By Guest Author: Mark Virkler

Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams

You ask: “Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don’t have the gifts necessary to do something great?” The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, “Yes, Lord” to the destiny He has prepared for them!

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Only one gift list in the New Testament attaches a promised result!

It is truly interesting to me that of all the various lists of gifts given in the New Testament, only one of them includes a promise concerning what will happen if you utilize the gifts in the list. That list is found in Ephesians 4:7-11, and the promise is that we can come to maturity (Eph. 4:13) by honoring the counsel and input from a multi-gifted team of people with five different heart motivations.

By making sure you have input from people who demonstrate the heart motivations that underlie the five-fold team, you make better decisions, and you succeed more often!

The five heart motivations (voices) we must hear from to become mature are:

1. Prophet – The voice of divine creativity;
2. Pastor – The voice of unending love for people;
3. Teacher – The voice which passionately seeks out truth;
4. Evangelists – The voice which insists we must share the good news;
5. Apostle – The voice which ensures that all of the above voices are heard, honored, and flowing together in unison.

These five perspectives come from the hearts of the prophet, the pastor, the teacher, the evangelist, and the apostle. To learn more about these gifts and how they express themselves in a variety of situations, we recommend that you also study our book Gifted to Succeed.

Maximize Your Success by Honoring the Gifts of Those Around You!

You will become much more successful by learning to surround yourself with five-fold teams. When you draw out the input from everyone on your team, you receive a variety of perspectives and a much better overall revelation of how to move forward effectively in whatever area you are pursuing. The Greek word in Ephesians 4:13 for “mature” (teleios) also is translated as complete and perfect. Yes, that is our goal! 

You can apply this five-fold team concept to each of the following situations:

• Projects you are working on
• Challenges you are facing
• Business decisions
• Family decisions
• Personal decisions

The lies to overcome

• I don’t have anyone to share with.
• I don’t have a five-fold team.
• I can’t succeed because of my limitations.
• I can’t win because evil is so strong and so present.

The truths I choose to walk in are:

• I can do all things through God who strengthens me.
• If God has given me a promise, He has also given me a way.
• God has said a three-fold cord is not easily broken (Eccl. 4:12).
• I will discover my unique giftedness, and I will walk in it.
• I will team up with others who have complementary unique gifts.
• Together we will succeed. Have victory – possess the land God has told me to possess.

Prayer: Lord, we will not quit until we have won the battles and obtained the victory You have destined for us!

Commitment: I will function as part of a uniquely gifted five-fold team, and together we will succeed.

Over the years in my life, God has sent people to be part of my teams who are way outside my small boxes. Expect great things. Expect to be stretched. Expect that those who live in tight little boxes may not be able to follow the path of the Spirit and always embrace all that you are doing and receiving from God. That was true in Jesus’ life. It will be true in ours also.

Resources

• Join us for the free worldwide video event in September 2026: Register here!
• Individual books: How to Build a Winning Team and Gifted to Succeed by Mark and Patti Virkler and the training experience, Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams.