name tag. So what are spiritual gifts? Here s a simple definition to remember. A spiritual gift is: a special ability given by God for Christian service. Let s break that definition down a bit and see what the Bible has to tell us about this subject. Let s look at the first part: a special ability. Spiritual gifts are the abilities God gives us that make us unique. What are some things you do well? What are the things you re good at? At your table you ll find a gift bag. It contains lots of items that may help you recall some of the things you enjoy doing. Some of the things you re good at. Place the items from the bag on your table. Have everyone pick out an item or photo from a magazine, and share how it represents what you do well. For example, a paint brush might represent how you are capable of creating beautiful watercolor pictures. I ll give you about 2 minutes to have everyone find an item and share. Call time after 2 minutes. I heard lots of sharing about many special abilities. Recall some of the things you heard people saying, such as cooking, teaching, sports, caring for the sick, etc. Some of the gifts God has given you fall into the category of natural talents. Talents are given to everyone. The saying you re born with it is

3 really true. At our physical birth we re born with natural abilities that we can do well. Things like sports, cooking, artistic ability, and math aptitude would fall into this category. Presenter Tip Keep this section moving by only letting each table report back a few comments. Summarize each comment so the rest of the class can hear. Be sure to reinforce the main point that s listed in this script. But the Bible tells us that at our spiritual birth we receive spiritual gifts. So let s examine some Scriptures that tell us more. I m going to assign each table a passage to look up. Read the verse at your table, and determine what s the main point or central message. Assign each group one of the Scripture verses below. If you have more than five groups, assign the same verse to multiple groups. 1 Corinthians 12:1 1 Peter 4:10 1 Timothy 4:14 Ephesians 4:11-12 Ephesians 2:10 Allow 2-3 minutes for groups to discuss their verse. Then call everyone back together to review and debrief each passage. Say: Let s look at 1 Corinthians 12:1. What did you discover? Summarize the point: God wants us to be knowledgeable about spiritual gifts. Say: Let s look at 1 Peter 4:10. What did you discover? Summarize the point: Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Say: Let s look at 1Timothy 4:14. What did you discover? Summarize the point: God wants us to use our gifts. Say: Let s look at Ephesians 4: What did you discover? Summarize the point: God gives us gifts to prepare us to serve. Say: Let s look at Ephesians 2:10. What did you discover? Summarize the point: God created us for the good works he s already planned for us to do.

4 Say: So let s review: God wants us to be knowledgeable about spiritual gifts; every Christ-follower has been given at least one gift; God wants us to use our gifts; he s given us gifts to equip us to be able to serve; and God has already planned the good works he wants us to do. Presenter Tip Determine how you ll have class members take the gift assessment. If your church has the assessment tool on their website, direct them to that location. If you re going to it to them individually, collect their names and addresses. For those without internet access or , print copies of the assessment to hand out, and provide a brief explanation of how to take and score the survey. You re here today because you want to know more about your spiritual gifts and discover what they are and how to use them! We re going to help you do that with these three steps: EXPLORE, EXPERIMENT, and EXAMINE. First, EXPLORE. Our gift bag exercise got you thinking about the things you enjoy doing which may indicate a gift area. We also would like you to take a spiritual gift assessment that will help you identify potential gifts. You can take this assessment online or on paper. Provide more details on the methods available for taking the assessment. Then, EXPERIMENT. After you ve taken the gift assessment you ll receive a profile sheet for each of the gifts you ve identified. The sheet will give you more information about the gift and possible serving opportunities to use the gift. We d encourage you to experiment with different ministry opportunities to use your gifts. Try out different methods of using the gift so you can determine if it truly is a gift area. It might be helpful at this point to hand out specific ministry position openings with the ministry leaders contact information, so they can connect and get involved. I ll bet some of you have already volunteered for something in this church, served the community with a special project, or helped out by using your special abilities somehow. Find a partner at your table and describe a time when you volunteered for something. How did that make you feel? Was it a good experience? I ll give you 2 minutes to share your stories. Call the group together after 2 minutes. When we serve it gives us the opportunity to discover if our abilities are matched correctly to the job. Share a time when you volunteered for a job and if it was a good fit for you or not. After you ve experimented with different ways to use your gifts, you re ready for the last step of discovery EXAMINE your feelings. After you ve tried out a few ministry roles you can reflect on how you felt about the experience. Did you enjoy it? Did you feel you were serving in your sweet spot? If you didn t feel like you enjoyed it or

5 that it didn t seem like a good fit, it may be an indication that this is not a primary gift area for you. So you can EXPLORE the possibilities with the gift assessment; begin EXPERIMENTING with some different ministry opportunities; then EXAMINE how you feel as you work in that gift area. This process doesn t just happen in a few days! Our gift discovery journey is part of our ongoing spiritual development and maturity. In fact, you might want to retake the gift assessment a year from now to see if your results change after having experienced new serving opportunities. Some of you may discover that you have the spiritual gift of prayer or what is called intercession. You may have already noticed that you really enjoy praying and find yourself wanting to pray for others each day. Anyone think they have this gift? See if anyone responds and ask them to offer a closing prayer. Thanks for taking the time to discover your spiritual gifts. May God bless your journey! Make sure each participant understands how they ll take the assessment and the next steps after they receive their results.