Focal Pointe #28
NEVER STOP EXPLORING
[27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. [28] And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
(1 Corinthians 12:27-30 ESV)
The purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the body of Christ, which is the church. All of the gifts are meant to benefit the church; to contribute to building others up. The question is; what are you doing with yours? Or better yet, do you know what your spiritual gifts are? In verse 29 of the above scripture, Paul asks a rhetorical question “Are all apostles?” The answer is obviously no, setting us up to answer no to each of the following questions as well. This implies that the Holy Spirit does not give the same gifts to everyone, which leads me to believe that we each have our gifts for very specific reasons. Awesome!
Friends, the road to putting your gifts to work for God is really pretty short. We have many opportunities here at NorthPointe for you to explore. The journey to mastering the use of those gifts however, is just that; a journey. And as a fellow traveler, I want to encourage you to find the adventure in the journey. Look beyond yourself, look beyond what you’re doing right now, look beyond tomorrow. What do you think God will have you doing with your gifts next year? What do you think He’ll have you doing with what He gave you in ten years?
I saw a really cool shirt in a sporting goods store the other day. The writing on it said “Never Stop Exploring”. Let that be an encouragement to all of us. Never stop exploring! Never stop asking God what he wants you to do with the gifts he’s given to you. And if you aren’t sure what those gifts are, you can begin exploring right now. Check out the link to a Spiritual Gift Assessment and start your adventure today.
Blessings,
Shawn
