Learn and Use Your Gifts || How Do I Do This? || Part 1

How many of you have experienced the transformative power of accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? How many of you have committed to living a life of repentance, knowing that it leads to a new, purposeful life? How many of you believe that the only path to heaven is through Jesus? If you have, it’s a testament to the hope and inspiration that Jesus brings. If you haven’t, no worries. The Bible says you need to say that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and turn away from your sinful lifestyle into the one God has created for you. If you’re interested in doing so, this series will help you.

Once you make the decision, you may feel like nothing has changed. Your next question may be, “What’s next?” or “What now?” That’s what I intend to answer in this series. Over the following four parts, we’ll look at the new things you will do with the Holy Spirit inside your heart. I hope you enjoy this series. I’m simply calling it “Now What?”

Today marks the beginning of a five-part miniseries within this series. We are embarking on a journey to understand what it means to be empowered to serve God and do his will. In the last part, we delved into Acts 1:8 and the story of Pentecost to discuss the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us. Over the next five parts, we will explore Romans 12:6-21 to understand the gifts within us, how to be kind to others, how to be hospitable, how to treat others with respect, and the essence of Christian living. This miniseries is titled “How Do I Do This?” and I hope it fills you with anticipation and joy as we uncover the unique gifts God has bestowed upon each of us.

Romans 12:6-8

6             In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

7             If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.

8             If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Look at this list of gifts and think about the kind of people in your community that have, or might have, these gifts:

• Prophets are often bold and articulate.
• Servers (those who serve in ministries) are faithful and loyal.
• Teachers are clear thinkers.
• Encouragers know how to motivate others.
• Givers are generous and trusting.
• Leaders are good organizers and managers.
• Those who show kindness are caring people who are happy to give their time to others.

How many people did you think of? 5? 10? 20? 50? Now, imagine just one person encompassing all these gifts. This person would always be stressed, tired, anxious, and more. It’s a daunting task for one person to do all these things. It’s a reminder that you were not created to do life by yourself. It’s easy to be focused on your journey to “do you” and “you don’t need any help.” Yet, God didn’t create us to live like that.

We are part of a larger community, a community of believers, each with our unique gifts and strengths, all working together to serve God and each other.

When we sit with God and reflect on our strengths and skills, we can figure out how to best use them to serve him and create the life that he created us to live. At the same time, your strengths and skills can’t do the work alone. This mindset was something I wrestled with in the early part of my career working as a youth ministry director. I was trying to represent myself well, show others that I know what I’m doing, that I can handle the workload, and that no one needs to be burdened with helping me. It took years to unlearn those bad habits and then turn to vulnerability to say that I needed help and others to help. I was so thankful for the 30 volunteers who helped me create the ministry that succeeded for years and revived strong out of the pandemic. There were events I did that I just did the coordination and back-end work, and the group did most of the event work. It thrived when that happened. I was thankful for those people who could do things better and stronger than I could ever. Their strengths balanced my weaknesses, and vice versa. We created continuity, balance, and a flow that worked.

God gives us these gifts so we can build up his church. Not necessarily your church but the Church. The community of God gathered to honor him and care for our neighbor. To use these gifts effectively, we need to:

• Realize that all gifts and abilities come from God. “I did the work, though.” Yes, but God gave you the foundation of that skill and the strength to better it.
• Understand that not everyone has the same gifts. “They aren’t doing it work.” Maybe, but that’s why they do what God called them to do. They weren’t doing it because you called them to do it on your terms.
• Dedicate our gifts to God’s service and not to our personal success. “I did the work, though.” If that’s your mindset, you did it for your pride and ego.
• Be willing to utilize our gifts wholeheartedly, not holding back anything from God’s service. “I’m tired.” Don’t pour from an empty vessel; give everything when you serve God.

God’s gifts differ in nature, power, and effectiveness according to his wisdom and graciousness, not according to our faith. We can pray for all the skills and gifts in the world, but God placed the gifts made for you in a calculated mindset. It’s based on his wisdom and grace. It’s his love for us that we receive the gifts and, through his wisdom, that he gives us the specific gifts needed to live out the plan he created for us.

The gift of prophecy isn’t discussed today in churches, but I believe it’s misunderstood. Prophecy isn’t always associated with predicting the future. It often refers to faithfully and boldly teaching and preaching God’s word, often alongside a message that applies to a particular audience. It’s about preaching and teaching God’s word, the way God wants you to say it, to the audience that needs to hear it. It’s telling school kids how to love and be kind to each other because kindness will help their school grow and heal from the past. It’s telling teens who are struggling with porn to pay attention to their thoughts and temptations because of the epidemic that has happened in our world today, and we need to be rid of it.

1 Peter 4:10-11

10           God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

11           Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Our abilities should be faithfully used to serve God and serve others. None of our gifts are for our own exclusive enjoyment. Some people believe they can do what they want with them, regardless of what God or anyone says. Others feel that they have no unique talents at all. Everyone can do something well. Because someone might not do it the way you would, it doesn’t mean we need to condemn and bully them for it. They are following God’s plan for them. You were not created to judge but to love them as Christ loved you. It’s about working together, not against. It’s about cooperation, not competition. It’s about God, not us.

Your gifts are the ones God has placed in you specifically and purposely. Talk with him to see those gifts revealed and how you can use them to serve him and your neighbors. I’ll be back in the next one to discuss how we can be kind to others. Until then, stay blessed!