Daily Bread 2010 1 Corinthians 12
Daily Bread 2010 – 1 Corinthians 12
“1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.”
We live in a very educated society in North America. Where I live in Irvine, CA, people move here in order to get the best possible education. The home values are significantly higher here because of the highly ranked school system. And, of course, being educated is a good thing. It is a gift and one we don’t appreciate enough.
In today’s text, Paul wants to educate the believers in Corinth about something that is essential for the body of Christ. He wants them to understand the role and use of spiritual gifts. He doesn’t want them to be ignorant of them. Why? Because without an understanding of them the church will never be able to function the way God intended it to.
How is that? God gives each believer a spiritual gift to help build the church so it can be fully functioning. He uses the metaphor of a body to show that the eye can’t say to the ear, “I don’t need you”. In the same way we can’t look at any other member in our church and say we don’t need you.
Most people don’t get involved in the church because either they don’t feel they are needed. Ie. Isn’t that we hire staff to do the work of ministry? Or they feel unworthy or incompetent. Ie I could never do that! That is why this topic is so important for us today. If our churches are going to reach their full potential in Christ, we are going to need to equip and train our members to not be ignorant of their spiritual gifts.
Have you learned what your spiritual gifts are? Three of mine are encouragement, teaching and healing. As I have learned what they are, it gives me great joy to use them in the body of Christ to help build up the church for the sake of Jesus. The church has many resources you can use to help you understand what your potential gift might be, but the best way to find out is to try out your gifts in ministry and see what things give you joy and you do well and there is fruit being borne as a result of your ministry.
I hope as a church we will not be ignorant of our spiritual gifts, as one of the greatest joys in our lifetime is using our gifts to do something that will last for all of eternity!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gifts you gave us when we came to believe in Your Son. May Your Spirit equip and empower us to use our gifts to bring in your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven through the local church where you have strategically placed us. Amen.
“1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.”
We live in a very educated society in North America. Where I live in Irvine, CA, people move here in order to get the best possible education. The home values are significantly higher here because of the highly ranked school system. And, of course, being educated is a good thing. It is a gift and one we don’t appreciate enough.
In today’s text, Paul wants to educate the believers in Corinth about something that is essential for the body of Christ. He wants them to understand the role and use of spiritual gifts. He doesn’t want them to be ignorant of them. Why? Because without an understanding of them the church will never be able to function the way God intended it to.
How is that? God gives each believer a spiritual gift to help build the church so it can be fully functioning. He uses the metaphor of a body to show that the eye can’t say to the ear, “I don’t need you”. In the same way we can’t look at any other member in our church and say we don’t need you.
Most people don’t get involved in the church because either they don’t feel they are needed. Ie. Isn’t that we hire staff to do the work of ministry? Or they feel unworthy or incompetent. Ie I could never do that! That is why this topic is so important for us today. If our churches are going to reach their full potential in Christ, we are going to need to equip and train our members to not be ignorant of their spiritual gifts.
Have you learned what your spiritual gifts are? Three of mine are encouragement, teaching and healing. As I have learned what they are, it gives me great joy to use them in the body of Christ to help build up the church for the sake of Jesus. The church has many resources you can use to help you understand what your potential gift might be, but the best way to find out is to try out your gifts in ministry and see what things give you joy and you do well and there is fruit being borne as a result of your ministry.
I hope as a church we will not be ignorant of our spiritual gifts, as one of the greatest joys in our lifetime is using our gifts to do something that will last for all of eternity!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gifts you gave us when we came to believe in Your Son. May Your Spirit equip and empower us to use our gifts to bring in your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven through the local church where you have strategically placed us. Amen.
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