Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
WaterBrook (2010), Edition: 1, 96 pages
Description
What Are Spiritual Gifts? The subject of spiritual gifts can seem complicated: Who has spiritual gifts--""spiritual people" or everybody? What are spiritual gifts anyway? Understanding Spiritual Gifts takes you straight to God's Word to discover answers from the Gift-Giver Himself. As you dig into Bible passages about God's design for each of us, you'll find out that spiritual gifts aren't complicated--but they are life-changing. Here you will uncover what spiritual gifts are, where they come from, who has them, how they are received, and how they work within the church. As you study, you will have a new vision for how you can use your God-given gifts to bring hope to your home, your church, and a hurting world. 40 Minutes a Week Could Change Your Life! The 40-Minute Bible Studies series from the teaching team at Precept Ministries International tackles the topics that matter to you. These inductive study guides, designed to be completed in just six 40-minute lessons with no homework required, help you discover for yourself what God says and how it applies to your life today. With the leader's notes and Bible passages included right in the book, each self-contained study is a powerful resource for personal growth and small-group discussion.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
96 p.; 8.23 inches
ISBN
0307458709 / 9780307458704
User reviews
LibraryThing member quadmama
I think that this is a great tool for small groups of people who are interested in getting into bible study but do not have a large time to commit to the idea. This book is intended for small groups with no homework assignments required in between. I hope to be able to join in a small group at some
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point and would recommend this book as a helpful tool. I do not feel that I have enough knowledge to run a group but this book would help me to feel confidant in being able to at least get discussions started Show Less
LibraryThing member nirrad
a very good study with good information, good biblical info, and plenty of verses to learn from, with indepth questions to ponder and good notes for group leaders.
LibraryThing member amylin0124
I love the format of this book. It is easy to follow and adaptable to many different Bible study needs. Because this was the first time I have seen this format, it did take me some time to adapt to the instructions given for the leader. Overall it is a wonderful, well composed study that is on a
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subject that is so needed in the Church today. Show Less
LibraryThing member johnfgaines
Understanding Spiritual Gifts is a brief six-lesson personal or small group Bible study guide. It is part of the "40 Minute Bible Studies" series so the lessons are designed to be completed quickly. The booklet (77 pages) is attractively formatted and useful in helping students gain an
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understanding of the authors' viewpoints about spiritual gifts. Study topics include "What Qualifies You to Receive a Spiritual Gift?" "Where Do Spiritual Gifts Come From and What Is Their Purpose?" "Can You Choose or Earn a Particular Gift for Yourself?" "What Does God Expect You to Do With Your Spiritual Gift?" "Why Does the Church Need Your Gift?" and "Examples of Spiritual Gifts in Action." This review makes no effort to evaluate the scriptural accuracy of the authors' conclusions. Readers must undertake that responsibility for themselves as they evaluate the contents of this study guide with their own study of Scripture. Show Less
LibraryThing member Venqat65
Not quite finished yet (and I will update this review when I do finish)....
I am really enjoying this book so far. The book is laid out in a very good way--starting with the basics and then going into more depth about the gifts of the Spirit. I am finding it quite easy to read, understand, and am
Unless something changes in the last 20 pages of the book, I highly recommend it to others!
I promise to return and finish my review. We had some unexpected medical problems crop up in our family this month and it has thrown off my reading schedule!
I am really enjoying this book so far. The book is laid out in a very good way--starting with the basics and then going into more depth about the gifts of the Spirit. I am finding it quite easy to read, understand, and am
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able to apply what I am learning to my life. Unless something changes in the last 20 pages of the book, I highly recommend it to others!
I promise to return and finish my review. We had some unexpected medical problems crop up in our family this month and it has thrown off my reading schedule!
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LibraryThing member Karbie
This little study guide is meant for small groups to do together when they meet thereby avoiding homework between meetings. I am impressed with the idea and will probably use this or others in the series for small group studies. I love the format and the pared down version of Kay Arthurs typically
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very in-depth studies. It also works well just doing the study on my own, so it's very useful for individual or group study. Show Less
LibraryThing member FindingGrace
Very well written book. It's a good introduction to spiritual gifts and is well designed to allow individuals and small groups to learn about spiritual gifts.
LibraryThing member Sansom48
Kay Arthur and I do not agree with one another Theologically, we have differences and I feel that some of them are insurmountable. That being said, I found this book to be well done. It is intended for a group to do a short study (each session is designed to take a short amount of time) on
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spiritual gifts. The study focuses a lot on scripture right from the start, scripture is being read and marked in a similar fashion to her Bible Study methods. It is an interesting method to Bible Study which is shorter and has those important Bible Study methods implemented. Working my way through the study I found that even though it was designed for a shorter period of time, that it was still in depth and filled with Biblical reference. Although I disagree with Mrs. Arthur on a lot of different things, I will certainly be checking out precept ministries and will probably buy more of these 40 minute Bible studies (I may have to modify them, but they are just to good to not use). Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosenectur
Great set-up for any size Bible study group. No special leader guide is required, and no special preparation is needed to lead this study. Quick and easy to do, yet in depth enough for a seasoned Christian. Kay Arthur always does a good job and this book is not an exception.
LibraryThing member sdmurphy53
I really have enjoyed this book. I love the layout and being able to break it down to study it daily. Each section is small enough to read during lunch and the remainder of the day to reflect. I appreciate the scripture being printed in the book so every one looking at it will have the same version
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available to them. I feel like this will be a very good study and well received by people. It would work for a small study (of maybe 2 or 3 people) as well as a large group (20 plus people). I appreciate the opportunity to review this book and look forward to sharing it with others in my church. Show Less
LibraryThing member zechristof
Add this little volume to your library of Kay Arthur books. The Arthur style is to address relevant issues from a biblical perspective, using the inductive method of Bible study to establish applicable biblical principles. The subject of spiritual gifts is an important one for followers of Jesus.
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Arthur shows that those who have trusted in Jesus are endowed by God with spiritual gifts. These gifts are an enabling by the power of the Holy Spirit for God to work extraordinary things for God's kingdom through ordinary people. As is usual with Kay Arthur's books, the subject is well-organized. There are other good references available on spiritual gifts, but you will be hard-pressed to find a clearer explanation based on biblical references. I found the information here to be immediately applicable. This book has my highest recommendation to anyone who follows Jesus as His disciple. Show Less
LibraryThing member MissWoodhouse1816
In typical, wonderful Kay Arthur fashion, this book takes the Biblical student through several short lessons on how to understand the inherit gifts that God places within each one of us. Though the lesson can be gone through in just 40 minutes as advertised, the questions and applications are so
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thought-provoking that they can easily run an hour...or two...or three! No matter how much or how little time you have to devote to the study, one thing is guaranteed: your life never has to be the same. Get ready to unlock the power of God's gifts to you! Show Less
LibraryThing member CarlisleMLH
Kay Arthur's Understanding Spiritual Gifts is a good introduction to the topic. Personally, I was hoping for a more in-depth exploration into the specific gifts, and how to recognize them in ourselves and in each other. However, for anyone new to the topic, this is a great place to start.
LibraryThing member pomorev
I need to start by saying that I am not a big fan of this kind of "Bible study". It is not that I haven't used them in my years pastoring, but I find that they tend to be quite directive in their approach and assume that scripture readings will present self-evident and uniform truths. Despite my
This book is intended for a small group with a facilitator (she calls this a leader). I'm not sure why she makes the assumption that there needs to be a single facilitator, but I'm not that familiar with the structural paradigm in which Arthur ministers. The lessons are pithy and focus heavily on working through various texts that Arthur feels will illuminate her topic. To her credit Arthur recognizes that spiritual gifts are not a major theme in scripture so she does not have a huge range of text to draw from. (p.37) And she does ask good contextual framing questions about the passages she highlights - following the five Ws sometimes called the journalism method. (p.4) Also her subject matter is one that I, as a neo-pentecostal minister and theologian, can appreciate: the role of spiritual gifts in the life of the believer.
The book falls into several traps that are common with this format. It shows a poor understanding of Scripture and Scripture studies. It fights against foes, such as cessationism, which it does not directly name. It has shallow theology, especially in this case her pneumatology. Let us look at each of these.
The history of Christianity, even just of modern Evangelicalism, shows that Scripture is always read contextually. Any adequate method of Biblical study must bring our attention to the biases that shape our readings and expectations on the text. What really is being done here is a devotional reading, not a Bible study, and as such it can be a valid tool for developing faith shaping insights. But such readings need to always be done with a critical eye - lest our particular personal insights are elevated to being the direct communication of God. On page 3 Arthur makes the claim that by reading Scripture, following her methodology, we are letting God "explain the gifts." This is highly uncritical and such methodology has been used to support horrendous heretical claims. A better approach is to hold these things lightly, allowing God to continue to lead us into truth but recognizing that our grasp on truth is always provisional because it is mediated through our expectations and desires. The idea of "straight-forward truths of the Bible" is a myth that Biblical study must always be wary of. (p.3)
Part of the context in which we read scripture are those assumptions to which we want to counter. Arthur begins the study with an odd attack on "seeker-friendly" churches. (p.1) She at least names this foe, but quickly shifts into her topic leaving the reader to wonder what the point of her jab was? Does she see these churches as abandoning spiritual gifts? I'm not sure such a generalization will hold up and it is really quite puzzling how her study seeks to address this initial attack? A foe more directly related to her task is cessationism, or the belief that the spiritual gifts are no longer functioning in the church or that if they do function it is not a normative feature of the modern church. She would be right to tackle this theology as it opposes her thesis. But, while she does address the fundamental complaint of cessationism, she does not really address it, instead she relies on the supposed straight-forward interpretation of the text to show the validity of spiritual gifts for the church today. (p.12) She might have been well served to at least point the readers to resources that do diligent and critical work on dismantling the arguments of cessationists. She also would have been better off leaving out the initial jab against the seeker-sensitive movement and started instead on a positive note and affirmation of the validity of spiritual gifts for the church today.
Theologically Arthur presents only one view of the passages on her subject. Her view is quite mechanistic and depicts a God who deposits specific gift mixings (she will further dichotamize these into serving and speaking packages) into individuals and that our role is to figure out what package we have and walk that out. The problem I have with this is that it conflates the gifts with the giver. Another view of the same readings she proposes is that the gift is the Spirit and that we should not expect that the Spirit will act uniformly through each of us, but, rather we would, by partnering with the Spirit, do amazing things to the glory of God. I am sure there are other readings as well, but why does Arthur favour her simple compartmentalized view? and what kind of Spirit is at work in her view of spiritual gifts? These are important questions. Arthur seems to have an operative structural expectation on the text even though the very passages she has chosen show that Paul saw different structural realities for different ministry contexts. There is no uniform view presented, they cannot be harmonized without doing violence to the texts. Arthur would have done well to recognize that 1 Cor 12:1 does not use the word Charisma but a word that might be better translated as matters of the Spirit. It is not the gifts we need to focus on - but the character and working of God, by God's Spirit, with and through the church.
I have other concerns with the content and structure of this book, but this analysis is enough for my evaluation. While I do think that such books can be useful for small groups, they must not be equated with Biblical study. Rather, they can provide a springboard into wonderful discussions about our interpretations of Scripture. They can let us question that perhaps the apostles in Acts 6:2 were simply abusing their authority and creating the same problematic dichotomy of serving vs. speaking that Arthur seems to promote. (p.7) After all Stephen did turn out to be quite a gifted orator. If a group is willing to do the work, this kind of study can be beneficial. But not in the form we are given here. I'm not sure what Kay Arthur's credentials are, but it is evident she is doing a simplistic reading of scripture to advance her particular read of that same Scripture. I believe her topic is worth pursuing, but I do not buy her way of framing her findings. But, as I stated in the beginning, I am not a fan of this type of "Bible study" and this study did little to change my attitude.
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misgivings about the format, I thought it would be interesting to look at popular Evangelical Kay Arthur's offering on spiritual gifts called Understanding Spiritual Gifts.This book is intended for a small group with a facilitator (she calls this a leader). I'm not sure why she makes the assumption that there needs to be a single facilitator, but I'm not that familiar with the structural paradigm in which Arthur ministers. The lessons are pithy and focus heavily on working through various texts that Arthur feels will illuminate her topic. To her credit Arthur recognizes that spiritual gifts are not a major theme in scripture so she does not have a huge range of text to draw from. (p.37) And she does ask good contextual framing questions about the passages she highlights - following the five Ws sometimes called the journalism method. (p.4) Also her subject matter is one that I, as a neo-pentecostal minister and theologian, can appreciate: the role of spiritual gifts in the life of the believer.
The book falls into several traps that are common with this format. It shows a poor understanding of Scripture and Scripture studies. It fights against foes, such as cessationism, which it does not directly name. It has shallow theology, especially in this case her pneumatology. Let us look at each of these.
The history of Christianity, even just of modern Evangelicalism, shows that Scripture is always read contextually. Any adequate method of Biblical study must bring our attention to the biases that shape our readings and expectations on the text. What really is being done here is a devotional reading, not a Bible study, and as such it can be a valid tool for developing faith shaping insights. But such readings need to always be done with a critical eye - lest our particular personal insights are elevated to being the direct communication of God. On page 3 Arthur makes the claim that by reading Scripture, following her methodology, we are letting God "explain the gifts." This is highly uncritical and such methodology has been used to support horrendous heretical claims. A better approach is to hold these things lightly, allowing God to continue to lead us into truth but recognizing that our grasp on truth is always provisional because it is mediated through our expectations and desires. The idea of "straight-forward truths of the Bible" is a myth that Biblical study must always be wary of. (p.3)
Part of the context in which we read scripture are those assumptions to which we want to counter. Arthur begins the study with an odd attack on "seeker-friendly" churches. (p.1) She at least names this foe, but quickly shifts into her topic leaving the reader to wonder what the point of her jab was? Does she see these churches as abandoning spiritual gifts? I'm not sure such a generalization will hold up and it is really quite puzzling how her study seeks to address this initial attack? A foe more directly related to her task is cessationism, or the belief that the spiritual gifts are no longer functioning in the church or that if they do function it is not a normative feature of the modern church. She would be right to tackle this theology as it opposes her thesis. But, while she does address the fundamental complaint of cessationism, she does not really address it, instead she relies on the supposed straight-forward interpretation of the text to show the validity of spiritual gifts for the church today. (p.12) She might have been well served to at least point the readers to resources that do diligent and critical work on dismantling the arguments of cessationists. She also would have been better off leaving out the initial jab against the seeker-sensitive movement and started instead on a positive note and affirmation of the validity of spiritual gifts for the church today.
Theologically Arthur presents only one view of the passages on her subject. Her view is quite mechanistic and depicts a God who deposits specific gift mixings (she will further dichotamize these into serving and speaking packages) into individuals and that our role is to figure out what package we have and walk that out. The problem I have with this is that it conflates the gifts with the giver. Another view of the same readings she proposes is that the gift is the Spirit and that we should not expect that the Spirit will act uniformly through each of us, but, rather we would, by partnering with the Spirit, do amazing things to the glory of God. I am sure there are other readings as well, but why does Arthur favour her simple compartmentalized view? and what kind of Spirit is at work in her view of spiritual gifts? These are important questions. Arthur seems to have an operative structural expectation on the text even though the very passages she has chosen show that Paul saw different structural realities for different ministry contexts. There is no uniform view presented, they cannot be harmonized without doing violence to the texts. Arthur would have done well to recognize that 1 Cor 12:1 does not use the word Charisma but a word that might be better translated as matters of the Spirit. It is not the gifts we need to focus on - but the character and working of God, by God's Spirit, with and through the church.
I have other concerns with the content and structure of this book, but this analysis is enough for my evaluation. While I do think that such books can be useful for small groups, they must not be equated with Biblical study. Rather, they can provide a springboard into wonderful discussions about our interpretations of Scripture. They can let us question that perhaps the apostles in Acts 6:2 were simply abusing their authority and creating the same problematic dichotomy of serving vs. speaking that Arthur seems to promote. (p.7) After all Stephen did turn out to be quite a gifted orator. If a group is willing to do the work, this kind of study can be beneficial. But not in the form we are given here. I'm not sure what Kay Arthur's credentials are, but it is evident she is doing a simplistic reading of scripture to advance her particular read of that same Scripture. I believe her topic is worth pursuing, but I do not buy her way of framing her findings. But, as I stated in the beginning, I am not a fan of this type of "Bible study" and this study did little to change my attitude.
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LibraryThing member dk_phoenix
It's hard to review a study that's really more geared to group interaction, but Kay Arthur's studies tend to still be worthwhile to the individual wishing to pursue the topic on his or her own. While there were some elements missing to the story, this is a good starting point for someone new to
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Spiritual Gifts and looking to gain a basic, Scripture-based understanding of the topic. Show Less
LibraryThing member brianhudd
The format of the study with the text in one column and questions and comments in a larger column ensures the reader is constantly directed to the passages under review. I enjoy the inductive study methods that Kay Arthur has made popular again. This guide does a good job in introducing spiritual
The guide does an excellent job in showing the relevance of spiritual gifts today, and I would recommend this study guide for anyone wanting to begin a study on spiritual gifts.
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gifts. It ignores controversial topics by dividing gifts into two general categories, speaking and serving. I would expect a 6-week study to be more in-depth and discuss some of these deeper topics.The guide does an excellent job in showing the relevance of spiritual gifts today, and I would recommend this study guide for anyone wanting to begin a study on spiritual gifts.
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