|
Description:
|
|
Romans 12:7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well.
1 Corinthians 16:15–16 15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.
Matthew 20:20–28
20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked.
She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”
“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
If you are a teacher, teach well.
This is the ability to take complex subjects and make them easy to understand.
8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.
Notice those who are down and seek to lift them up through words, notes, etc.
- Are able to inspire others to more fully live for God
- See potential for good in people and seek to bring it out in them
- Can help restore confidence or bring about new confidence in a person
- Desire to provide comfort for those who are in mourning
If it is giving, give generously.
Characteristics of Those with This Gift:
Want to be challenged to give more and respond well to these challenges
Are especially moved by the financial plight of the poor and needy
Have special concerns (e.g., evangelism, missions, benevolence) that they are very willing to fund above and beyond regular giving
Do not hold on tightly to their own possessions or savings, but regularly give them away
Are careful with their spending so that they may give to others
Application for World/Workplace/Neighborhood Settings
Look for co-workers or neighbors who going through economic hardship and buy them something they need
Organize the collection of funds towards a cause that will resonate with non-Christians
Application for Church Ministry
Begin with tithing towards your local church and then give above and beyond this
Save additional funds to allow for special giving
Teach/participate in financial management ministry such as Financial Peace
Application for Family
Begin teaching your children to tithe as little children, explaining why you do this
Save as a family and then use these funds to go and give to the poor and needy something that they need
Sponsor a child overseas that is in need and have your children give some of their allowance towards this child's monthly support.
If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.
Take the responsibility seriously. It has to be said with this gift that it wasn’t given so the leader could sit back arrogantly thinking how special they are for being given this gift. Its a call to be a servant. It means you aren’t above taking out the trash and restocking the pencils in the pews.
A leader is somebody who gets people to follow. A true leader has a goal and can unite people to get behind it and go with it.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (mercy, compassion)
This gift equips one to respond lovingly and compassionately to those who are suffering or have struggled with sin or the conditions of life.
Characteristics of Those with This Gift:
- Sensitive, caring and compassionate
- Understanding of those who fall into sin, seeking to protect and lift them up
- Able to cheerfully minister to sick, homeless, handicapped
- Careful not to be judgmental
- Regularly enjoy doing small acts of kindness
Application
Application for World/Workplace/Neighborhood Settings
- Look for co-workers who are stressed out or facing life and work challenges and seek to encourage them
- Be on the lookout for people in the neighborhood, children's friends' parents, etc. who are facing these challenges and be proactive in ministering to them
Application for Church Ministry
- Serve in food pantry, clothes closet, homeless, orphans, recovery, and hospital/sick type of ministries
- Seek to comfort and lift up those who are going through divorce, bereavement, depression, anxiety, worry, job loss, or have failed in sin
Pastoral Care/Shepherding—Those gifted in pastoral care and shepherding naturally seek to guide, guard, and nurture people in the Christian faith. It should be noted that one can have the gift of shepherding without being an officially recognized shepherd, just as one can be an evangelist without being a paid preacher. This gift describes the function of shepherding, not an office. An example of leading through shepherding is consistently seeking out those who need Spiritual guidance and helping them follow God (Acts 20:28-31).
Spiritual Gifts Passage on Pastoral Care/Shepherding
“ . . . some to be pastors” (Eph. 4:11).
Characteristics of Those with This Gift:
- Have a desire and an ability to help Christians grow to greater maturity in the faith
- Enjoy guiding, mentoring and nurturing people
- Desire to help people overcome spiritual, emotional, or physical problems in their lives
- Want to protect people from harmful influences and help bind up the wounded
- Have a following of people who trust them because of their demonstrated care and attention, and who often go to them for counseling
Application
- Look for those at work who are struggling with life issues and be a counselor and encourager for them
- Offer to pray with those who are hurt, down, or in need
- Serve in "discipleship" (greater maturity) type of ministries, such as post-baptismal studies, New Members classes, in-depth Bible studies; also consider serving in prayer and recovery ministries
- Look for opportunities to mentor and encourage people
- Spend time with people, pray with them, and help them with life issues (marriage, parenting, etc.)
- Look for opportunities to help people through emotional and spiritual valleys
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
We don’t treat people life projects.
We don’t try to be their Savior.
We don’t make them feel indebted to us for helping them.
We don’t put up distance between us and them but we truly let them into our lives, which means we put ourselves and our resources at risk.
We don’t gossip about them behind their backs.
This is why ministry is hard. The person thinks until just helping out of obligation bc you're a Christian but u are really loving them and when they move on it hurts bc u gave yourself to them.
Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil.
To return evil with evil keeps evil in circulation
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
CONCLUSION:
It doesn't matter how small we are
It's not about us it's about Jesus and there is nothing stopping us from our mission. Yeah, we don't have the best equipment and facilities fight now but how about we look at this time as the good ol days when we were struggling.
Story
If we only had...
We really need...to be able...
No we don't. We have everything we need right now.
All that other stuff comes under the guise of mission. But we don't need it. Gods power is not constrained by our situation, our limited resources, or our fear.
Attraction all vs mission all.
If we had a children's program, if we had a day care it would only be so we could do more of what we should already be doing and so the best way we can ask God to bless us and provide for us is to do what we should already be doing now.
Servants get a write up in the NT and we wouldn't think of that but isn't that how it's going to be on judgement day. Won't we be shocked to see just how much it's true that the first will be last and vice Versace even though we've been told in advance.
We need such and such, No we don't.
1. What did we say was the church's primary mission?
2. How important is it to be at church on Sunday's with reference to the mission?
3. Why do you go to church on Sunday?
4. Is Sunday a time when you find yourself using your gifts? Why or why not? |
.png)
More
Religion & Spirituality
Education
Arts and Design
Health
Fashion & Beauty
Government & Organizations
Kids & family
Music
News & Politics
Science & Medicine
Society & Culture
Sports & Recreation
TV & Film
Technology
Philosophy
Storytelling
Horror and Paranomal
True Crime
Leisure
Travel
Fiction
Crypto
Marketing
History
Comedy
Arts
Games & Hobbies
Business
Motivation
