Friday July 10, 2015

Read: Romans 8:6-8

We have been talking the last few days about the spiritual gifts that God gives us for the sake of the church. Each and every believer in Christ receives a spiritual gift or gifts for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). Each believer receives different gifts so that we might serve the body, build one another up and learn to rely on one another. Now that Paul has established our gifting for the sake of the body he turns his attention to how we should use our gifts.

Paul lists out seven gifts and describes the way each one should be used. Some of the descriptions seem a little superfluous at first glance. For example if the person’s gift is teaching, let him teach, or if the person’s gift is encouraging, let him encourage. But Paul’s point here is not superfluous. He is encouraging and exhorting the believers to use their gifts abundantly, faithfully and with commitment in serving the local church. We see this intention coming through in some of the later exhortations. The one who is gifted to contribute to the needs of others is to give generously. The one who is gifted in leadership is to govern diligently. The one who is gifted in showing mercy is to do so cheerfully.

In each of these exhortations we see that Paul’s intention is that believers should use their gifts faithfully and generously. They are to serve others in the church with commitment and passion. Whatever they do they are to do it diligently and generously.

It is striking that not all of the gifts that Paul lists are big, up-front gifts. Prophesy, teaching and leadership may involve some kind of visible, up front service in the church but the other gifts that Paul lists, serving, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others and mercy are all seemingly simple gifts that can be exercised quietly in the background. Just because we don’t think we have a big, showy, up-front type gift doesn’t mean we can’t serve the church through our gifts. Instead Paul exhorts us to be faithful and diligent in the way that we exercise these subtler gifts.

It doesn’t matter whether our role is a visible, up-front role in the church or a background role in serving, encouraging and giving. We are to be using our gifts to serve others and to grow the church.

This should cause all of us, no matter what our area of gifting, to examine the way that we use our gifts in the church. Are we committed to using our gifts to serve others? Are we using our gifts with devotion and generosity? Let us seek out opportunities to use our gifts, to build others up and to serve them. Let us be bold in taking advantage of those opportunities in a way that is generous with our gifting, our time and our effort. Let’s all do our part in growing the church, building up God’s people and preaching the gospel to all peoples and all nations. We all have a vital part to play.

Prayer:

Using today’s passage and the reading notes spend time in prayer.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that our youth would be growing and maturing in the Word, in their walk with the Lord and in their willingness to use their gifts to bless the body of Christ. Pray that the youth would be able to shine the light of Jesus to their peers and that we would see the youth group grow 30, 60 even 100 fold.

· Pray that every Sonday’s service would be a great challenge and encouragement to each of us and that we would see non believers challenged to the point where they joyously bend the knee and confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think that many Christians are more interested in the up-front spiritual gifts than the background service gifts?

2. Think about your own gifts that you listed earlier in the week. What would it look like to use these gifts generously?