Jesus Versus Video Games

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

My primary ministry is to help coordinate church planting in the area where I live. In that role I get to spend time with a lot of fine young couples who have a passion for changing their corner of the world. One of the things I assist those couples in doing is to find some partners who will stand with them in prayer, giving and volunteering. Those partners come from other area churches as well as from churches outside our area. It is a lot of work to find partners willing to sacrifice their time, their treasure and their talents to help a church they are not even part of. But the Lord touches the hearts of partners and they join the cause.

Once one of our church planters sent a Facebook message to me. He had been working the social media angle pretty hard trying to find partners. Though some people had responded, many had not. In a pointed moment of realization it occurred to him that many of the people he was contacting about partnering with him in church planting were ignoring his messages about partnering but sending him countless messages inviting him to play games on Facebook. He found it ironic that they would talk to him a lot about video games but not about sharing Jesus with others. His message pondered what it would be like if he could get people as excited about partnering with him in ministry as they were about playing games on Facebook. I wonder the same thing.

People who tell me they do not have time to volunteer seem to have the time to play on both softball and basketball leagues. People who tell me they do not have money to donate somehow have the money to drive the latest model car with all the upgrades. Pastors who tell me their church is too stretched to help plant another church find money for another round of renovations in a sanctuary that already looks pristine. Church youth groups and senior adult groups go on amazing sight-seeing trips on fully equipped buses, but seem unable to take those same people on a mission trip. Once I got a letter from a mega-church asking me for money. They wanted to build a $120,000 playground for the children in their already well-funded private school. I sent them a letter back suggesting they tithe off their playground fund to a church plant in New England. I never got a response.

The point I am trying to make is that we have somehow gotten our priorities all messed up. Now Christians play games and have fun instead of being about the business of winning others to Jesus. I am not suggesting that we should never have fun or play games, but somewhere along the line we must stop playing games with our faith and start doing whatever it takes to win our nation to Jesus.

Lord, help us be serious about the business of sharing Christ with those around us. Amen.

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett is a church planter in New England. He is a happy husband, proud father, thankful cancer survivor, and the author of numerous books aimed at helping small churches become healthier and individual Christians grow in their faith. You can find his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Killer Cows and the Gospel

1 Corinthians 9:20-22 - ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. ²¹ To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.

I grew up in a city in the Midwest. As a teenager I moved to a small city in Virginia. After college I lived in a city in South Carolina. Since I had lived in a city most of my life, it was quite a culture shock when I moved to rural Vermont in 1993. It was a small village with less than 1,000 residents. We moved there to serve as missionaries with the North American Mission Board. We served a rural church with less than 20 members, which was struggling for survival.

It has been my custom for years to walk in the mornings and pray about what God is doing in my life. That first week of living in a rural area I struck out walking down the main street, which was also the only paved street in town. I did not get very far before I encountered a cow that had escaped from the pasture and was standing in the middle of the road. Having grown up in the city, I did not know quite what to do, so I froze in my tracks. My life flashed before my eyes. My heart raced with fear. Would this cow charge me? Would it trample me? Would it eat me? Surely this vicious creature was a killer cow!

I do not know how long I stood in the middle of the road looking at that cow, but eventually someone drove by in their pickup truck and asked what I was doing. I replied that a killer cow had gotten loose and I did not know what to do. They looked at me, looked at the cow and laughed hysterically as they drove away. Eventually I realized that the poor creature was just a harmless old milk cow. I slowly eased past her and went on my way. I knew I was not in the city anymore!

To live successfully in a rural area, I had to adjust to the presence of cows in the middle of the road. I also had to adjust how I did ministry so that it fit my context. I learned to show up at the post office each morning at 9:30 AM when everyone came to get their mail. I could visit half the town in an hour. I learned that I was the pastor for the whole community, not just my 20 church members. As the community pastor I provided weddings, funerals, counseling and hospital visits for the entire community, even though many of them had little or no affiliation with our church. I learned how important it was to make a contribution to the annual 8th grade fundraiser. I learned not to wear a tie, as it made people think I was either a Mormon or a bill collector, neither of which were very welcome in that small rural village.

During the eight years I served that church, I learned a great many things about how to minister in a rural village. However, I never had to change the Gospel itself. The Gospel is always relevant to all cultures in all time periods and to all people groups. There is no other Gospel but the one found in the New Testament that begins with the sinfulness of mankind and ends with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But methods and programs used to communicate the Gospel are constantly changing. One generation might use flannel graph and chalkboards, another generation might use video projectors and smart boards, but the message of the Gospel remains the same.

Since my fateful encounter with that killer cow so many years ago, I have learned to communicate the Gospel in a variety of ways as I have started churches and led evangelistic activities across New England. Each town is a little different, but in each one God has called a group of people to Himself. My ministry is to join God in His work and communicate His Gospel in a way that the called can hear and respond. When that happens, the Gospel goes forth and God is glorified, and His people rejoice, even if it looks differently than what we are used to.

Prayer: Lord, help us learn to share the Gospel in ways those around us can understand. Amen.

The Walking Dead - An Easter Sermon

I had cancer surgery a few weeks ago. By God's grace I am recovering well. I was blessed to preach my first sermon since my surgery yesterday morning for Resurrection Day. Below are the notes from the sermon, which was preached at Faith Fellowship, a church that meets on the campus of the University of Hartford.

Introduction:

•          For years my mother told me our family had this condition called Lynch Syndrome. It is an inherited genetic mutation that makes us more prone to certain kinds of cancer. For years I ignored her, after all, I felt fine. Clearly I did not have cancer.  But finally I went to get tested, assuming everything would come out fine.

•          I remember sitting in the doctor’s office while he was explaining my test results. After he used the word “cancer” half a dozen times, it finally dawned on me what he was saying. I had cancer. It was a life changing moment.

Terry's Colon Cancer

•          The odd thing about cancer is that it starts small. Most people do not even realize it is inside of them. People with early stage cancer just keep living their lives, going to work, loving their families and do not even realize that they are the Walking Dead. But the cancer keeps growing until it eventually causes problems. That is when most people realize it. It is often too late.

•          Thankfully, in my case, my mother and a genetic counselor and the U Conn Colon Cancer Prevention Clinic kept pestering me until I got myself checked out. I really did not like all these people putting their nose in my personal business. And I really did not like all the invasive tests that had to be done to confirm that I had cancer.

•          The surgery to remove my cancer was rough and though I am doing well, I am still limited by certain aspects of my recovery. But I am now CANCER FREE!!!! I am no longer the Walking Dead. I am more fully alive than I have ever been.

What Does All of that Have to Do with Easter?

•          All of us have a deadly cancer growing inside of us. Perhaps not a physical cancer like I had, but a spiritual cancer called sin. It starts small and at first it does not seem to have a negative impact on how we live.

•          Family members, Sunday School teachers, pastors, and friends warn us about it and tell us to deal with it before it gets out of hand. But we typically ignore them because it seems like life is going just fine. We may even be offended that these people put their nose into our personal business. After all who are they to judge us or our behavior?

•          Our sin slowly grows until it begins to cause problems in our lives. That is when we realize we are the Walking Dead.

James 1:14-15 - ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

•          Each of us desires different things in life. Some of them are good, but some of them are bad.

•          What starts as a bed desire grows into sin. Sin, left unchecked, will eventually destroy us.

•          Sin brings death to relationships. Sin brings death to our hopes and dreams. Sin sometimes brings physical death.

•          But there is a solution to this sin sickness.

1 Timothy 1:15 - This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

•          Jesus came to save sinners. He came to make the Walking Dead fully alive and full of joy.

•          Jesus accomplished this through two aspects of the Easter story.

1 Peter 2:22, 24 - He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 

•          The first part of the Easter story is Jesus dying on the cross.

•          Jesus was sinless, therefore He was pure enough to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us.

•          On the cross all our sins were placed on Jesus. His wounds have the power to heal us of the cancer of sin that is inside us.

•          How do we know He is really powerful enough to cover all our sins?

•          The first part of the Easter story is Jesus dying on the cross. The second part of the Easter story is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. If Jesus can conquer death then He can conquer anything, even our most despicable sins.

Mark 16:1-7 - When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

Verse 1 - When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him.

•          In those days they did not have modern embalming methods. The way they prepared a body for burial was to put spices in the cloth that they wrapped the body with.

•          The Jewish faith required them to rest on the Sabbath, so they were not able to care for Jesus’ body until the next day.

Verse 3 - They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?”

Terry coming out of Jesus' tomb outside Jerusalem

•          On the way to the tomb to care for Jesus’ body, the ladies discussed how they would move the stone that was across the entrance to the tomb.

•          This stone would have been large enough to cover the entrance way, which would have been about waist high for an adult. It would have been fitted into a slot in the ground that sloped down, making it hard to move.

•          It would have taken quite a force of strong men to open the tomb. There is no way these three ladies were going to be able to do it themselves.

•          The women realized that the stone was a problem to be solved, but they walked by faith toward the tomb anyway.

•          Every one of us has some “stone” we have to overcome in order to believe.

•          But if we do not start toward Jesus, believing that somehow that stone is movable, then we will never find Him.

•          We must stop looking for excuses for not believing, and start trusting God to help us find a way to overcome our doubts.

Verse 4 - Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.

•          As the ladies neared the tomb, they looked up and saw that stone was already rolled away.

•          If we start toward Jesus, even while we still have questions and doubts, we will find that our stumbling blocks have somehow become stepping stones toward the Savior.

Verse 5 - When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed.

•          The ladies entered the tomb and saw an angel. The other Gospels tell us there were actually two angels there, but they saw this one first and they were both amazed and alarmed.

•          God often sends us numerous messages to get our attention, but we finally see one and start listening. When we first begin to sense God at work in our lives, we may be both amazed and alarmed. We are amazed because we cannot imagine that we are important enough to God that He actually wanted to do something big for us.

•          We are alarmed because we wonder what God might require of us and what will happen.

Verse 6 - "Don't be alarmed," he told them. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.

Terry and Kay inside the actual empty tomb

•          The angel told the ladies not to be alarmed because Jesus was alive and everything was going to be alright.

•          Jesus displayed the ultimate power in the universe when He conquered death. Jesus is no longer in the tomb.

•          Some people say that is narrow minded and arrogant for Christianity to claim to be the only way to God. But Jesus is the only founder of a world religion whose tomb is empty!

•          Though other great religious teachers may have done good deeds and helped others, only Jesus conquered sin and death. Other founders of world religions did their thing, good as it may have been, and then died. Jesus did His thing, died and came back to life!

•          If Jesus has the power to conquer death, he has the power to conquer anything.

Verse 7 - But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.'

•          The angel told the ladies to go and tell the disciples, and Peter, that Jesus was alive.

•          Likewise, we have an obligation to tell the Walking Dead around us that Jesus is alive and that He can make them alive as well.

•          Why would the angel specifically mention Peter?

•          Peter had failed Jesus by denying he knew Jesus, just when Jesus needed him most. The angel wanted the ladies to specifically tell Peter that Jesus was alive so that Peter would realize there was hope for him to correct what he had done wrong.

•          Sometimes we feel like we have let God down so much that we can never make things right with Him. We think our sin cancer is too great for God to fix. But Jesus wants us to know that His power to conquer death also gives Him the power to conquer our sin, no matter how great it is. None of us are so far gone that the One who conquered death cannot transform us from the Walking Dead into the fully alive! We are only hopeless if we refuse to respond to Jesus’s calling to salvation. We are only hopeless if we are determined to remain part of the Walking Dead.

•          If we have not yet made a commitment to Christ, TODAY would be a great day to place our faith in Him.

Dear Lord,

I know I have sinned many times in my life. I realize that sin will one day destroy me. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again to conquer sin in my life. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I commit to serve You for the rest of my life to the best of my ability. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Conclusion:

•                  The power of the Easter story is that if we will commit ourselves to Jesus, He will change us from the Walking Dead into the fully alive.

•                  The power of the Easter story compels us to share this important truth with those around us so they too can be transformed from the Walking Dead into the fully alive. This is especially important for those who think they are too far gone for Jesus to change.

Good Friday 2014 Meditation

Good Friday. What a name for a day on which something so terrible happened. To think that an innocent man was brutally murdered in front of an approving crowd is almost unimaginable, except that it actually happened.

Good Friday shows the depths of the depravity of man. It shows how low people will sink to protect their political aspirations, their theological assumptions, their place in the world. It shows how even good people will deny to know the truth or hide in the shadows while great horror happens around them, which begs the question, are they actually good?

Good Friday also shows the glory of the love of God. That He would endure such agony for us is something hard to fathom. None of us deserve it. None of us can truly appreciate it. None of us would even understand it without the gift of grace. Yet, while we were yet sinners, God demonstrated His love for us by allowing Jesus to die for us (Romans 5:8).

What makes this day good is not the agony of Jesus, but the love He had for those He was in agony for. Because of what happened on this day, every good and perfect gift can now come to us from the Lord who does not change like the ever shifting court of public opinion (James 1:17). He has declared that He loves us. And that declaration stands. No matter what. Hard to accept, and yet it is true.

Let us remember Good Friday on days in which we feel unloved, or unlovable. Let us remember that He has decided that He loves us and nothing can change that. Nothing. Period. We can resist that love (which does not change the fact that He still loves us), or we can embrace that love (which gives us great peace and comfort). I chose to embrace it, and that makes this day good.

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a Christian leader in New England since 1993. He is a happy husband, proud father, thankful cancer survivor, and the author of numerous books aimed at helping small churches become healthier and individual Christians grow in their faith. You can find his books at:
http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively

When I first moved to New England to pastor a Baptist church, I was surprised to learn that the majority of my church members were from non-Baptist backgrounds. They were drawn to the church by the solid Bible teaching and the rich fellowship, not by denominational connection. Twenty years later, though still very loyal to my own denomination, I have become quite comfortable serving in inter-denominational situations that are common in New England. I think this is a skill most pastors are going to have to gain for effective ministry in the years to come.

One of the issues I had to overcome was the vast differences of opinion on how the spiritual gifts should be applied to church life. I had a set idea of what I thought the spiritual gifts were and how they should be used. Some members of my little church had vastly different views. Many of the members had no understanding of the gifts at all. When I tried to push my ideas onto the congregation, the push back I got was that my views were based on my denominational background, not on scripture. Though that challenge stung, on reflection, I found it to be true. I decided to rethink the issue based on scriptures instead of a pre-written statement of faith produced by any man-made denomination. After months of study, many of my views remained the same. Some changed a little. Some changed a lot. Over the years I have continued to refine my understanding of the gifts based on scripture. In the process I have created numerous Bible studies to help address this issue in the churches I have served. Now I have put all of what I have learned together into a new book entitled “Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively.”

This book is useful for both individual study and small groups. The premise of the book is that our understanding of spiritual gifts must flow from a Biblical basis and emphasize how the gifts work together for the greater effectiveness of the church. Though it is impossible to completely remove my denominational position, after so many years of working in inter-denominational situations, I think the book is one of the more balanced on the subject.

All the proceeds from the book will be used to help my youngest son become a missionary. He has already spent 78 days in Haiti working in an orphanage last summer and will spend four months in Thailand in the fall helping with faith-based economic development programs. He will then return to the U.S. to finish another three semesters of college before launching his missionary career. Your purchase will not only be a blessing to your own study of scripture, but it will help him pursue his missionary passion.

You can find both the print and e-book versions at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Up-Using-Spiritual-Effectively/dp/1495982998/

It would be a great blessing if you would “share” the Amazon link on your Facebook page or on twitter or other social media outlets.

If you are interested in any of my other books, you can find them at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

What others are saying about Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively:

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett forthrightly approaches this controversial subject with a conversational style.  He faithfully applies scriptural concepts with sincere convictions.  He understands that spiritual gifts are not for enjoyment or entertainment but for the enrichment of the body of Christ.  Read this book to be inspired and instructed and to increase your effectiveness as a believer.  I commend it to you!

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice

 and Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival & Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah.

Terry Dorsett has written a practical and insightful study on the purpose and practice of spiritual gifts. Dr. Dorsett applies his rich Biblical knowledge to this issue, with a warm and user-friendly style that allows everyone to gain a greater depth of understanding. Whether used in a small group or as an individual study, everyone who opens this book will be greatly encouraged. Churches and individual Christians alike will benefit from the study of the spiritual gifts, and Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively is just the resource they need.

Rev. Michael Duncan, Pastor and Author

From Vision to Victory

http://www.michael-duncan.net

Terry Dorsett does a thorough job of providing both a good overview of this complex subject and great questions for discussion. Using this book in small groups should provide opportunity for greater learning and use of the gifts God gives His people!"

Rev. Joel L. Rissinger

Lead Pastor - Mill Pond Church

Author of "The Crucified Church"

Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively is very thorough and explains in practical terms how our spiritual gifts can be used effectively in our Christian walk. The book uses both scripture and questions, which lead to thought provoking conversations. The section on the gift of service was particularly good. In that chapter Terry Dorsett reminds us that "because the person with the gift of service is often the first person to volunteer for everything, they may become involved in so many different ministries that none of them can be done well." This is important. I would use this book in developing leaders and encouraging young adults to find their place in the church body.

Captain Kimberly DeLong

The Salvation Army

No responsible church leader would dare question the crucial, all important role of the Holy Spirit in the life and operation of the local church. To do so would be to strike at the very heartbeat of the Body of Christ. Whether the individual—the first unit of the church—or the Body as a whole, at every level the church is dependent on the Holy Spirit for energy, knowledge, and leadership. Sadly, many congregations are yet to realize the powerful benefits of the Spirit’s presence and operation, benefits that extend to God-glorifying vision, growth, and vitality. Dr. Terry Dorsett has taken an enlightening step toward correcting such church-based deficiencies.

In his book, Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively, Dorsett explores the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the church from the perspective of the Spirit’s equipping work in believers through spiritual gifts. Asking that readers set aside the numerous viewpoints related to spiritual gifts and approach the subject with an open mind, Dorsett provides a fresh and thoroughly biblical look at how each gift is intended to build the church by strengthening believers through effective, mutual ministry. This he accomplishes with skill and clarity.

Dorsett’s years as an instructor are clearly evident in this book. He has created an interactive workbook that is at the same time engaging and instructive. Always giving weight to a wealth of Scripture references, readers are encouraged to respond to questions and concepts that build an undeniable case for the discovery and use of spiritual gifts as the church’s primary ministry tools. True to the book’s title, Dorsett is careful to not only direct the reader conceptual truth, he demonstrates in very practical terms how to utilize the Spirit’s gifting in very effective ways within the Body of Christ.

Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively is a must read for individuals believers and groups of believers. It is not an overstatement to say that this workbook should be studied as standard curriculum for entire churches that wish to grow on the most scriptural basis possible. The book is readable, challenging, and highly recommended.

Dr. Gerald Roe, Chair of the Department of Intercultural Studies, North Greenville University

and author of Where Would Jesus Go to Church

Dr. Dorsett’s latest book is a great introduction to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His years of experience in dealing with new believers and small groups shines through as he tackles subject material that is often neglected on one hand, or over emphasized on the other; all the while staying well within the bounds of Baptist theology. Its interactive style plays well with small groups, or individuals, looking for a basic Biblical understanding of spiritual gifts. If you want to train members of your congregation, and encourage dialog, if you want to edify, and build up the Body, and Bride of Christ through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, this would be a good source to turn to.

Russell C. Lambert, President

Life Passage Ministries

Merrill, Oregon

In his latest book, Teaming Up: Using our Spiritual Gifts Effectively, Dr. Terry Dorsett offers some very helpful analysis on the Biblical subject of spiritual gifts. The scriptural truths concerning spiritual gifts has often been convoluted and even corrupted.  But in each lesson in this book, Dr. Dorsett brings clarity and understanding to this topic.  Rather than declaring war on opposing viewpoints, he carefully examines each spiritual gift mentioned in the New Testament.  And in the process, he convinces all of us as believers to ascertain our area of spiritual giftedness and what our function is in the body of Christ.  My fellow-believer, you should read this book!

David E. Owen

Preacher, Pastor, Evangelist

david-e-owen.blogspot.com

Spiritual disciplines and spiritual gifts are often the most overlooked and underutilized aspect of the daily Christian walk. If we are striving to be more like Christ then understanding these principles to be more like Him and helping others to be more like Him is essential. Do not let the brevity of this work fool you. Dr. Terry Dorsett does an amazing job at unpacking what spiritual gifts are, how to better understand them and practical ways to apply them to your daily living. This book has the potential to change your relationship with Christ and others in a real and dynamic way.

John Rowe, M.Div., M.S.W.

Hospice Chaplain

In his book, “Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively,“ Dr. Terry W. Dorsett takes on one of the most important subjects in the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and specifically the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is sometimes a confusing topic to understand, even among mature Christians, but Dr. Dorsett writes with clarity and wisdom about this topic.

What I think is most beneficial in the book is that he tackles hard questions concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as,  the difference between natural abilities and spiritual gifts, how do we receive our gifts and why and how to properly use spiritual gifts. Dr. Dorsett reminds us, least we become prideful, that our gifts are from God and to be used for His purpose in building up the church.

What is the difference between most of us and the spiritual giants that we read about in Christian biographies? Why are we lacking in power, purpose, and persistence in making an impact in our churches and this world today? Why do ministers often feel empty, tired and spiritually dried up? The answer to all of these questions are related to the filling of the Holy spirit and the proper use of recognizing and using the spiritual gifts that God has so graciously given us.

Dr. Dorsett helps to engage his readers by explaining the Biblical truths concerning spiritual gifts and then asking the reader questions. Questions that all of us need to ask ourselves if we want to be used of God and effect in His service. Using our spiritual gifts will bring us joy and fulfillment, and will bring glory to God and a lasting impact on our world.

If you want to use your spiritual gift effectively, I encourage all Christians to read this book and apply the truths so you can team up with God to bring Him glory and this world more truth and light. I highly recommend this much needed book.

Dennis J. Hester, editor and compiler of, Holy Desperation, How to Find God When You Need Him Most

Terry Dorsett has written a much needed book on spiritual gifts and how the gifts function in the local church. He deals thoroughly with issues from confusion about spiritual gifts to the various gifts that function in the church. It is like an encyclopedia on spiritual gifts and will be a great resource for everyone desiring to know how to use spiritual gifts effectively and the impact that spiritual gifts can have in the ministry of the local church.

Steve Foster, Senior Pastor

First Baptist Church

Snellville, Georgia