The context of the Apostle Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 is the local church but these verses apply, I believe, to the Body of Christ universally as well. In a short-term ministry to another body of believers we should be open to use our humanly-developed skills and talents as well as our spiritual gifts to edify and build up the Body of Christ.
#6 – Use Your Talents and Spiritual Gifts
As servants (literally bondslaves) of Jesus Christ, God calls us to go forth and serve Him. Romans 12:1-2 exhorts us to begin by offering our bodies as a “living sacrifice.” Certainly God can use you regardless of your career specialty, physical training, or spiritual gifts. Field team trips with GDMMissions use talents and spiritual gifts in servants of any age or background. But if you have training and abilities in health care these demonstrate compassion for others and thereby open an opportunity to share the Gospel. Don’t think that all you can do for the Lord is simple labor (although there are plenty of those opportunities for everyone on a field team!) or that you will be relegated to make-work activity because a team is so large. A GDMMissions field team trip “stretches” you to apply talents and gifts that maybe you didn’t even realize you had. Our teams are usually small (fewer than ten people) so everyone is assigned multiple responsibilities for health care and evangelistic ministry. During our trip we also have opportunities to minister spiritually to one another every day.
It doesn’t matter what your talents or gifts are when you serve on a field team. What matters is your selflessness and faithfulness. Our team goal on a trip is for you to use your physical talents and spiritual fruits as you spend time laboring in His harvest field.
Item of Prayer: That God would develop in you a spirit of selflessness service (characterized by Romans 12:1-2) and a willingness to offer all you are to Him; that you would be willing to offer your physical talents and abilities, whatever they are, for God to use as He desires and for His glory.
For more information about GDMMissions and our short-term field team trips contact our home office at http://www.gdmmissions.org/contact.html or call 1-978-454-6710 or visit our web site http://www.gdmmissions.org
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