Tuesday February 10, 2015

Weekly Challenge

Seek to discover your spiritual gift this week. Start by praying and fasting, asking God to reveal to you your spiritual gift.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

 Unity and diversity are the hall marks of the Church. God has so built His church that each individual is unique, in deed, uniquely different from others. But in all this unique diversity all believers are united in and through Christ Jesus. Individuality does not trump unity and unity does not trump individuality.

It’s the same with Spiritual gifts - a truth that can be seen clearly in the Godhead. Even though the members of the Godhead are different and have different functions, they are completely united and one. The diversity and unity of spiritual gifts is emphasized three times as each member of the Godhead is mentioned throughout these verses.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. The same Holy Spirit gives me my gift and gives you your gift. We may have different gifts and different roles in the church but we share the same Holy Spirit. Your gift is no better /worse, important/ less important than mine and vice versa. Our gifts are complementary not competitive!

There are different kinds of service but the same Lord Jesus is over them all. I can serve the church by preaching and teaching the Word. You can serve in a different way. But it’s the same Jesus Christ that we serve as Lord. My service is no better or worse than yours and vice versa. My service is no less or more important than yours because we serve the same Lord Jesus Christ.

There are different kinds of working but it’s the one God who works all of them in all of us. God has created good works in advance (Eph 2:10) for me to do and creates different works for you to do. Each believer is given work to do by the Lord God Almighty and his/her gifts line up with the work that he/she’s been given to do. But even though we have different roles or functions or work to do, it’s still the one God who works them in each of us.

I dream of a church - your church and my church - where roles are filled on the basis of gifts and abilities. I dream of church where the proverbial 30/70 rule no longer applies. I dream of a church where 30% no longer do the majority of the work while the majority (70%) sit and consume once a week at the “worship” service. I dream of a church where God’s work is spread out according to God’s calling and giftings. I dream of a church where everyone is on board with the church mission and vision. I dream of a church that brings glory to God and honour to Christ by its team work, its unity and its love for each other.

And thus if we share the one God – Father, Spirit and Son – then we are all on equal ground and we stand equal before God. That means I have no reason to boast over you. It means I have no reason to be jealous of you or to want what God has given you. Like a well-oiled machine or a living organism each one of us has a vital role to play in Christ’s body, the church. Each of us has a purpose and needs to contribute to the overall workings of the church.

Prayer:

Use the day’s reading notes and Bible passage to pray meaningfully:

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that God would be showing each and every person in your congregation their spiritual gifts so that the church can more fully function as the body of Christ and reach more people for the sake of the Kingdom.

· Pray that the Lord would raise up a situation in your church where the 30/70 rule is obliterated by love as people grow in love for God and a desire to serve Him and then to serve others.

 Discussion & Reflection

1. Why do you think Paul emphasizes the oneness of God in vv4-6?

2. Is it ok to desire a certain spiritual gift? Explain your answer.

3. What role do cell groups play in finding and deploying spiritual gifts?