TomNicholas.org

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I’m Tom Nicholas — a pastor, teacher, and community builder living in Billings, Montana. My life and ministry flow from one heartbeat: to see the Church alive — Spirit-filled, rooted in Scripture, and moving with Jesus into the world. I serve as a pastor, chaplain, and mentor, helping people grow in faith, leadership, and everyday discipleship. Whether around a campfire, in a coffee shop, or through digital spaces, I believe the gospel belongs where life happens — in the field, among the people, and around the table. Through The Church Alive, I write about biblical leadership, spiritual formation, and building vibrant, missional communities that reflect the love and courage of Christ.

🌿 3. Discovering the Gifts Within: How the Spirit Shapes the Church

Prelude Story: The Church That Remembered Its Hands

A small church had been praying for revival for years. They prayed for new families, for musicians, for young people to return. But most Sabbaths looked the same.

One afternoon at prayer meeting, an older member said softly, “Maybe the people we’re praying for are already here—but we’ve just been sitting on our hands.”

The room went quiet. Then ideas began to surface. The retired mechanic offered to help a single mom get her car running again. A young mom volunteered to start a prayer text chain. A high school student who loved photography said, “I can help with flyers and social media.”

By the next Sabbath, nothing looked different from the outside, but everything felt different on the inside. People realized: revival doesn’t begin when new people come; it begins when God’s people move. They stopped waiting for someone else to start and discovered the Spirit had already placed gifts in every seat of the sanctuary.

The Priesthood of Every Believer

When Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19–20), He wasn’t speaking to a board or a committee—He was speaking to ordinary believers. The Great Commission was never meant to rest on the shoulders of a few but to flow through the hands of the many. It’s not optional; it’s the natural outflow of love for the Savior.

Peter calls us “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), and with that name comes a calling: every follower of Christ represents God to others, standing in the gap with prayer, service, and compassion. The Spirit doesn’t divide believers into spectators and specialists. He fills each one with the ability to serve, teach, comfort, or witness in ways that reflect the heart of Jesus.

When we begin to see ourselves this way—not as members of an organization but as priests in a living temple—the mission of the church shifts from something we attend to something we embody.

Maturity Means Movement

Maturity in Christ isn’t about how much we know but how much we obey. A mature Christian doesn’t say, “The church should do something.” A mature Christian says, “The Spirit has equipped me to do something.”

Paul reminds us, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). If the Spirit has filled you, then you are part of God’s plan for someone’s healing, encouragement, or salvation. The church is not healthy when only a few parts are working. When every member moves in their gifting, the body of Christ becomes whole, radiant, and unstoppable.

A Practical Step for This Week

This week, discover how the Holy Spirit has shaped you for ministry.

• Spiritual Gifts Inventory (Excel) — prayerfully assess where the Spirit is already moving in your life.
• Understanding Your Spiritual Gifts: Companion Guide (PDF) — see what each gift looks like in Scripture, how gifts cluster, and practical ways to serve.

After you’ve worked through them, pray:
“Lord Jesus, show me where my hands, my heart, and my voice are needed in Your body today.”

Reflect and Respond

  1. What are your top three gifts?
  2. How might God use them in your home, workplace, or church this month?
  3. Who around you needs your encouragement to discover their gifts too?

Every movement of the Spirit begins with someone who says yes.

Spiritual Gift Assessment

Click on this link to take the Inventory Test

Understanding your Gifts

Click on this link to read about your Spiritual Gifts and to learn how others use those same gifts (When you access this google spreadsheet, please make a copy and make changes only to your copy, so my master copy doesn’t get impacted.)

Share Your Results (so we can equip you well)

Please share your Spiritual Gifts and where you’d like to serve so we can follow up with training and next steps.

Submit your top gifts and interest areas here: 

Privacy note to include:
“We’ll use this information only to help match you with training and ministry opportunities in our district. If you are not in my pastoral district, you may share your results with your church leadership team or reach out to me and I will help disciple those gifts in you.”

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,
Tom Nicholas, Pastor
We are a Holy Spirit-Filled Church Family whose members engage deeply, serve faithfully, and reach their community for Christ.

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