CHURCH GIFTS
I Cor. 12:31 And in any event, you should desire the most helpful
gifts. NLT
The Apostle Paul had
just reminded the Church of what some of the gifts God had given the Church
were. The list was not all-inclusive and the list was not intended to be for
everybody. There are a lot of ways that God molds and equips His children for
service. Paul lists some gifts the Spirit had given the church of his day that
many today still argue over as to whether or not they are valid expressions of
worship. Churches have been divided and even destroyed over them. Our
convictions will continue to divide and even destroy fellowships for as long as
Jesus tarries.
Because we are who we
are we tend to box God into our belief systems. We get defensive and close our
minds to whether or not there is room in the body of Christ for other ways to
worship and serve the Lord than our own. No one is going to change the minds of
those who abide by a different understanding of Scriptural application. That is
a matter between the Lord and His children.
The important truth
for us to grasp today is that no matter what your God-given gifts are, they are
to be used for the nurturing and well-being of the body. God does not give
gifts to be hoarded; they are to be used. Whatever your gift(s) is, use it for
the common good of the body. If no one is being built up in Christ, then use
discernment on your usage of your gift. There are numerous ways you can help to
strengthen and spur the body of Christ on for service. Our goal is to be
positive contributors to the body, not dividers. Do what you do for Christ and
not to be seen by man.
The particular gift a
person has is not important. What
matters is that we use what we have for the common good of the body and for
Christ’s glory in the Church.
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