The Support Gifts

In every organization, there are the BIG NAMES-- the men and women who are the face of the group, who are in the public eye, who everyone knows. For many of us Billy Graham, David Jeremiah, Charles Stanley, and Chuck Swindoll are household names. But behind each one of these is a large group of people who make up the support teams of these ministries. Without the help of these behind-the-scenes people, none of these individuals would have been able to carry out their world-wide ministries. God has given to many the gifts of helps. Support gifts differ from Service Gifts in that support gifts are PEOPLE-ORIENTED, helping others with their God-ordained tasks. The basic gift is the gift of Helps. But there are four specialized gifts that fall in this category: The gift of Exhortation or Encouragement, which provides spiritual help to weak and struggling people; the Gift of Giving which provides monetary help for people or ministry needs; the Gift of Mercy which provides empathy or support for suffering individuals; and the Gift of Hospitality, which provides friendship and support to strangers. These gifts operate out of the limelight, behind-the-scenes--but all are essential in providing relief for those in need. Perhaps God has given to you one or more of these gifts, enabling you to help others accomplish their God-given tasks.