Calvary Baptist Church

Imagine that you are cleaning your house when, under a couch cushion, you find one piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

What would you do with it? What would it be worth?  You would have to try to visualize the completed puzzle.  Would you be able to use one small piece? You might think about how frustrating it is to have one piece missing from a puzzle.  You certainly recognize that this piece serves little purpose apart from the rest of the puzzle.

The application to spiritual gifts is obvious.  You are a piece of the puzzle.  You have spiritual gifts that make you unique. 

Many believers do not understand the subject of spiritual gifts.  They have trouble understanding their role.

It is impossible to understand ourselves without deeply appreciating the rest of the body of Christ.  God has designed each of us to be interconnected with each other. We each have a unique role in the kingdom, but we cannot define ourselves independently of each other. We are not the whole; we are part of the whole.

This blog helps us understand how the Holy Spirit has gifted us to serve God.  Through Him you are effective.  "The Spirit of God who was hovering over the face of the waters at the dawn of creation is the same Spirit who, according to Scripture, operates in the Church, giving to each Christian the 'Manifestation of the Spirit for the common good'." (Snyder)

Do you know how you fit?  The church is filled with people who dream of making a difference for Christ through their consistent, concerted efforts to minister to the fullest. However, it is also filled with people who find ministry to be difficult, unfulfilling, and unenjoyable.

Take a moment and check the statements below that apply to you.  (Source: “What You Do Best in the Body of Christ: Discover Your Spiritual Gifts ...”)

____I can accomplish more than I am presently achieving.

____I sense that God wants to use me in a meaningful way, but I am not sure how.

____My frustration and confusion about not knowing just what to do makes me less confident and competent.

____I desire to be more fruitful and fulfilled, making a difference with my life.

____I feel there must be something wrong with me because I still have not been able to figure out what I should be doing.

____I wish I knew God’s will for my life.

____I am often asked to do things I am not interested in doing.

THE SPIRIT HAS A PLAN FOR YOU?  HE HAS GIVEN YOU GIFTS

^{1 Corinthians 12:4} There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.^[1]

God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift, equipping him or her to minister to the needs of others.  Every part of the Trinity participates in this work:

• The Holy Spirit gives the gifts.
• The Son places you in the ministry   
• The Father gives the results.

The gifts are spiritual by origin. They originate with the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament speaks of the Holy Spirit empowering specific people for specific tasks at specific times (for example, Bezalel in Ex. 31:1-5 and King Saul in 1 Sam. 19:23). But at Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit came upon all believers to indwell them permanently and to equip them continually to dispense God’s grace on earth.

Spiritual Gifts Give Two Guarantees:

• Knowing that each of us has at least one gift assures us that the Church needs us. It will not be all it could be without what we have to offer.

No believer is without at least one spiritual gift. Peter made it clear that all have at least one (1 Pet. 4:10). Every believer is either single or married, and both states are said to be spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 7:7). Possibly many believers also have the gift of helps or serving.

 

• Knowing that no one has all the gifts makes certain that we need the Church. We need what others must give. God has designed the body of Christ (the Church) in such a way as to guarantee interdependence.

 

No believer has all the gifts. If they did, then the metaphor in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 would be meaningless. If any believer possessed all the gifts, then he or she would have no need for other believers. He would be the hand, foot, eye, and ear—the whole body—which is impossible. Believers need other believers simply because no believer possesses all the gifts.

 

Every church has all the resources it needs to do God’s perfect will in that place currently.  A church can discover the will of God by discovering what they have at any place in this process.

 

“A church is only as strong as its members, and the more each person takes ownership in the ministry of the church, the stronger it becomes.”[2]

God wants you to understand and use your gifts. Paul said, "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant" (1 Co 12:1).

This being so, it is our responsibility to discover and develop our gifts.  None of us is excused. God says we are to know what our gifts are and to put them to use. Every believer is a minister, and therefore has a ministry.

The church should run on the basis of the spiritual gifts rather than on talents. Failure to do so is to tie one arm to your side.

George Barna has done extensive research on spiritual gifts.  Among the findings:

• Nearly half of practicing Christians (47%) are not yet even aware of their own gifts. Christians today are ready for more—more comprehension of and competence with their gifts, more opportunities to use them to glorify God and serve others.
• One in three U.S. adults (34%) and two in five practicing Christians (39%) say they have gifts, skills, or abilities they “definitely” want to develop.

THE RESULTS OF EFFECTIVELY USING THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

^{Ephesians 4:11} So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ^[3]

• Until we all attain the unity of the faith. That includes every member.
• Until we all attain the knowledge of the Son of God. This refers to                                       intimate, experiential heart knowledge.
• Until we all become a mature man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  We are to grow until we come into a full-grown man.  Thus, it refers to the full, mature, robust strength of adulthood.
• Until all are mature, having grown into Christlike maturity.
• Until all are stable-not tossed about. Refers to having been twisted by every charlatan.
• Until the church grows.

SEVEN BENEFITS TO THE BODY OF KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT

• Enhanced Teamwork.  God has designed the body to work as a team.   
• New Enthusiasm.  Knowing our role within the Body of Christ produces new energy for ministry and rekindles hope in the church.
• More Involvement.  The goal is not education or knowing who you are; the goal is effective service.
• Greater ministry ownership.  When you grasp that God has designed you for ministry, and that serving the Body is not optional, then you take more responsibility for areas of need within the church. You feel a sense of ownership and support for how church members serve one another.
• Fewer Conflicts.  As people personally make a Kingdom contribution, they have less time to criticize and complain. They better understand the challenges and difficulties of ministering to others and find themselves focused more on overcoming problems, rather than just talking about them.
• Greater Love.  It is by the nature and quality of our love that the world will know that we are Christ followers. Galatians 5:13 reminds us to “serve one another in love.”