Start Using Your Gifts
Hello, my friends, I hope you have all been well. Let me start by saying that if any of you read this or listen to this (or any of my teachings) and you ever want to talk about it, please know that I’m here for you and I would love to hear from you. Also, if this blesses you or encourages you, please share it, leave a comment or review, subscribe, follow, etc.
Today we will discuss the gifts
that God gives us to work for His Kingdom and bless the world. We will see in the Bible that God gives
everyone such gifts. We will also see,
and this is the dominant point I want to convey, that regardless of what your
gift is, you need to be using it. I
believe there are probably millions and millions of Christians out there who
aren’t using their gifts, and all of us are greatly missing out as a
result. So let me encourage you
today. Let me encourage you that regardless
of what you think, and regardless of what may have happened in your life, you
still have gifts from God that He wants you to use, you are still called by
God, and you can still be a tremendous blessing to people for the rest of your
life. For the gifts and callings of God
are irrevocable, that’s what Romans 11:29 tells us, and we all need to be out
there using our gifts and pursuing our calling.
A few months ago I felt the Lord
give me a clear direction to start a new fellowship group with some
friends. And I don’t mean like a Bible
study, but rather a group where we would come together, worship, pray, and have
faith to see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our midst. We would also teach people about the Holy
Spirit, His Baptism and His gifts, and help others step into these blessings. Slowly but surely, we are moving into this
work. I’m very excited, and if you want
to know more please let me know.
Because of this endeavor, I’m again
studying the Spiritual Gifts and related subjects. If you would like a comprehensive but
relatively short overview on all these subjects, please consider my book
“Understanding and Living with the Holy Spirit.” It’s on Amazon and I always have free copies
in my car if you happen to see me around.
I believe you could study any
subject in the Bible thousands of times and get new revelation and
understanding. I don’t mean studying
like a school subject, but when you study God’s Word to draw closer to Him and
understand His will for your life. When
you study like that, God is always there to speak to you, to open your
understanding, and to teach you things you’ve never heard before.
The other day I was reading Romans 12 and I just could not get past the first few verses. I read the verses over and over and over, feeling no release to move on. Then, praise God, it hit me. And I freely admit, what I’m about to share may have occurred to you a long time ago, but it had never occurred to me before. Romans 12 will be the jumping off point for our study today. Listen to me read it here, listen to how I read right into the verses after verse 2, and how that might change our understanding of the passage, rather than stopping at verse 2, as we so often do.
(Romans 12:1-6 NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them . . .
Like me, you’ve probably read that
passage 1,000 times. Previously, whenever
I read the first two verses about becoming a living sacrifice and renewing my
mind, I always focused on the negative side.
I must become a living sacrifice and renew my mind to stop sinning and consuming
ungodly information. Now, while those
things are true, and I certainly believe that is part of the point, I believe
God is actually focused on something else entirely.
God is not telling us to become a
living sacrifice and renovate our minds simply to eliminate sin and wrong
thinking, rather, God is telling us to become a living sacrifice and renovate
our minds so that we will correctly begin using our gifts.
Look at the focus here. What will a sacrificial lifestyle
produce? What will a renovated mind
produce? They will produce a Christian
who recognizes his or her place in the Body of Christ and begins using his or
her gifts to bless the rest of us.
We are the members of the Body of Christ, which is a mind-blowing statement. We are also members of one another, which is another mind-blowing statement. And we must recognize that God has called us to function in this body. You are called to be a living sacrifice with a renovated mind so you can take your place in this body and assume your function. Everything in your physical body has a function (even the appendix, I looked it up). In the same way, every one of us, every member in the Body of Christ has a function. My brothers and sisters, whatever your function may be, I need it, we all do. And whatever my function may be, you need it, whether you believe that or not. My friends, the simple truth is we need each other, probably more than we ever understood.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NKJV) For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
(1 Corinthians 12:27 NKJV) Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
(1 Corinthians 12:18 NKJV) But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
When we
became Christians, the Spirit of God brought us into the Body of Christ and
made all of us to share in the Spirit of God.
You don’t experience this physically, you experience it spiritually. Our spirits are joined together with the
Spirit of God and every other Christian Spirit.
Together, our combined spirits make up both the Body of Christ and the
Church. While we are, in fact, all
brought together in Christ, we do retain our individuality. Not only do we retain our individual
identities and personalities, we also have a unique place in the body according
to God’s perfect will.
Maybe you feel like you have nothing to offer. Maybe you feel like God could never use you. Maybe you feel like you have no place in the body. Praise God, those thoughts are totally wrong. In fact, you have a specific, unique position in the global Body of Christ, and God has given you abilities to function in a unique way. And before we move on let me add that there will never be another one of you. You are one of one. If you don’t function in the body as you should, there will be no transplant. There will be no removal. We will all miss out without you functioning correctly. And I’m not saying that to condemn or scare you, but I want you to know how important you are.
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all[.]
(1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV) But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
(Ephesians 4:7 NKJV) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
(1 Peter 4:10 NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The Spirit of God, when it brought
you into the Body of Christ, also gave you supernatural abilities. Maybe you’ve never used them or felt them,
and maybe you have no idea what they are.
But they’re in there. In the same
way that God has supernaturally placed you in your perfect position in the Body
of Christ, God has also assigned you specific gifts and abilities. When these gifts and abilities are displayed
to the world, they are, in fact, a manifestation of God. God wants the world to see Him through
you. I repeat, God wants the world to
see Him through you!
This is how it works. You accept Jesus. God brings you in. God gives you a place. God gives you gifts. You begin using those gifts, and God shows
Himself to the world through you. Other
people then receive Him through your witness and ministry, and the Body of
Christ grows and grows.
You want to make an impact for
God? You want to bless your fellow
Christians? You want to show God’s love
to the world? Then you need to start
using your gifts because that’s how God wants to show Himself to the world
through you. Yes, we are all called to
witness for Jesus and share the Gospel with others, and maybe that looks
similar. But beyond that, we all have
individual ways of serving the Kingdom and showing God to the world. Remember, “the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to each one for the profit of all.”
Furthermore, these gifts are all an
act of God’s grace. Your gifts are a
gift of God’s grace to you, and your gifts are a gift of God’s grace to the
rest of us. Regardless of what your
gifts are, we need you. I need you. And if you don’t start using your gifts, then
you are not being a good steward of God’s grace in your life.
Consider again Ephesians 2:10. I don’t want to digress but remember that you
are created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that
you should walk in. You, your position
in the Body of Christ, your gifts and abilities, and the works God has given
you to do are all a perfect match made in Heaven. If you ever doubt that God has a plan for
your life, I hope this teaching destroys those doubts for you. You have a calling, a place, gifts, and good
works all given to you and created out of God’s infinite wisdom and love for
you.
So let’s quickly review a few of the Bible’s lists of gifts, callings and abilities that God gives us. I’m not going to address these blessings individually. But let’s do notice the differences in these lists. The Bible does not give us one comprehensive list of every gift, calling, or ability that God might bestow on a member of the Body of Christ. Maybe the collection of these lists is that comprehensive lists, or maybe there are some others out there that God is giving His people. I’m not prepared to say. I am prepared to say that these lists are awesome, and I am prepared to say that I do believe every single Christian has at least one of the gifts I’m about to read here, and probably more than one.
(Romans 12:6-8 NKJV) Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
(Ephesians 4:11 NKJV) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
Those are some amazing lists, and as we consider spiritual gifts, callings, abilities, etc., I do think it’s important to keep in mind all of those lists (and any others that I may have missed here). I know that different scholars and teachers describe and group them in different ways. I know that some are official church offices and some can be used in any area of daily life. We don’t need to get technical today. My point is that we have a lot of options, and you have a lot of potential gifts and assignments. You, my brother or sister, have one or more of the gifts, callings or abilities that I just read. God wants you to use it, and your using it will be a tremendous blessing to your life, to the Body of Christ and to the world at large.
(1 Corinthians 12:21 NKJV) And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
I do understand that there are hole
swaths of Christianity that have disregarded several of the gifts. Whole denominations don’t believe in
miracles, prophecy, tongues, or the interpretation of tongues. Whole denominations don’t believe there are
apostles anymore, or that God still heals people today. In fact, a huge portion of the Body of Christ
has said to countless members of the body, we have no need of you. And that’s wrong.
Honestly, I don’t believe it’s just
wrong, I believe it’s heartbreaking to God.
God wants to show His love and grace to the world in all these different
ways, and many members of His body have said, “No, thanks.” They say, “that’s too weird, that’s too hard,
that’s too problematic, that will interfere with getting people saved. We don’t need those gifts God. We don’t need that manifestation of you, God.”
What a shame! What a tragedy! I don’t know who died and made those people
God, or how they claim to know better than God what is or is not a
manifestation of God to the world, but they are wrong, and that’s all there is
to it. And that pride, ignorance and
unbelief is causing us all to suffer and go without. Personally, I’m over it, and I believe God
wants me to help people step into their gifts. I don’t care what people don’t
like or don’t want or consider weird.
The Bible tells me what is right and wrong, what is for today or for
times in the past. All of these gifts,
callings and abilities are right. All of
these gifts, callings and abilities are for today.
My brother or sister in Christ, let
me give you some good news. You are a
member of the Body of Christ and you are perfectly positioned to function in
this body and bless the world.
Furthermore, you have supernatural abilities placed inside of you by God
Himself. Regardless of any mistakes
you’ve made or anything going on in your life, you are still called by God to walk
as a manifestation of His love and grace to the world. You are still called to be an ambassador for
Christ. And walking in your gifts is a
major way you are supposed to do that. If
I can do anything to help you, I’m here for you.
As for me, regardless of what I’ve
done in the past, I’ve been derelict and negligent in my own gifts. Maybe I have a teaching gift. Honestly, I don’t really know, but I’ve been
blessed with some teaching opportunities and some people have told me
that. I can tell you that when God
changed my life I was in Dr. Creflo Dollar’s church, and one of His main goals
is “Teaching the Word of God with simplicity and understanding.” That is the primary desire in my heart.
If I had to pick one gift that I
think I may have, it would be teaching, so I’m going to start by pursuing
that. I’m going to use it diligently,
I’m going to use it in faith, and I’m going to use it in any opportunity that
arises. If you don’t like it, just block
me. If you don’t want my emails just unsubscribe. It doesn’t bother me. OK, maybe it bothers me a little, but I’ll be
fine. Just hit unsubscribe. If I’m wrong about teaching, God will
eventually get me the message. Or if
not, then I will go to Heaven knowing that I tried. Maybe God will say to me, you never had that
gift and you wasted your life pursuing the wrong gift. But He’s not going to say that I never tried
or that I quit too early. I’m going to
try. I’m going to do my best to
acknowledge my place and use my gifts.
And I’m never going to stop trying.
And another
thing, I know that some gifts are harder to use, or harder to find a place to
use. For example, maybe you believe you
have a prophetic gift or the gift of interpreting unknown tongues, but you have
no place to use those gifts. My friend,
I hear you. Those gifts have been
incorrectly and tragically excommunicated from the vast majority of churches
today. So, if you’ve got nothing else,
just come meet up with me. I’m a lawyer
in Tampa, Florida. I’m not that hard to
find. I’m not worried about saying this
to the public, I live in a gated community and you won’t get in. But call or email me, and we’ll find a place
for you to practice your gift. If
nothing else, we’ll just go to a mall parking lot and you can prophecy to
me. I’ll speak in tongues and you can
interpret. And if you really have those
gifts, it will be awesome. If it turns
out you don’t really have those gifts, we’ll probably figure that out, and that
will be ok too. And then we can go on to
exploring what other gifts you may have, because I know you’ve got at least
one.
As we close, I’m going to read the full passage from Ephesians 4 where it talks about the church offices. While I believe it does refer to traditional ministry offices in a more formal church setting, look at how it goes on afterwards to discuss every member of the body.
(Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Let me read
that last part again, “according to the effective working by which every part
does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love.” Every member of the Body of
Christ, including you and me, has a part to play, a work to do. And until we are all doing our parts, the
body isn’t growing as it should, it’s not being built up as it should. No wonder the church isn’t as large or as
powerful in the world as it should be today.
We have a lot of people who aren’t doing their parts. I’m not trying to get down on anybody, that’s
just the way it is. But that’s not going
to be you and me. We are going to
understand our places and our gifts and we are going to do our part for the
Body of Christ.
My brothers
and sisters, thank you for spending this time with me. I love you, and I’m excited to experience
your gifts. Make no mistake, we need
you. The world needs you, and your
Christian brothers and sisters need you.
So please, become a living sacrifice.
Renovate your mind. Get in line
with God’s Biblical program for living.
Let God’s light shine bright in your life. Let God show Himself to the world through
you. I can’t wait, and I’ll see you out
there.
Again, if
this teaching blessed you, please share, like, subscribe, follow, etc. Thank you again.
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