Ephesians 4 - But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.…..It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
We choose very little about ourselves. For example our sex, family, natural abilities, looks, whether we are introverted or extroverted, our skin colour, our nationality, the time in history we were born. But the Bible tells us that we are God’s “craftsmanship” created to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. God made each of us unique, but he also have given us gifts to use to build up the church. Sometimes we refer to these as “Spiritual Gifts” but as spiritual beings, all our abilities no matter how practical are holy and “spiritual” if used for the kingdom of God.
Some basics about “Spiritual Gifts”
1 – You don’t get to choose your gifts but the Bible does say we should desire different gifts
2 – The “fruit of the Spirit” rather than spiritual gifts reveal the heart and character of a person
3 – Don’t project your gift(s) on to others and expect everyone to be like you
4 – Don’t cop out of some gifts; for example not everyone has the gift of evangelism but everyone should tell others about Jesus and the work of God in your life when you opportunity
5 – Unity is not uniformity, there is diversity within unity
6 – Spiritual gifts can be abused
We can also chose to bury our gifts or not use them. Things that inhibit us using our gifts include doubt, fear, shame arising from failure or being judged, and limited opportunity. If you are unsure about your gifts take some time to think about what resonates with you or what needs burden you. Or ask a trusted friend or family member what they see in you. Sometimes others see gifts in us and call them out even when we don’t see them in ourselves. Jesus is the gift giver and the Holy Spirit empowers us as we exercise our gifts to bring glory to the Father. So let me encourage you to use your gifts, be intentional about them and exercise them so they can grow and build up the body of Christ.
Grace and Peace - Garry
