Writing NOT a spiritual gift?

[pajarita_deDios]

I was a little shocked when my Pastor at church made the statement that spiritual gifts are not the same as our talents. I guess I just always assumed it was a spiritual gift, and lumped natural talents in with a Merciful, kind or encouraging spirit.

Anyone else surprised? Or have I been outlining during sermons a little more than I should?

[Keith Wallis]

I guess this is one heck of a grey (gray) area.
Is there a difference between Spiritual gift and talent - well yes, (to my mind anyway) of course there is. We often get our talents from our parents or our exposures - but we get all Spiritual gifting direct from source Father. Spiritual gifts are for building up the body of Christ and if we use our writing for that purpose then maybe you can argue that there is a crossover. That there may be a Spiritual element in our writing is most likely to be because that is our mindset. That all our writing is inspired is complete nonsense - though often it takes somone else to point that out to us !!!
Looks like this might be an interesting thread.

[DrRita]

No, talents are not spiritual gifts but our talents are also God given. Talents often, as Keith pointed out, come from our genetic pool and are what we lean toward in occupational fulfillment. Talents are often what we are (ei. artist, musician, mathematician, writer.)

Spiritual gifts are distributed at the time of regeneration and are specifically for doing the work God assigns to us. They often have little or nothing to do with our talents but can be combined with them. In other words, if a person has the spiritual gift of teaching/exhortation and is a talented singer, the motivation behind the singing would be to encourage, teach & uplift. Perhaps that same person has a gift of administration, then he/she would be a very good at worship leader, etc. Since my spiritual gift teaching and I have the talent for writing, I often am motivated to teach in my writing, or in anything I do. God may or may not use our talents but always uses our spiritual gifts.

[lawi]

year i do agree talents not as spiritua gifts for you to write a convincing book you dont need to be born again thats a talent but to wright a convicting book that can make somebody ..change...you knw what i mean.....you need the spiritual gift which Paul stated like teaching....bla bla...words of wisdonm ....holy spirit to knw mind of God and the rest...not like any teacher who can convice you eg like God isnt there but convict of the ways of God[Mohamed was a teacher so were pharesee]...thats when annointing comes in place

[ProfessorAlan]

There is nothing wrong with having a talent for writing, and I don't see any need to over-spiritualize the skill by calling it a capital-g "Gift."

Skills and talents are great -- why do some feel the need to diminish them?

[FireFeet]

Keith and Dr Rita said what I would have said. I just wanted to add these two verses.

Every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for [His] service, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded. (Ex 36:1)

God has given me the wonderful privilege of telling everyone about this plan of His; and He has gvien me the power and special ability to do it well. (Eph. 3:7)

As writers, we are gifted artisans whom God has blessed with a special ability to share His plan and His heart.

[rljfl]

I think most agree that spiritual gifts and talents are different, but all are from God. Not to start an argument, but try telling Billy Graham that his talents for public speaking and such come from his environment growing up (a farm-raised boy, which in his day meant that he would be a farmer in turn). Or many others that are raised in environments completely different than what their talents are. Now, good support and encouragement from those environments help nurture and develp those talents, but they are still packaged in us by God from the very beginning. Spiritual gifts though, are something given to us from the Holy Spirit. Both should be used for the edification of the church and glorification of God. (Okay, I think I've used up my two cents).

[Duchess]

until I grew older and a little more wiser. To me, a talent is an ability to do a task with ease. It is a natural ability. A gift is the ability to make it come alive! For example: One person plays the piano. They play it skillfully. All the correct notes are played, the timing of the music is correct, etc. Everything is there except 'feeling/emotion/aliveness'. A different person plays the same song. They play it skillfully. They may or may not play all the correct notes, but there is life in the music. And you stop all that you are doing to listen....that is what I consider a gift.

I do view these separate from spiritual gifts. I think gifts of healings, tongues, ability to listen, hospitality are all in a higher plane and that God truly gifts a person in these areas. I can practice the art of hospitality, but I do not think I will ever be as good as some friends I have in this task. I just don't have a knack for it. I have had a lot of friends tell me that when I enter the room, they have a feeling of peace come over them. Everything is gonna be all right. I find that surprising as I 'feel' like I go around mostly in a dazed, confused, chaotic world most of the time. :confused: Go figure...:)

Anyhow, I know God can take somebody untalented and use them 'cause He did so with me. I was asked to join a worship team. I explained to the leader there was a problem because everybody up there was a caliber musician, could play by ear, etc., etc. She told me don't worry about it. I was, because I had tried and could not play by ear. Within six months, I was playing by ear. I consider it a God thing. Within a year, I was the lead piano player for our church. We moved...every church I walked in to after that, seemed to need a piano player. We visited one church and they knew I could play. They asked me if I would and because there was a need I did...the Pastor was like, "Do you know this song? " Meanwhile I am shaking my head, no! He says, "That's okay, you'll pick it up." :eek: God played that piano through me, I didn't play it! And there were times I had to play and could not hear myself, but the other 12 people playing, guitars, drums, saxophone, flute, problems with the sound system, all for people to come back and say that was the most beautiful music I've heard. Again, it's a God thing! No way to explain it. He just enables me to do it when I need to, other than that, I would say I am a lousy piano player....

[Merry]

Hey, cool!

Hey, I have sort of a 'when worlds collide' story along this same topic. I was working on my novel last night. I was at a point where one of the MC's prophesies (as in word of prophecy...al la 1Corinthians) over another character.

I was at an impasse because for me, it's one thing to make something up, but to have this sound right I thought it would have to be an actual propehcy. But heck, to ask God for a prophecy for someone who doesn't exist just seemed like it would cheapen everything the gift stands for, so I was just deciding not to do it, when the thought hit me, "If he was real, this is what I would say..." And for this one little paragraph, the words flowed and they were just right.

God is just plain awesome.

[mahatma]

Spiritual gifts are clearly listed in the Bible (1 Cor. 12:8-11), they only come when someone receives the Spirit. Talents are inborn abilities and are present even if a person does NOT have received the Spirit, they are for everyone! God invented them all, no doubt! :D

[FireFeet]

A Google search of "creative communication spiritual gift" returned over one million results so there certainly seems to be a rather substantial school of thought that considers writing and other forms of artistic expression as a spiritual gift.

These are a few quotes:

Creative Communication

Scriptural References: Deuteronomy 31:19, Isaiah 44:22-24, I Chronicles 6:31-33, Joshua 18:7-9, Isaiah 30:8, Jeremiah 30:1-3, I Corinthians 16:20-22, Revelation 1:18-20, Psalm 45:1-2.

Explanation: Through the calling and power of the Holy Spirit, this person can use unique ways to express the ministry and message of God.

Actions: Uses creative ways to deliver God’s word to His people using drama, art, music, poetry, written word and/or speech; captures and holds peoples’ attention as they consider the message of Christ; challenges peoples’ perception of God with multiple artistic endeavors.

http://www.ctktwinsburg.com/Spiritualgifts.htm

Though we might ask how spiritual gifts differ from natural talents, Paul was probably unconcerned about distinguishing between physical and spiritual abilities. To him all gifts, "natural" or "supernatural," came from God. The central issue for Paul was people using their abilities to build up and strengthen the church.

Paul probably recognized all abilities that strengthened the church as being spiritual gifts - even those that might be based on "natural" talent and developed by training.

http://www.gatewaymayville.org/?pg=gifts

[Lookin^Up]

I wish I could do a table on this post to contrast between talents and spiritual gifts, so let's do it this way. T = Talent / G = Gift

T born with
G born again with

T given by God the Father
G given by the Holy Spirit
T enhanced by the Holy Spirit through the gift

T requires training to grow and enhance
G requires only "exercising" (using as the Spirit directs)

Paul told Timothy, "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you" (1 Timothy 4:14). All the gifts are given in four passages of Scripture (Ephesians 4:7-11; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30), about 20 in all with a lot of overlap. If someone says a certain skill is a gift when it's not in the list as such, they are speaking from human reasoning, not from the Bible. Some of these may be held in a minor way by secular people, but their inclusion (such as Administration, for instance) must mean there's an extra quality about it that earns it a place in the list.

Some denominations take the doctrinal stand that they are the same, and so do some ministers, especially those who are more faithful to church doctrine than they are to the plain language of Scripture. That's why I always teach straight from the Bible, not from church traditions or human reasoning. If I have a speculation, I will call it that and not try to insist that "the Bible says" what I have deduced, however logically.

I have a friend who once heard a guest speaker in his church go in all kinds of wild directions with this subject, even going so far as saying discernment was not a spiritual gift when it's in the list, yet worship is one, even though it's clearly a duty. When he confronted him, the speaker virtually laughed at him, giving the "your interpretation" line common with unbelievers. He said that Martin Luther once had an argument with someone else--Augustine, I think--and they "agreed to disagree". Whether true or not, it is not a biblical defense; the man was clearly talking off the top of his head.

Of course, in full-fledged gray areas, different interpretations are acceptable and the other's opinion should be respected. But not when the Bible could not be clearer.

[Ransom v. Unman]

Luther wouldn't have argued with Augustine. They lived 1000 years apart from each other. Add to that that Lutheranism is basically Augustinianism, and that Luther was an Augustinian monk, and I don't think they'd really have much to disagree about. ;)

[Lookin^Up]

Then my memory has failed me. I don't remember who Luther supposedly had his argument with.

[Duchess]

Maybe the Roman Catholic church, he nailed his 99 page thesis to the door.

[ProfessorAlan]

Maybe the Roman Catholic church, he nailed his 99 page thesis to the door.

95 theses, mostly one sentence each. In Word, the English translation makes for about an 8-page document.

Sorry, it's the professor in coming out. ;)

[Phy]

Seems like a semantic distinction. God is the author of Creation, and we make our inventions inside of God's Creation. Whether we do that as a result of giftedness as a result of spiritual gifts or innate talents seems a little picky. Regardless of what you call it, we still attribute the ability to write directly back to God.

Thanks, Dad.

[ProfessorAlan]

Seems like a semantic distinction. God is the author of Creation, and we make our inventions inside of God's Creation. Whether we do that as a result of giftedness as a result of spiritual gifts or innate talents seems a little picky. Regardless of what you call it, we still attribute the ability to write directly back to God. Thanks, Dad.

I try to not over-spiritualize or over-simplify these things. I for one don't discount genetics and family upbringing in this process. I know that I learned the value of reading from my mother, a voracious reader of mysteries and supporter of local libraries. I showed her my stories when I started writing at seven, and I am sure that on a deep psychological level, I am still writing to gain her approval. And I'm cool with that, that's my reality.

I'm just saying that there is a LOT going on inside us human beings, especially the sensitive artist/writer types.

[Lookin^Up]

Sounds like me and working word puzzles. My mom always did it (crosswords, cryptoquips, anacrostics, solicross, even some of the left-field varieties Dell magazines always come up with), so my sisters and I learned to love them as well. Sometimes I even beat her at Scrabble (never could as a child). Influence can be as strong a factor as innate ability, though I suspect that in some cases, innate ability may have been there when the influence brought it out. That's hard to say for sure.

[Duchess]

:) I am still learning and I must have been on autopilot in school :eek: As I have gone through the process of home-schooling my children, I find out how much I really don't know....

On a sad note, it seems my children hate everything I love. I hope it changes one day. I love crossword puzzles, they would die before doing one. I love to sing, they roll their eyes and say, "Oh Mom!" :rolleyes:
Maybe one day...I can always hope right???

[Lookin^Up]

On a sad note, it seems my children hate everything I love. I hope it changes one day. I love crossword puzzles, they would die before doing one. I love to sing, they roll their eyes and say, "Oh Mom!" :rolleyes:
Maybe one day...I can always hope right???
How old are these children. If they're up to early 20s, there's still hope that they'll learn to appreciate what you do and not base their perception on their own limited life experiences.

By the way, I'd like to see them work a crossword after they die. LOL (Sorry, just my weird brain at work.) :D

[Daniel]

Isn't a gift something that is given to us? A talent something already instilled in us, it just has to come out and be used? That's how I always looked at it. I really never gave much active thought between the two. I always thought they were distinct from one another though. I find that I do use my talents to express something deeper that God has given me. One of the things that I do is love to share what I've learned. I am always open to experiences, etc. The beautiful thing is though how the spiritual gifts and talents are not just given to us by God, but how wonderfully they go hand in hand. I have found it helpful to see how they interact with each other. I find that my spiritual gifts come out so often through my talents. But more interestingly is that at times they don't really need my talents at all.

[lynnmosher]

Beautiful summation, Daniel.

[Tommie Lyn]

I agree with some of what James Lee Burke says about writing in this article which was published in the New York Times -- that whatever ability we have as writers, we receive from God:

http://www.jamesleeburke.com/content/4

[lynnmosher]

Tommie Lyn, What a great article! Thanks for sharing that. I loved it! !thumbsup!

[DrRus]

Hey there all!

Fascinating message thread, especially as I've done some extensive teaching on Spiritual Gifts in our ministry. But, for the sake of argument, I think I'll just cut to the chase here. I do believe there's a scribe anointing, which is very powerful when one has such an anointing. It's similar to that of the Apostle Paul.

One with a Scribe anointing will usually find writing quite easy.

Just my two cents.
Dr. Rus

[tlm]

One with a Scribe anointing will usually find writing quite easy.

I have been writing (creatively) since I was old enough to hold a pencil in my hand. I must do it.

That being said, for me there is nothing very easy about my becoming a good writer. Just as a good singer spends hours of studying, taking lessons, and practicing, good writing comes with practice and studying the trade.

That is why I feel my writing is a talent, something that can either become better or worse, depending on what I put into it.