Have you ever felt like you're "no good for anything" in the Club? That there's always someone who sings better, leads better, or speaks better than you? That feeling is common. And the Bible has a direct answer for it.
God gave each person at least one spiritual gift. It's not a reward for whoever is holiest. It's a tool for serving. As 1 Peter 4:10 says: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (NIV).
In this guide you'll understand the difference between a gift and the fruit, get to know the gifts the Bible lists, and use a simple three-question method to discover yours. And, most importantly, you'll see where to put that gift to work inside the Club and the church.
Gift and fruit: what's the difference?
Many people confuse the two, but the Bible separates them clearly. The gift is an ability the Holy Spirit gives you to serve others: to teach, lead, care, help. The fruit is the character He forms inside you over time. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit: "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (NIV).
Notice the difference. The gifts come in the plural: each person receives different gifts. The fruit comes in the singular: it is one fruit with several qualities, and every Christian is called to have all of them. No one can say "my gift is patience" or "my gift is love." That is fruit, and it is for everyone.
Why does this matter in the Club? Because there are very talented people with no character. A Pathfinder can have the gift of leadership and use it to humiliate the younger ones. He can have the gift of speaking and use it for gossip. A gift without the fruit becomes a weapon. That is why God wants both: the gift so you can serve, and the fruit so you serve the right way.
Think of it this way: the gift is the tool in your hand; the fruit is the person holding the tool. A knife is used for cooking or for wounding. The difference is who uses it. God gives the gift, but He spends your whole life working on your character.
The gifts the Bible lists in 1 Corinthians 12
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth because people were arguing over who had the most important gift. His answer was clear: the gifts are many, but the Spirit is one, and it is He who distributes them "to each one, just as he determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11, NIV). You don't pick your gift off a menu. It is given.
In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Paul lists nine manifestations of the Spirit: "a message of wisdom... a message of knowledge... faith... gifts of healing... miraculous powers... prophecy... distinguishing between spirits... speaking in different kinds of tongues... the interpretation of tongues" (NIV). These are gifts tied to God's power working through the church.
Don't be alarmed by the word "miracles" or "tongues." That doesn't mean you need to do spectacular things to serve God. Most of the gifts show up in simple everyday life: someone who always has the right word at the right time (wisdom), someone who believes when everyone else loses heart (faith), someone who senses when something is wrong in a group (discernment).
Here is a summary of the gifts from that chapter:
| Gift | What it is, in practice |
|---|---|
| Wisdom | Knowing how to apply God's truth to the real situation |
| Knowledge | Understanding and explaining the Scriptures well |
| Faith | Trusting God and encouraging others to trust |
| Healing | Being used by God to restore those who suffer |
| Miracles | Seeing God act in an extraordinary way |
| Prophecy | Speaking God's message to build up |
| Discernment | Telling apart what comes from God from what does not |
| Tongues / interpretation | Communicating in other languages for the good of the church |
More gifts: Romans 12 and Ephesians 4
The list in 1 Corinthians is not the only one. Paul wrote another in Romans 12:6-8: "If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully" (NIV).
Notice how these gifts are more "down to earth." Serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy. These are gifts you recognize in your Unit right now. The Pathfinder who always fixes up other people's tents has the gift of serving. The one who lifts the tired group on a hike has the gift of encouragement. The one who cares for the friend who got hurt has the gift of mercy.
In Ephesians 4:11 there is a third list, tied to church leadership: "Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers" (NIV). The text goes on to explain the reason: to equip Christians for service and to build up the church. In other words, the leader does not exist to shine, but to equip others.
Put the three lists together and you notice something: the gifts vary in purpose. God did not make a church of clones. He made a team. And in a good team, no one plays every position. If you want to understand better how to talk to God about this, it's worth looking at the step by step in how to pray.
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The strongest image the Bible uses for the gifts is that of the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul says: "just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body" (NIV). The body has an eye, a hand, a foot, an ear. Each part is different, and that is precisely why the body works.
Then comes the part that speaks directly to whoever feels useless. Paul imagines a foot complaining: "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body." And he answers: "it would not for that reason stop being part of the body" (v.15-16, NIV). Translating for the Club: if you don't sing like so-and-so or lead like someone else, that doesn't take you off the team. You have another function, and it is missed.
Paul goes further. He says that "those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (v.22, NIV). Think of the heart or the liver: no one applauds, no one sees them, but if they stop, the body dies. In the Club there are many "internal organs": the Pathfinder who prays for others, the one who organizes the materials, the one who stays beside the shy classmate. No one films them, but without them the Unit gets sick.
And there is mutual care: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (v.26, NIV). In a healthy body, no one competes. When someone else's gift shines, you celebrate, because it is the same body winning. Comparison and envy are diseases of the body. Someone else's gift is never a threat to yours.
The gift of prophecy in the Adventist view
You may have noticed that prophecy appears in all three lists of gifts. For Seventh-day Adventists, this gift has a special place, and it's worth explaining that clearly and respectfully, whether you are Adventist or not.
The starting point is the Bible. Revelation 12:17 speaks of a faithful people at the end of time, those who "keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus" (NIV). And Revelation 19:10 ties that testimony to prophecy: "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (NIV). Adventists understand that the gift of prophecy remains active in the church, as a sign of that people.
The 18th Adventist fundamental belief, called "The Gift of Prophecy," teaches that this gift was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White, accepted as a messenger of God. Important: Adventists do not place her writings above the Bible. The Bible is the standard. The writings are seen as guidance that always points back to the Scriptures, and never replaces them.
If you are from another church and think differently about this, that's fine. The Club welcomes you. What every Christian agrees on is the essential: the gift of prophecy, in any era, exists to build up the church and call people back to God, not to predict the future out of curiosity. Every gift, including this one, is proven by the fruit it produces and by faithfulness to the Word.
How to discover your gift: three questions
No one wakes up one day with a note: "your gift is teaching." Discovery happens in practice, by serving. But there is a path that helps, and it fits into three simple questions. Write them down and answer honestly.
1. What do I enjoy doing? God usually places joy in what He has called you to do. Pay attention: what gives you energy instead of draining you? Are you happy explaining things to the younger ones? Organizing the campout? Staying beside someone who is sad? Enjoyment is not final proof, but it is a strong clue.
2. What do others use me for? Notice where people naturally call you. If every time the group needs to cheer someone up they call you, that says something. If they always ask you to explain the lesson, or to handle the mess, or to comfort whoever cried, the body is already showing your function. The gift shows up when it is used, not when it is kept away.
3. What does the church confirm? This is the filter that prevents self-deception. Talk to your Counselor, the Director, a leader who knows you. Ask frankly: "where do you see me serving well?" When several mature people point in the same direction, that's a sign. A true gift builds up others, and it is others who feel it first. If you think you have the gift of teaching but no one learns anything, maybe the gift is a different one.
How to use your gift in the Club and the church
Discovering the gift is half the journey. The other half is using it. A gift kept away rusts. And the Club is the best laboratory there is: a safe place for you to make mistakes, learn, and grow by truly serving.
Start small and concrete. Do you have the gift of teaching? Ask your Counselor to help a classmate with a Honor you already master. Do you have the gift of serving? Take charge of organizing the Unit's materials. Do you have the gift of encouragement? Be the Pathfinder who pulls the group up on the tough hike. Do you have the gift of mercy? Keep an eye on whoever is always alone and get close.
Take it outside the Club too. The church has a hundred spots waiting: greeting, music, sound, children's class, visiting the elderly. And service to the community is a huge field for any gift, as you'll see in community service projects. Leadership, organization, care, teaching: it all fits there.
One last important warning. Don't wait to feel 100% ready to start. The gift grows with use, like a muscle. You will stumble, and that's okay. Talk to your leader, ask for a place to serve, and start this week. As 1 Peter 4:10 says, the gift was given "to serve others." It only fulfills that purpose when it leaves your hand and reaches someone's life.