A lot of the following information was adapted from G.I.F.T.E.D to Serve Curriculum that Kelli Wommack and I co-wrote when I was stationed at Fort Benning. I recently delivered this info via a sermon at Paseo, so buckle up for Part 3 of 3! (Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you are just joining our little Jesus party.
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The next step to encourage our spiritual gifts within the church for God’s glory is to ENGAGE. Friends, hear me when I say: There is no one else who can do what God has called you to do like you do it. That’s why He called YOU!!
Before we get too far into this, there are a couple of things to note. In the book “Experiencing God,” Henry and Richard Blackaby share that spiritual gifts are not things in and of themselves, but an expression of God working through us. The exercise of a spiritual gift is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
They also state that God’s assignment to us comes first, and gifting follows. So engaging our gifts is not just about putting gifts to use; it’s also about getting involved in what God has called us to do and trusting that He will equip us.
There are several truths about engaging our gifts in within the church under the guidance and direction of the holy spirit.
*You are necessary to the Body of Christ. How many of you have ever felt if it didn’t matter if you were serving or not? How many of you ever felt unnecessary in any area of your life? I want to tell you that if you are in this Body of Christ, it is because God has a purpose for you here.
“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12: 14 – 16
*You are a unique part of the Body of Christ.
Look around the room… Do you see anyone that is 100% identical to you? Isn’t God awesome?! He loves us so much that He created us individually. We are God’s masterpiece.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:10
Those good works are what we do for Him in the Body of Christ. And so we must understand how the Body of Christ functions…
*The Body of Christ is interdependent.
“If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” ~1 Corinthians 12: 17 – 26
Consider the days when you just feel physically GREAT. All the pieces and parts are functioning correctly. No thorn in your foot #ElPasoProbs. Your mind is sharp, your body feels strong, your heart is calm. You feel like you can conquer the world. The same goes for how we can function as a body of Christ when all of us are working together at maximum capacity.
*The Body of Christ has diversity and unity.
While we are all gifted differently, we are united by the same Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ.
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…” ~1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 13
Think about how this comes to life in the body of Christ. If we were all musicians, we wouldn’t have the teaching team. And goodness, who would take care of the kids while we worship and learn together? We, as the body of Christ are very interdependent on one another.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” ~1 Corinthians 12:27
All gifts and believers are needed within the body of Christ. It’s no accident that you are here today. You might be an eye, an ear, an elbow or a big toe—but as much as you might try to convince yourself, nobody is an appendix! You are not disposable! When we serve where we are called, the blessings pour out, not only on those we are serving and others around us, but ourselves!
Final thought about engaging our gifts: Our spiritual gifts are not to be used without having love as a motive.
Any other motive is selfish, and your gift is no longer being used in the power of the Holy Spirit. LOVE is imperative. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians again. Verse one in both chapter 12 and 14 start out talking about spiritual gifts… And what does Paul sandwich in between the two “gift” chapters of 12 and 14? That’s right. The LOVE chapter…
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” -1 Corinthians 13:1-3
I always say that as desperate as we are for volunteers if you come to church and serve without love, go home. Sure, it may sound harsh, but if your primary motive isn’t love from Him, for Him and for others, we don’t want you to be here.
Love empowered and engaged through the Holy Spirit is the KEY to unity. It should be our primary motivation as we seek to engage our gifts by the power of the Holy Spirit within our church.
“…Put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” ~Colossians 3:14
As we grow and mature, we come to appreciate some of those more awkward gifts… Especially socks! (I now ask for them…) The same goes for our spiritual gifts—the more we are enlightened about how we are gifted, encourage them to grow and finally engage with our gifts in the body of Christ, we mature and get drawn deeper and deeper into relationship with Christ.
Spiritual Gifts are just ONE part of how God has created you to serve and function within the body of Christ. In all actuality, we believe there are SEVERAL parts in how God has gifted you to served… Specifically through Gifts of the Spirit, Inborn Abilities, Focus, Temperament, Experiences of impact and Designed by God (See the G.I.F.T.E.D acronym in there? Cool, huh?)
Bottom line: If you have or operate in any of these gifts, be sure to stay in line with God’s Word and in tune with Him! It is so important to understand the heart of God when you use any of these gifts. Remember ALL spiritual gifts are meant to edify and strengthen the body of Christ…
The church can accomplish so much on its own, and we can accomplish a lot by just operating without our own giftedness. But when we put those two things together? Watch out, world! These Jesus people are going to work! We would have a waiting list for nursery/Sunday school volunteers. I would have so many volunteers for Breakfast Crew it would be like Iron Chef back there! People already see, hear and know the great things that Paseo is doing for God’s glory. In the words of Mercy Me, I can only imagine how our body could multiply our influence within God’s kingdom!
Here’s your challenge: Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to you by means of your giftedness. Don’t be shy: Be like a little kid and declare your desire for His good gifts, no matter what they might look like. Look around and talk to different individuals who are already serving as a figurative eye or ear or elbow within the church. Ask God what part of the body you are called to be—we need you!
My prayer for each of you is that of enlightenment, encouragement and engagement, similar to Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” ~Ephesians 1:17-19
