Bible Questions Answered:
“...well I was asked if I'd like to
teach a sunday school class, I said no. I've always tried to help
out, cleaning and in the kitchen, but the thing is now I feel bad
what is it that I should do?...”
Clarissa/ Sacramento, California
Bible Answer:
Do the thing you like to do, for that
is how God has called you! And do not think of it as a
“lesser-gift,” than teaching or anything else!
God gives to all His children,
“spiritual gifts,” and here is what the Apostle Paul said about
them.
Ephesians 4:11-13 KJV
11 And He gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of The Body Of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of The Son Of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking The Truth in love,
may grow up into Him in all things, which is The Head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Romans 12:3-8
NLT
3 Because of the privilege and
authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t
think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your
evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has
given us.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts
and each part has a special function,
5 so it is with Christ’s Body. We
are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
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.
Dear ones, look at this list:
Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
Pastors
Teachers
Serving Others
Giving
Encouraging Others
Leadership Ability
Showing Kindness
And there no doubt are many other gifts!
Yes that's right....
You may have the gift of an Artist, my how greatly that gift could be
used in The House Of The Lord!
Or your gift may be that of music, need we say how greatly that is
needed in The House Of The Lord!
There is no gift greater, nor lesser, all are just as important, and
as needed in The Body Of Christ!
You may well ask, but what is my gift? What do you like to do?
God never
forces someone to do anything they do not want to do!
That is true of Salvation, or a Pentecostal Experience!
Why oh why can't people seem to understand this?
If you feel your gift is music, and if someone is already leading the
music of the church, a person should not barge in like a bull in a
china shop! Go to that person, express your gift of music and ask if
there is a place for you? And there will be a place, and no matter
humble, take it and perform as unto The Lord!
Homily:
It has been said “with humility,” for a reason.
This pastor remembers well the summer day a lady knocked on the
pastor's office door, and asked to speak with the pastor. And she was
told that we all were so glad that she had come to join our church,
and that we could certainly use her help. “Well” she said “that
is why she had come to see me. No, she did not want to teach a
children's class, or to help in the kitchen or with other duties,
actually she said, she had once herself been a pastor, and that that
was her “spiritual-gift.”
There was trepidation, silence, and then this pastor responded, Well
actually this church already had a deacon, and church body, elected
pastor. Again, silence and trepidation....”Well,” she said,
“this is the spiritual gift I have.” Well, you know, teaching
young children about The Lord, is a wonderful calling this pastor
responded....”No!,” she replied, “Then I won't be staying,” and
off she went.
Dear saint of The Lord, God hasn't given you a “spiritual-gift,”
to usurp someone who may already be doing whatever your gift is, in
the church! But in the state of humility, ask if you may some how,
some where join in, and if you do, God Himself will open doors for
you, and bless you greatly!
Much, much more could be said concerning this subject, and it would
do all Christians well, to research their own particular gift!
But one more thing must be said, concerning “spiritual-gifts.”
One day, not in judgment, but in accounting for our lives
before God, we will have to show just how we have used our
“spiritual-gifts,” for The Lord.
I Corinthians
3:5-16 NLT
5 After all,
who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through
whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work The Lord
gave us.
6 I planted the
seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made
it grow.
7 It’s not
important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s
important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who
plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose.
And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are
both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s
building.
10 Because of
God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert
builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on
this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one
can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus
Christ.
12 Anyone who
builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold,
silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the
judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has
done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work
survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the
work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder
will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of
flames.
16 Don’t you
realize that all of you together are The Temple Of God and that The
Spirit Of God lives in you?
Romans 11:29 NLT
For God’s
gifts and His call can never be withdrawn.
I Peter 4:10,11
NLT
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.
