What's one job or task that you find especially fulfilling?

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What’s one job or task that you find especially fulfilling? #priceless

QUESTION 1

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THE POINT

God has uniquely gifted us to serve Him.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE Know any “gifted” people? When I hear the word “gifted,” it takes me back to the third grade. I don’t know how—or why—but I was chosen to go to the school library once a week and work with a “gifted” teacher. The teacher challenged me to write using my imagination, but all I wanted to write about was Jesus. That previous summer I had given my life to Christ, and He was all I could talk about. However, the teacher told me if I did not open up my mind to other subjects, I would have to go back to the not-so-gifted classroom. And so I got kicked out of the “gifted” class because my gift was talking about Jesus. The Bible talks about giftedness in a whole different way. God gifts His followers in a way that is far different—and far greater—than any talents or “giftedness” that get recognized in our society.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (HCSB) 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God

activates each gift in each person. 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person

to produce what is beneficial: 8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the

Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of

healing by the one Spirit,

A demonstration of the Spirit (v. 7)—As believers allow the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them, they reveal the working of the Spirit through their service to God and others. Distinguishing between spirits (v. 10)—The Holy Spirit gives some believers the ability to determine if teachers, leaders, and other individuals are being led by God or by Satan. Satan works through false teachers to lead people away from God and His truth and to disrupt the unity of the church.

10 to another, the performing of miracles, to another,

prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages. 11 But one and the same Spirit is active in all these,

distributing to each person as He wills.

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THE POINT

God has uniquely gifted us to serve Him.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 We slap labels on folks to make distinctions, and frankly, that’s easy to do. Yankees and Red Sox. Blue collar and white collar. Republican and Democrat. Cat people and dog people. The church in Corinth also found a way to divide itself. The Corinthian believers had created faulty divisions around whom they considered to be their leader (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). This was faulty, because the church, and every single believer within the church, is under the lordship of Christ. Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to grasp the significance of unity in the life of the church. The same Lord and Christ in your life is the same Lord and Christ in my life. Every follower of Christ knows Him and experiences Him in a personal and powerful way because the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence to work in and through us. Part of that work is empowering us to serve through the spiritual gifts we’ve been given. These spiritual gifts are not material gifts, nor are they natural abilities or talents. Spiritual gifts are given when we come to know Christ as our Savior. The “gift” in this passage literally means “a gift involving grace.” Even though there is one Spirit, one Lord, and one God in our lives, He works in our lives in different ways. The same Spirit gives “different gifts.” And all of those spiritual gifts can be used in “different ministries.” In other words, even believers who have the same spiritual gift can be used by God in a variety of ministry settings and opportunities. The result is different “activities or kinds of working.” The word “activities” is much richer than a list of actions on a to-do list. The Greek term carries the idea of working and getting something accomplished. In other words, it is effective. It accomplishes the fruitful work that God desires. The Holy Spirit works through you and me with a diversity of spiritual gifts, and He places us in different ministries and roles to use those various gifts. And ministries of God will result in effective work.

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What have you learned about the definition and importance of spiritual gifts?

QUESTION 2

What spiritual gift do you have (or can you identify  with)?

QUESTION 3

1 Corinthians 12:7-10 In sports, each player has an assignment and a position, but the players function together as one team. Because the Spirit is present, the church functions as one, but “a demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person.” Paul proceeded to list some spiritual gifts, but this is not an exhaustive list. Paul listed other spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10,27-30; and Ephesians 4:11. Peter briefly discussed spiritual gifts in 1 Peter 4:9-11. People have attempted to group the gifts in various ways, but perhaps the simplest way is to put them in four broad categories3: ]]

Gifts that support. Gifts such as helping and managing (1 Corinthians 12:28) guide the work of the church.

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Gifts that share. Gifts such as showing mercy (Romans 12:8) and hospitality (1 Peter 4:9) are tangible ways of communicating God’s love—both inside and outside the church family.

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Gifts that speak. Gifts such as teaching (Romans 12:8) and prophecy ground the church in God’s Word.

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Gifts that supplement. Gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, and faith support the other gifts.

The wonderful thing about the list of gifts is their variety. And as God gifts individuals differently, the combination and use of those gifts together multiplies the ways we can serve Christ and His church. Paul never categorized the gifts, nor did he create one exhaustive list of all the spiritual gifts. Instead, Paul focused on the purpose of the gifts: “to produce what is beneficial.” Your gift isn’t for your personal benefit. Any use of a spiritual gift to direct attention and glory to an individual is a misuse of that gift. God has given us these gifts so that we might build up, strengthen, and encourage the church; reveal Christ; and glorify God. Properly using your gift accomplishes all three. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE © 2015 LifeWay

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THE POINT

God has uniquely gifted us to serve Him.

"Through God's distribution of the gifts, we are interdependent on each other even as we

When have you benefited personally from the spiritual gift of another person?

depend on Christ." GRANT ETHRIDGE

GOD WORKS THROUGH US

QUESTION 4

Which of the following represents how you feel about your own spiritual gift? _____ I don’t know what my gift is. _____ I know my gift, but I’m unaware of opportunities to serve God using my gift. _____ I know my gift, but I don’t want to risk failure or looking foolish. _____ I know my gift, but I don’t have much time to devote to serving God with it. _____ Other: _____________________________ When you see an opportunity, how ready are you to employ your spiritual gift? (Place a mark on the scale below.)

Reluctant

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Ready to Go

1 Corinthians 12:11 God knows you very well—in fact, far better than you know yourself. And He also knows what His church needs. The spiritual gifts He desires to work through you are just right to accomplish His purposes. Paul sums it up like this: God distributes His gifts “to each person as He wills.” What if you have a gift you don’t want? I heard that question one night when I was teaching a class on spiritual gifts to a room full of young adults. One man who looked mad and miserable asked that question. I prayed a quick prayer for wisdom and immediately God put the answer in my mind. I said, “God will change your ‘wanter’!” A few days later, that young man came to my office. God had called him to preach, but he had been running from God. Since that class, God indeed had changed his heart—and his “wanter.” God put a desire in him to use his gift in the local church and he’s been faithfully doing that now for more than 25 years. It bears repeating: God knows you better than you know yourself. Trust Him. The gift you have is the gift you need. Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit give every believer every gift? A healthy body needs every member working in harmony together. God has orchestrated His church so that no one has everything he needs without the involvement of others in his life. We were designed to live in relationship; therefore, through God’s distribution of the gifts, we are interdependent on each other even as we depend on Christ. Life in Christ fundamentally requires cooperation and partnership.

How has God uniquely gifted our group to serve Him and others?

Our desire should be to glorify God by using the gifts He has given us. Just as every body part is important, your gift is your valuable contribution to the body of Christ. QUESTION 5

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THE POINT

God has uniquely gifted us to serve Him.

LIVE IT OUT If you are a Christ-follower, God has uniquely gifted you to serve Him. What will you do with the gift God has given you? ]]

Discover your gift. If you’ve never taken a spiritual gifts inventory (or it’s been a while), take one this week. This will help you discover your giftedness as well as ways you can exercise it in and through your church. Search online for “LifeWay Spiritual Gifts Survey” to find a description of spiritual gifts as well as a way of identifying yours.

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Look around you. Be on the lookout for an opportunity to use one of your spiritual gifts to help someone this week. Pray for opportunities and seize them when they arrive.

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Commit to encourage someone else in their spiritual gift this week. Come alongside someone else and help them gain a better understanding of their gift and then exercise it.

As a follower of Christ, consider yourself gifted. When you use your gift and join with other believers who are using theirs, you’ll get to join God at work in and through His church.

My thoughts

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