1 Corinthians 1:4-9
When God saves a person, he does not leave that person powerless. In fact, every disciple of Jesus has been given spiritual gifts that are meant to be used for Kingdom growth and influence (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11). The question is not whether or not we have them; the question is WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THEM?
One of the key words that must be spoken in relationship to every Christian is the word potential. One of the things that we do as a pastoral and leadership team is “track the health” of our church in the form of CONNECT-GROW-LIVE. The Connect part focuses on evangelistic-type connection to Jesus and edification-type connection to one another. The Grow part focuses on Christian education in the form of “next steps of growth” as we live in community with one another. The Live part focuses on involvement in the ministry - being the “hands and feet of Jesus” doing the ministry in both our church and community.
What our team has found is that about 20-25% of our church is involved in weekly service to one another &/or our community. Now, before that really shocks or discourages you, that percentage is actually higher than the average church. With that said, think of the number of people who are not reaching their potential in serving our God. Could that be you?
When Paul began his letter to the Corinthian church, he made sure to remind them of how blessed they really were. They had been given an excess of spiritual gifts as a church. They had knowledge. They had multiple gifted speakers. They had the ability to defend and speak truth. Paul told them that they are “rich” in spiritual gifts. They had the potential to do great things for God. Remember, potential doesn’t guarantee progress, purpose, or production! If you jump ahead a bit in the chapter, you soon find out that they were NOT putting those spiritual gifts to good practice. Instead, they were allowing their spiritual gifts to cause pride that was creating unnecessary alienation, animosity, and anxiety in the church. They were failing to reach their full potential.
Think of this, Paul said something in the text that is really important and often gets glossed over. He reminded the Corinthians that their spiritual gifts were in connection to their “eager anticipation” of the return of Jesus Christ. It seems that if we are focused on the return of Christ, instead of being obsessed with all the fleeting pleasures of this world, we will live with urgency. Maybe that’s the problem! The American church is really good at “going through the motions” as if people’s destinies are not at stake, consequences for sin don’t exist, and we have plenty of time to get right with God. That’s a dangerous way to live.
If you knew that you had a certain amount of time left on this earth, would it change how you live your life? If you knew that Jesus Christ was going to return on a certain date, would it change what you are focusing on in the present? We have all known plenty of people in our culture, whether athletes, politicians, actors, business owners, etc. who “shot up through the ranks quickly” with all kinds of gifts and potential…only to eventually fail! Why? Because in many cases they took what they had for granted. The Corinthians took what they had for granted. Do NOT make that mistake. You have spiritual gifts that are meant to be “activated” for the glory of God and the good of others! Here’s what I would suggest you do to make sure you are reaching your full potential for Christ:
One of the key words that must be spoken in relationship to every Christian is the word potential. One of the things that we do as a pastoral and leadership team is “track the health” of our church in the form of CONNECT-GROW-LIVE. The Connect part focuses on evangelistic-type connection to Jesus and edification-type connection to one another. The Grow part focuses on Christian education in the form of “next steps of growth” as we live in community with one another. The Live part focuses on involvement in the ministry - being the “hands and feet of Jesus” doing the ministry in both our church and community.
What our team has found is that about 20-25% of our church is involved in weekly service to one another &/or our community. Now, before that really shocks or discourages you, that percentage is actually higher than the average church. With that said, think of the number of people who are not reaching their potential in serving our God. Could that be you?
When Paul began his letter to the Corinthian church, he made sure to remind them of how blessed they really were. They had been given an excess of spiritual gifts as a church. They had knowledge. They had multiple gifted speakers. They had the ability to defend and speak truth. Paul told them that they are “rich” in spiritual gifts. They had the potential to do great things for God. Remember, potential doesn’t guarantee progress, purpose, or production! If you jump ahead a bit in the chapter, you soon find out that they were NOT putting those spiritual gifts to good practice. Instead, they were allowing their spiritual gifts to cause pride that was creating unnecessary alienation, animosity, and anxiety in the church. They were failing to reach their full potential.
Think of this, Paul said something in the text that is really important and often gets glossed over. He reminded the Corinthians that their spiritual gifts were in connection to their “eager anticipation” of the return of Jesus Christ. It seems that if we are focused on the return of Christ, instead of being obsessed with all the fleeting pleasures of this world, we will live with urgency. Maybe that’s the problem! The American church is really good at “going through the motions” as if people’s destinies are not at stake, consequences for sin don’t exist, and we have plenty of time to get right with God. That’s a dangerous way to live.
If you knew that you had a certain amount of time left on this earth, would it change how you live your life? If you knew that Jesus Christ was going to return on a certain date, would it change what you are focusing on in the present? We have all known plenty of people in our culture, whether athletes, politicians, actors, business owners, etc. who “shot up through the ranks quickly” with all kinds of gifts and potential…only to eventually fail! Why? Because in many cases they took what they had for granted. The Corinthians took what they had for granted. Do NOT make that mistake. You have spiritual gifts that are meant to be “activated” for the glory of God and the good of others! Here’s what I would suggest you do to make sure you are reaching your full potential for Christ:
- Pray. God will show you.
- Ask Godly people to tell you what they see in you for ministry.
- Read and seek to understand the verses about spiritual gifts.
- Get involved. It doesn’t matter where. Just get started. Fill out the volunteer sign-up sheet here, and we will help you get involved: https://weareemmanuel.life/serving.
Posted in Devotional