Tag: spiritual gifts

Gifts for the Body

I Corinthians 12:7  “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:” (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 12-14

Devotion by Merry Peterson (Canada)

Did you know you are a gift to everyone?  We are all given certain gifts for the common good of all believers.  God by His Spirit enables us to do different things but it is for a purpose – to benefit those whom we are in Christian fellowship with. As Paul was writing to the church body in Corinth he was letting them know that they all had various spiritual gifts.  They were the emerging church at the time, still getting established in the ideas and practices of the Christian faith.  Paul was reminding them of their individual gifts and that those gifts were to be used for the common good, edifying their brothers and sisters in Christ.

 Do you have a certain gift that God has given you?  I have a friend who has a God given gift of artistic ability. She blesses and encourages others with her drawings of Bible scriptures surrounded by scenes from nature.  I find encouragement each time I see one of her illustrations.  Sure, I can draw a stick figure – but I can’t meticulously draw the intricate details of a flower or butterfly that inspires the soul like she can – that is her God-given gift. 

Each one of us has a different gift and we are to use it to benefit our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Some people are empowered with prayer abilities, others give good Godly advice, others are good at teaching.  Some have the gift of evangelism or hospitality, and some are just plain the most helpful people you know.  These are all gifts that are given to us by God’s Spirit and they are all different.  My abilities are different than my friend’s abilities.  God doesn’t skip any one of us in the giving of these gifts – he wants us to use our specific gift for the benefit of everyone.  No one can say that one gift is better than another because all of these gifts were meant to be used together to make a complete picture for how a body of believers should function together building each other up.  Just imagine if your Christian fellowship group didn’t have anyone with a musical gift – the worship service might sound terrible!  We need each person to exercise their spiritual gift so that we all can be enriched and God can be glorified. 

For Reflection:

  1. What gifts has God given you to help enrich the lives of those you are in fellowship with? 
  2. How have you been enriched by the gifts of others recently?         
  3. Have you thanked God for your gifts and the gifts of others?

Merry Peterson pastors the Freedom In Christ Church in Welland, Ontario, Canada.  She has enjoyed being in pastoral ministry for many years and has worked on the side in education in both public and private sectors in various capacities.

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Using Your Gift

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Chronicles 33 & 34

POETRY: Psalm 115

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 4

Have you ever wondered what gifts you have been given by God? Have you ever doubted that you even HAVE a gift from God? In the middle of 1 Peter 4, Peter gives a simple statement about gifts that should arrest our attention:

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies–in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We are first comforted (or perhaps surprised!) to hear that we have received a gift. What are we to do with our gift? We are commanded to serve one another in love — that is the way that we can use God’s grace appropriately.

Peter also gives two large categories for gifts from God: speaking gifts and serving gifts. Unfortunately, in the modern Western church, most Christians think of the “speaking gifts” when they think of gifts. And so, when asked, “what is your gift?” so many are tempted to think that they do not even have one. But Peter does not teach this, nor do the rest of the Scriptures.  For example, giving mercy is listed as a gift in Romans 12, and administration is listed as a gift in 1 Corinthians 12. The gifts of God come in many shapes and sizes.

If you are unsure what your gift is (or gifts are!), what can you do? I believe that Peter would encourage you to get more involved in a local congregation of Jesus followers. Try volunteering for a food drive, helping to set up for a special event, or working with the children’s ministry. Do you have any musical ability? Perhaps your worship team could use an extra instrument or voice. Has God put a desire for preaching or teaching in your heart? Ask your pastor how you can develop this desire into something more concrete. Do you have a heart for the homeless, those in prison, single parents, or another disadvantaged group of people in your community? The opportunities for exploration and service are virtually endless!

Many times, I think we overcomplicate the idea of gifts. We are each unique people, valued by our infinite Creator. None of us are alike in every way. God has especially given you abilities that I may not have, and He has given me abilities that you may not have. And even if we have the same gift type, we will express it uniquely! This is the value and the beauty of the Body of Christ — we are both designed to fit in and belong to the church of Jesus Christ, AND we are designed to stand out in unique ways.

Ask God to show you what desires He would like you to pursue. As you pursue those gifts, remember that it’s all about Him. It’s His ability, His power — even your life belongs to Him! So love Him with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself. As you do, you’ll learn more about Him and more about how He has uniquely gifted and enabled you to do good works that point back to Him. 

-Will Barlow

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you have any ideas about the gifts that you have? What can you do to learn more about yourself and about God?
  • What gifts of others do you especially appreciate? How does this practice of thankfulness for others’ gifts help us greater appreciate the Body of Christ?
  • What next steps are you going to take to develop an awareness of your gifts and how they can be used to serve others and glorify God?

Will Barlow is the head pastor at Compass Christian Church in Louisville, KY. He lives near Louisville with his wife of 15 years (Becca) and three children (Liam, Hannah, and Isaac). Besides theology, he enjoys playing sports, watching sports, and spending time with his family.

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A Team Effort

Old Testament: Judges 1-3

Poetry: Psalm 52

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 12

            I love baseball. (If you don’t, don’t leave just yet, please). Baseball is a team sport.  This was put on display for me recently.  I was watching a Washington Nationals game this weekend and the commentators brought in a retired pitcher who used to play for the Nationals in their 2019 World Series winning season.  During the playoffs that year, Anibal Sanchez came very close to pitching a no-hitter.  It was broken up in the 8th inning by a Cardinals batter.  When asked about it Sanchez said he wouldn’t have come close to having a no-hitter without his teammates making great plays.  He said no pitcher should ever get sole credit for a no-hitter.  It’s impossible without your teammates making plays.   Sanchez wasn’t just being humble, he was 100% right.  It takes a catcher to catch the pitch, fielders to make plays and throw the ball to first, outfielders to run and catch fly balls.  Without good teammates, you can’t pitch a no-hitter.  When a no-hitter does happen, or even rarer a perfect game, the pitcher gets the accolades and they stick a microphone in his face after the game, but it was a team effort.

            The same is true for the Church.  That’s what Paul was trying to get at in 1 Corinthians 12.  There are a few people that are “up front” during a worship service.  The worship leader, the soloist, the scripture reader, and the pastor all have visible roles and they are important.  But they aren’t the only important people.  Many important people are working behind the scenes in nearly invisible ways.  The person running the sound system is important.  The pianist, guitar player, and other musicians are important.  The person who makes the coffee before Sunday School is important.  The people who set up tables for Church dinners are important.  The people who teach children’s church are important.  The people who clean the bathrooms, take out the trash, and vacuum the floors are important.  The people who buy toilet paper are important, very important.  If those people don’t do their jobs what have you got?  A mess.  Also important are the people who type the bulletin and change the slides with the worship song lyrics, and the people who make sure that the heat is turned on or the a/c is turned on.  All of these people are important.  So are the people who faithfully place their financial contributions in the offering, and the people who count and collect those offerings, and the people who write checks so that the pastor can feed their family and the lights stay on.  Even in smaller churches, it takes a lot of people to share their gifts and talents.

            Apparently, in the Church at Corinth, there was a lot of jealousy and rivalry going on between Christians.  It was causing division in the Church.  The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to correct some of those problems.  He wanted them to understand that Churches need to maintain unity to be healthy and carry out the mission that God has given us to do.  Everyone in the church is not gifted in the same way.  Some people love to be up front serving in visible ways.  Some people are not gifted to speak or lead worship, but they have other gifts.  I have a special needs sister, Christine, who wants to help and has claimed her gifts by handing out the church bulletins.  She grabs a stack and goes to each person in Sunday School and gives them a bulletin.  She wants to help by sharing her gifts.  She also loves to sing very loudly in worship and her exuberance is infectious.  (And she likes to say “amen” when her brother the preacher says that he’s winding up the sermon).

            Read through all of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament and see how much Paul depended on others to help him carry out his ministry.  Often when he wrote letters to encourage and teach Churches he was in jail for preaching the Gospel of Jesus, which was a threat to both the religious leaders and the Roman Empire.  Paul depended on people to take the letters he wrote from prison and deliver them to the Churches.  He also depended on people to bring him food, an extra blanket, his books and letters, and medicine.  He had poor eyesight so he depended on a secretary to write down his words. He also longed for fellowship with other followers of Jesus.  Paul was the face of much of the teaching and spread of the Church in the first century, but it took a team to support him.

            What are some ways that you are serving in your Church?  You can’t start too early.  Our church has a 7-year-old help take up the offering some Sundays. As you read through 1 Corinthians 12, try not to get too bogged down thinking about the theological issues that continue to divide Christians today (are the spiritual gifts Paul mentions for now or did they stop after the first century?)  It’s amazing how this chapter that Paul wrote to help a church not be divided has caused many Christians to disagree and divide.  If God decides to give you the gift of miracles or healing, who am I to tell you that God did away with those gifts 1900 years ago?  (if you do have the gifts of miracle or healing, please come visit me, I could use it.)

            Remember, there is no “ I” in “Team”.  And there is no I in Church.  It’s all about how we use the gifts God has given each of us to serve.

Pastor Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1.  What similarities do you see between sports teams or work teams and the team work needed to carry out the work of Jesus and the Church?
  2. Are you currently using any of your gifts to help carry out the mission of the Church?
  3. Are you willing to test your gifts and potentially experience some failures and disappointments as you seek to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ and the Church?  What will you try and risk next?
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As HE Chose

* New Testament Reading:  1 Corinthians 12
Psalms Reading:  Psalm 59
* Old Testament Reading:  Leviticus 25-27

My parents tried very hard to treat me and my sisters equally.  Especially when it came to spending money or giving gifts.  The idea that one might get more or better than the other, or perceived more or better, has made gift giving stressful for them.  And now there are grandkids and great grandkids!  We chose to handle gift-giving a little differently.  Of course, we try to be close in what we spend, but if a gift is found that someone really wants or needs we go with it.  Whether it’s a little more or less than the others. 

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us of God’s gifts.  The first important thing to note is that it says in verse 7 that “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit..”  Everyone who is part of the body of believers has been given Spiritual gifts.  That means you if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior.  The end of verse 7 tells us why.  It says, “…for the common good”.  We are to use the gifts given to us for the common good of the church – to support, encourage, build up, protect, provide for, teach, etc.  This chapter describes many of these gifts.  We are told that there are many gifts, but that they all come from the same Spirit.  Verse 18 says, “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.“  As he chose.  He gives us what we need, what he wants us to have, not what we want or wish for.  Think for a minute about your church and the people in it.  This verse is telling you that God chose each member, that he arranged them (gifted them) just how he wanted.  Now think for a minute about where you might fit in.  You see, God’s plan only works when everyone does their part; when everyone uses the gifts God has given them for the common good of the body.  

Our passage in Leviticus demonstrates another parenting thought.  When we wanted our kids to obey a specific command, we let them know what good things would happen if they chose to do so (we really built it up big). We also told them what would happen if they chose to disobey (we tried to make this choice sound horrible).  We learned that oftentimes it is in the presentation.  God wants his children to obey Him at all times.  In Leviticus 26 God says, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you….”.  He lists rain in season, abundant harvests, security, peace, victories, and His presence (verses 3-13).  He goes on to tell them, “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you:…”.  He then tells them that they will deal with panic, wasting disease, enemies eating their harvests, wild beasts, and be scattered among the nations (verses 14-33).  The list for disobedience is long and nasty.  It seems like such a “duh” decision.  Of course they, and we, want the blessings and good stuff.  But they didn’t always choose to obey.  We don’t always choose to obey.  Thankfully, God also provides a way for us to change our minds and make the right choice.  Verses 40-45 say, “But if they confess their iniquity….then I will remember my covenant with Jacob…and Isaac…and Abraham…that I might be their God…”. 

-Todd and Amy Blanchard

Reflection Questions

  1.  There are a lot of Spiritual gifts “tests” online.  And they can be fun to take.  However, one of the best ways to know what your gifts are is to try some different ministries or acts of service.  Which ones fill you up?  Which ones drain you?  Notice I didn’t ask which ones you were best at.  God will help you learn.  God will help you find courage.  He will provide opportunities for you to grow in your gifts, so you don’t need to worry about doing it really well right away.
  2.  What choices are you currently facing?  Do any of them have the “duh” right answer? 
  3. What traits did you find in today’s reading that describe God?
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Not Alone

Acts 6

April 24

Helen Keller is quoted as saying, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

As I read through Act 6 today, I am reminded that we were never meant to do ministry, serving others, all on our own might. We have been designed to be ministerial alongside others. 

The number of followers of The Way was increasing daily. In fact, the size had reached a critical juncture. 

In ecological terms, it’s referred to as “carrying capacity”. A habitat can only support a certain number of any kind of species depending on the natural resources available. 

Likewise, we read in Acts, that the number of believers was becoming so great, and including a wonderful mixture of cultural backgrounds, that peoples’ needs, specifically widows, were not being met. 

The leadership knew that people had basic physical needs as well as spiritual needs that needed to be provided for. They had to ask themselves, “What’s the best use of our time”? They realized that they could not forsake one for the other.

Once they determined the best course of action, even more people were ministered to, both physically and spiritually.

As we go about the Lord’s business serving others, we need to first ask ourselves, am I attempting to go it alone, or am I willing to work alongside others? The next question to consider is are you serving in a way that not only meets the needs of others, but that will have the greatest impact?

What I am NOT saying is that if a task isn’t one of your spiritual gifts that you can excuse yourself…however, we are informed in multiple passages within the New Testament that we all have a part to play and some individuals are better suited for some areas of ministry over others. 

When everyone is working collaboratively, and doing it in such a way that suits how God has uniquely designed us, we can have an exponential impact on the growth of God’s kingdom. 

How can you serve others, with others, for the Kingdom?

-Bethany Ligon

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Consider who you do ministry with? Thank them for this partnership.
  2. Do you too often try to go it alone? What is the dangers of working alone? What is the blessing in working with a partner or team?
  3. Are there jobs caring for the physical or spiritual needs in your church or community that aren’t getting done? How can you, with a partner or team, help meet those needs?
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Humility

Romans 11-13

I am a fairly humble fellow.  I do not stand out in a crowd.  I do not try to draw attention to myself.  In fact I don’t like attention.  I don’t consider myself arrogant and  I am very aware of my flaws.  And yet, there are still times when I allow myself to feel superior to others.  Maybe we all do that at times?

No matter how many flaws we have, all of us are better at something than someone else.  And in those moments where we take notice of that, it is easy to allow our egos to puff up a bit, isn’t it?  Maybe that is even especially true for those, like me, that are more keenly aware of our shortcomings than our triumphs.

Paul touches on humility several times in chapter 12, and typically when I read these passages, I instantly think about people that are very arrogant, and think, “this doesn’t really apply to me,” or “I’m doing fine in this area.”  But then (sometimes) I think about the thoughts that I opened with.

Beginning in verse 3, Paul says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

 There you have it.  Each of us should NOT think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  Well then how highly SHOULD we think of ourselves?  Frankly, I would say pretty high, because we are each pretty incredible creations of God.  And we have each been blessed with many abilities and talents.  But as Paul points out, we have all been given DIFFERENT abilities.  And it is key to remember that we have been given those abilities.  We didn’t do anything ourselves to acquire natural abilities.  Some people are born with great musical talent.  Others with sharp intellect.  Still others with amazing athletic skill.  Paul here is speaking primarily of spiritual gifts, but all abilities and talents are indeed granted by our Creator.  I really appreciate when I see gifted athletes giving credit to God for their abilities during post-game interviews.  I am not always sure how sincere they are, but the message is true regardless.

In verse 10, Paul says to Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one other above yourselves.  This is an outward extension of humility, and here, should be motivated by love.  How often do you honor others above yourself?

Finally, Paul comes back to humility again in verse 16.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.”

We should not just be showing humility to the people we are comfortable being with, or the people that are “our kind of crowd.”  We should be showing humility to, and honoring above us those whom we would consider to be of low position. 

Again, this is the example Jesus left for us, and it is a humility that is motivated by love, which Paul sums up perfectly in verses 9-21.

So, think of yourselves very highly, as an amazing creation, but do not think of yourself more highly than someone else.  That is when you are thinking of yourself more highly than you ought.  It’s about recognizing that God has given each of us different gifts, to be used to His glory.

-Greg Landry

Today’s Bible reading passage can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Romans 11-13.

Tomorrow we will finish the book of Romans (chapters 14-16).

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Love others and tell them about Jesus

1 Corinthians 12-14

Happy December everyone!!

Most everyone following this blog has probably read through these passages today… each chapter could have its own devotional!  Within these we have the passage on Spiritual Gifts, we have the Love chapter, and we have one of the more argued and misinterpreted verses regarding women in the church – all in one day! 

The not so crazy thing about all these chapters is how at the heart of each of them, there is one message that prevails: Love others and tell them about Jesus.  Whether it is an outsider, a fellow believer, a spouse, or anyone you meet… we are told to show them love and tell them about Jesus.

When discussing the spiritual gifts Paul talks about the importance of each member of the body being placed exactly where God wants them (12:18) and remaining united within the Church (12:25).  I have usually heard these verses used to showcase why everyone is equally important within the Church and that you should never compare yourself or your gifts to someone else’s.  However, Paul gives a pecking order in verse 28: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, managing, various kinds of languages…   At first this can seem a little harsh, especially if you’re a helper or someone who speaks another language!  And it is harsh, if you stop reading there.

In chapter 14 Paul continues “Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.”  Paul is telling everyone that the main goal is to spread the message of Jesus, and love others.  He doesn’t say it’s bad to do any of the other tasks or fill other roles within the church, in fact in the previous chapter he describes at length why it is so important for everyone to be unique and do the work God intends for them.  What he is also saying here is that it is everyone’s mission to tell others about Jesus and the fact that he is coming back.  Just as every part of the body functions independently with the purpose of living daily, every part of the body of Christ must function independently with the message of the Kingdom coming.

This message continues even in chapter 14 verse 34, when Paul writes that the women of the church should be silent and submissive.  In these verses it is important to remember the historical context in which Paul is writing.  At this time, women did not hold places of leadership, and women did not *generally* have a role in proclaiming the message.  Additionally, the church in Corinth had women who struggled to act as godly women, partially because their husbands and other leaders in the church also struggled to live righteous lives.  I do not think that Paul is hating on the women, but rather explaining that when the church is struggling and in need of repair, the gossiping, adulterous, and unrighteous should not have a say in the direction of the church.  He is describing the importance of church leaders to be focused on the mission.

The call to prophesy is not one to be taken lightly, and Paul wants to make sure that the church understands that.  It is also one that the church is called to eagerly strive for, for the sake of the Kingdom.  Chapter 14 verse 24 reads “But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all.  The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, ‘God is really among you.’”

Let that be our goal as the Church, that anyone who walks in will have no other inclination but to fall down in worship of our great God because of our focus on His mission! 

-Sarah Blanchard Johnson

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 1 Corinthians 12-14.

Come back tomorrow as we together finish 1 Corinthians with chapters 15 & 16.

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But how do I know what my Spiritual Gift is?

1 Corinthians 12

1 Cor 12 27

Do you ever think God sits up in heaven, listening to us, and just smacks his forehead?  I do.

Think about this:  He is so amazingly gracious and wonderful that He supernaturally equips believers with gifts to make life better for all of us.  But instead of doing that…we sit around and take Spiritual gift inventories.

Head smack.

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Want to know how God has gifted you?  Here’s the super-complicated, algorithm-created, surefire way to find out.  Ready?

Try stuff.

Ta-da!

Seriously.  Try stuff.  See what fills your bucket.  What makes you light up.  What energizes, instead of drains you?

All believers are called to serve in lots of ways.  We’re all expected to demonstrate some amount of wisdom, knowledge, faith and discernment.  We are all supposed to serve through giving, helping, teaching, and working.

While I can serve by mowing the lawn or doing dishes, I don’t feel particularly pumped after doing so.  But my friend Cheryl does.  Serving others in these ways invigorates her and motivates her to do more.

Cheryl will step in and lead a class if needed, but she doesn’t love it.  I love (insert many hearts here) it.  Teaching fills my bucket, it drains hers.

So put down the Spiritual gift inventory and start doing.  Ask God to help you find your sweet spot.  I’ll bet He won’t say no.

“you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

 

-Susan Landry

Investment 101

investment 101

Matthew 25

Jesus just finished telling his disciples to expect His return. Now he tells parables about how we should prepare for the return. It’s always nice to have concrete instructions. These ones are in the form of parables, but they aren’t terribly cryptic.

The first parable is about a wedding. There are a bunch of people waiting to meet up with the groom so that they can go to a feast with him. Initially, there are ten of these people patiently waiting. They were expecting him to arrive during the day, but on his way, he was delayed. Once the sun fell, only five of them stayed to wait for the groom because they were prepared for darkness. They thought ahead and brought extra supplies.

In this parable, Jesus is the groom and we are the virgins or bridesmaids waiting for his arrival. Notice that initially there were many who expected his coming. Most of us reading this believe that Jesus will come back. There have been times in the past when a biblical scholar has declared that he deduced the time at which Jesus would return (you can find a nice list of these occurrences on Wikipedia). I imagine many of the people who ended up believing these claims were disappointed when the proclaimed date rolled by without ushering the Kingdom of God. Many of them probably fell away from faith because they had expected their groom to show up during the day, yet they failed to wait through the night. The same is true now. Even if we don’t see an exact date for His return, we must continue to wait. We must be especially aware that soon the sun will set. Darkness will fall. But that doesn’t mean that the groom has forgotten his people and his feast. In fact, darkness will certainly precede His coming.

The second parable is about a hedge fund manager. This man gives his underlings various amounts of seed money and expects them to use it wisely. More precisely, he expects huge returns out of them. Two of his employees manage to achieve returns of 100%. The final employee merely broke even. Of course, the manager is happy with the first two. The returns that they managed are nearly unheard of. For example, to get a 100% return on your investment today, you would have had to invest in Apple stock 5 years ago (more precisely, April 17, 2014). The parable doesn’t tell us how long the manager was away, just that it was a long time. Long-term investment is one of the safer ways to grow your money and short-term investments are considerably riskier. Perhaps the third employee knew this and said, “Rather than take a loss on my boss’s money, I’ll just sit on it.” Perhaps this employee thought his manager would only be gone for 3 months. If he had invested in Apple stock three months ago, then he would have lost 27% of what he invested. That wouldn’t make the manager terribly happy, but the 0% gains that he presented still provoked the manager’s anger. The manager said that he would be gone for a long time, but the third employee didn’t take that to heart and decided to do nothing.

Shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers. The Holy Spirit is the investment that Jesus gives us. The Spirit gives us each special gifts. In Romans 12:6-8, Paul lists a few of them: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leading, showing mercy. These are the talents that Jesus gives to us. He expects us to invest these gifts for the long-term. This might mean pursuing one person for years to show them the Love and Truth of Jesus. In can be risky to try to convert someone in a day, like a short-term investment. You win that person over, but you could also completely ostracize them forever. This short-term investment is certainly not ideal compared to the safer returns of long-term investment in people. Jesus wants to get returns on the gifts that he gives to you. So put them to use for the long-term.

The final parable is like the first two. Some will claim to know Jesus, and some will serve Jesus. Those who serve will be like the sheep, separated from the goats and placed at the right hand of the King. Those who never believed, or who believed but refused to serve, refused to make a return on the investment that Jesus gave them, will be tossed out. They will be tossed out just as the devil himself will be tossed out. But the righteous, those who invest wisely, will receive eternal life.

-Nathaniel Johnson

Increasing Fellowship with Other Christians

1 Corinth 12 19,20 revised

Has your faith or walk with God ever felt like it has fallen in a rut? Have you ever questioned whether God is listening? Have you ever questioned your faith in general? I will be completely honest; I can say yes to all of these things, but I have moved on from them, and I know God is listening, I am strong in my faith and I feel like my faith is constantly growing. You might ask what got me to this point, and truly it is my fellowship with other Christians. Being surrounded by other people who believe in what I believe and know how to comfort me and support me in my faith is so incredibly important for me, but why does God say fellowship is important, and why should it be added to your list of resolutions?

Todays’ verses are Ephesians 5:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 12:14-31

Ephesians 5:19-21 tells us to share psalms and hymns, sing together and give thanks for everything God has done for us. These verses tell us to worship God together, not only because it will bring joy to God, but because it will bring joy to me and to those believers around us.

1 Corinthians 12:14-31. These verses talk about the body of Christ; we as believers and followers of Christ are the body of Christ and we are all a part of his church. We are all important and we all have a purpose. These verses say that no one part of the body can say that there is no need for another. Each piece has a specific purpose, and this was done intentionally. We are given spiritual gifts from God, and these verses also touch on that. Some people are teachers, some are apostles, some are prophets, some do miracles, some know many languages, some are good at administration and planning. None of these are more important than the other, they are just different and they are necessary for a fully functioning body. This is fellowship. When we spend time with other believers we begin to see their strengths and their gifts, when we spend more time with them, our own faith and relationship with God can be strengthened. When we spend more time with each other we are supported in our faith and our walk. We work as a team in many different aspects, and we know that we are not alone. Fellowship with each other is incredible important.

Now that you know the importance of fellowship and working together, you may be wondering how you can be more intentional in this area of your life. My suggestions are to attend church if you do not already. If you do, see if your church has a weekly bible study or youth group. If they do not have these ministries already, talk to your pastor about how to start one and how to organize one, you may not be the only person interested in creating more fellowship opportunities amongst the people in your community. I truly hope you have a supportive community, and if not I pray that one is given to you soon. Thank you for reading today, and I hope you’ll come back tomorrow.

-Jana Swanson