Your Spiritual Gifts Used in Service – 20 March 2009

I wonder if you have noticed as the week has gone on how our home town can help remind us of our purpose in life?

Reach Out with the Good News

Uplifting Worship to God

            Growing in Mature Discipleship

            Belonging Together in Community

            Your Spiritual Gifts Used in Service

The “Y” of Rugby brings us finally to think about the way God has made us to serve one another, but thankfully he doesn’t just leave us to get on with it.  He gives his people spiritual gifts, supernatural abilities, to do the things that He calls us to.  Your spiritual gifts are there for you to use in the service of others.

There is no question that as a Christian you have received spiritual gifts – the only questions are whether we know what they are and whether we are willing to use them for others.  Paul writes about this at length in his letter to the Christians of Corinth.

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.  ……..….  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.

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.  The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”  1 Corinthians 12:1-13  [NIV]

Paul writes of other spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4 so the passage above is not an exhaustive list, but the principles are universal, and in particular “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7)

We can only know our true purpose in this life when we are living out the life we are called to, using the gifts God has given us.

If you have any doubts about whether you are doing this, don’t push those doubts to one side, today is the day to begin to dispel your “ignorance”, which is what Paul calls it, and do something about it.  If you don’t know what – ask God, and then speak to me so I can tell you how we can help you.

To live a fulfilled and meaningful life we must have RUGBY at the heart of it – you know what I mean!