Three Great Relationships – Part 6 [Listen]

July 8, 2007 / Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 21-22

Today I’d like to talk about one of the ways every believer should engage and commit to the local church. While my point today is not to launch a thorough discussion of spiritual gifts, this is a very important topic that we need to bring forward.

I’d like to use four passages that will give us the needed information to get started:

Romans 12:3-8 – For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Observations:

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought (vs 3) – Spiritual gifts are powerful. When people align themselves with God’s vision and use the gifts God has given them, things happen (God is glorified, people are changed, the Kingdom is furthered, etc) If we aren’t careful, pride can easily take hold. This is a big problem in the church today – example

…each member belongs to all the others. (vs 5) – We were meant to be dependent on each other. God has designed this organism to connect as many skills, talents, & gifts to the cause as there are people here, committed to the Kingdom.

We have different gifts (vs 6) – The gifts we have are different and are meant to be used. There is always the challenge here that those in control of programs and areas of ministry will not appreciate the gifts that are not like theirs.

1 Peter 4:10-11 - ^Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ…

Observations:

Each one (vs 10) – Everyone who has been “born again”; everyone who embraces Jesus as their only hope for all of life has at least one spiritual gift to be used for the sake of the church.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 21-22 - ^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.

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…

Observations:

We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body (vs 13) – All have a the same purpose here. Everyone, no matter what your gift, should share in understanding the purpose of this group as a beautiful thing. I’m not sure this is always the case in churches. It is vital that our vision for what this organism should be and do is correct. If the vision is correct, all those who follow Christ will be energized here. If it is wrong we will function like someone who has lost an arm or a leg.

…those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable (vs 22) – God always works this way. Those whom we tend to see as secondary, God sees as primary. Everyone is important here.

Conclusion

Thinking of your gift as a god-given avenue of self expression is wrong. A spiritual gift is a God endowed blessing that is to be used for the building-up of the Fellowship such that the work of Jesus lives here and now, through us.

If these gifts are not actualized within the framework of love, they are worth nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – 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.