What a week it has been. A week like we’ve never seen in our lifetime. The constant new stories can leave us discouraged and disheartened. But, we know that we truth we believe is sure and the hope we cling to will never change. We can take heart in that no matter what! God is still on his throne. Nothing will change that. God is still God, and merciful and powerful, he loves us and cares for us, even in the midst of doubt and fear.

We have looked at the person and power of the Holy Spirit who sustains our lives in every way. This same Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers us also gifts us to serve and care for the body of Christ.

We need to know that when we understand how the Holy Spirit works in our lives, we realize He gifts each of us as the body of Christ so that we can serve each other and live out His Gospel to the world around us.

The Bible talks about gifts. Spiritual gifts are gifts of grace granted by the Holy Spirit which are designed for the building up of the church. 

This definition could include natural talents under the control of the Holy Spirit or unique abilities given after a person becomes a Christian. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 and Romans 12:6-8, the apostle Paul lists out the different ways God gifts his people.

All in all, the variety of gifts shows us that we are all parts of the body of Christ and called to use what God has blessed with for others.

How should we think about our spiritual gifts? 

• We must celebrate the beauty of our God’s design for gifting us. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 show us that Individually we are all parts of one body of Christ. We are gifted so that we can build up and benefit the entire body of Christ. We are all gifted, and those gifts come from the Holy Spirit work in our lives. Those gifts should promote unity in the church as the Holy Spirit leads us

So then, simply put, we are redeemed and saved by God, the Holy Spirit gifts us, so that we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves. Our individual gifts, given to each of us by the same Holy Spirit, are designed to benefit the entire body of Christ. But this is a challenge for human beings, especially in our culture. We naturally prone to make life about us as individuals, putting others to the background.

So, as you think about the church and as you use the gifts God has given you, here are three things to remind yourself. to sum it up:

1. I’m part of something bigger and more important than myself: the Church.
2. I’m helping reflect something more beautiful than I can imagine: Jesus.
3. Everything I do is empowered by something outside of me: the Holy Spirit.

When we think about spiritual gifts,

• We must also avoid the lies that can deceive us, and cling to the truth.

In 1 Corinthians 12:15-24, the Apostle Paul uses a body metaphor and give particular body parts a voice. He imagines the foot saying that it is not worthwhile because it is not a hand. Or the ear saying that because it is not an eye, it does not belong to the body.

With that in mind, The first lie Paul wants us to avoid is that:

• Lie: “I have nothing to offer.”

This lie stems from the thought that because I am not like someone else, I am useless. Or, because I am not like that, I am not good for the body. And so, I may as well not even be part of the body. The rest of the body can just get along without me.

How does the Apostle Paul respond? He points them to the truth; he points them to reality. Paul denies this conclusion made by the foot, that they don’t belong to the body. In other words, Corinthians, you might make this claim that you don’t belong, but it’s not true.

Rather than saying, I have nothing to offer because I don’t have the same gifts as others, the right response is: 

• Truth: “I play an important part in the body of Christ.”

This truth also leads us to realize the beauty and necessity of diversity within Christ’s body. Paul is showing us here that the remedy for uselessness is to remind us that the body of Christ depends on diversity. Different people use their specific gifts. If you are a part of the body, you are useful.

God has arranged each one of the part just as He wanted. He is in control, He gifts us and calls us to serve just as He sees fit. Think about it. God designed your personality, your talents, and your abilities. He didn’t make a mistake in how he made you, the way you think, and what you are good at.

In think challenging season, we need each other’s encouragement, each other’s gifts and talents, more now than ever. Social distancing only refers to the physical. What ways can you draw closer and appreciate the body of Christ during this difficult time?

We see another lie that Paul combats in this passage:

•  Lie: “I'll be fine; I don’t need the church.”

The first lie says I am not good enough to be a part of God’s body, the second says I don’t need it. Both are equally illogical and wrong. We can’t get so caught up in ourselves that we lose sight of our need for each other. A sign of spiritual maturity is realizing your limitations. We must know that we can’t survive without the other members of our body. 

We must reject the lie and cling to the truth.

• Truth “We all need each other to survive.”

My prayer is that this temporary separation, this unforeseen obstacle that prevents us from gathering in-person would give a deep appreciation for what it means to gather as the people of God. When we get on the other side of this whole thing, I hope we crave Sunday mornings, I pray we never take for grant it what it means to gather, to sing, to worship, to assemble together as the church, the body of Christ.

Don’t be like the eye who thinks he is better off without the rest of the body. That’s foolish. Know that God has created us for fellowship, know that he has brought us into an interconnected body; we need each other to survive.

• We must also keep the end goal in mind

We see in 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 that our gifts should lead us to humility, unity, and service. This truth means that all parts of the body are indispensable.We value the contribution each of us makes. There are no gifts that aren’t essential to the survival and health of the body. Also, your gifting should never lead to disrupting the unity of the church. What you do for the church, how you serve the church should always point others to Christ and cause those you are serving to have a greater appreciate for Jesus and a greater love for his church.

If one member suffers, we all suffer. Many of us are going to be suffering over the coming weeks and months. Some of it will be physical, the Covid-19 cases are continuing to rise in this area, and I’m sure by now many of us know someone who has it or may be waiting on test results. Some of the suffering will be financial.Some will lose their jobs, others will see their jobs look extremely different. How will we as the body of Christ care for each other during this time? Because we need each other more now than ever!

Finally, I leave you with three takeaways: 

• Appreciate the fellowship you might normally take for grant it.

I really hope this season of physical distance stirs in you a passion to gather on Sunday mornings with your church family like you’ve never had before. Sometimes God can use extraordinary means to take away something we might take for grant it as a way to focus us on the most important things in our lives.

• Embrace this divine interruption to your normal life.

Don’t dwell on the fact that your life has been disrupted, everyone’s has. That whole thing is out of our control. But we can control our attitude. We can control how we make the most of the extra time that we have with our families at home.

We can complain or we can use this whole situation as an opportunity to grow closer to God, bring him glory, to strengthen our bond with our spouses and our families. (Cause we are getting a lot of quality time, am I right?). Also, we are going to get more opportunities to interact with our neighbors. Everyone’s at home. Embrace that. Develop those relationships.

• Look for creative ways to embrace and serve the family of God when you have every excuse to fade away.

It could be so easy for you to just fade into the background and lose contact with your church family. Stay connected. Make it a point to call something you miss from church every week. Just because you won’t see them at church doesn’t mean you can’t talk with them. But it will take effort. You can’t just show up at church and “see them if you see them.” You have to make a purpose to reach out. But, I promise you it’s worth it. 

I hope you have a great week. May God use this season in our lives to grow us closer to Him and all those He has placed in our lives. 

Pastor Sam