What are Gifts, Talents, and Abilities?

Everyone has received a Gift, Talent, or Ability, given to them by God to glorify his name, and edify one another (1 Peter 4:10). Whether you have a talent that’s musical, creative, or intellectual- students are encouraged to let their light shine!

In CCN, students are encouraged to use their gifts on the college campus to identify themselves as Christians and witness to their faith. Examples range from exemplifying personal behavior reflecting the love of God and His principles to supporting fellow brothers and sisters facing difficulties to supporting/defending God’s standards to sharing the gospel with fellow peers! Sounds scary, right? But it’s not! Listen to this Testimony of a current college student:

“It was so awesome performing in the Quad! A lot of students that knew us stopped and watched the performance, they stayed to hear the gospel! Professors stopped and thanked us for our courage and other Christians wanted to learn more about performing and sharing the Gospel. The event went great!” Student from City College of New York.

As Christians, we are reminded of the importance of remembering the gifts God has given us, “Do not neglect the gift you have,” declares Paul in 1 Timothy 4:14. Most Christians reserve their talents for church or private use, but CCN encourages students to invest their individual talents in ministering through the arts to others around them. Just as the parable in Matthew 25 refers to a master leaving his servants with a specific portion of talent, we believe that God has given every Christian a talent that can be invested for good. Sure, evangelism to fellow peers may seem difficult but CCN equips students with the training, outlet, and support needed to develop a talent that will be used for the furtherance of the Gospel. So what are you waiting for? Now more than ever, students are becoming more receptive to the visual arts, and in doing so, Christians have an outlet to capture the attention of the lost. So be courageous and don’t bury your talents!